The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1906-07-21
No Other Assignment That Furnishes a
Greater Opportunity For Perform
ing Good Works.
Brief Sketches Of Many Noted Catholic Chap
lains Now in the Service and Where
>, They Are Located.

A few days ago two of Uncle Sans
tars were arrested for some little thing
and next day in court they We're fined
the financial strand with dire forebod-
ings awaiting them, when the chaplain
We're free.
The sailors were from the U. S. S.
Missouri, and the chaplain who came
to their rescue was the Rev. Matthew
Carlin Gleeson the chaplain of the
Missouri.
This, by way of introduction to show
"the men would throw themselves
overheard for u.s." says writer in The
Boston Republic.
There is interest surrounding war;
ship and more even than that is there
interest concerning Catholic priest
assigned to sea duty, or land duty, as
station. No other assignment brings
to a priest the opportunity to do SO
much good; none other presents to him
problems and tasks in the solution of
which the best talent and the very
best tact is required. For the sailor
is unique character. No other in
dividual like him exists. He is forever
new; always refreshing. He is among
the manifest of the manly, and surely
he is brave. He is rough; his life COM
pels that. But underneath he is form
ed to the image of all that is best and
noble.
There are thousands of men wearing
the blue of the navy. And many of
them are not men at ALL but boys, who
are being developed into manhood. The
navy is one Of the greatest schools in
existence. They make men there. real
men; and they renlake misfit men, who
go to them as already finished men,
sometimes the product of evil city life
and influence. In the long run, how
ever, the sailor is a splendid type of
man; energetic. respectful, earnest and
morally healthy. Else he wouldn't be
a sailor. The time is past when the
typical sailor can be described as a
scapegrace. That he was that once.
that now and then an occasional bad
fellow gets by the almost too rigid dis
cipline and requirements of enlistment
no one in the service denies, but the
type is little more than a memory, and
the hard-headed, insolent fellow be-
gets confidence. and with confidence
comes the better qualities which he as
similates from those about him. Either
he does this or it is knocked into him
because every man has got to be on the
level among the tars.
You can see there, the work which is
before Catholic priest, consecrated to
God, who goes forth to preach his gos-
pei and save, souls. And you see his
requirements. He must be manly him.
self; you win the greatest respect from
those among whom you are by getting
as close to them as your stations per-
nit. He must be sympathetic, too;
the broadest- minded of men are essen
tial. Tact is his stock in trade. They
do things at sea that they never con-
ceive of on shore Or when men of
the sea do get ashore, they there do
things which no land lubber would al
low as possible. There was in Charles
town until a few months ago an old
sailor, tanned and typical dog of the
sea, who was only happy when swish
ing waves played sweet music to him,
and to whom the life of the fo'c'stle
was the only real strong, virile life in
the universe. He was a crude fellow,
mindful only slightly of his FPS" and
"Qs," and caring less for formalities
than he did for water rats. He had
been made at sea, and in his turn had
taken young boys, with soul stuff to de-
velop, and turned them out finished
products, who were capable of taking
their stand with the boldest and the
bravest. He was looked to for that sort
of thing because he was a father him
SELF There We're no chaplains then
there were chaplains of other faiths,
but somehow or other the nom Catholic
chaplain has very little use for the Irish