The evening times., 1897-03-31
NOBILITY OF CITIZENSHIP
Rev. DIR. Conaty's Conception of the
Ideal American.
No Servant of God an Enemy of the
State Patriotic Lecture Before
Baltimore Catholic Club.

y.
of the Catholic University, delivered his
first address in Baltimore last night in the
hall OF the Catholic Club, on Charles street.
1t was on PATRIOTS n, and was part of the
clubs celebration OF the 263d anniversary
OF the landing OF the pilgriIus VINO founded
the colony Of Maryland.
After the lecture Dr Conat. was enter
tanned at dinner at the Severn. The otIIer
guests were President Gilman, Prof. A.
Marshall Elliott, 0en James X. Wheeler,
Messrs. j. Austin Fink, Charles j. Bona
parte, Richard NJ Mes berry, Richard tiges
and DR.. Thomas L. Shearer.
At the Catholic Club DIR. Conaty was met
by Cardinal Gibbons and held an informal
reception with him before the address.
The doctor IS subject was " The Ideal Amer
ican.' In beginning he referred TO the
foundation OF Maryland by Catholics. and
spoke OF the interest of the Catholic Uni
versity in clubs which had for purpose
the commemoration of events which made
epochs In American history.
"Our nobility as Americans he CON
tinued, "restsin our citizenship in this great,
progressive republic. 1t is our only title,
but tits the title Of an earthly monarch, FOR
it makes us rulers among free people IL
has its worth more valuable than the gold
and tinsel of royalties but it has its duties,
and IL becomes Us To understand then, and
then acquitourselvesc creditabIy of them and
thus realize all that il means for US.
I'VE, who have been reared in an atmos'
phere OF personal liberty in this Gcd-favor-
ed land Of ours, are liable to lose sight at
times of the great dignity of our citizenship
Every nation has hasitsnationalidea. Withthe
Hebrews, il was faith; with the Romans,
government; with Greece, art. The Ameri-
can national idea is liberty in the individual
man. The first cannon boom of the Revo-
luton proclaimed to the world that new
nation had been established, not on wealth
or class, but on manhood. There have been
republics before US and there have been
glorious efforts for human liberty, but our
republic was the first to build upon honest
manhood This is our character and our
purpose, and this demands responsibility
which is not located in Senate or legisla-
ture, but individual upon whom repre-
sentative government is built. The basis
Of our security is the honest public opinion
of enlightened citizenship. How faithfully,
generously, the people have executed TINS
trust.
There is danger Of divesting ourselves
of the religious idea of OUT education
We are not pagans, but Christians. What
drives Christ out of our education Is de-
structive Of our true character Destroy
or drive out religion and you are POISON
ing the waters of good citizenship at its
source The state no longer disqnaiiiles
because OF religious belief We cannot
now, even If we wanted to, go back a
century or two to a darker age and es-
tabIish a religious test as q qualification
for office Any man who ostracizes his
fellow-citizens for race or religious pre1E-
dice should be stunned as pestilence
I'VE hear much today against the Catho-
lies and about their plots to run America
Have men forgotten history, or do they
read il? Catholics discovered and first
coloniZed America i hundred cities and
a thousand lakes and streams bear Ca tholic
names
.Thev were first in Maryland, Florida,
Louisiana, Illinois, and California. Mat
thew Carey, the first historian. and the
reputed father of the protective theory,
was a Catholic. Gen. Meade, Commodore
Barry, Gen. Moylan, and the OBriens,
of Maine, In the Army and Navy of the
Revolution, and McClenaghan, FitZsins-
mons. and Carroll, with their money TO aid
them. were all Catholics. Were they not
all true Americans? Gen. Michael Corco-
ran and his Sixty ninth New York. the CO.
Iuniban and Emmett Guards OF Massachus-
etts. all forgot the result of knownothingism
when the flag of common country was in
danger. And a Catholic Corcoran, Protes-
tant Mcclellan, a Catholic Sheridan and
a Protestant Grant never discussed their
religious differences when kneeling under
the starry banner all had sworn TO defend
..Who. then, is the IDEAL American?
man OF faith and duty, defending liberty for
hiI,lSeIfa AMI others nett her tyrant nor slave.
but citizen of the best republic under the
sun:a man who trustsothers as hewouldbe
trusted: & man who protects the conscience
of the Individual as he values his own; W no
questions no man 'sIoyalty, but by the sacri-
fices he makes for liberty; who regards
neither race nor creed nor color, but only
the nobility of individual manhood. which
makes ailraces, all cree is and allcoloreso one
common brotherhood: who judges mems
actions and not their motives, and finds in
no servant OF God an enemy to the state.