The Irish standard., 1890-04-26
ST MARY's HOSP tai.

i 0lsImA01 - nO01 Al n As A<sss#i#s1
Laying Of the Corner Stone Of the New
Wing Last SunuaY.
There was a large gathering o. people
at 24l6. Sixth street south on Sunday last
to w,tne's and take part in the ceremo.
nies Of the laying Of the corner stone o1
the new wing 10 st. Msry's hospital
Bishop McG lrtok Was present, and de-
! livered a most feeling and foroible ser.
mon, in which he said:
The Catholic church, founded by
Christ, our Lord, for the saving of man
kind and for the healing OF the nations,
has never forgotten that in this vale OF
tears her special mission is to suffering
humanity. Mindful, therefore, not only
Of their spiritual needs, but also of their
corporal necessities, she studies not only
to teach and to baptjze, but to console
and to lift up the troubled mind to that
higher sphere where there is no mourn
ing or sorrow, and where suffering is un-
known. The church's divine founder
had identified himself with II own suf
fering human creatures. making it a con-
dltion necessary to gain eternal life with
Him that His followers should not only
believe the truth, but that they should
instruct the ignorant, bring consolation
to the am c1ed, receive the stranger, in
short, do positive good. The larger por.
ton of the human race was to bear in
patience the miseries of life and to re-
cognize in them the Christening hand of
Providence shaping all things to his
wisest ends.
Mindful Of Gods holy will, the church
ever united the highest form of love for
God with that of the love Of ones neigh
Dor, SO that from the early days Of Chris
tianity arose strange and hitherto un-
known vision before the gaze of men,
namely, that of large number of peo-
pie devoting themselves to the care OF
the sick and receiving for Gods sake
into their homes their poor and suffering
brethren.
Pagan civilization had reached it's eli
max, but with all its wondrous work in
art and literature there was no heart for
the poor and the afflicted; to be thus
stricken was to be accursed of gods and
mon, and no refuge for the helpless vic
Tins of age and infrmity, no hospital had
ever been heard of during the long years
of pagan culture. For us and in our day
1t is necessary to bear this fact in mind |;
for during we'll nigh nineteen hundred
years of Christian teaching, each cen
tury presents q nost Of active agents un-
firing in their efforts to bring back once
more the ancient pagan license, which
was, in fact, the deiioation of mans
shameless passions.
The nineteenth century, now near its
close, has been no exception to this rule,
for from its dawn to this, our day, men
hostile to Christian truth would fam
! worship Buddah or bow down to Nescri-
ner, pralsing, as is their wont, the glories
of our age without God, rather than be
ileve in Him Gin whom we live and move
| and have our being" Too long have the
poor and the weak suffered outrage al
the hands of favored few; never again
can pagan civilization rule the world.
But who is there who cannot see how
necessary it is that the poor, who have
become poorer and more helpless through
sickness, should then more than at any
other period of their lives receive from
their Christian brethren sympathy ano
care? ''Amen, I say unto you, whatso
ever you do unto the least of my breth'
rem you do unto me-" was his word
whose word is law. "Go sell what thor
hast and give to the poor, and follow
me-" were his last words to the rict
young man in the Gospel. But though
the young man went away sad and lost
Ohrist's words, ever fruitful, caused ir
after days thousands and hundreds o.
thousands to leave all things to follow
him, giving themselves to the poor be-
cause of his will.
The poor mans hovel, often narrow
and crowded, divested of the comforts O.
life. affords but slight hope that in the
time of sickness due care could be giver
to the worn-out patient. The tenement
house, the poorly ventilated basement OF
the miserable garrett form but ill protec
tlon even for those who are strong. True
it is that the willing, kindly hand o1
wife or mother may be there, but in the
surroundings even medicine cannot
avail, and for want Of intelligent nursing
and healthy environment, disease leads
on to prolonged suffering and to death
Hence the need of large and we'll built
public hospitals. In this most charitable
work the Catholic church in the United
States is not behind older Catholic lands
and to-day we assist at the laying of the
corner stsne of the latest of some Cox
hospitals and asylums now built by the
generous offerings Of the Catholics O
I