The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1902-01-18
Beneficial Influences of the Irish Race
in the Upbuilding of This
Imperial Republic.
The Countrymen Of Daniel O'Connell Will
Largely Help to Solve All
Puzzling Problems

The concluding lecture in the course
Of the Young Mems Catholic Associn-
tion of Boston was delivered recently
by senator George Frisbie Hoar
There was a large and distinguished
audience, and the senator was inter
rupted frequently with outb,rsts of
applause. Hon. Henry Il. Nnphen in
troduced Senator Hoar, paying n
glowing tribute to his integrity, his
determination and righteousness.
The subject Of the address was 'The
Composition Of American Citizenship"
| am to devote this hour said the
senator, to few scattering thoughts,
not very profound, on the composition
of American citizenship. You are, l
doubt not, obcdient and loyal children
Of the great church which for ages has
preserved the ancient faith, demand
ing in spiritual things the submission
alike in the human will ana the hu-
man intellect to her authority, whose
history reaches back to past which
would be forgotten but for the mem
ory she has preserved of it, and if
the prediction of the greatest of Eng
lish historians he true is not unlikely
to survive all existing forms of re-
ligious faith in Il far distant future.
Yet you receive with kindness and
honor one who is Protestant of Pro-
tcStantS, a Puritan OF Puritnns, Il
hereto of hcreticS.
You are, nearly every one OF YOU.
descended from the great race on
whose neck the iron heel of England
has rested for 500 years. Neither dis
tancc, nor persecution, nor poverty,
nor oppression has destroyed or di-
minishcd your noble and burning love
for the island from which you or your
fathers came. On the other hand, !
am of the English race in every line
of descent that can trace for 300
years. The instinct of race is in my
bosom, as it Is in yours. With all her
faults and with all her wrongs, / love
England still.
Yet, as ] behold this sea of faces,
| encounter no looks that are not kind
and friendly. What is it that has
wrought this miracle, possibly today
rs in no other time in history, possible
here as in no other country the round
world over? 1t is the reasonable and
cheerful spirit of American citizen
ship. want you to look with me for
a moment at one great element from
which that quality comes.
Nobody can tell exactly, but nearly
or quite 21,OOO,OOO immigrants have
come to this country within living
memory. If they were alive now
they would make their own against
any power in the world. l am not
sure that they could not hold it
against the powers of the world COM
bined.
What brought them across the sen :?
Undoubtedly our great natural rcsour-
ccs had something to do with It, But
the natural resources of South Amcri-
ca are as great as ours, and yet the
immigrants do not 20 there 1t was
not community of religious faith
that attracted them. The larger part
If our immigration till very lately has
been of conscientious and devoted
Catholics. Yet they came to Prot
estant country.
The one thing that brought these
men here, perhaps half consciously to
themselves, is three or four little sen
fences Thomas jefferson wrote, and
the fathers of the republic signed:
I'VE hold these truths to be self
evident, that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain unalienablc
rights, that among these are life, lib
erty and the pursuit of happiness.
THAT to secure these rights, gov
crnmcnts are instituted among men,
deriving their just powers from the
consent of the governed That, when
ever any form of government becomes
destructive of these ends, it is the
right Of the people to alter or abolish