Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-10-15
Father Nugent's Address.

Father Nugent's Address,
The speaker is an exceedingly interest
ing one, and has very agreeable and win
ming style of speaking. The following
are the remarks he made after being in
troduced by Mr.. D. w. Ingersoll:
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN-I feel very
much the honor which the Citizens league
have done me in asking me to address this
meeting and especially as it is in accord
with work in which 1 am so deeply inter
ested, and to which have given SO much
time, and I may say whatever little .
energy of character 1 possess.
l have visited your city now for the
fourth successive year, and every time
that have come to St. Paul I have felt
more and more bounden in your interests.
see the progress which you make, and
at the same time how you
open your arms to people
the opportunities which are here presented
to every one who has energy and determi-
nation of character to succeed.
Bishop Ireland, with that large hearted
ness which characterizes him, is always
seeking not only to advance the interests of
this great state but to make every stranger
| that visits it familiar with the ADVANTAGES
which it possesses: i'll fact to make them
i'll love with it. and from the first time 1
became acquainted with him became so
much attached to his good work
that l have been necessarily
urging people of every class and condition
in life to come out to this western world,
where there are SO many opportunities.
| My present mission is much of that char
acter, and he has drawn me, I may say. in
to the work which your society has
marked out for me this evening,
and you must not expect from me a
lecture, but if you will allow me, we will
talk together upon work which you are
seeking to urge forward. We can compare
notes; we can see what is going on in the
old country, and as the same battle
has to be fought here.
we can work hand and heart together. to
push forward this work of temperance,
which, whilst it is for the regeneration of
the older nations of this world, is for the
defense and protection of this young coun-
try. My work for the last nineteen
years has been within the walls
of one of the largest prisons in England.
During that time over 10000 prisoners
have passed under my charge. You may
imagine the extent of my work when tell
you that last year 1868 prisoners were
committed to my care. OF these there
were 6,2G2 men and 6,357 women.
You may further judge of my daily work
when tell you that nearly four or six
bands, or state carriages, with shame en-
blazoned upon them in golden letters, bring
up every Monday night from eighty to
ninety men and from seventy to eighty
women.
| prison, then. is a school where man
kind may be fairly studied, and during the
course of nineteen years have had daily
opportunities of studying mankind
and learning those causes which induce so
many to lead an evil and criminal life.
Some years ago was on my daily round
of duty within the walls of prison and 1
stepped into a cell where there was youth
certainly not over two and twenty years of
age. He was very intelligent boy. He
had come from LIVERPOOL. when
he was nine years of age,
and having no friends in that city he was
knocking about poor waif upon the
streets. He soon fell into the ways of
criminal life and before he was fifteen
years of age be was transported for five
years. eAtthe time came in contact with
him he was doing, or rather condemned to
his third term of penal servitude.
His sentence then was for ten years. As
he sat on his stool and eat his humble din
ner sat in there with him endeavorinp
to turn him away from his evil course,
and when man is eating he is generally
In pretty good humOr, and generally
you can exercise some little influence
over him, and this boy
turning to me says: "Well father.
1t is no use of you wasting your time
over US old thieves. Turn
your attention to the young. Only
keep them from being thieves until thew
are fifteen years of age, and believe me
there are few of them who will turn to it
after that.
This boy-this text became my teacher.
and he set me to thinking of the causes
which lead so many to lead an evil life.
and found that the neglected children
were the raw material from which crimi-
mails were formed, and that these children
were the offspring of our drunkards. of de-
based and indifferent parents. set my
self at once to study the question, and to
put into practice this lesson which this
testimony of one of the best informed
men on the condition of the London poor
that there were at that time upwards of
100000 children about the streets of that
city without friend, without protector.
on the fair road for prison life and fnallv
Tor penal servitude. In the city of Liver
pool 81 found that there were $4,000
OF those children friendlase
and unprotected, most of them children of
arnnkards; neglected ones, rowing about
The city without heart to love them or
hand to guide them.
fou may believe of the extent of this
~nen l tell you that in 1868 we had cen:
'eS -. maze IN the city of Liverpool
1ren, and the returns of that show In n.
nat there were 1872 children between
me age of five and the age of thirteen that
wore attending no school: that were:orov