The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1897-08-07
LAHORS OF FATHER ELLIOTT IN
THE LORDS VINEYARD.
UNION SOLDIER AT GETTYSBURG
THE PRIESTS Personal LIFE rs OF
\ ROMANTIC NATURE,
HIS LECTURES TO KOR.CATHoLICS
NOT A CONVERT TO rATlIOLlCIry AS
PEOPLE SUPPOSE.

Rev. Father Elliott, who will lec-
: ture at st. Mary's church, Sixth and
Fillmore streets, Sunday evening, Aug
ust Sth, Is a man of more than national
reputation, says the Catholic Mcsscn-
ger, of Davenport, la.
During the past twenty-five years he
mas given missions in almost every
state OF the Union from the Atlantic
to the Pacific coast. He was the bosom
friend OF Father Hecker, and seems 10
nave inherited his apostolic spirit. He
was for time editor of The Catholic
World the abest magazine published
IN this country, and has frequently con-
trlblrted most interesting articles to
its pages. His charming life of Father
Hecker is as we'll known in Europe
as in the United States and is especially
popular in France.
For several years at the earnest in
Vltation of many of the ablest ore
lates Of the church in America, Father
Elliott has been giving what are COM
monty called missions to Protestants,"
a new departure in the work of the
church in this country and one that has.
met with marked success The funda-
mental idea of this work is that the
| Catholic church to be esteemed # not
truly loved, needs only to be known,
not as her enemies repesent her, but
as she really is. The work has abso-
lutely nothing of controversial bitter.
ness about it, and whenever possible
rather Elliott prefers to speak in some
public hall, to which the people of
every religion, and of no religion in
particular, are cordially invited.
There is no charge for admission and
IN the lectures Father Elliott explains
to the audience in a clear and popular
style the laws, practices and teachings
or the Catholic church. A very inter-
esting feature of his system is the oues-
llon Dox Any one who has an en-
PLANTATION to ask, or an objection to
urge, simply writes down his question
or objection and deposits it in this box.
and before each lecture Father Elliott
opens the box, takes out the questions
ana answers them seriatum. The ques-
tons are generally serious and i'm
portant, rarely silly, but silly or Sc
! rlous, each one is answered, and usually
satisfactory even to the questioner. To
answer many of these questions, i'm
! promptu, requires a facility of speech
and an amount of general information
possessed by few, but Father Elliott
is an adept at the business For a lime
he was alone in this work, but for
some time past he has had number
OF very able assistants, and one bishop
after another has established it as a
regular work in his diocese.
1t has been stated time and again,
in the public press, that Father Elliott
is convert of the Catholic church,
but this is not true, for he comes of
good old Catholic stock. His ancas-
tors came from gallant Tipperary,
where the true faith has outlived cen
turtles OF tyranny and persecution. The
men of Tipperary may at times, per-
haps, need to be converted from some
sins, but the sin of hcresy or infidelity
is a most rare thing where they came
from.
The personal life of Father Elliott
has had no little of romance, and Tie
shadow of tragedy surrounding it. Dur
ing our late unrleasantness his youth
full patriotism led him to enlist in The
nV,i, ~
for liberty and the preservation Of The
Union. He took part in the famous and
bloody battle of Gettysburg, and in
other noted battles of the civil war.
In one of these battles he was wounded
in the mouth. The force of the bullet
which struck him was, however, nearly
spent, and he escaped with no further
injury than some damaged teeth and a
sore mouth; but he says himself he
was badly ratified and for time re-
garded himself as mortally wounded.
He had the misfortune of being taken
prisoner by the Confederates, and was
incarcerated in the famous, Or infam-
GUS, Libby prison at Richmond Ills
life in this military prison was the
hardest and toughest spot in his army
experience He is ready enough to cx-
cusc the authorities, then at Richmond,
for the starvation code enforced upon
the prisoners, on the ground, that, a.
the time, the Confederacy itself was ON
It's last legs and feeding at short COM
mons, but he can find no excuse for
the sanitary condition Of the prison,
which was horriblbe Father Elliott
says that while in Libby prison, he use 2
to think that any man, who had pota-
toes and cabbage and a little bit Of neat
to eat, had no reason to complain of
any i'll that could befall him in this
world. At last the two governments,
North and South, agreed upon an ex-