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

Father Birmingham.
down with them unimpaired, even to
the very verge of the grave, all their
intellectual faculties, ripened and ma
tured into the wisdom of experience
yet retaining all the freshness and i'm
agination of youth.
Faith and purity, then, are the
two great demands of the church. Re
member, my dear young men, | am not
speaking to you of faith that contents
itself by merely saying, am Catho.
lie, j go to mass on Sunday, | never
deny the faith and there is an end of
it. This is not the faith the church
demands in this our age. We live in
an age of religious Indifference. We
live in an age when any religious spirit
that exists outside the church mani
tests itself only in opposition to the
church. We live in an age that tries
TO prove that the Catholic church
means the poisoning of the moral and
the intellectual man. Consequently,
II there ever was a time when the
church Of God demands the earnest
faith of her children, it is in this our
day. 1t is not the man, therefore,
who contents himself with mere con
fession of the Catholic religion, who
allows his neighbor to say of him with
truth: That man says he is Catho-
lie, but look at him; he drinks. he is
drunken fellow, bad father, bad
husband, we never see him at confess
sion or communion. If there is a ques-
ton brought up in which the interests
of the Catholic church are concerned,
he is quite Indifferent, If the church
is in trouble he does not concern him
self. He cares more about little petty
squabble about the election of Council
man than the interests Of the church.
he calls his mother. 1t is not such
Catholics we want to-day. II is Catho-
lies that are earnest in their faith,
earnest in their principles, earnest in
their religion and | will add it is
Catholics that are ready il it should
please God to call upon them, TO 60 out
and strike blow like men for the
church. The church Of God demands
men of earnest faith, men of pure,
practical lives.
THE first demand that America de
mands of her children is intellect.
Born to whatever state of life, what
ever occupation you have chosen for
yourselves, ripeness Of intellect, kind
ness of apprehension, sharpness com
bined with the strictest honesty, and
you have the main clements Of success
in this mighty nation that recognizes
only the aristocracy Of genius and of
virtue.
THE next thing that America de-
mands Of her citizens is energy and
strength of manhood She aays to her
citizens pay generously, remuner-
ate copiously and in proportion TO the
amount Of intellect, strength and
knowledge and manhood you bring
me. Here you have a country not
only surprising any other continent
but surprising all the rest of the world
in its material resources. There is
more gold and silver in America than
there is in all the rest Of the world
that God made. There is more avail
able, arabic land in America. ready
for the hand Of the laborer, than there
is in all Europe and Asia. There ia
more wealth in America, untold wealth.
that will yet TIE developed, than there
is in all the rest Of the world There
Is moro energy and determination in
America, that will work that wealth
out and develope it, than there has
been in all the rest Of tile world from
the beginning of its history to the
present time But there is another
thing in America far more glorious
than all these. That is presiding over
the councils Of this mighty nation,
governing its action in its public
policy towards own citizens and towards
foreign States, that which has never
been allowed OF sit in the council board
of the old countries, namely, the genius
and the angel Of civil religious liberty.
In this land there is no class aristoc.
racy. The accident Of birth in ancient
countries determines man position
in society; but America only recognizes
only the aristocracy Of genius and Of
virtue "
At the conclusion of tho address the
choir sang the 'Magnihcat."
THIS selection was followed by the
laying Of the cornerstone, which cere.
mouy was performed by father D5nRghy
The concluding hymn was holy God
Praise Thy Name
Copies Of the Wilmington newspapers
and the following address, prepared by
Father Kelly, were put in the corner.
| stone;
"Ilc prinlarus apis domus Sororum
Jcrtu Ordinis Slncti Francisco in SchOla
parochiali liberos paracia Sanctae Mariae
Immaculate Conceptae docentium, ammo
dominiX MDCCCLAN mensis August
quarto die dominica post meridien quarto
bora. Alfredo A. Curtis, ordinaIio Ciocesis
Wilmingtonensis, guberni civillis Della.
wareansis praside, Gulielmo L. Watson,
Carolo X. Iefreris, pratore urbis, Georgia
j. Kelly ct Myles ]. McManus, sacerdoti-
bus parochide GuieImo j. Birmingham,
rcctore Santae Joseph Eulesiae, extrae
nUros sermonen faciente, magnacaterva
idelium, faciente consl!ium Francisco r.
prswell, construentae, dtlcuim B. F.
shakespeare, .lateres ponente Georgia s.
Charles, fabro diligrorum Edward II.
Nelson, a Reyerndo Pctro Donaghy, rec
tore Santac Annae Euleiae, positius est"
The home will cost s6,2S0, most of
which sum was raised through the efforts
of Father BermlnEham.