Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1895-08-08

between zine ana spruce, was LAID with |
appropriate ceremonies Sunday after |
noon. The attendance was large. Among |
the organizations present were the Holy |
Name Society ana the Ancient Order Of
Hibernians. The priesthood was repre-
sented by the Revs. George j, Kelly
Peter Donaghy, William ]. Birmingham,
Dennis ]. Crowley, J. p. Dc Ruyter and
Nj. j. MeManus.
The exercises began with the chorus,
"Lauda Sion" which was sung by large
choir directed by Nj. j. Conway
The address was delivered by Father
Birmingham. who said in part:
Ii any man reflect upon the posi-
tion of the world and the state Of 80
ciety to-day, he must Immediately see
that all the evils that afflict us, all the
misery that torments our lives, all the
confusion and disruption that sur
round us, all the world over comes from
some imperfect organization, or from
some evil that operates on our youth.
The ancient pagan philosopher said
that although age was honorable, youth
was still moro honorable. The greatest
reverence and honor is due TO the
youth, for as it is in nature so it is in the
life of man. There are certain seasons
that mark the life of every man. The
most important season of the year is
spring, when the ground is opened up
and cleaned. The farmer takes the
seed and throws it into the beautiful
earth and waits in quiet the nursing
OF the summer and the maturity of the
autumn. Well he knows that il he ex-
poets harvest of generous, pure and
fruitful issue, it all depends upon the
nature of the seed which he cast into
tho h1cNt,, &c hn ~, tlr al,
spring Of the year. If he neglected the
work of the spring, the reaction comes
upon him months after he had labored
indifferently and consequently in vain,
when he beholds the harvest scarcely
worth the labor of the sickle.
. As it is with nature so it is with
men. Youth is the spring time Of life.
It is the time for preparing the soil,
it is the time when cultivation deter
mines what the summer of man s man
hood shall be and above all what he
shall garner in the autumn of his life,
when he is bending down to the winter
of extreme old age, when every fruit of
his early habits of life begins to ripen
when the problem of life is solved for
the old man tells us what manner of
man the youth has been. 1t is for us
the most precious and important time
of mans life. 1t is also the time when
the enemy of our humanity lies in
wait to poison the founatin head of life,
to poison the spring, to send forth
from a polluted, degraded and detiled
youth those streams of impurity, of
error and perversity that spoil all the
purposes of mans life and that bring
down his gray hairs in old age in sin
as well as in sorrow to dishonorable
grave.
"We behold and note by our sad en-
perience that not only are the passions
strongest in youth, but also in youth
every snare that hell can invent is laid
before the young men, to poison his
mind by error and to pollute and destroy
his heart by sin. And yet upon that
young man depend all the hopes of the
church of God, and all the hopes and
prospects of human society, Every
man born into this world comes into it
as creature of God and also a mem.
Der Of society. Therefore, we must
consider the young man as child of
the church and citizen Of the State.
So much do mans duties, as citizen
of the State enter into his duties as Il
child Of God. that he cannot fulfil the
one without accomplishing the other.
No man can be good citizen Of the
State unless he be "A true child of the
church of God. No man on the other
hand can be true son of the church
without being a magnificent citizen Of
the State which has the honor and
glory to possess him.
THE church demands of her youth,
as of her manhood and aged, first of all
the virtue Of divine faith, believing in
Almighty God in all that lie has re-
Vpalpd through fine mouth and in the