The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1899-04-15
A SERIOUS CHARGE. IF TRUE. r.

The subjoined editorial appeared in
last weeks Western Waterman, and
upon reading it we interviewed the city
editors OF the daily papers in reference
to the letter referred to by our esteemed
contemporary. None of them had any
recollection OF such an item OF news
from Manila. and they were positive it
was not published. Will our contem,
porary OF the Mound City give the name
OF the Minneapolis paper in which it
appeared, SO that we may be enabled to
trace the name of the young man guilty
OF the alleged offense? From the fact
that the Thirteenth Minnesota has a
large number of Catholics among the
officers and men we are slow to believe
that any member OF it, no matter how
lrrcverent, would dare to commit such
a PROCLAMATION and escape punishment.
Some OF the boys, however, are evident
ly imbued with prejudice against the
iriars, as may be gathered from the fol-
lowing paragraph in a recent letter of
Martin z. Tew to the Minneapolis
Times: "One of the sights witnessed
by the boys during the advance was the
death Of a Spanish friar who was with
the insurgents. Everybody seemed to
like the idea OF taking a shot at him and
upon examination they found that he
had twenty-five bullet holes in his
body"
When soldiers have such antipatfy to
Catholic chaplain, who is supposed to
be a non-combatant, it may be possible
that some deluded and foolish young
fellow may have donncd the sacred robes
OF priest, as was done by the 'yeoman
captain in the song OF the "Croppy
Boy" The following is the article which
appeared in the Watchman:
A Minneapolis paper publishes let
ter from soldier of the Thirteenth
Minnesota now in Manila, in which the
writer describes the result OF foraging
expedition INDUCED in by some OF the
boys OF the regiment. After enumerat-
ing the chickens and pigs and vegetables
taken from some abandoned homes he
says one venturesome youth entered the
church and decked himself in the cloth
of-gold vestments of some old priest
and came back yelling with delight, and
strutted UP and down to the infinite
amusement Of the regiment. When our
army invaded Cuba we warned the Off
GERS not to repeat the sacrilcges OF the
Mexican war These backwoods Amer
lean soldiers are in all matters pertain
ing to religion greater savages than the
natives Of the Philippine Archipelago
While not avowed enemies OF religion
the unchurched masses Of this country
are prone to make shocking sport o
anything bordering on religious prac
tice. The American sense OF humor i
VIGOROUSLY broad and strongly incine
to the indecent. Irreverence is the trai
most prominent in young and old in thi
country. Foreigners are shocked at thu
home life OF our people. We have M
children. What is planted in the hom
is nurtured in the school, and by tn
time the young man or woman arrive
at maturity all reverence for things, hu
man and divine, is banisted from thei
heart.
During the war OF the rebellion fed
eral regiment was encamped in littl
town in Louisiana in which there was
Catholic church. A soldier broke int,
the sacred edihce and going into tn
sacristy put on set OF vestments, an,
coming out mounted his horse and cam
galloping into camp. An Irishman VIII,
was on picket duty saw the fellow and
lifting his rifle, dropped him out of hi
saddle. We are sorry there was not
soldier like him in the Thirteenth Min