The San Francisco call., 1897-02-08
Third District Rally of
the League of the
Cross.
Young Men in Five Essays
Told Well the Cost of
Drunkenness.
Extracts From What the Spec kers
Said-A Fine Audience and
Much Applause.


| district held their rally at Metropolitan
| Temple yesterday afternoon. 1t was en-
joyed by fine audience which having
filled every seat overfowed, into the aisles
along the side walls.
The main event on the programme was
the oratorical contest between the young
men representing the several parishes of
the third district on the general subject of
What Drunkenness Costs" for the silver
medal. The winners of silver medals in
the various districts are to compete finally
for gold medal next July. There was
also a musical programme.
The several parishes were represented
as follows. and the young men spoke in
this order. which was decided by lot:
Thomas Horan, ST. Roses.
James ODonnell, St. Theresa's.
John Greedy, st. Brendan's.
Paul Frateesa, All II Hallows.
w. Hampton Shad burne, ST. Mary's.
Company II, League of the Cross Cadets
OF ST. Brendan's parish, in fatigue uni
form, lis strong, in command of Captain
J. }. Powers, First Lieutenant l.. J.
Healey and Second Lieutenant J. +. Re-
| gan, occupied seats on the platform TIE
chairman was Thomas G. Spiliane. He
was introduced by w. A. Breslin, grand
secretary of the league. He reviewed the
! AA1SeOAJ va eAlC OIoCIs ONicIS VINO OCCuQieu
seats on the platform were Rev. Father Z.
o Ryan, spiritual director of the league
and Rev. Father NJ. D. Connolly. pastor OF
st. PauPs Church. The former delivered
the invocation. All the parishes were
/ largely represented in the audience and
literally applauded their young cham
| plons. Following are extracts from the
| essays delivered.
Thomas Horan said that What Drunk
enness Costs" can be answered by the
many starving children. Christ said no
| drunkard shall enter heaven. The drunk
ard wrongs himself and his Goo. He
neglects his religious duties, public and
| private. Drink Is the greatest foe to the
| church. How can God respect the man
J who does not respect himself? "We adj
| monlsh Catholics engaged in selling LIQUOR
to consider me danger of sin. Let them re-
remember that there is an avening heaven.
which will bring a terrible retri button. -
! fhysicai ana mental wrecks, insane asy-
lums, charitable institutions, the Coro-
ner's office, the iails, show what drunken
ness costs"
James o. 'Donnell of st. Theresa's Parish
! said drunkenness is the cause of nearly ALI
! evil. Fifty per cent of all crime is due to
| liquor. lie went extensively into statis-
| tics showing to what extent crime has ita
| inception IN drink. But statistics left out
| the great thing Of all-lhe loss of the soul
The prime agent of vice is intemper-
ance, said John Greeley, representing St
Brendan's parish. He spoke without
manuscript. Lost manhood, lust, lost
womanhood and all other evils were
created and tostered by liquor. Drunkards
begot drunkards. About 20, 600 PERSONS in
this country yield their lives to Bacchus.
The world laments that hard times and
strikes are undermining society, but Sl56.
900. COO more are spent for liquor than for
the necessarieS of life.
Eighty thousand paupers are now
wandering through the land. Thousands
OF men, women and children are cryinp
out bitterly against the evil of intemper-
ance. Drunkenness in this country leads
to l9 per cent or divorces. But Bacchus
could not always remain supreme, for
while there's life there's hope. Another
army is steadily being organized 10 meet
him and would draw their swords for
victory"
Paul f. Fratessa of All Hallows parish
was frequently interrupted by applause
He said that in America the lie of the
inebriate Is comparatively short and the
per.od OF moderate drinking not so
marked. When young man went out
into the battle of life not even parental
counsel could protect him from the tenn n.
tation of the social glass, the good COM
panion and the saloon. He pictured in
excellent language the degradation of the
drunkard. l. each saloon IN San Fran
cisco made but 81 per day the total
amount in one year would build 1900
homes at $1,000 each.
w. II. Shadburne of st. Mary's parish
said that man since the earliest ages has
been prone TO intoxicaton. Drunken
ness, even In the worst of Roman de.
bauches, did not produce the maddeninp
influences OF modern John Barleycorn.
The epidemic of drunkenness dates from
the close OF the seventeenth century.
Then distillation came into use. The
speaker cited hume rous instances of habit
ual mtoxication among noted characters
of history. Retailers of gin were accus-
toned TO hang out sign In England stat