The Irish standard., 1899-07-22
got into the habit of being very quiet,


and believing they were not called upon
to come out into full daylight and take
part with others in national, moral, in
tellectual, and social movements. In
my own small sphere in preaching to
our Catholics in America, my constant
advice is this: You must be public
Spirited you must do your best to show
yourselves ardent Americans, devoted
citizens. And you should be glad to put
yourselves forward wherever occasion
offers in public life, to be able to serve
your country, and serve it honestly;
there should be no intellectual move
ment, no literary club, no moral reform
movement without Catholics being
largely represented in the membership.
SO far as | know, in England you have
that public spirit. An example is furn-
ished by the president OF this meeting.
| remember when the wires spread the
news throughout America that he had
taken into his hands the duties of Post
naster-General. (Applause.) l have
seen but little OF London, but what l
have seen has encouraged me. l have
visited one OF your great literary clubs,
and have found there Catholics. l
know your literature, and I find it con-
tains Catholic names, so the situation is
hopeful. | can oily say may it be bet
ter still. l can only say in every great
movement of citizenship let the Cath
olics be more represented than ever.
Let no Catholic remain in his little
home, his little domain, unmindiul OF
any sphere of public utility Let the
great newspapers and the great reviews
bring forth Catholic names. We need
the reviews and the newspapers. You
know that the pen is mightier than the
sword-a common expression, but one
which may well be repeated because it
is truthful and reasonable
The weight of English ideas is every
where felt in the world. If an impor-
tant book or article appears, or speech
is delivered, it may become as familiar
in St. Paul or San Francisco or on Our
Western praries as in London. There
you may find the book or pamphlet or
review. You may find it in Australia,
in India, in China. What temptation for
English talent, for English Catholic tai
ent to produce itself, when the great
vehicle is the omnipresent English Ian
guage. We Catholics the world over
are influenced by it. You are, after all,
the mother country of Enghsh-speaking
people, and you must so work and so
think and SO act, that with all the in
duence of empire going out from Lon
don and from England, shall go forth
also Catholic influences; and it will be
well for the Catholic, we'll for the EN-
pire. I am honored this evening in be-
ing received by you as an American.
(Applause.)
In his own name Cardinal Vaughan,
in the letter addressed to the chairman,
kindly makes allusion to the fact of the
influence of the union between the Cath
olics of the United States and the Cath
olics of England. We Catholics OF
America owe much to you. Our first
Catholic colonists, the companions OF
Lord Baltimore, were from the island
itself OF England. The first citizens on
the soil of America who openly declared
liberty Of conscience were English Cath
olics; and, throughout all the history OF
our Church, these English states OF
Maryland have given certain tone to
Catholic thought and Catholic action
which has never been cffaced, and when
Bishop was to be consecrated for the
Church in the United States, for the
Church which to-day possesses nearly
one hundred Bishops, he came to Eng
land to have the holy oils poured upon
lis head Our literature is the same;
our language is the same; thousand
ties bind us. We desire, as American
citizens, your friendship; we are willing,
as American citizens, to accord you
our own. We desire the mutual hand
of friendship between these two great
countries. Our commercial interests
are the same. And while so closely
united in friendly relations as English
linen and Americans, we must be doubly
united in close links Of love as English
Catholics and American Catholics.
Thank Providence the position of the
Church in the United States to-day is
most encouraging. We have received
accessions from every country in the
world. Ireland, Germany, all have sent
us their millions But with all these
various nationalites, we do not present
a disunted, divided Catholicism.
America has the gift OF assimilating all
the different peoples that come to her,
and SO making out OF them great race
for the future. To-day | believe we
number thirteen to fifteen millions, ex-
elusive OF Our new brethren from the
West Indies. What is most remark
able for the last ten or fifteen years in
the Church OF America is the way Cath
olcs are making their influence felt in
all civil and social affairs Necessarily
in the past we suffered from great dis
advantages; and the prejudice did arise
to some extent that Catholics were not