The Irish standard., 1897-10-09
THE lRlsH-AMERlCAN PRESS

various reasons. Some OF them say
they do not need such a thing, as they
get all the news they want from the
daily and weekly secular papers Yes,
but what kind of news do they get?
They rarely, If ever, get any news from
the papers referred to that gives them
any information concerning the noble
race from which they have sprung, or
the grandeur of the church to which
they belong. Go into their homes and
question their grown-up sons and
daughters about the history of Ire
land, the land of their forcfathers or
about the history Of the Catholic
church. of which they are members, and
what do they know of either? How
can they know anything concerning
their nationality and creed when they
have never had the opportunity? When
children they may have been sent to
Sunday school where they received ele-
mentary instruction in the Christian
doctrine to enable them to approach
the sacraments; but after finishing"
their religious education in this way
they never attain to higher know
edge of the dogmas or tenets of tho
church. except by what they learn from
the sermons they hear preached on
Sundays, If they go to church.
Had their parents taken a Catholic
paper instead Of Il daily or weekly
journal containing accounts of the
frlvolitics and evils of the day, their
children would acquire sound knowl-
edge of their faith and be able to de-
fcnd it when sncered at or asailed by
others.
The man Or woman who SAYS that
Catholic paper is not necessary and
that daily paper will suffice is la
boring under a great delusion. The
parents who allow their offspring to
feed on the pabulum of the daily pa
per and to feast on the pruriency dlshed
up in the accounts of divorces. elopc-
ments and scandals, need not be sur
piiscd to find their boys and girls
growing hayward and becoming in
different to PARENTAL influence and
control. When we say this we do not
mean to condemn the daily paper, for
the reading of the daily paper is es-
sthtial to every person who desires
Il knowledge of public affairs. What
we object to is the indiscrimin;lte read
Ing Of the daily paper to the exclusion
OF the Catholic weekly. The Catholic
Journal usually contains the cream of
the news Of the week, and presents 1t
in a concise and attractive style with
out any sensational establishment
Inc catholic weekly is of the greatest
utility to those animated by a Christ
Ian spirit for it is free from obsccnity
and Is promoter OF morality. The
Catholic family that takes the Illus.
tlated sensational journal because the
price of it Is but one dollar a year buys
a serpent which will sting its bosom
with poisonous fangs.
And now. what OF tho weekly Catho-
lie journal In regard to nationaItyo It
is we'll known that the Germans and
Seandinavlans have weekly PAPERS de-
voted to the interests of their people.
In the larger cities OF the country they
publish daily papers In their own I'm
guage, which are literally patrcnizcl
These papers discuss everything Of IN
tefest to their readers and uphold the
races they represent, both in the old
countries and In their adopted land.
Enter the homes of the Germans and
Mortimer wherever they are, and Won
VIII lind books. periodicals and news
papers relating to their own national
1ty In the parent tongue. How is It
with ish-Americans?
Twelve years ago when the IRISH
STANDARD was established IN this
city rs an advocate of Irish national
ism and true Amerlcanism. there wac
scarcely a daily paper in the Twin
Cities that considered the Irish people
deserving of ordinary courtesy, Th.,
Irish were ridiculed and caricatured nv,
'->'P'>" eouN Sillu CTS luOCulHte0
with purtanical prejudces. 1t was
found necessary by the Irish peoplc
OF Minneapolis. in vin.lication of their
race from atrocious attacks to hold in
dignation meetings and boycott the ca
Illuminating, scurrilous sheets. They
convinced their maligners by n digni-
fled and determined attitude that thew
could not assail proud race with i'm
punity, and they quickly changed their
tactics. not through respect for them,
but solely for the sake of the almighty
dollar" which they worship Since then
the daily papers of st. Paul and Minne-
apolis have treated the Irish people
with courteous consideration.
The Irish citizens of the Northwest
would DO derelict in their duty and
downright ingratcs II they did not sup
port and encourage paper like the
IRISH STANDARD, which has. since
its initial number, been the fearless
and uncompromising advocate Of their
faith and nationality. During the con-