The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1897-01-16
LAURlER AND THE, DEAD PRELATE.

celebration and enjoyment in his
honor, says the Canadian Freeman.
The festive gathering was the greatest
of the kind yet held in the Dominion Of
Canada From all the provinces, from
crowded metropolitan centers, from THRU
ing seats of industry, and from prosper
GUS rural homesteads, had men of dis
tinction and eminence Of all conditions,
occupations and professions assembled
to testify regard and declare confidence
in the matchless leader Of the Liberals
OF Canada. The splendid city which
stands guardian over the mighty St.LaW-
renee, Montreal, the magnificent and
metropolitan, has within it's Wills wit
messed many noble assemblages of
statesmen, journalists, parliamentarians
and orators but never before did it gath.
er at the tables of it's bounteous hospital
ity SO imposing and representative an as
assemblage as that which on the evening
of the Goth of December last met to pay
nadians, Wilfrid Laurier.
I have seen the dumb men throng to
see him, .
And the blind to hear him speak;
Matrons flung gloves,
Ladies and maids their scarfs and
handkerchiefs.
Upon him as he passed, the mobiles
Bonded,
AS to Joye's statue; and the commons
A shower and thunder with their caps
and shouts. Z
The speech of Mr.. Laurier was looked
to as the effort of his life. Circumstan-
ces of a touching, trying, searching and
critical character for the Canadian in
craftsmanship and Catholic in religion
invested his every word On the occasion,
with an interest and impressiyenes new
er before known in the troubled history
of Canadian politics. And Mr.. Laurier
was equal to the occasion. "There is no
true orator., saith Emerson, "who is not
a hero There is no .heroism without
seIf-control. Never, in any age, or any
country, was the true heroism of the pa
triot, statesman and orator so conspicu-
ously and SO splendidly manifested as in
Mr.. Lauriers felicitous speech in Mon
treal on that memorable Wednesday
night. The leader sits down; the ban
quet hall rings with acclamations Sud-
denly hush comes over the festive null
titude. The beating of the Death Angels
wings are heard in Windsor hail. The
messenger from Above has just
summoned, from his pallet of
suffering the venerable and vener-.
ated Archbishop of Montreal. Heaven
again touches earth. The place we
stand in becomes holy. To death,
silence is mans most fitting tribute; to
the Christian death bed, whispered re-
signation, the Catholic homage. The
Archbishop is dead! The banquet ends;
the hall of festivity empties itself of its
erstwhile gladstone throng, but on the
wings OF the night, with the news of the
great Archbishop's death, are carried
down the St. Lawrence to the sea, and up
the swift streams to the laundering Mia
CARA, the expansive Huron, and the dep
thy Superior, the measureless plains of
the northeast, and over beyond the Roc
ky mountains to Colrmbia's peaceful
shores, the noble, never-dying, heroic
words of the Premier of Canada:
II address myself to all races, all clas-
ses, all religions. am French by origin,
thank God am Catholic in religion,
and you see at my side my colleagues of
Protestant religion and English origin
giving he their assistance and goodwill
in our endeavor to secure triumph for
these principles of justice without which
myself to all classes. to all races, to all
religions, but if there is class among
them all to which I address myself in
particular, it is to you young members
of the Club National It is to you, my
young friends, to whom particularly ad-
dress myself. You are at the outset of
your career, am much more advanced
than you are. Let me give word of good
counsel. During your career you will
suffer many things which will appear to
you as supreme injustice. Let me say to
you that You should never allow your re-
ligious convictions to be affected by any,
thing which appears to you as injustice
Let me ask you never TO allow your reli-
gious convictions to be affected by the
acts OF men. Your convictions are inn
mortal. G Cheers. Your convictions are not
only Immortal, but their base is eternal.
Let Your convictions De always calm,
serene and superior to the Inevitable