The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1906-07-14
GREAT NlSn CITY
Over Sixty Per Cent of Boston's
Population is Celtic.
The Limerick and Tipperary OF
the New World.

get around to Boston about six
times a year and am always glad to
return to the interesting and unique
old city. The trouble with the aver
age thriving western cities is they are
mostly new, hustling, much the same
in appearance. without history or mon
uments, and every inhabitant, bar
ring handful of altrusts, so bent
on making money that are and history
are forgotten, and only the material
ism of the utilitarians goes out west.
They would build slaughter house
on historic Boston Common if they
had it and the old South Church and
Faneuil Hall, the cradle of liberty,
would be ripped to the ground and re-
placed by y-scrapers in office build
ings if the men of Seattle. Tacoma,
Kansas City and Winnipeg had con-
troll of these sacred spots. writes James
X. Mcclure in The Catholic Sun.
Boston. as have maintained in these
columns before. is the Limerick and
the Tipperary of the New World. Fully
so per cent of the population is of Irish
blood. The Boston municipality gov
erns 100000 inhabitants, but the sub
urbs and environs, not annexed, but
which are really part and parcel of the
coming Greater Boston proper form
of, tI,,t tv,,I Ind
million of people and makes the old
town one of the twenty big cities of
the world
New York has nearly a million in
habitants of Irish descent. but they are
not exactly u national entity, surround
ed and wedged in as they are by mil
lion Germans, seven hundred thousand
Hebrews. five hundred thousand Ital-
ians. two hundred thousand Austrians,
Turks, Assyrians, Greeks, French,
English. Canadians. Swiss, Spanish and
Portuguese galore.
In New York the Irish nave largely
lost the racial and facial characteris
tics. They are still a great power but
the great multitude is being ground
together in the giant wheels of cosmo-
poitan life. Boston may get the same
way, but not for Il long time. Here
the Irish are everywhere. not in To-
calities as in New York. but in all
sections. fremont street. State street,
Washington street crowds remind you
of Dublin and Cork. Irish blue eyes,
ruddy Irish faces Irish freckles are
everywhere.
The Puritan disappears before the
irresistible multitudes that have pour
ed from the emigrant ships in Boston
harbor and also for the very important
reason that the Celts are Il people of
many children. whereas the Puritan is
not. hence the increasing domination
of the Celts in Boston and New Eng
land. For some reason. hitherto I'M
explained, the thrifty and Industrious
Germans have not settled in Boston
and vicinity in very great number The
Province OF Quebec has made that ele-
ment very numerous and potent in
many of the small New England cities.
The death of the late Mayor Collins
removed the most distinguished Irish
American of the New England
states. He has been succeeded
as mayor by Hon. John f. Fitzgerald. a
young statesman of wonderful energy.
with /; fine record in congress. Mayor
Fitzgerald is also the owner Of the
Boston Republic.
The Wanted Puritans who founded
the colony here 800 years ago as ref
uge for people prosecuted by govern
ments on account of religions proved
to be rather intolerant themselves.
They disliked Catholics, hanged Quak-
ers. burned women as witches. and
banished Antinomians. When | hear a
New Highlander boast of having the
think he should be more ashamed OF
himself and it is a most Just retribu'
ton that the Irish have placed the
Puritans in a sullen and helpless mi.
norty. A thousand Irish women a.
school teachers educate the young de.
scendants of the Puritans. And wher
you stand on Bunker Hill you coult
not throw Il stone without hitting al
Irish home and you would have tt
search many a street before finding
descendant of the Mayflower landing
Yet these Puritans loved Patrick A
Collins. At his third election for may
or when he won by $4,000 majority. tn
aristocratic old line family. Back Ra
district. where democrats are few an
far between, was carried by Genera
Collins by a great majority.
OF all the cities in this country whic
have produced eminent Americans
doubt that all together can surpas
Boston in historic and distinguish
names.
Listen to part of the roll: Benja
min Franklin. Daniel Webster. job
Boyle O'Reilly. Rufus Choate Charlie
Sumner. Edward Everett. Willial
Lloyd Garrison. Wendell Phillips. Char