The Irish standard., 1907-03-02
The Influence of the Irish Upon the Destinies
of the Country and the Catholic
Church Reviewed,
The Italians Who Are Coming at the Rate
of More Than 100000 Each Year
Are Now the Chief Factor.

dom and success brought recognition
even from tho Puritan Governor VIM
throp, who in honor nr their achieve
ments invited Jesuit missionaries to
bc tho guests of tho colony. It is we'll
for Catholics to remember with pride
that these narrow l'roteStantsi were thus
forced to conceG,. the far-rcacaing i'll
nuoncc or these Canadian priests
whose ,un1anizinz influence even at
this carly day, had been folt on our
civilizations.
Perhaps the most important OF all,
because they were the largest In num-
brrs. were the Irish Immigrants who
after the persecution OF Cromwell were
sent from England. From the stand
point of the progress Of the Catholic
church, this Immigration is worthy OF
special consideration. From the six
teenth to the end of the eighteenth
century these Irish came. Cromwell
sent then1 first to the Virginia planta-
tions. whence they spread north and
south. For Il long time they were
prohibited to uso their own names
and Obliged to assume SUCH names
as Smith, Carpenter, Taller, Black,
White, Brown. etc. They had no
priests, and in the little settlements
where they located gradually drifted
away from the faitll and in the second
and third generation lost it. altogether.
The records OF tho debates in Parlia-
nlInt on the Revolution show that ore
third of the American colonists We're
of Irish blood or descent, and the pro-
portion Of Irish in the Revolutionary
army was oven greater than this.
With such an Irish population the
Catholic Church in America should
have a magnificent start, but no per-
n,anent progress was made. The be-
ginning OF the influence and progress
or the Catholic Church can be traced
to the coming OF Irish, who began to
como hero after the famine and the
middle forties, and who brought with
them the real faith. Their first act OH
reaching this country, after establish
ing Il. habltation for themselves, such
as it was. was to begin to build up
the pride OF tho faith.
The problem before the church today
is to continue on the foundation which
they made. We are strong and power
full. We have done we'll, but unless I
am mistaken in my reading of the
signs OF tho times the struggle Of the
world for the next generation will be
between Faith and Disbelief. The fight
on Christianity is nanifesting itself
all over the world, and 1t makes little
difference whether it comes III the
form of an outspoken atheism such as
is shown in France today or the equal
ly dangerous so-called intellectual as-
nostjcsm OF President Eliot. One is
an enemy to fight in the open; the
other an insidious cancer eating the
very lie Of faith ard all the more
dangerous because disguised undeN
the cloak OF culture and so called high
er criticism. In this contest we must
depend for success on the Catholic
conscience and loyalty Of England and
| America. If this is true, VIC must
thcn, as far as this country is con-
cerned. proceed at once to Join che
Catholic citizens OF this country to-
gether, SO that, irrespective OF race,
they will DO ready to fight the enc"
, mics Of religion, and to do this right
we must set the confidence and friend
| ship Of the newer immigrant races.
The absurd attempts to establish a
caste based OH American lineage must
bring amusement to those who know.
that in New York a hundred years ago
every leader whose name has been
worthy to be handed down in history
as having done something for iiis
| country at that time was Of alien