The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1898-10-22
IAN OUTRAGEOUS NUISANCE.
What Fr. MnhOny Calls ColIccting for
Irish Churches.

One of the most leplorable things in
| our times is that when a priest in Ire
| land has done something getting him a
fame and prestige the best use they
think to put him to is to send him, or
maybe. only let him come to America
to collect for Il new church. This col
lecting for churches in Ireland is an
outrageous nuisance. Where there are
people numerous enough and full enough
OF faith to need a church they can al
ways themselves build it suitably to
their circumstances and means. Only a
few weeks ago numbers OF priests and
even of bishops of Ireland were telling
the world how people there were starry
| ing and sick and dying of hunger, and
that children for lack of food and clothes
were Obliged to stay away from school.
And all the While two of Irclands most
distinguished priests We're doing the
United States collecting for churches. In
! the summer We had in Minnesota the
| renowned Father Shcchy, for new
church in the south Of Ireland, and in the
! fall we have the celebrated Father Me
Fadden, for church in the north. About
been to the expense of about $50, and to
Il lot Of hard and humiliating hustling
in the effort to got with something like
modern adequateness before our people
| l. Ia.
terrible distress in the west of Ireland,
and of the revolving heartlrssncss and
rascality of the British government in
regard to it.
But whilst | was trying to work TIL"
printing press to relieve the dire dis
tress" Father Shcehy saying incident
ally that the reports of it had been cS-
aggeratdd was working the "towny"
racket to rake in funds for the esthetic
luxury of a new church in Brurcc. He
took care to see the good Irishmrn" in
their A. o. II. divisions and in their
homes. What good lrShman could re-
fuse to give something handsome to tho
brave priest that had stood SO by Par
nell and the League and the no-rent
manifesto? The least that any good
| freshman could do would be to buy II
ticket, or several tickets, to Father
Sheehys public lecture. or "Picturc
| Tour Through Ireland" ] attended it
myself, and lost the last scrap of my
once enthusiastic admiration for Father
Shcchy. The lot of uncolored views
were such as no public magic lantern
| lecturer would now depend on for en-
the lecture taught nothing. There We're,
in the introduction. and once or twice
thereafter. Il few bits of prepared. am
bilious outburstry, but no trace of even
Il wish to improve til" moral conduct and
social standing OF the good Irish who
had parted with their quarters to be
there A few references to the Anglo
American alliance were purely houncy
and wholly futile.
Father Shrchy had apparently no use
for the maxim of Carlyle. that rarely
should man speak az all unless to say
the thing that is to be done
The things that ar" to be done by the
Irish in America are:
First-To do all they can and get done
all they can. to stop the still too COM
| mon and too notorious racial weakness
for the drink. and for the drink bust
ness ana the strife of local politics most
associated with, and friendly to it,
Sccond--T0 turn themselves to make
good az quickly and fully rs may be the
disabilities incurred by the centuries of
prosecutions" to go in to educate them
selves, by reading. hOmcstudy. night
schools, and such provision for the am
bilious poor and middle classes. as Scan
dinavians are being furnished with, and
enabled thereby to get grntccl and
even professional education at fourth
of what IL would have. as we do things.
to cost an Irish American. For want of
this worthy ambition. and for want OF
being taught it by the reverend church
builders, numbers of our young peopl"
Keep HIoW lH!a iHio o't'bp!' '''A! '''N
ing hrwers of wood or tramps. whilst
their Scandinavian and native Amer-
can cOcq,lals are filling the professions
and getting into a way to mould the
opinion and course and dostinies of the
country, and Of the world.
Enthusiastically all good irishmcn
and all children Of such, and all their
leaders, should note and ponder over
the present-day power and influence of
printers' ink and the press. and do all
they can to secure the largest gcttablc
portion of that power to defend and ad-
vance the interests they have at heart.
For instance, as to the Anglo American
alliance to what amounts a bouncy, loud
clapped defy from Father Shelby. or Il
few hundred freshmen here or there,
whilst in thousands OF printing offices
the latest marvcls of machinery are
working off the dcftcst. artfullcst and
most seductive pleas. and apparent facts
on behalf Of the alliance scheme? Here,
and for such like emergencies. is where
Irish American money should go, and let
wait while architectural ornaments of
~, all r;t, ,,,tn n