The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1906-03-17
FRATERNAL HELP
There Would Be Less Poverty
Among Catholics
II Members Of Societies Per.
formed Their Duty.

formed Their Duty.
Everybody knew that few wears
ago they -were poor, at ti,hAs dis
tressingly so, apparently through no
fault of theirs, for the husband was
good artisan and the wife careful
and thrifty. But there did not seem
to be any permanent place for him,
and his condition was growing from
bad to worse. Then obseryant peo-
pie began to notice a change lin the
appearance of their affairs; money
seemed to be more plentiful; finally
the man who could not sell his labor
short while before opened q shop
and began to buy the labor Of other
mechanics. Some Of his neighbors
said. Luck has turned for him.;
others asserted that his worth and
ability had at length been recognized'
and the suspicious shook their. heads
and looked wise.
why" exclaimed his sister, there
is no mystery about my brothers sue
cess. He is q good workman, but he
could not seem to get footing until
he joined the - Society. They
took him up. for 1t is one of their
objects to give assistance to members
of the order. All he needed was a
start. Some people are never able
to make this for themselves, but once
started they have no difficulty :. in
keeping on. My brother is one Of
these people"
DO You see that huckster?" ques-
toned a companion. indicating a pic
ture Of fat, ood-natured prosperity
which man and horse and wagon
made in the quiet street. When he
first took up this business he was an
object of commisseration. He carried
inferior goods, but badly as he needed
custom, nc was SO honest about it
that we had to give him part Of our
society or organization of some sort
and presently he was able to handle
better goods and is now coming over
to the shady side of Easy street. He
has told me that it was the society
which gave him the start, its MEM
bers buying from him regularly, thus
assuring him q certain amount Of GUS
tom. His honesty and close attention
to business matters made friends for
him of others who do not belong to
the organization; hence his success"
These two instances Of fraternal
material assistance given to worthy
members by non-Catholic organiza-
tions, coming within my notice al
most simultaneously, brought the old
thought of our lack Of loyalty 20 our
struggling brethren. According to
the latest census, there are over
twelve million Catholics in the United
States. The poverty Of large per-
centage Of that population is appall-
ing. know well enough that it is
not because we are Catholics that we
are poor, that poverty Is not the re-
suit of religion: that we share this
poverty equally with Jews. Protest.
ants and unbelievers, and that with
the reformation of industry our con-
dition would be improved as we'll as
the condition of every other toiler.
But that reformation may be long
time off, and are we doing, in the
meantime. all that we might do for
our brethren, those brethren bound
to US by the ties Of a common belief.
and oftentimes the tic Of fraternal
organization?
1t was only the other day u man
proudly. nay. hoastfully. told me that
he had keen admitted into a Catholic
secret society whose membership rep
rescnts the wealth, culture and social
prominence Of American Catholicism,
and one Of whose objects, nominally
at least, is to lend material and moral
| support to their co-religionists and
the worthy efforts in which they, in
dividually or collectively, may en-
gage This man was extravagant in
his praise of this knightly order. and
| assured me it was at once a pleasure
and surprise to him to find himself in
a company at once SO cultured by lofty
sentiments and. withal. SO eminently
practical. Yet in the very next breath
this loyal member Of this fine society
whose members are so cultured ant