Evening star., 1898-10-25
CATHOLICYOUNGM MEN
Twenty-Fourth Annual Convention
Of National Union in Session.
TIE ANNUAL REPORTS SUBMITTED
Welcoming Address by Commits
sioner John w. Ross.
REMARKS BY DIR. STAFFORD

The tive nty- fourth annual convention of
the Catholic Young Mems National Union
began this morning with the celebration Of
| solemn hiyl mass at st. Patrick's Church
| shortly before 10 o'clock. The visiting DEL
ega.es. several hundred in number. "a ther-
ed at Carroll Institute Hall at $50 o'clock,
and proceeded in a body to the sacred cd
ifice.
| AT the conclusion of the church service
DR.. D. ]. Stafford spoke briefly to the
young men, welcoming them to Washing
ton behalf of the church. and impress
ing upon them the good that may come
from their efforts. The Catholic Church in
the United States. like the country itself,
Dr. Stafford declared, is in a transtory
state, and 1t will require all effort possible
| to keep pace with it's development. The
| church needs faithful and dutiful priests
and loyal, energetic laymen.
| 1t was after IL o'clock when the oonver-
tion was formally called to order by the
president, Rev. William T. McGuirl of
Brooklyn. Mr. Edward ]. Hannah. pres
ident of the Carroll Institute, welcomed
the delegates, declaring he hoped their stay
| in Washington would be bright and
pleasant as the morning of their arrival.
He introduced Commissioner John W. Ross
who was greeted with applause.
| Commissioner Ross Bids Welcome.
Mr.. Ross said it occurred to him the Pc
| culiar form of government obtaining in
| Washington might be of interest to a body
of young men studying political and social
questions. ard so he briefly outlined the
power of the District Commissioners, of
Congress the plan of taxation, &c. Wash
ington, he said is proud of her educational
| institutions. His illusions to Georgetown
| University, the Catholic University and
| Archbishop keane ELECTED enthusiastic APP
plause. Mr.. Ross said the Catholic young
| men came TO Washington at a time when
| the nation rejoices, and he hoped their stay
here would be so pleasant that they will
| want to come again in the near future.
President McGuirl expressed thanks on
| behalf of the convention for the hearty
| welcome, and a rising vote Of thanks was
| rendered Mr.. Ross and thu Carroll Institute.
Father McGuirl led in prayer. He after
| ward announced that the apostolic delegate
| Mgr. Martinelli would visit the convention
this afternoon at 3 o'clock, and that Mgr
Conaty would be present tomorrow morn
| ing.
CableEram to the Pope.
On motion a committee was appointed
to send a cablegram to Pope Leo XIII,
asking his holy blessing on the convention.
A committee resolutions was appoint
ed by the chair as follows: Ed. ]. Han
nan, Washington; Father ]. J. Murphy,
| Boston; Frank P. Cunnion, New York: Mr.
| Bonniwell, Philadelphia: p F. Driscol AL
| bany; MIR. Rodgers Brooklyn; John ]. Bile
| witt, Newark: Patrick j. Murray Provi-
dence; John NJ. Higgins, Richmond.
| Committee on OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. Coyle
| Washington; Blewitt Newark and James
| Borden. Brooklyn.
| Assistant Secretaries-F. j. Keller Bos-
ton; Edward +. Finney, New York
| MI Hannah, ciiairn an of the committee
| On arrangements, announced the amuSe-
ne4t program for the entertainment Of
| the delegates while in the city The idea
| of reception at the White House has
| been abandoned on account OF the absence
| of President Mckinley at the Philadelphia
| Carroll Institute Mirstrel Club will be
given this evening and a public reception
| will be held on tomorrow evening. Thurs
| day morning the visitors will go out to
! the Catholic University, and the same afs-
| ernCon a trip down the Potomac to Mount
| Vernon Will be made. An entertainment by
the Knights of ST. Augustin No. 2 will
be given Thursday night at Carroll Hall
| on G street. A vote of thanks was ten
| dered the knights.
President McGuirls Report.
President McGuirl next read his report,
| which was in part as follows:
The year just ended has not been re-
markably active for the National
| Union Our young men have been, many
| OF them, serving their great country. They
| have been in camp, they have been at the
| battle front, and rCt few of them are still
| in the national service. One of our mern-
| berS has immortaliZed himself for calm
| courage, for zeal, FOR tremendous self sac
| rihce in the discharge of duty-I refer to
| Father Chadwick of the ill-fated but we'll
| avenged Maine. Others have quietly done
| their share toward unveiling the United
| States as the mighty nation she is and ac-
| knowodged to be. When war was pro-
| claimed it became the duty of every Ameri-
| ca1 to stand by the flag. Accordingly at
| the annual meeting of committeeman to ar
| range for this convention, in Brooklyn, a
| message of sympathy, and expressive of
| fealty, was sent to the chief executive of
| the United States At the same meeting
! resolutions were passed expressive OF the
| sense of less felt over the death of Rev.
| James II. Mitchell, L former president Of
TINS Lfiloii. AS far as possible. in the dis
| turbed conditions prevailing literature was
| provided .he army and navy.
secretary's Exhibit.
| Secretary and Treasurer John ]. Brady
of Albany reported in part as follows.
! To-day finds your secretary able to re-
| port but little of remarkable advance in
| the membership of our union. The wide
| spread causes which during the past few
| years have so strongly initiated against
| the work, and frequently against the very
| existence of all societies, have not been re-
| moved or improved upon. and the sad ef-
| fects remain While the efforts of previous
| years have been bearing much fruit in
| many localities. our country has been pass
1
young men Of the generation, a crisis which
| has even more affected and additionally de-
| pressed the work Of young mems asso-
| Citations: War. bitter and deplorable has
| stalked through the land, and the v!cissi-
| tudes of the occasion have been calamitous
| to many. 1t Is proud boast that many
| thousands of our young men have FASTENED
| to the defense of our national Hfe and
| many a noble instance of bravery anl self
| sacrifice has been added to the history of
| our country, which will tell the generations
| of the future what the Catholic young men
| of this land and time did to save and per-
| petuate our Institutions But let it be re-
| membered that all this has been done at
| the expense of the efficiency and activity
| of many of our Catholic societies, the So
| ciety work having been largely abandoned
| and the meeting rooms having been de-
( serted at least for the present.
| I'm the midst of these difficulties the
| power and value of our diocesan unions as
| means of holding societies to constancy of
| purpose and work has often been manifest,
| and clearly proves the forethought and val
| ued prudence which originally organized
1 AN.E<,