The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-03-18
ST. PATRICK'S DAY
QUIETLY OBSERVED
No General Celebration Was Held In
This City This Year.
WERE MANY MINOR OBsERvANcHS
Exercises Held in All Parts of the
City in the Evening--Towns Up and
Down the Valley yCommemo Grated in
Like Manner--Weish Take n Hand
in Providence--Luzerpe County Has
Parades in Pittston, wiikcs-Barre
and Hazleton.


Day of old, when the mines shut down.
the shops closed up ard business was
generally suspended, and when the
sons of the Green Isle had parades and
the Welsh held big eisteddfods. 1t was
devoid of any of the principal char
acteristics of the day and even the
weather was just opposite to what II
should be to be a real seventeenth of
March.
That there was no big celebration as
has been the custom in this city, with
the large Irislu- American population
that it has to draw from. is accounted
for by the fact that the Irish societies
are holding themselves in reserve for a
demonstration on the occasion of the
state convention of the Ancient Order
of Hibernians in this city in June. 1t
will be the first general reunion of the
long divided branches of this organiza-
tion and it is proposed to make the
event a fitting celebration of the con-
solidation.
While there was no general celebra-
tion of any kind yesterday there were
many minor observances in various
parts of the city. At all the Catholic
churches high masses were celebrated
in honor of st. Patrick and sermons
appropriate to the day were preached.
EVENING ENTERTAINMENT
In the evening at Mears' hall on the
| West Side, Division No. 1. Ancient Or
der of Hibernians, celebrated the an
| niversary with fitting exercises, the
| principal feature of which was an ad-
dress by Rev. f. S. Phillips, of Halle
| ton, formerly national president of one
| branch of the order, and who was TO
small factor in bringing about the
| amalgamation. Division No. 20, of
| Bellevue. conducted exercises in the
| basement of Holy Cross church, the
principal speakers being Rev. w. 7.
ODonnell, pastor of the church; Will
liam Dawson, county president of the
Hibernans. and Neil McTague, editor
of the Diocesan Record.
On the South Side joint celebration
was conducted of st. Patrick'e Day
and of the centennial anniversary OF
the Irish rebellion of 1898, which French
alliance almost effected for the EN-
erald Isle what it so materially aided
in securing for this country, fifteen
years previously. The exercises were
held in the basement of ~. Johns
/
of the st. Aloysius T. A. B. society OF
that parish, Attorney p. A. O'Boyle
of Pittston, was the principal speaker
Division %, of the South Side, attended
the exercises in a body. The Minooks
Hibernians conducted an entertain
ment and smoker in their hall as theil
commemoration of the day.
The dramatic circle of the Father
| Whitty society of Providence produced
the drama "InniSfail' at st. Mary:
hall; in Dunmore there were two eve
ming celebrations; i'm Archibald there
was an entertainment at which an ad
dress was delivered by Rev. Franci:
McGucken, of Nantcoke, and, as viii
be seen by a reference to our subur
ban correspondence, almost all thu
towns up and down the valley haC
some little observance or another
There was also an eisteddfod i'm Provi
dence. just enough of a celebration t.
retaliate the claim that St. Patrick
last name was Jones.
In Luzerne county the day wa
more elaborately celebrated, Pittston
Wilkes Barre and Hazleton all havin!
big parades.
| PARADE Al PlTTSION.
Each was local affair but they wer
all very creditable demonstrations
Pittston had over a thousand men il
line, and the number of spectators wa
the last that ever crowded Mai
street, many persons from this cit.
and vicinity being in the throng. Their
were divisions in the parade made VI
as follows: First division, Father Mat
thew societies; second division. Youn
Mems Institutes and Catholic socia
literary and beneficial societies; thir
division, societies of st. Mary's paris
at the Junction; fourth division, An
cient Order of Hibernians, eleven diff
ferent societies being in this division
: The column formed in the center of tn
town and marched to St. Johns church
where a high mass was celebrated b
J Rev. George Dixon. After mass tn
parade moved over the length of Mai
street. being joined at the upper en-
by the societies of st. Mary's par
ish. which had attended a mass cele
; brated by Rev. Father Grecve. T. +
Hopkins was grand marshal and NJ. ,
Tighe, chief of staff,
Wilkes Barre's celebration was unde
the auspices of the East End Irish an
Catholic societies. They had l,500 me
' in line, and the parade was viewed b
thousands. feature of the parad
! was a band of several hundred schot
p children, who, as they marched, san
. alternately Irish and American airs.