St. Paul daily globe., 1896-04-08
FATHER MATHEW SOCIETY
TURE AGE OF 81, NOW At
TANNED.
Inspire Many Hearts With the
Sparkling Gospel of Temper
ance at Cretin Hall.

the celebration, when it finally took place.
The society was founded on Jan. 8, 1862 by
Archbishop Ireland, who was then a priest
and every year since the anniversary of the
! event has been celebrated until this year.
! But finally the members began to regret that
the day had gone by unnoticed, and the result
was the arrangement for it's commemoration
! by banquet and programme of addresses
| and music at Cretin hall last night.
Five tables running the entire length Of
the hall We're spread, and fully 25O persons,
over half of whom were ladies', partook of an
| exceptionally fine supper, at the conclusion
OF winch toasts were responded to by Arch
bishop Ireland, John O'Brien of Saltwater
eX-president of the society; John OBrien of
st. Paul; James ]. Regan and Judge Willis
between the speeches vocal selections were.
rendered by Miss Anna Collins, John F.
Gehan and male quartette composed of
Messrs. Gehan Morrow, Heating and
Soucheray.
John G. Donnelly acted as toastmaster.
The programme opened with a short address
by President Hughes, of the societys in.
which he expressed few words of welcome
TO those present. He said he had always
been temperance man, but not always
total abstainer. and he had seen a good deal
OF the evils of strong drink, not because of
his own drinking but because of the in
huence on his friends of the example set bv
his drinking. They did not have as much
self-control as himself But since he has
become total abstainer, his advocacy and
observance of the principles of total abstin-
ence have done much to make his friends at
least temperate
IL responding to the toast "The Day We
celebrate, Archbishop Ireland said in part:
The day we celebrate is a day it shall ever
be my joy to remember the anniversary of
the day in which we organized the Father
Mathew Society of st. Paul. The idea of
organizing the society did not originate with
myself, but originated in a saloon Four or
five of my old friends had been drinking in
saloon one night, and when they became
pretty full they began to philosophize and
agreed they were fools. They there and
then signed a petition calling on me to or
ganize a Father Mathew society. The sig
natures on the petition one of them brought
to me showed that they had reached an ad-
vanced stage of intoxication before signing
it. L told the fellow who brought the peti-
ton to NE that I would organize the society
on JAM y, and there would be one signer at
least myself On the evening of that dav I
organized the society, my own name being
first on the list, and we never failed to ceIe-
brate the anniversary of that day every year
since until this year. when it was allowed to
go by unnoticed. We did not feel right over
this neglect, however, and finally decided to
celebrate, and here we are" 3
The archbishop then referred to the spread
of the total abstinence movement since the
organization of the society, and the honor
it brought to the Catholic church. Formerly
it was the fashion to drink, but now it had
become the fashion not to drink. The move
ment had spread through Europe and was
proving great revolutionary force through
. out the world
''Self-denial is the foundation of Christian
ha alyar
are able to deny ourselves in any one thing.
we acquire the ability to deny ourselves in
other things. 1t is to the honor of our peo-
pie that as soon as total abstinence was
talked to them they embraced it. We can
do nothing better than to become members
of total abstinence societies. What grand
thing it is for Catholics in America to have
it go abroad that drinking among them is
disgraceful, and that saloonkeeping among
them is a disgraceful business.
'"The day was when the saloonkeeper was in
the front rank, but we have advanced so that
we look down on him. Remember you have
passed the point where the sphere of your
work is limited to practicing total abstinence
yourselves. You must go out and influence
Others
1--WE have made great progress in civil vir-
tue but there is much room for still farther
progress. Our votes and whole political inlu-
ence must be in the direction of the elevation
of the whole people. l have noticed that on
election day some of our total abstainers vote
to put saloonkeepers in power, thus pulling
down with one hand what they build up with
the other. 1 regret this. 1 declare here to-
night that never vote to put saloonkeeper
in power, and God grant 1 shall never witness
the spectacle of my total abstinence associ-
ates doing so. I am so convinced that total
abstinence is the great panacea for nearly all
our ills that / should be almost willing to
limit all my preaching to it. The demon of
intemperance is the one demon from which
our people have to defend themselves. I
thank God for the day we celebrate. I re-
jcice at seeing so many men and women
seated around these tables as a tribute to
total abstinence, and God grant that the good
work shall go on until every man and woman
is relieved from the evil effects of the rum
shop" (Applause)
John OBrien, of Saltwater, responded to the
toast, 1.-The Total Abstinence Union'' saying
that he took great interest in the Father
Mathew Society of st. Paul because it is the
pioneer in the total abstinence movement in
Minnesota. He said all things had changed
except possibly some of the total abstinence
speeches the members of the total abstinence
movement have been listening to the past
twenty-five years. This was intended for the
archbishop, and evoked much merriment.
John D. O'Brien, responding to the toast
American Citizenship, said that under the
political system of the past the individual
was narrowed by the question of nationality
and race, and it was easy to understand how
a generation of people raised under such sys-
TEN failed to appreciate the new system
born with the Declaration of Independence
What was once the privilege only of the aris-s
tocrat and tyrant has come to be the priv
ilege of the most common individual. In
America the idea of social position and other
distinctions are subordinated to the duty to
society as a whole. With such system it is
easy to understand how great is the influence
for good exercised by such societies as the
one whose anniversary was being celebrated.
James ]. Regan said, in responding to the
toast, Ireland the Birthplace of Total Alb
stinence," that the unselfsh desire to amelior-
ate the condition of the people was the char
acteristic of the Irish people, whether in the
British parliament, with Daniel OConnell, or
on the platform, with Father Mathew. Irish
men should always bear in mind that they
are physically so constituted, that they can
not stand to drink intoxicants like those of
less excitable temperaments. They are too
susceptible to its stimulating effect. He re-
ferred to the good that had been accom-
plished by the total abstinence movement in
ireland, and the manner in which the people
of the Emerald isle appreciate the fact and
honor the memory of Father Mathew. 1t
behooves every Irishman to raise his coun-
trymen into the realm of total abstinence
which would prove the great force that would
day place Ireland in the condition all
would like to see her
Independent and free,
First flower of the earth
And gem of the sea-
(Applause)
In responding to the toast, "The State of
Minnesota" Judge Willis said the name Min