The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1891-02-21
HISTORY REVIEWED.

x44SAOh = ILL y LII " 0Af .
Judge Macdonald, the Eloquent Orator Re-
views the Noble Deeds Of Catholics.
A large audience was present Wednes-
day evening, at Cresin hall, Sixth and
Fort street, ST Paul, when lecture by
Hon. j. L. Macdonald 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 on the
face of the earth where its citizens, as a
body, are SO free from religious preju-
dice and sectarian bias as the United
States. He likened the United States 10
a 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 entrance to
shat temple was our constitution, and
the keystone of that arch the provision
which occurred to all our people the right
10 worship God according to the dictates
of their own conscience. But there
were exceptions to every rule, and our
country was not without them Now
and then there arises q bigoted Cassan-
dra to disturb the existing harmony by
doleful forebod;ng Of dangers from the
Catholic church which have for ages been
predicted, but never come to pass. The
| Catholic Truth society has concluded
| that it was due the great body of which
| they are members that the Catholic por~
| tion of American history be made more
generally known, as the most emphatic
rebuke that could be administered to
| such assailants, and as a consequence
he had been invited to deliver this LEG
ture. It was not his purpo=e to claim a
superior record TO that of other denomi |
nations. or to even institute compar1- !
son; 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 American continent,
Mr.. Bancroft saying that with the Ro-
man Catholics of Maryland 'Protesta nts
we're sheltered from Protestant intoler-
ance."
He passed 10 review OF the early
missionaries and explorers, and paid a. !
glowing tribute to these mon of God,
who. Bancroft said. had passed beyond
the confines of Superior and looked
wistfully towards the home Of the Sioux
at the head waters Of the Mississippi,
five years before the New England
Elliott had addressed the tribe of In
dams that dwelt within sig miles of
tion of Father Marquette, Hsnnepin,
Menard, Jaques, Brebeuf, Gaultier and
our own Ravoux. OF the early explor-
ers 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
Rocham beau. Pulaski and the other
brave, liberty loving Catholic heroes
who volunteered to come here and
assist 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 Ameri-
cans, and that one. half were Irish and
the her fourth principally English and
Scotch. Many Of the officers under
Washington were Catholic, and he made
special mention of Gen. Stephen Moy
Ian, Quartermaster General and |
Com nordore John Barry, father of the
American navy. When, in the dark
hours of Valley Forge, Washington's
army was threatened with dangers
greater than the British army, that
of a depleted national treasury, the
Friendly Sons of st. Patrick-a Catholic
organization-c contributed over half a
million Of dollars; and Dominic Fltzin-
mons contributed 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 in the last war OF the
Union.
He took up the list of Catholic officers
who had acquired distinction in the war
for the suppression Of the rebellion and
preservation Of the Union. Gems. Sher-
idan, Rosecrana, Shields. Newton
Meagher, Mull1gan, Hunt, Stone and
Others and Admirals Sands and Ammen.