The Irish standard., 1896-06-27
* & 35g s3sss5s
Further Facts Concerning the Con-
ventIon At Mans
kato. !
MATTERS or GENERAL INTEREST
Extracts From An Eloquent Sermon
BY Rev.yFather
Prior.

/ was used mainly in listening to the re-
ports Of committees and the discussion o1
this propo-ed alterations and amendments
A lengthy debate ensued over the report
of the committee on revision Of the BY
laws Of the A. o. H., which lasted
nearly three hours. After all had been
heard, motion to refer the report Of
this committee to the State Board Of Di-
rectors was made and passed. What
ever changes are to occur in the bylaws
for the next two years will, therefore, be
made by this body, which consists Of
Daniel Myers, Of Green Isle, Judge Mo
ran, of Hastings, D. j. Geraghty, st. Paul,
Thos. Coleman, Anoka, j. Callahan, Du-
luth.
In the Insurance Convention but three
important measures were passed, the first
being the establishment of an initiation
fee Of 81, which amount goes to the re-
serve fund. The second was the creation
of reserve fund, the moneys accumulat-
ing from initiation fees and delinquent
assessments being credited to this fund
until the amount shall reach $4,000. It
was provided, however, that should more
than Is deaths occur IN one year. all over
that number are to be paid from the re-
serve fund. The treasurer's bond was
fixed at $4,000, to be furnished by one Of
the leading guarantee companies. The
salaries of Secretary O'Shaughnessy and
Medical Examiner DR.. e. w. Buckley
were increased $500 per year each.
| The Daughters Of Erin, IN their meet
ings, devoted most Of their time to the
proposed plan of insurance which, after
being thoroughly discussed, was adopted.
The plan of insurance Is similar to that
of the A. O. H., in it's operation, an as
sessment of Is cents being levied on the
death of a member. Those joining the
D. of E. hereafter are required to take in
surance. Applicants must be at leastol7
years Of age A medical examination is
also one of the requirements. The
matter of medical examiner for
the D. of E. was left to a
committee appointed for that purpose.
The ladies were out in large numbers at
their convention, and worked unceasing g.
| ly. Forty delegates, representing II Dr.
visions in all parts Of the state, were in
attendance.
Before assembling at the hall on Tues
day, the first day of the session, all dele
gates from both the A. O. Fl. and D. OF b.
repaired to the Church of ST. John the
Baptist, where mass was celebrated at IL
o'clock The splendid church edifice was
| crowded to its utmost capacity. Rev.
John Prior delivered the sermon, am ex-
tract of which we give below. He said:
Delegates of the A. O. II. and Daughters
| of Erin:
1t is for me a pleasure as great as 1t Is
unusual to salute you this morning with
| the cordial and generous greeting OF the
Gael "Caed Mile Failthe." The true
Hibern1an Is ever wont to repair to God s
house, to invoke Gods blessing on every
work that requires the exercise of powers
manual or mental. God bless the
Work." is as natural and familiar to the
| freshman as "Good Morning" The church
| is your birth place. You were Graded in
| the sanctuary, and loyalty to God, to
church and country have ever been the
| inspiring watchwords of your grand and
! glorious order-the noblest motto that
I ever graced banner or adorned an es-
cutcheon. said you were Graded in
the sanctuary. Yes, in the darkest hour
of Ireland's history, two centuries and a
half ago, when the sword of persecution
was unsheathed, when the religion which
Patrick preached was prescribed, when
| churches, converts and cathedrals were
demolished or confscated, when the
priest and schoolmaster were made shar-
ers of the wo.f's lair and fate, when the
cave was chapel and the offering OF mass
an act of treason, in that most desolate
hour few of the picked men Of Erin
Joined hands and swore that they would
defend to the death their hearths, homes
and affairs from the touch Of the unclean
and merciless invaders. These were the
charter members of the A. o. H. This
| re hnS
constitution was written with their blood,
their right to our reverence, the aureole
OF the martyr. God rest those men who
unafraid mid tears and tribulation, in Sc
crecy and silence, laid the orders first
foundation. Few they were, but stout of
| heart God grant that we inherit their
virtue and at least part OF their ,in-
| daunted spirit. ~
The times, It's true, have changed and
| for the better, but the underlying princi-
ples of the ordar-loyalty to God, to
| church and country-will always and
everywhere require defenders. Inheritors
| Of their names, be inheritors of their
spirit. Love God is an eternal duty, love
your. country is next of kin. The man
| who is recreant to the former obligation
| ia generally remiss in the latter where
selfishness Is not a spur. But why speak
| to you of patriotism? To you, veterans,
or sons of veterans,--to you members OF
an order on whose roll are Barrys, Sulli-
| vans, Shields and Sheridans. and whose
banner Of green noated beside the red,
white and blue whenever and wherever
| the fight for freedom or union was hottest,
| from Bunker. Hill to Richmond, your
duty to your country's flag has never been
questioned except by the pothouse patriot
or sectarian bigpt 1t is not those who
wear the star spangded banner an their
sleeves, but in their heart of hearts af-
| fiction, that are ready to defend it when
defense means blood and death.
OF you and the race from which you
sprang, Columbia can truthfully say:
TITS wen, aye wet, old Erin. the sons you
| give to me Ill 80
Are syn1boled long in flag and song. your
| sunhirst ON the sea; 80 III s.5 e
/ All mine by the .chrisn Of freedom, still
.@ yours BY the loves belief, -
! And the truest to me shall the tenderest be
in suffering mothers grief.
The best guarantee Of q mans fidelity
! to the wife whom he has chosen Is his
| love for the mother who bore him.
| The speaker congratulated the order on
| its pledge Of 100, 900 members to maintain
| the Monroe doctrine and the fulflllnent
az Its promise 70 endoW a Gaelic chair In
| the Cstholic University OF America. You
! afbernians and Daughters Of Erin have
q high and holy mission in this land IN