The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1906-07-14

relatives be on hand to greet them.
found Father Henry seated at a
fiat topped desk in his Office on the
main floor of the Mission House, in
company with his assistant opening
his mornings mail. A plain, unorna-
mented room it is, save for two life
size OIL paintings-one of Father j. j.
Riordan. who was the Missions first
pastor, and one of Father Henry him.
self. Across the hall is the chanel.
too small by far to accommodate the
attendance of the masses. and so
crowded at times that Father Henry
has to enter by the window to reach the
altar.
White, even teeth are disclosed by
the good priests genial smile as he
expresses readiness to think aloud
about his work and his mission and his
children of the voyage And he dis
courses of the bewildermcnt that the
| immigrant girl experiences when she
| lands: how she is in Il daZe, unfit to
| care for herself, unfit to rcpel
strangers, who, in bygone days before
| the Missions was cstablshed--somc
twenty-thrcc years ago, to be accurate
-preyed sorely upon the unsophisti-
| Gated ana helpless young women that
were landed from incoming ocean yes
| sells; ana yet he likes to have ii known
that she Is Il hearty, healthy. whole
| some specimen of womanhood. stamped
| with simple Irish beauty, thrifty. will
Ing, anxious to secure employment, al
ways provided with some money.
| always rejoicing to have Il priest to
| meet her, always grateful in her ex-
| pression or gadness. and always q
pleasure to him to shield and comfort
| and help.
or course it is all very delightful
pealing organs, artistic choirs. lofty
lomcs, stately ceremonials; and those
who perform their religious duties in
those environments are exceptionally
| fortunate. But to the half-frightened.
| timid, homesick, embarrassed, dis
Quilted immigrant girl that simple
altar that simple chapel, that noisy,
dusty, exposed situatiOn-it means
everything to her; 1t means the sense
of shelter that gives her the peace to
pray to sleep, to think, to plan, to coll
lcct her distraught nerves after the
voyage to commune with her soul. and
| to thank God that the new country
she has come to make her home had a
pricstly father right at the dock, to
| figurativcly put his arm about her and
see that no harm bcfell her amidst the
uproar and turmoil incidental to maxi
| ing landing among strangers: and it
| means no worry as TO where she shall
find food, or counsel. or protection, or
guidance.
10 Il seasick, storm tossed, lonely de.
pressed, avel-lamed, wearied, discour
| aged woman, with an ocean between
| her and her native land and her par
cnts and loved ones, Father Henry
| means hope, his Mission means Sc
I.curity, his welcome means cheer his
soicitude means that the religion she
has been brought up to always trus,
| didn't fail her at perhaps the only mo-
ment when she realized that it was abb
| solutcly the only thing she needed
above all else. II you want to know
why 1t is that bue-eyed, jolly kindly,
sympathetic Father Henry doesn't get
tired Of living down there at the jump
| ing-off place, with his back to all the
country and his face set seaward
always; If you want to know why he
| actually loves his work, and for ten
years has worked like a dray horse at
the Barge Office over the arrivals of
one big steamship after another; if you
want to know why it is that If an Irish
girl were to land without farthing in
her pocket the authorities would re-
lease her to this quiet, little, earnest
man with the Roman collar without
protest; if you want to know why all
Ireland, and all the Catholic Church
throughout the earth, and all the emil
grafton authorities of the world, and
all the steamship agents know of
Father Henry, it is because he is doing
the work of ineffable, invaluable, in