The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1897-07-17

Catholic state. furnished one-sevenlh of
the military forces in the war for he
union.
obviously the government had no -ca-
son for recording the religious faith Of
its soldiers. Patriotism is at once a
natural and a civic virtue. That it
may be upernaturalized is evident from
the words of st. Paul, bidding us obey
the higher powers for conscience sake.
The country had to face a condition, no.
Theory; and whatever abstract reason
ing has to say about state rights the
VIII of the majority of the people. which
is the supreme law in republic, decided
Tor the maintenance Of the federal un-
ion. God apepars to have made the
country one in geographical formation,
in sameness of language, in homogen-
city of character.
Two iluslrious Catholic prelates, rec
ognized as leaders in Israel-the Moses
and the Joshua of the church, Archbish-
op kenrick, Of Baltimore and Archbish-
op Highes, of New York, declared in fa-
sainted sage of the primatial city flung
the starry banner from the pinnacle of
his cathedral. The archbishop of New
York was SO thoroughly identified with
vested by the president and his secretary
OF state with the authority of envoy ex-
traordinary to the courts of Europe.
unroll the military records of our
country and you will read column after
column of names that are historically
Catholic. Read the names on the tomb
stones of soldiers in the great national
cemeteries and you will find in the
Christian name alone confirmatory evil
dence of the faith of the hero that sleeps
beneath. The Catholic knows that the
church imposes in baptism the name of
saint. We may safely judge that ne
is Catholic who bears the name of
Patrick and Michael, of Bernard and
Dominic. Not even the conservative
spirit OF the Church of England could yes
tain the old sanity nomenclature, and
Puritanism chose the names of Old res-
lament worthless or names taken frora
natural history and even heather my
thology.
If we reckon our soldiers by their reli-
gion, the majority would. be Catholic
and we should find that we had given
our children in far greater number
than any one denomination. On the
second day of Gettysburg a Catholic
priest. ascending an eminence, lifted his
hand to give absolution, and far as the
eye could reach rank upon rank of
soldiers bent their heads like corntiells
swept by the summer breeze. Hancock,
the superb impressed by the solem-
nifty of the scene, barred his brow. If the
poet thought that a tear should fall for
StoneWal Jackson. because he spared
Barbara Frietchie's union flag, will not
Catholic murmur prayer for the
great general who gave heed to the
priest calling upon his people to be
contrite for their sins in the hour which
for many would be the last?
The seven successive stormings of the
, heights of Fredericksburg by the Irish
brigade has long passed into history as
passing Alma and the Redan. keenan's )
cavalry charge at charlottesville saved
| the union army at the cost of 300 lives.
The charge of the light brigade at Bala-
| klava was described by French officer
as magnificent, but unmilitary 'C'est
ms crnif +,
But keenan's charge was both glorious
and strategic. His troop rushed like
whirwind upon 10000 confedera1es.
His men were shot down or sabered in
| the saddle. The stceds, maddened by
wounds and uncontrolled by their dead
{! riders, plunged into the thick of the
confederate ranks and so disconnected
and appalled, them that the main army
of the union had time to save itself from
, otherwise inevitable destruction. Per-
haps the most critical point of war WAS
the success or the failure, of Sheridan's
T; devastation of the Shenandoah
valley which was the great
| base OF supplies for the South.
Sheridan's historic ride. which saved the
, day at Winchester. was the exploit Of a
! Catholic. The republic subsequently
/; conferred upon this son of the church
one of the highest and most responsible
! positions in her keeping. the generals.lip
| of her armies.
! One of the first, if not the first band
| of trained nurses that offered their
! services to the government was the
, Sisters of Charity. Their title is their
i history. Their services in hospitals ana
on the field did more than tones of con-
trOversy to make the Catholic church
! better known, and consequently loved by
| the American people. The convalesc-
: ing soldier by word and by letter spread
F! the information throughout the lana
! that the ministrations of the Catholic
| sisterhCod reminded him of moth US
i love and a sisters tenderness.
The heroic devotion to duty of the
| Catholic chaplains, VINO made no dis
tinction of religion when soldier was
to be helped endeared the Catholic rcli-
gion to many who met Catholic priest
for the first time in camp or hospital
Our own noble-hearted archbishop renL-