The evening times., 1899-07-28

New York, July 28.-Before leaving Eng
land Archbishop Ireland, who is expected
to arrive here on the White Star Line
steamship Britannica today, gave his
views on the condition of the Roman
Catholic Church in the United States. He
touched on the gains and losses of the
Church, the questions of temperance and
social progress, and the subject of eccle-
siastical education.
The Archbishop said that between 1920
and the present time three million ma
tiyes of Ireland had emigrated to the
United States. Many of these, he said,
were Protestants. Many others died from
poverty and want, and there were also
losses, he believed. because the priests did
not follow the arrivals into the new West
ern territory. Spiritual organization, he
said, did not keep pace with the growth of
the population in the early fifties.
There were also some losses in the
large cities of the East" the Archbishop
said. The Irish Catholic emigrants who
had been disinherited at home and had not
had the opportunity Of receiving a COOL
education brought with them a strong and
fervent faith, but not having had thor
ough training, they were not able in some
dren. With all my admiration and love
for the Irish Church, l must say that from
my experience / believe the Irish-Ameri-
cans came to us without that deep dog
matte training which safeguards parents
and children as mere devotional faith does
not when there are perils and temptation.
Many of the German immigrants were
lost to Christianity, but they were the rev.
olutionists who went out in '49; they were
~ nnf fnf rhA rA- 1zI.
went out never lost the faith, because they
were well organized and well instructed
There is loss to the faith here and there,
but l am sure the accessions are greater
than the losses. Everything is organized
and everywhere there are priests and
Catholic institutions.
The prospects Of the church are Of the
brightest. Prejudice is breaking down, and
Catholics are moving upward in social and
political life The social advance is the
most marked feature of the progress of
Chtholicity in the United States in the last
fifteen or twenty years. The influence Of
the "A. p. A never amounted TO much
Some Catholics paid too much attention
to the soiety. The movement, l believe,
was killed by the war with Spain, in which
large number OF Catholics took part and
fought well.
Temperance has made wonderful prog
ress in all classes in America. Popular
opinion is distinctly in favor of it. The
railroads and large corporations will not
employ drinking men. The Catholic body
has not only kept up with the general So
cial movement in connection with the
temperance question, but has gone ahead
of the average. The Catholic Total Absti-
nence Union has done giant work.
The seminaries have so improved
through the widening of studies, the
lengthening of time over which the courses
extend and the efforts to secure good pro-
fessors that a new order of things has
arisen. One of the causes of this new or
der has been the Catholic University.
which has lifted up the whole tone of
Catholic studies and has proved a great
success. All that is wanting in the uni
versity is money with which to increase
the professorships, and this will, no doubt,
be obtained