The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-01-12
Testimonial to Father o'Leary. H


O'Leary, the chaplain of the Canadian
troops cut up by Cronje at Paarde-
berg, has been collected by his admir-
ers in Quebec. Notwithstanding his
Milesian name Fir. O'Leary seems to
have the instincts of an Anglo Saxon,
and while in Africa wrote home some
uncomplimentary things about the
Boer patriots, going so far as to stig-
Matte them as barbarous. An arti-
Gle elsewhere shows his "boys" to
have been barbarians. A Cana
dian exchange says of this loyalist
priest:
1t is now stated on good authority
that an effort is being made in Of
tawa to have Father O'Leary appoint
ed chaplain to the senate, which is
now vacant ON account of the death
of the late Rev. Dean Lauder. Faith
er O'Leary oficiated at the burial of
the Protestant boys Of the regiment
who We're killed by the Beers under
Cronje at Paardeberg. He used the
Anglican liturgy on 81 the occasion.
Speaking of it he says: cit was my
duty. Besides, had noble prece-
dent for my action, in similar action
on the part of Father Brindle, now CO.
adjutor bishop of Westminster, Eng
land, at Khartoum,. at the memorial
service held in honor of Gordon, at
that place, Father Brindle officiated,
using the Anglican liturgy for the pur-
pose. Was he censured for that ac-
ton? No, instead, he was commend
ed, and was later named as Cardinal
Vaughan's assistant in London" In
few days Father O'Leary will be
banqueted by the citizens Of Winni-
peg, and will be received by all the
returned soldiers and their friends.
The members of the local branch of
the Daughters of the Empire gather
ed in the music room of the Windsor
hotel, Montreal, on Saturday evening,
for the purpose Of making presenta-
ton to the Rev. Father O'Leary, the
chaplain of the first contingent. The
gift consisted of silver chalice, lined
with gold, and golden paten, and
was accompanied by an address,which
praised his Christian charity, conclud-
ing with the hope that, in the holy uses
to which the gift was put, 'the points
on which we are all united may over
shadow those on which we may diff
er," The address was signed by
Grace Hensley, president, and Marga-
ret Poison Murray, secretary.
Father O'Leary made an eloquent
reply. The ladies, he said, had the
advantage of him, because when they
wanted to say a thing they said it,
whereas he could not. He related one
or two incidents showing the colossal
ignorance of Canada that existed in
the British army and elsewhere, tell
ing how an officer had asked him to
see his brother somewhere IN Canada
New York" Also lady had asked
him to drop in on his way home and
call on her brother, who, it turned
out, had been last heard from in St.
Louis. Father O'Leary held that it
was worth while to send the
contingent, if only for the lessons in
geography they gave the English. He
presented the Daughters of the En-
pire with large framed portrait Of
himself.
Mr.. Justice Curran then made a
short address, saying that if Father
O'Leary was as good an army chap
lain as he was an orator, nothing fur
ther could be desired. He urged the
ladies to use their influence in favor
of Father O'Leary's lecture in the
Windsor Hall this month.