The Irish standard., 1897-11-27
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES AS
AMERICAN CITIZENS.
ADDRESS BY AG}. THOMAS J. C0AAIY
RECTOR OF CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY.
WASHINGTON, ID. e.
IS WELL WORTH A CAREFUL PiRusAL
AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP DEMANDS
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION.

Tho following interesting address on
The Catholic Young Man In American
Public Life was recently delivered by
Mgr. Thomas j. Conaty, d. H., rector of
tho Catholic university, Washington, ID.
G., at Carroll institute in that city:
The duties of tho Catholic young man
in American life are the duties of ideal
Americanism, for he above all men In
our body polite has the means by his
education and his religious surround
ings to realize fully tho meaning Of
true citizenship. 1t would be an inter
esting study to portray tho ideal Amer
lean. 1t should not depend upon tho
conception from the life OF an individ-
ual no matter how great, but should
rather be drawn from tho very best
understanding of the spirit of the Con-
stitution under which we live and the
| genius OF the people, which is the foun-
| dation stone and spirit of our national
existence. We should try to UNDER
f.. stand what this Americ,lnism is, In or
| der that We may see what strength
and beauty of perfect development the
Catholic may bring to it.
| The Catholic young man who UNDER
+, stands the spirit of America should be
| the best American citizen, because of
/ the faith he possesses and practices
! What does our country tell us Amcri-
| canism Is to be? 1t is something moro
than the mere privilege of living In a
land of freedom, something higher than
the privilege of seeking for wealth or
political position 1t Is n deep-rootcd
sense of love for liberty in the indivd-
llal man. for the love Of liberty itsolf
| safeguarded by the law of tho land,
that the individual may enjoy 1t In IS
fullncss In his life. Americanism is tho
embodiment of personal liberty-lib-
| crty to serve tho God that made us
and liberty to serve tho brother that
stands by our side Every American
| life In it's character should cxcmplify
these principles The political express
sion Of this twofod liberty forms our
structure of government, and makes
| America stand for the best political OK
| preston of human rights. American
ism is something real and tangible 1t
is law with liberty and liberty with
| law. 1t is The generous unselfshncss
| and determination to help one another
to make the world better for our being
| in it, and to offer to God better serv-
| ice, because men nre frccr to serve Him
| as they will
Every nation has its nation ideas
| AS Providence has selected different
| individuals for special work among
men. so 1t seems to have selected ma
tions for special work among nations.
The Hebrews had the nation idea In
| the idea of faith. ana to them were
| given the traditions of religion, that
they might preserve 1t for the nations
to come. Rome had It's nation idea in
| conquest and government, and through
Rome the world saw the great exNln-
sion OF centralized power which found
| it's expression in Roman laws. Greece
found in art the expression of nation
idea. and the world of art owes much
! OF Its inspiration and artistic beauty 20
the cultured thought of ancient Greece.
| io Nv.
| the liberty of the individual man bo-
cause he is man. Other nations at diff.
ferent times in the worlds history en-
| joyed comparative liberty, but 1t was
generally the liberty of the few and
the slavery OF the many. Freedom and
citizenship came as the gift of the state,
or of the senate, or Of the guild, 0r
from the aristOcracy. America was the
first nation to fully realize that man
| hood was tho source Of citizenship, as
| manhood was the source of liberty,
and by this there was expressed po-
liticaIly for the first time tho high
Christian thought of liberty for He
! who came an outcast to the great city
Of which He was supposed to be one
day the king, He who had come as IN
outcast that He might live for men,
and that He might die for men and re-
deem them, the Savior Of the world
| taught for the first time the true
thought Of human liberty: That It was
in man himself, and not to be received
| as q Gift from Othcr men
When our Fathers built our fabric OF
liberty they placed as the foundation
stone the Christian thought Of liberty
inalicnablc right of man to life, lib
erty, and the pursuit of happiness. Our
Amcricanism is national character,
which is individual and which takes
its strength from the Individual. Our
states make our nation, and the lone