The Irish standard., 1895-06-15

ton OF our Souls, nrSt ana foremost "
the memory of those who are gone, Ito
whom we are linked by ties of memory
never to be sundered, and stretch out to
eternity. But over and above we wish
all to testify to God that devotion to
country for which they died, for this is
what gives meaning to all we do this day.
They not only bled and died, but gave
their blood and lives for the preservation
of the country we love, the country
which is the hope of humanity, the home
Of the free, the land Of promise and the
land OF destiny; the supreme hope of our
race, Of all mankind.
IT wish to thank those Of you, and they
are many, doubtless the majority who do
not belong to the same church to which
myself and my companions: here in the
ministry do for your presence here, be-,
cause it is the best, most convincing sign
you could give that in the matters l M - OF
devotion to. country and to the memory
Of the dead you recognize no narrow
lines, no party divisions, no sectional
strife. q;
sI take the liberty Of addressing you
all as Christians. If you desired to hon
or the dead simply with civic ceremonies,
you could do it. You are here because
you also chose to honor them with relig-
ious commemoration. speak to you
not as members of the particular church
to which belong, but as fellow Chris
tians and fellow countrymen. M
.It is something altogether in har-
mony with the Christian religion to re-
meber the dead. Even far back under
the old law we read how Judas Macca-
beus, the hero of Gods people, when
they were downtrodden by tyranny,
when they had fought manfully the bat
tie and achieved the freedom Of their
land, after it all they came to offer trib-
ute and sacrifice for the dead and going
up to the temple Of Jerusalem, 1t being,
as the sacred writer says, "A holy and
wholesome thought to pray for the
dead that they may be loosed from their
sins And in Christian lands we find
everywhere in the history Of Christian
ity. that it has guarded the sentiment
Of the human heart called patriotism
devotion to country-and that 1t has
burned nowhere with so strong and pure
fame as among Christians.
devotion to country is not peculiarly
Christian virtue; it exists even In pa
gan lands. because it is a virtue planted
| in our nature, in the heart God has given
us. Therefore, it must be found in any
heart with spark Of nobility left In it..
IN olden time we have many examples OF
devotion to country, but it was in nations
believing in future life who had belief
| In the immortal destiny of man where
devotion to country achieved it's greatest
perfection, It Is among Christian ma
tions that the memory Of those who die
for country is most lovingly venerated.
..I may be pard doned for word regard
ing the testimony that has been given by
my own co-religionists to this sentiment
Of devotion to country. / will not at
tempt to make an apology for the be-
hayior and attitude Of the Catholic
Church in its relations to our beloved
country. 1 will not attempt to vindi-
cate those who, fE the late Civil War,
went forth from my beloved Catholic
IC1ufCn TO! lay .uOW Inc1A, AAN SS6 LII sAASS
country. am not here to make an apol-
oRy. Your presence shows that no such
apology is needed, vet that you have
come here to the Catholic Church renders
it necessary to dwell briefly on this, all
1.-THE more SO because there has arisen II
lour rcountrysSho horizon q little cloud l do
Inot consider It larger than mans hand.
| It IA a cloud Of mystery and smisrepre-
fsentation. Is it possible that any man
reading the record Of the past, ooking at
the roll OF Catholic heroes and the deeds
accomplished BY them, will with Justice
state; that Roman Catholics and the
Catholic Church have been lacking IN
devotion to our native land thats sts out 0f
sympathy with American principles,
Ithose American principles Of liberty and
Eunfon upon which our country is built? !?
Let them point, Il they can, TO any crisis
lin the country'ss history from the Decla-
ration sof Independen to the present
day when Catholi esd have been Ing u
Inafrfoti ism or halted from lack sof sym
Inathy uf3 selftshness rom ailins flE Esaf-
ing Ind ii1,g
You.S nv cor Eadea, as din sl1J g.
.nerfeilce. know sy sllat from sucA
IaSS iifd idlf ~ 'ssi a1i
Illt