The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-11-15
ORGANIZATION OF THE
CATHOLIC WOMANS CLUB.

The inaugural meeting Of the catholic
Womens club, which has recently been
formed in this city. was held last even
ing In ~. Xsvier hsll. corner of Broad
ana Clsverick streets
A very large and representative audi
ence composed OF leading Catholic women
in social and educational circles in this
city was present
Previous TO the meeting the service ot
Benediction was conducted in the chapel
by Father clifford. 90 Elmhurst AT the
close OF the service the company repaired
10 the hall nearby where Father clifford.
the director OF the club delivered timely
address. fun OF eloauence and liberaiity
OF thought. OIL the theme Barriers 10
Belief" the same being the first OF
series of several lectures on the same
theme which will follow later. The two
barriers on which the clergyman dwelt
last evening were poverty and prejudice.
The speaker said In substance that ito
the impartial student, viewing the prob
lem from without. II would have TO be
admitted that the Catholic church had not
laid the deep impression on our national
life that her apolozlsts would seem TO
claim.
mo doubt" he said. "the church had
grown here i'm America; grown remark
ably for the mere handful at the Begin
ming OF the century to the millions that
are boasted of today. but how much OF
this increase I'm our members he asked.
lis due 10 the inevitable law of develop
nent from within? How much OF IL Is
to he attributed to accretion from with
out?
AT the beginning OF the century the
church found herself a strange aud de-
spised minority. tolerated because she
| was too insignificant to be thought a
| menance TO our life, but I'm the great
| upheaval that took place In the old world
! states toward the close OF the first half
| OF the century a movement of immisra-
4 tion began toward these shores. which
| gave the church. i'm numbers, at least, an
| Importance which she could hardly have
/ hoped TO achieve so early in her course -
| Here the speaker told the story of the
/ great immigration movement. which is
| still going on. "lt was owing 10 these
| causes" he declared, working In unison
with those already at play. that the first
note of Catholicism i'm the mind of those
| who viewed her from without, was pow
erty.
Poverty that operate 10 her detriment
| I'm variety pf ways, weakening her ener-
| gies I'm many directions, hut chiefly In the
| cause OF education"
Al this iunctur- the speaker wert on
to enlarge upon the Catholic position I'm
regard to education. But for all this.
he said, poverty was her note, az IL had
been I'm the beginning.
"To one taking broad survey" n,
continued "of the social movements o
the century n the English speaking worlt
| two very different attitudes were dis
| cernihle In the public conscience wher
brought face TO face with the poor
"In our own country down 10 the close
OF the civil war the problem Of povert,
could hardly be said to exist; it wa
| ignored.
After the Civil War Il was rs tronizsd
and or the Two forms of contempt per
2 haps. the contempt that turks behind pat
ronaqe Is the more soul killing; but IN
church realized the evil and grapple
with il In her own way. but all through
that trying time the poverty which sh
was endeavoring 80 couraseously TO over
come acted as barrier between her an
the larger life or the nation, on whic
she hoped to- lay her impress
"Our schools were necessaryily inferioi
our colleges hampered In number g
ways"
In the second part of his subject IN
lecturer proceeded 90 discuss the hardl
less insurmountable barrier of prejudice
lie believed tho church would alwaN
wage a losing battle in this world. hole
| ins as she does. an austore cree'
preaching az she does an uncompromi'
iuR cyrle of mysteries. making larse az
msnds OF the heroism of human nature
how could she hope to he popular
"In this sense" he said there ha
been a prejudice against Catholicism
every age but over and above this u
: sradicable difficulty. there was the IN
Z ther t,ntowardness of the special Inner
J. tande of preiudice created by the misre
v resentstions of the reformation perio