Evening star., 1904-03-18

IL
tope i.s pest men. DR.. Stafford concluded
his address by reciting Moore's baautif,,1
poem, winch was received with Cheering
and waving of napkins.
The Irish Soldiers.
IL was several minutes before the an
plause following Father Stafford.s address
subsided sufficiently to allow the toa stmas.
ter to announce the next speaker, and when
Chairman Moran could make himself heard
he introduced Corporal James Tanner. who
told the members of the order and their
guests something of the Irish soldiers. Cor
poral Tanner referred to the fact that one
or the first engagements Of the revolutions
airy war was naval battle between an
English sloop of war and a small vessel
manned hast1iy by four brothers of the
family of 'Brfen. The OBriens captured
the British vessel. Commodore Barry said
to be the father of the navy was an Irish
man, and Gen. Charles Stewart, one of the
early heroes of the country, was not only
an lrishman, but the grandfather of that
greatest of Irishmen, Charles Stewart Par
nell. The only general officer of the army
seriously wounded in the war with Mexico.
Gen. James Shields, was an Irishman. while
the names of the men of Erin who had
fought for the Union during the war be-
tween the states would make a list so long
1t would take week in the telling.
Mr.. Tanner related one incident of the
war which he declared rivaled the famous
charge of the light brigade at Balaklaya.
This was the charge of Maj. Patrick Kee-
nan and squadron Of cavalry into Stone
wall Jacksons army for the purpose of
keeping 1t at bay for few moments on
the field at Charlottesville while a strong
force could be hurried forward to fill a gan
In the hne Major keenan, and most of his
men were killed.
The address of Mr. Tanner was freouent
iy interrupted by applause. and at its con-
ciusion the cheering and waving of napkins
was almost as great as when Father Stat
ford concluded.
In Cause Of Education.
The work that Ireland has done in the
cause of education through her sons was
the theme given Rev. DR.. Shahan OF the
Catholic University for his address. DR..
Shahan said it was not fair that a man
who was merely professor and not an
orator should be required to follow such
men as the reverend rector Dr. Stafford
and Mr.. Tanner. He said he must be ex-
cused for including In his talk the dry sub
ject of education. That Is his hobby, he de-
clared. and when man mounts his hobby
there Is nothing to do but to throw him off
II he is to be stopped. 1t Is not generally
known, said the speaker. that the Irish have
been foremost in the sciences throughout
the history of education. In the olden
time the various branches of learning were
given into the keeping of certain families
of Irishmen. Thus one family had medicine
another law and so on These families were
given grants OF town ana country land and
grants OF money. They were expected to
keep one or two Of their representatives at
all times studying for the purpose of ad-
vancing the particular science to which
they were assigned. Even now, he said,
this system Is maintained and the family of
OHiggins. to whom the science of medicine
was charged centuries ago. has now In
LoEdon a representative who Is one OF the
most distinguished medical men Of the ago
and 1t has maintained it's representative
through all the ages.
DR.. Shahan then paid high tribute to the
power and patriotism of the Ancient Order
of Hibernians. He said that without hope
of direct benefit to themselves. but through
patriotic ardor. the members of the order
had raised a fund of $4,000 which was
turned over to the rector of the Catholic
University for the purpose of maintaining
a chair of Gaelic at the university. This was
one of the great things the order had ac-
complished. he declared. and It had been
referred to as one of the greatest things
In educational advancement by 50 distin-