The San Francisco call., 1896-05-06
Standing Room Could Hardly Be
Obtained in the Big
Structure.
THE STORY OF MARQUETTE.
Arguments Eloquently Woven About
the Life of the French
Explorer.


pion of the Catholic people in the recent
religious controversy, lectured to great
audience last night at Metropolitan
Temple. The meeting was under the
auspices of the Catholic Ladies' Aid
Society. Not only was every seat occu-
pied, but scores of men stood at the rear
of the hall. There was an actual crush
for admission until nearly half an hour
after the time for the beginning of the
lecture.
Several members of the clergy and many
prominent Catholic citizens occupied seats
on the stage. The stage was profusely
decorated with flags and with palms and
flowers. An immense flag adorned the
front of the organ, and there in red flow
ers and ferns were the initials, &c. l..
A. s." representing the Catholic Ladies'
Aid Society.
John Lynch, president of the Young
Mems Institute, presided at the meeting.
Assuming his duties, he said:
about ten years ago in the city of my
childhood and my present home, the city
of sturdy oaks and of learning, my beloved
Oakland, looking across the water to the
great, wicked city which she hopes some
day to redeem-in that city was launched
meet here tonight.
Under the direction of good Father
King were many great works begun and
carried out, but one of the greatest and
noblest organizations that have come I'M
der his care is the Catholic Ladies' Aid
Society. This society should have in its
ranks all the people in the vicinity of every
branch of it-either as active or contrib
uting mem bers."
Continuing, the speaker said that there
is connected with this society as a summer
resort, Del Mar, located near Santa Cruz.
There the society has hotel that is open
all the year around. The duty of showing
interest in Del Mar and supporting the
summer school was dwelt upon. Then Mr.
Lynch announced the opening musical
selection, an organ performance by Pro-
lessor r. ]. Harrison.
Mr.. Lynch then spoke of the lecturer of
the evening, Rev. Peter G. Yorke, as a
priest who needed no introduction to the
people of San Francisco or of California
Travelling In the East not long ago. the
presiding officer had heard Father Yorke's
name mentioned and applauded as far
away as Denver, where the name seemed
TO be almost as familiar as it is here. The
introduction OF your own Father Yorke''
was received with long and loud applause.
Father Yorke began as follows:
Ladies and gentlemen: l am under
the impression that the president of the
soft soap for fear that l might be tempted
10 make my remarks about Oakland.
Now, as open confession is good for the
soul, will admit that when | heard him
speak OF Oakland, seated in her mud flats
with her arms stretched out, beseeching
San francisco to mend her ways, was
tempted to say that charity begins at
home But when | learned from Mr.
Lynch that Oakland was the birthplace of
the Ladies Aid Society l concluded to say
nothing, for charity covers a multitude of
sins !"
Lynch's praise OF it caused laughter that
kept rolling all over the big audience.
Father Yorke announced the subject of
his lecture as The Cassock in the Capitol,
or Father Marquette" He paid an elo-
quent tribute to the explorer priest of the
early American days, and then he praised
the United States as a place where all
creeds had equal rights. He spoke of the
Wisconsin statue of Marquette, declaring
that when the project was first taken up
there was opposition to it in secret lodges
throughout the country, when it was pre-
dicted that the statue would some cav
break open and that the Pope would step
out clad in full armor.
The lower house of Congress was in
duced by the clamor OF the noisy few TO re-
Iect the Wisconsin gift to the Nation, but,
thank Cod there was another house in
Catholics, but of Protestants-and that
house placed the marble statue in the old
House OF Representatives.
Let us not be deceived by clamor.
Wnen you go out to the ocean you hardly
know at first whether the tide ebbs or flows
The waves break noisily. Now they seem
10 be going one way and now the other.
But wait little while and you Will see
that the tide is steadily flowing or steadily
ebblng. And so it is in the tide of men.
We are confident that in this country the
moving tide is always with those who have
the constitution on their side.
Perhaps much of the opposition to the
statue of Marquette was due to the fact
that Marquette was Jesuit"
The Jesuits were made the subject of a
portion of the lecture, Father Yorke speak
ing of the organization and the objects of
the order. He said the people who shouted
about the Jesuits so much did not seem TO
have any idea of what the Jesuits are.
They had even mistaken him for Jesuit.
The fundamental principle of the order
was to promote education and the Catholic
religion. He eulogized the great men of
the Jesuit order, and among the instances
of the good done by the order he called at
tention to the fact that quinine, used by
every body without regard to religious
preIudices, was first known as "the Jes-
uits bark"
The lecturer told of the persecution of
IhC VSouito ny lut udllOnS OI EUROPE. u
was supposed that the order had been de-
stroyed, but that was not the truth.
Nothing good ever dies and to-day the
Jesults have no greater glory in their
crown than the aspersion of the black
guards who vilify their name.
Marquette's iourneying in America IA
miliar 10 everybody, was then reviewed.
Having occasion to quote from Historian
Bancroft, the lecturer SAID: Not that
miserable apology for historian who is
known as the Bancroft of San Francisco
who has piled. up book after book without
any history: | mean George Bancroft the
historian, the great Bancroft
An eloquent. glowing tribute to the
work of Marquette was given. Then the
priest said that one reason offered for the
rejection of the Marquette statue in the
House of Representatives was the costume
in which the explorer was represented as
wearing.
''They didn't put Marquette in a bicycle
suit. The sculptor had The good sense to
clothe the priest in the costumeA which
priests were supposed to have worn in