Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1903-03-14
Imposing Statue of the Great Apostle of Temperance
Contemplated by the Catholic Citizens
of st. Louis.
Movement Has Already Attained Sufficient Growth
and Solid Substance to Make Its
Erection Certain
VIII Be Given Prominent Place in Forest Park and
Unveiled For the Opening of Next Years
Louisiana Purchase Exposition.

4nce was small indeed, but the sincerity
! II the old Quaker and his friends and the
iced of a strong man to take up their
3ause impressed him. and when the re-
quest was made to the tiny audience to
come forward and sign the pledge
Father Mathew walked from his place on
the platform and, picking up pen,
faced the little gathering and uttered
those famous words, Here goes, in the
name of Cod" The effect was almost
electrical and every man in that little
crowd of sixty persons came forward to
add their signature. 1t marked the birth
of the worlds first and greatest crusade
against the vice of intemperance, and
those words of Father Mathew as he
lifted the pen constituted his first public
utterance in the cause to which he
\ devoted his life from that moment, and
Of which he was its mightiest apostle.
Throwing himself into the work with
all his characteristic zeal and energy,
Father Mathew soon built up the attend
ance at the meetings to such point that
the little schoolroom was no longer able
20 accommodate the crowd, and the large
building which had been used as a horse
haxar was converted into an auditorium
tand became the nerve center Of Father
Mathews Temperance work. in Ireland,
Thousands fiocked to hear the priest who
spoke with such earnestness and sim
cerity that he was able to win over to the
cause thousands of new adherents daily.
Within three months he had induced
25, 600 persons to sign the pledge, not
only to sign, but to keep it; for all OF
those who were persuaded by Father
Mathew to give up drink it has been
estimated that less than per cent. ever
returned to their former practices. In
FIVE months the movement included 1885,
900 followers, and before year had
passed away after that memorable little
meeting in April. 1888, nearly a quarter
of million people had signed the pledge.
From Cork and its adjacent communi-
ties Father Mathew now went, bearing
aloft the banner of temperance and call
ing upon all to rally beneath it, and
everywhere he was received with un-
bounded enthusiasm and the cause for
which he fought gained adherents with
almost miraculous speed. In Dublin
alone he gained 10000 converts, and
so powerful did his words and manifest
sincerity appeal to even the Orangemen
of Ulster that thousands of them swung
into line behind the great champion.
Within three years he had mustered a
total abstinence army of nearly 1900, 900
people in Ireland alone, and his fame
having spread to other lands he was per
suaded to embark upon wider field OF
temperance evangelization. Glasgow
was the first city outside of Ireland in
which he spoke, and under his magnetic
touch the cause of total abstinence began
to flourish in the Scotch metropolis like
the proverbial green bay tree. And what
was true of Glasgow was true of Edin-
burgh, Of York, Leeds, Manchester, Shelf
field, Birmingham and all other cities in
England, Scotland and Wales, where he
carried the gospel with which his very
soul now famed. 1t was converts by the
thousands, a quickening into vigorous
life of the great cause to which he was
now determined to devote his entire life
wherever he set foot. In every COM
munity where he preached he was re-
ceived with the highest honors, and on
his return to Ireland after the tour OF
Rngland he was given an ovation by the
people that was almost triumph.
Always generous. the debts Father
Mathew contracted for the sake Of charity
and the furtherance of the cause to which
he devoted himself soon numbered him
like dark cloud, and in 1874 he was
subjected, under the debtor laws OF the
! day to the ignominy of public arrest in
FL Cork for debt. This burden was soon
4 Ieased from his weary shoulders, and
a later the British Government bestowed
: upon him pension Of $500 year, but
4 THE misery of that public arrest evei
4 Iafterward rested heavy upon his soul,
4 Then came that awful period of the
: famine in Ireland. through which FatheI
o Matthew's zeal on behalf of the sufferers
: Shines with pure white light OF daz
l filing brilliancy, but which gave him
49, s-ees-ap 49, $50 - s..se,