The San Francisco call., 1896-04-28
YORkE TAKES UP
RUSSELL'S WORDS,
A Prelude Devoted to the
Clerical Good Citizen
ship Speaker.
BARELY STANDING ROOM
The Audience Filled Every
Available Seat and Foot
of Floor Space.
OLD STORIES ARE DENOUNCED.
ThunderS of Applause Frequently In.
terrupt the Eloquent Chance.
lor'S Words.


the eloquent champion of Catholicism.
He delivered the third of his discourses
on "CiviI and Religious Liberty" under
the auspices of the American Women's
Liberal League last night, and long before
the exercises began every seat in the house
was occupied, and there was deep fringe
OF ladies and gentlemen at the back and
along the aisles of both gallery and audi
torium.
Father Yorke's entry upon the platform
from the anteroom back of the stage was
the signal for a veritable storm of cheers
and hand-clapping.
Henry E. Highton acted as chairman.
After Miss Marie Georgiana had rem
dered an organ voluntary, Harry Diemans
sang Song of the Holy City" in a very
creditable manner.
Chairman Highton then spoke as fol-
lows:
Before you reach the great event of
this evening l have a very few words to
say to you myself. In accepting the inv j.
tation to appear at this meeting l wish to
be extremely briefan explicit. The Amer
lean Women's Liberal League is organized
for the purpose of protecting religious
freedom. Their object meets with my
heartiest Endorsement. My religious
opinions are my own. They should not
be interfered with by any one. l am first
and all an American. This country may
have been discovered by the Norsemen,
but it was developed and peopled under
the pressure OF religious zeal.
But for such influences New England,
the region OF the great lakes, the sources
OF the Mississippi and the vast chain of
States which connects the Atlantic with
the Pacific would never have been settled
and Developed
He referred to the establishment of this
Government as being the first genuine re-
public dedicated to religious freedom and
equality. at was dedicated" he con-
tinued, mot TO Protestants nor to Catho-
lies, nor 10 Gentle or Jew, bu: TO all
alike. 1t was not. however, dedicated to
paganism or atheism" After few words
of unstinted praise for the speaker of the
evening he introduced Father Yorke, who,
as he came forward, received an ovation.
He began thus:
There is no reason that I should add
anything 10 the eloquent words the Hon.
II. (. Hghton has addressed to you. 1t
was not necessary for him or any true
American citizen to express accord with
the American Women's Liberal League
Such an expression should be taken for
granted. He is one of the few men, how
ever, who dares 10 come forward in de-
tense OF the constitution OF the United
States.
Now, if the audience will indulge me I
would like to indulge in a little prelude
before entering upon my lecture proper.
las the astronomers watch the sky and
see one star after another swim into the
field of vision and then out again, so have
we seen the stars OF this organization
which holds forth each Sunday in this hall
pass before US and then disappear.
I'm the papers of to-day--in all three OF
them-we are assured that yesterday a
star of unusual magnitude shed its efful-
gence on the audience. His words were
reported in ali three papers so as to show
the very meanness and malice of them,
just as he uttered them, and one OF these
papers viii not allow US to say word in
onr defense.
II notice that the Rev. A. NJ. Russell.
who, If he were not chTistened AnaniaS
for his first name should have been, de-
ivered a lecture OH the surprising subject,
Catholics have Not only did he deliver
a lecture on the subject, but went so far as
to say: 1 am serious about this laugh
teri. He said: L say IL perfect sincerity
the principles OF the a. 2. A. are better
calculated TO strengthen their institutions
than anything else
The principles OF the a. P. A. are not
calculated to strengthen anything but
what thrives on mendaciIy, but its work
ings have undoubtedly strengthened the
Catholic church. 1t has done so because
the American people is just people and
hates wrong. And when they see any
body of men or any institution assailed by
slander and by calumny, then that insti-
tuition becomes dearer to them and stronger
than ever before
al say this, goes on the Rev. Ananias
NJ. Russell, because we are working for
the enlightenment of the Catholics
The men who cannot write an ordinary
1a+4 IcGT Tapll
word-the devotees OF the little red school,
house-the litIle-read patriots-these are
the men who are, out OF their own dark
ness, to enlighten the Catholics of this
community.
"'They do not know their own history,
except as they get it from Father Yorke,
and such vile sheets as the Monitor, rad
rather Yorke, with grim smile, quoting
from a clipping of yesterdays CALL, and
then he commented as follows:
1--WE have been getting history, not from
Father YorKe and not from the Monitor;
we have been getting it from this platform.
We have heard how the Irish deserted IN
the Civil war; we have heard how the
Jesuits killed Lincoln; we have almost
entered into the secret mandatory OF
history, and we ought to be very thankful,
when the history which those men would
stun down our throats was put to talr
discussion, to know which history came
arguments and in the hundreds of facts
which had to be brought forward in the
late controversy, there was not one from
our side which could be called into ques-
ton. And from the other side we see the
panes OF glass shattered in their historical
WINDOWS, until there was not one left to
keep out the cold winds of very cold day.
Any intelligent maa knows that these
are falsifying,' read Father Yorke. again
resorting to his CALL clipping. Then he
asked:
Were we falsifying when we said that
the leader OF this society of bigots was not
a naturalized citizen? Were we ialsify1ng
when we produced the oath by which they
swore to undo the constitution and when
we challenged them 10 go before q notary
public and swear that it was not true
when we showed that the members who
speak on the stage were men without char
acter in public or private life? And /
would not be falsifYing," continued the