Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1903-03-14

There Is a movement on foot in st.
Louis, a movement that has attained
sufficient growth and solid substance to
make 1t certain that its splendid object
will be assuredly accomplished, and that
Is the erection of statue to Father
Theobald Mathew, the great temperance
advocate, in Forest Park. No man that
ever lived who did not wear crown OF
bear the wand of temporal power has
done greater good for humanity; no
man of any rank, station or position In
life fought harder to save mankind from
one of its most fearsome sins than
Father Mathew, and the erection OF a
statue to him here is but tardy recogni'
ton from the Southwest OF the noble
work of a noble man. Too little has
Father Mathew or the importance OF the
work to which he devoted his life been
recognized anywhere, for that matter,
and it is only in one or two other places
over all the world that statues have been
reared to his honor. Though Catholic
clergyman he did not conine his labors
to men and women of that church alone;
he was a foe of intemperance wherever
the vice found lodgment, and the re-
demption of the soul of the non-Catholic
from the curse of drink was as importa;'i
20 him as the redemption of the niaa4oI
his own faith.
1t was not until after he was thirty
years of age that Father Mathew entered
upon the great work in which he was
destined. Born near Cashel, in County
Tipperary, Ireland, in October, 1880, he
was adopted at an early age by the Earl
of LANDAU, and to the generosity Of this
distinguished nobleman Father Mathew
owed the splendid education which made
him shining light even in the ranks Of
an intelligent priesthood. Graduating
at Maynooth, he Immediately placed
himself under the tutelage Of the Capu'
chin friars of Dublin and at the age oil
twenty-four was ordained priest by Arch
bishop Murray, a prelate who had re
marked Father Mathew for his scholarly
attainments even before the time Of hi'
ordination. Possessing a temperament
of great magnetic qualities, Fathel
Mathew became so popular at his frs
charge, in Kilkenny, that it awakened
jealousy in the hearts of certain othel
priests and rather than have any compli
cations in his diocese the Bishop forbade
Father Mathew to hear confessions
This was a cutting blow to the youns
priest and in his grief he quilted the cit
and took up his abode in Cork, where
with two other devoted friars, all thre'
living in a garnet on Cove street, h
struggled to maintain mission amoni
the poorest classes of the people. 1t wa
here in this misery, where despair sowe'
the seeds that would too soon germinat
into vice and crime, that Father MATHEW
was first brought face to face with full
realization of what curse drink was 4
mankind.
Society at that time openly encourages
the drink evil; men of rank in the educs
tional, political and business world, in
stead of discouraging it, as they do now
were numbered among its advocates, ant
It was held effeminate or a mark of fanat
icism for one TO inveigh against th
practice of wine bibbing or liquor drink
ing. Men there were who were stancl
advocates of the cause of temperance Ii
these days, but they lacked position AM
, power, lacked what they most needed il
. such work-popularity and magnetism
Father Mathew had all these, and hi
earnest work on behalf of the poor AM
devotion to the down-trodden cause
, them to turn to him as the Moses VII
might lead mankind, at least that POI
ton with which they had directly to dea
from the wretchedness of iHtemperanc
Many If these were non-Catholics an
one of the most prominent of their nun
{ Der was William Martin, venerab
= Quaker Of Cork. who entered person.
: appeal to Father Mathew to lead them
their work. Finally, after due conside
I alton and fervent prayer to God to al
/ him II he undertook the Championship
the cause. he yielded to their request an
= attended one of their meetings on Tue
I day evening. April 10, 1888. The meetir
q occurred In one of the rooms of FAITH
Mathews parish school and the atten'
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS -. .-.ey- -. .
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