St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-02-19
SAINT PAUL.
FROM PAGE OF HISTORY.
Judge Macdonald Eloquently Re-
views the Heroic Deeds of Cath.

Judge Macdonald Eloquently Re-
views the Heroic Deeds of Cath.
olics.
A large audience was present last
evening at Cretin hall, Sixth and Fort
streets, when lecture by Hon. j. l..
Mcdonald was delivered, under the
auspices of the Catholic Truth society.
Judge Macdonald was listened to with
close attention, and at the close of his
address was accorded an ovation by his
hearers.
Judge Macdonald commenced by say
ing that there was no country Oh the
face of the earth where its citizens, as
body, are so free from religious preju-
dice and sectarian bias as the United
States. He likened the United States
to grand temple Of liberty, in which
the friends of human freedom in other
lands would fain reside, and said that
the arch which represents the en-
trance to that temple was our con-
stitution, and the keystone Of that arch
the provision which secured to all our
people the right to worship God accord
ing to the dictates of their own con-
science. But there were exceptions to
every rule. and our country was not
without them. Now and then there
arises a bigoted Cassandra to
disturb the existing harmony by
dOleful fOrebodings of dangers
from the Catholic church, which
have for ages been predicted, but never
come to pass. The Catholic Truth So
ciety has concluded that it was due to
the great body of which they are men,
bers that the Catholic portion Of Ameri-
CON hictor hn mazda moro generally
known, as the most emphatic rebuke
that could be administered to such as
Sailants, and as consequence he had
been invited to deliver this lecture. 1t
was not his purpose to claim superior
record to that of other denominations,
or to even institute a comparison: he
would state facts and let them speak
for themselves.
He quoted from Bancroft and other
historians to prove that to the Catholics
was due the credit Of introducing and
first establishing civil and religious
freedom upon the Americad continent.
Mr.. Bancroft saying that with the
Roman Catholics of Maryland ''Protes-
tants were sheltered from Protestant IL
tolerance"
He passed to a review of the early
missionaries and explorers. and paid
glowing tribute to these men of God,
who, Bancroft said, ''had passed beyond
the confines of Superior and looked
wistfully towards the home of the Sioux
at the headwaters of the Mississippi.
five years before the New England
Elliott had addressed the tribe of
Indians that dwelt within six miles
of Boston harbor" He made special
mention of Father Marquette, Henne-
pin, Menard, Jaques, Brebeuf, Gaultier
and our own RavouX. Of the early ex-
plorerS he named many, including LIE
Sueur and La Sale.
He next took up the history of our
Revolutionary war, by which we gained
our independence as nation, and
showed that Catholic valor and patriot
ism contributed to much larger extent
than many supposed to the accomplish
ment of that grand result; of course
Rochambeau. Pulaski and the other
brave liberty-loving Catholic heroes
who volunteered to come here and as
SiSt the colonies were mentioned. He
quoted from the testimony taken before
a committee of the house of commons
to prove that only one-fourth Of
the continental army were native
Americans. and that one-half
were Irish and the other fourth
principally English and Scotch.
Many OF the officers under Washington
were Catholic. and he made special men,
ton of Gen. Stephen Moylan, Quarter
master General and Commodore John
Barry, father of the American navy.
When, in the dark hours of Valley
Forge, WaShington's army was threat
ened with dangers greater than the
British army, that of depleted national
treasury, the Friendly Sons of st. Pat
rick-a Catholic observation-disclosures
tributed over half a million of dollars;
and Dominic FitzimmonS contributed a
very large sum in aid Of the glorious
cause. This was done, he said, when
gold could not be exchanged for bonds
OF an established government, in double
the face value, as was done by many i'll
the last war of the Union.
He took up the list Of Catholic officers
who had acquired distinction in the war
preservation of the Union. Gems. Sher
idan, Rosecrans, Shields. Newton.
Meagher, Mulligan, Hunt, Stone and
others and Admirals Sands and Ammen.
He paid glowing tribute to the Sisters
for their laoorS in the hospital and upon
the field of battle, also quoting
from non-Catholic writer's. He closed
by saying to his Catholic hearers that
they could fulfill DO grander mission
than to initiate the virtues and patriot
ism of the distinguished Catholics
whose names and praiseworthy deeds
he had referred to. and urged them to
practice the broadcast liberality with
their fellow-citizens of different faith.
and to invite them in the truest spirit of
brotherly love to rivalry in securing
for our people and country realization
of that grand destiny which we all pray
will be theirs to the end of time.