The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-21
DR.. THOMAS A. EMMETT COUNT
INVESTED WITH A DECORATION
FROM POPE PIUS v.
Made n Knight Commander or the Order OF
~. Gregory M Great by Archbishop
Farley I'm the ArchieplscOpnl Residence.


Or. Thomas Adds Emmett, who has
had many honors conferred upon him
here and abroad because of eminent work
in Nynecology, was made a Knight Com
mander of the Order OF st. Gregory the
Great with picturesque ceremonies last
night in the parlors of st. Patrick's archi-
episcopal residence at ASP Madison avenue.
The decoration. which carries with il the
title Of Count, was conferred upon DR..
Emmett by Pope Plus Y. in appreciai ion
Of the doctors work in his profession and
for his labors for charity.
The Rev. DR.. McMackin of the Cathedral
read the papal brief that told in Latin OF
the aged physicians work in the cause OF
religion and science. The blessing OF
the large gold cross of the order and the
Investiture was then performed by Arch
bishop Farley. The Archbishop then gave
the kneeling man the acoolade by touching
the shoulder of DIR. Emmett three times
with the blade Of n sword and said in Eng
lish, Arise. Sir Knight" which ended the
ceremonial Of the investiture.
DR.. Emmett was standing beside a dais
at the eastern end Of the parlors when the
Archbishop entered through a lane formed
by sbo { two hundri ~clergymen and
laymen Of the Catholic Church and several
non-Catholio physicians. The Archbishop
was robed in a cloth Of gold cope and mitrs
and carried a gold crozier. He was accom-
panied By Mgr. Mooney, Vioar-General
Of the New York diocese; Mgr. Lavelle,
rector Of the Cathedral; Bishop Cusack,
Mgr. McCready, Mgr. Edwards, Mgr.
Kearney, Mgr. McKe ma and Mgr. Murphy,
all wearing the purple robes Of their Office.
Six acolites in scarlet cassocks and white lace
surplices walked beside the Archbishop.
To the left Of the dais stood John d.
Crimmins. who is one Of the three Americans
invested with the order, wearing the gold
and garnet Maltese cross of st. Gregory
suspended by a gold and crimson rib
bon. In the crowded room, among others.
were a number OF priests and Supreme
Court Justice Edward Mccall, Dr.. James j.
Walsh, who later delivered an address;
John Jerome Rooney, the writer; Charles
A.. Murray, DIR. Richard Gibbons, DR..
Edward L. Reyes; DIR. Edward L. Reyes,
MCGUIRE, Father John Talbot Smith, Attor-
ney d. j. Mcclure, DIR. Charles Nammack,
Eugene Philbin, DIR. Francis j. Quinlan,
president of the Catholic Club, who wore
the large Letare medal on his breast, and
many others.
After the Archbishop had read the pre-
scribed prayers in Latin DR.. McMackin
began the reading of the Latin brief, the
gist Of which was that the Pope had learned
fromthe Archbishop of DR.. Emmett 8 eminent
discoveries and many labors in his profess
son and that when he had been brought
into touch with the true faith he had en-
braced it and had labored long and faith
fully for his new religion" The brief
then said that Plus X. realized hat DR..
Emmett deserved a reward for this work
and 80 authorized the Archbishop to confer
the order Of k~nighthood upon him. The
ceremony was then completed with the
accolade.
Setting aside only the higher and holier
ceremonies OF my Offices, said Archbishop
Farley in a brief address after the ceremony,
seldom have l been called upon to perform
a duty with greater qualification than the
tnvestiture this evening of the insignia Of
the Order of st. Gregory the Great upon
DR.. Emmett. The Church has seen At to
institute from time to time several orders
the Knights Templars, the Knights of st.
John of God and many others, and although
many have passed out of existence in the
because their need has passed they
have~4eft 10 indefble a mark that many
Of our non-Catholic brethren have taken
up and continued them.
The later orders of the Church were less
militant and among these n of the most
is the Knights of st. Gregory the
Great, which was instituted in 1881 by Pope
Gregory XVI. in homo OF st. Gregory the
Great, whose name has been handed down
! 400 years because OF his valor and
s%anctity.
In the Holy Fathers brief" continued
the Archbishop, turning toward DR.. Emmet,
the Pope recites the e~rninence, Sir knight,
have attained in your profession, an
that your brethren throughout
the world look up 10 and envy. l SAW me
year ago, on the occasion of your seventy
fifth birthday, many learned men assembled
10 do you honor and they we're but a small
fraction of the many students that have
The Holy Father also learned that you
have sought the highest truth and that when
you saw il you embraced it at a time when
Il was not so well represented as il is now.
faith and probity. Personally
l shall say you are one who would not hesi-
tate TO show service to your religion when
ever called upon to do So
DR.. James j. Walsh, dean of the medical
school of Fordham Univer sity, said that
Emmett was better n wn to the pro-
fession abroad than any other American
and that forty years ago he had been adj
mitted 10 membership to h Berlin Obstet-
ncal Society and the Norwegian Medical
Society, the first American TO obtain these
honors. DR.. Emmett established the prin-
Ciple Of 'surgery OF repair, said thes speaker,
and was the first American TO dwell strongly
upon the necessity of cleanliness in gyneco-
logical worl. His books ave been trans
lated into many languages and to say
hOrOau tnaC one Rnew EmmST was 10 win
consideration from men Of science.
DIR. Emmett stood for States rights
said DR.. Walsh, when Lincoln's proclama-
ton was promulgated. He went to his ma
tive South and offered his medical services
10 the C~onfederacy and when no was told
that he was TOO weak for field work and was
asked by the Confederate authorities to re
turn TO his Northern home M give his
valuable services to the Federal army he
came back to New York and did so. Now
We are coming again to the question of
States rights. hall we i've TO seek again
for men Of such mould as DR.. Emmett to up
hold those rights?'
The speaker concluded with a tribute
10 DR.. Emmet's work for America, his
to Ireland, and the aid he has given
20 the physicians Of New York even in his
leisure moments by collecting a vast med
lcal library for the Lenox Library.
DR.. Emmett showed his emotion when
be rose TO reply to the speakers. He said
u was not often that a man received so great
. reward during his lifetime. Next to
investiture last night the greatest
qualification that had come to him at the
end Of his labors, he said, vas the gather
IN the occasion of his birthday last
year, OF many men Of science whom he
had supposed were his enemies from the
way they had fought his early discoveries.
DR.. Emmett then leaned upon the arm of
MnE Ivalla 90 -.noixn1 and ahnOk banda