The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-03-24

not been neglected, and the poHtlcdl parties were as anxious for recruits Tn 'S6 as they were sixty years later. The number in those days "to be made was not as great as in later times, ana each moderator could tell at the end of each days session what gains his party had made. The custom was the same then as now; the voters were made before the selectmen. In 1887 MT. Charles R. Ingersol represented the democrats and Captain Ben Beecher represented the whigs. The strife be- tween these two men was quite actlVe during the week, and as 1t came to the last day, MT. Ingersoll turned to MT. Beecher and said: Say, let us not make any more of these Irish voters, for I believe we are about even now" 'Very well, IngersolI. I am with you on that" and from that day to this there were no more Irish voters made in New Haven (By these two gentlemen).
 Whether 1t was through the influence of Father McDermott or not, we are unable to say, but we believe the party represented by MT. Ingersoll gained the greater number of recruits, and many of the Irish would consider it a matter of conscience to vote anything but a democrat ticket.
 Father McDermott was succeeded by the Rev. James Smyth, 1887, as pastor of Christ church and continued to min ister to his congregation until 1S4S, when the church he loved so well and served so faithfully was destroyed by fire on June il. The Catholics now se- cured temporary quarters and Wor- shipped in a large tent on the site or the burned church, and continued to worship until in the fall of that year when they purchased of MT. Sidney M. Stone the St. Mary's church on Church street, paying for the same $13,000, and dedicated the building Christmas time in 1S49. Bishop Tyler, the first bishop of the diocese of Hartford, which had now been formed four years and in- cluded Connecticut and Rhode Island, performed the ceremonies. This was the year of the famine in Ireland, and the hopeles people came to this coun- try in large numbers, assisted no doubt by their friends on this side of the wa ter; and the new church called St. Mary's was soon unable to accommo- date the throng that came to worship at it's shrine.
 Father O'Reilly, who succeeded in 1S4S | Father Smythe, ministered among the immigrants for two years, and in 1850 | was succeeded by Father Edward J. | O'Brien, who was given an assistant | in the person of Rev. Mathew Hart, | whose memory is still cherished by many of our citizens to-day.
 | The efforts of Francis Donnelly in converting the commons into dwelling l places for the people down town, soon gave evidence of the necessity for an | other parish in the eastern part of the city and Bishop Reilly selected for this purpose, the assistant to Father O'Brien. the Rev. Mathew Hart.
 As the people began to increase and multiply the necessity for school fa- cilities became apparent, and the men who, led by the spirit were prompted to walk thirty miles to mass, were not long in solving this difficulty. A broth CT of Father McDermott taught fifteen pupils in the vestry of Christ church | for two years. In 1886 we find that 1 Father Smyth had opened school al the corner of Fair and Union streets and placed Miss O'Toole in charge of the classes. From here they moved
 to Church street and later held ses- sons in the basement of St Mary's
 church, which at this time had come under the jurisdiction of Father
 OBrien, and was presided over by MT Patrick Morrissey and wife.
 The success of this schol is testified
 to by the young people who received | hn of tc incl itt1ti and TT
 to-day among our most honored ant
 respected citizens. But we have an other witness in the report of the Firs
 School society of New Haven, printed
 October 5, 1850, as follows:
 '"The board have twice within tn
 last three months visited the twt
 schools, one for boys and the other fo
 girls of the Catholic denomination
 which are under the general supervis
 ion of the Rev. MT. O'Reilly, and whicl
 are kept beneath the audience room o
 the Catholic church. The committe
 were aware that they had no lega
 rights there, but they doubted not tha
 they would be kindly received, and af
 forded every opportunity desired fo
 such observations as would either grat
 fly their curiosity or afford them infor
 nation. The superintendent expresses
 his willingness to comply with our re
 quest to see his little flock. Our first wis
 it was so satisfactory that we obtaine
 the consent of MT. Lowell of the Ian
 casterian school to unite with us in
 more thorough examination. w
 found the higher classes in both tn
 schools in a most excellent condition
 and far surpassed our expectations. I
 grammar, reading, spelling, speakin
 and defining. There was throughout tn exercises great promptitude and sur prising accuracy. One little girl too her station at the map triumphant
 passing close examination in geoe
 raphy, answering correctly for som fifteen to twenty minutes nearly ever
 question put to her. The teacher ( } the girls school is Miss Eliza Mahe and of the boys school is Patrick Mor risy. These accomplished instructor ; were educated in Ireland, their nativ ! country"
 While MT. Morrisy was still in chare of the school three Sisters of Nero were brought here from the south an
 were installed in rooms on the cornt : of George and College streets, whel they remained until the building ne1 , to the church on Church street WE l ready for occupancy. This buildir t was used as an academy or high schoc l than O,pria,, a1cn ipuitad tba Ciofa-