The Irish standard., 1893-09-16
WORDSOF WISDOM
No More Conspicuous Figure at
the Late Parliament of
Religions
THAN CARDINAL GIBBONS.

His Magnificent Response to an
Address of Welcome at the
Opening,
A conspicuous. figure at the Parlia-
ment of Religions is Cardinal Gibbons.
At the opening of the unique gathering
he recited the Lords Prayer and after
ward delivered the following response to
the address of welcome:
Your honored president has informed
you, ladies and gentlemen. that if were
to consult the interests of my health I
should perhaps be in bed this morning,
but, as was announced to say word
in response to the kind speeches that
have been offered up to us, T could not
fail to present myself at least and to
show my interest in your great under
taking.
I would be wanting in my duty as q
minister of the Catholic Church it I did
not say that it is our desire to present
the claims of the Catholic Church to the
observation and, if possible, to the ac-
ceptance of every right minded man that
will listen to us. But we appeal only to
the tribunal of conscience and Of intel
lect. I feel that in possessing my faith
I possess treasure compared with
which all the treasures of this world are
but dross, and, instead of hiding those
treasures in my own coverts, would
like to share them with others, especially
as I am mono the poorer in making 9th,
ers the richer. But though we do not
agree in matters of faith, as the most
reverend archbishop of Chicago has said,
thanks be to God there is one platform
on which we all stand united. 1t is the
platform of charity, Of humanity and of
benevolence. Cheere] And as minis
ters of Christ we thank him for our great
model in this particular. Our blessed
Redeemer came upon this earth to break
down the wall of partition that separ-
ated race from race and people from peo-
pie and tribe from tribe, and has made
us one people. one family recognizing
God rs our common father and Jesus
Christ as our brother.
We have beautiful lesson given to us
in the gospel of Jesus Christ-that beau
tiful parable Of the good Samaritan
which we all ought to follow. We know
that the good Samaritan rendered assist
ance to dying man and bandaged his
wounds. The Samaritan was his enemy
in religion and in faith, his enemy in ma
tionality and his enemy even in social
life. That is the model that we all ought
to follow. [Applause.]
I trust that We will all leave this hall
animated by greater love for one an
other, for love knows no distinction Of
faith. Christ the Lord is our model, I
say. We cannot, like our Divine Savior,
give sight to the blind and hearing to
the deaf and walking to the lame and
strength to the paralyzed limbs; we can
not work the miracles which Christ
wrought; but there are ether miracles
far more beneficial to ourselves that we
are all in the measure of our lives capa-
BILE of working, and those are the mir
acles of charity, OF mercy, ard of love to
our fellow-man.
Let no man say that be cannot serve
his brother. Let no man say cam my
brothers keeper?" That was the Ian
gusge of Cain, and say to you all here
today. no matter what may be your
faith, that you are and ought to be your
brothers. keeper. What would become
OF MS christians today if Christ the Lord
had said, "Am I my brothers keeper?'
We would be all walking in darkness
and in the shadow of death, and if today
we enjoy in this great and benefcent
land of ours blessings beyond compari-
son we owe it to Christ who redeemed
us all. [Cheers.] Therefore, let us thank
God for the blessings he has bestowed
upon us. Never do we perform an act so
pleasing to God as when we extend the
right hand of fellowship and Of practical
love to suffering member. Never do
we approach nearer to our model than
when we cause the sunlight of heaven to
beam upon darkened soul; never do we
prove ourselves more worthy to be called
children Of God our father than when
we cause the flowers Of JOY and of glad
ness to grow up in the hearts that were
dark and dreary and barren and desolate
before. [Applause]
For, ss the apostle has well said, s.Re-
ligion pure and undefled before God
and the father is this: To visit the or
phan and the fatherless and the widow
in their tribulations, and to keep ones