The Irish standard., 1893-09-16
IN AND AROUND, THE CITY.

~. -
IN AND AROUND THE CITY
THE CATHOLIC CONGRESS.
Father Cleary, Of st. Charles Church, Speak
Of the Great Catholic Gathering.
Last Sunda5 evening at Dapia hall
Fa. her j. NJ. Cleary delivered an inter
esting discourse on the Catholic Con
gress ia which he participated with dis
tinction. He commenced by saying tina
an era in the history Of the Catholic
Church in this country began on tn
memorable Wednesday morning, Sept
6, when his excellepcy, Archbishop Sa
TOLL, the papal delegate, standing before
an enthusiastic body Of Catholic bishops
priests and laymen, told them to "dc
forth ard conquer the country for the
Church, carrying in one hand the word
OF Divine truth and in the other the Con
stitution of the United States.
"Tnis statement" said Father Cleary,
coming as it does from the personal rep.
resentHtive of our most sovereign pontif,
Is standing lie to those who have main
tanned that the Catholic Chu Oh was
inimical to the institutions OF America.
Those who have traded upon the credu-
lily of their dupes by claiming that the
Catholic was taught to be dlsloyal to
America will now find their occupation
gone. The Intelligent people OF the
country can no longer be deceived. The
messenger of the Pope himself, direct to
the people of this country, has made the
most complete exhortation OF loyalty to
the constitution of this government.
What was this Catholic congress? An
other lie to host of traducers OF the
Church, 1t has been repeated 40 often
that the Catholic Church is foe to
learning and progress that believes in
keeping the people in superstition. But
wien there gathered in Chicago this
gathering of Catholics all recognized that
this was not the case. The Chicago
newspapers, whose enterprise stands I'M
rivaled in the world, found the proceed
ings of this body and the ability OF the
men who composed it such as to devote
to it's proce euings column after column.
They found men of sterling ability dis
cussing all the p oblems which have to
do with the moral nelfare of humanity,
which have to do with the protection OF
human rights. the many phases OF the
conflict between capital and labor, the
war upon intemperance. They found
not mon who believed what the priest
said simply because he had said it, but
men who could realize the sutficiency OF
the reason given for it, or who perhaps
had arrived at their conclusion by think
ing for themselves, an impossibility with
in the Church, according to the old stor
les of many of the bigots who we're fight
ing it. But this congress will show the
nation that the principles underlying
the Catholic faith were the same princi-
ples of human love and brotherhood, and
its precepts those precepts of right liv-
ing and morality which must always be
the bulwark cf this government.
Tomorrow there begins in that city
what is to be called the Parliament OF
Religions. When this idea OF free dis
cussion of all phases of religious belief
by it's representative opponents was first
preached, it was met with the cry that
they could not be gotten to meet to-
gether. First OF all the Catholics would
stay away, and without the Oldest OF the
Christian churches what would the par.
lament be-? Catholic priests were too
crafty to come into an open parliament
and have their principles exposed to the
fire of their opponents brilliant men.
But the enthusiasts who were promoting !
the parliament persisted in inviting the |
Catholics, and even to the surprise OF the
most sanguine the Catholics signified
their intention of coming. And out OF
the 80 addresses which are to be deliv-
cred there in the next Is days by men
representing all beliefs or unbeliefs
from Buddhism down to the latest fad of
Professionalism, 20 will be read by mem
bers of the Roman Catholic Church.
All the Church wants to ask is fair
hearing, an 4 it will not only enter freely
into the coming parliament, but it hopes
to convince the mind and convert the
hearts of the others by showing them
that here is the Divine truth.
Father Ceary will speak at the Par
lament of Religions next week, his sub
iect being THE Church and Labor, and
his paper will be published in full in the
columns of The IRISH STANDARD. Next
Sunday tomorrow evening he will lee
tura at Da ia hall on "The Rights OF La
bor,' the fret of series OF lectures on
the relations of capital and labor.