The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-07-03

what we would call a commissioner of
education he sent for Alcuin. an English
monk, and the Emperor. and his family
and his courtiers studied at the feet OF
this learned divine. who then 4 there
laid the Foundations for French culture.
The Venerable Bede." another English
monk, taught II Wearmouth and did his
best to rescue for his country what learn
ing remained in the world. He wrote an
ecclesiastical history OF the English and
gave form and shape to the language
which was afterward used by Shakespeare,
Milton and Tennyson.
I step forward to the middle ages. from
the eighth 10 the fifteenth centuries. when
Ii seemed that the light of the intellect had
failed forever from tho earth, but slowly
and surely within the shadow of church
and monastery. was heing developed q new
culture that was to break mon the world.
Records are being copied and documents
collected and classified. The scientists. his
torians. philosophers of the day are MEM
bers of the clergy. These were the lead
ers of the intellectual activity. Bonifaee,
an A~nglo-Saxon monk, called the Apostle
of Germany" travelling and awakening IN
telllgence among the German forests; Abe
lard. the founder OF the great university
movement under which 10000 students gath
ered+at Bologna 10000 at Oxford and 1000
at Paris and Cologne; Thomas Aquinas,
teaching at Paris and in the Italian towns,
and writing that great work, 'Sunina
Theologia;' Roger Bacon, writer and In
vcntor. breaking away from the old schol-
asticism. originating the inductive method
In science and philosophy. and declaring
two centuries before Columbus that the
world was round: Benedict, bringing books
to England and establishing at Wearmouth
the school from which radlsted English
learning. These we're all members OF the
clergy. and witness the work of the church
In laying our educational foundations. Nor
must 1t be forgotten that 1t was Catholic
King Alfred who gave us the common law,
and who safegnHrded our liberties ~ IN
| shutting the right of trial by jury. In our
own country. long before Catholic dis
ciples were removed from England, Cath
olicity was recognized by the Continental
Congress and bv Washington. the COM
mander-in-chief, and on the Fourth of July,
1779. while the struggle was yet undecided.
a Catholic church in Philadelphia invited
the members and president Of the Cont,
mental Congress as guests and celebrated
Independence Day with functions of solemn
joy and thanksgiving.
We are here tonight to pay tribute 10
one who is beloved not only by his church,
but by the community in which he lives.
man. Such a man Away makes an inn
press upon his fellows and leaves the
blessings OF good deeds in his pathway.
have had their prototypes In history. A
soldier is wounded on the ramparts OF
Pampeluna. While recovering from his
becomes a soldier of the cross. He feels,
however, that piety alone does not place
In his hands the instruments that will
enable him to do the most good for his
fellows, so he sets about TO prepare him
self intellectually for his mission. At the
age of 81 years. he sits down at the school
bench in Barcelona and begins his Latin
ready pupil. He works for two years, His
teachers pronounce him ready for higher
instruction. He himself Is doubtful and
labors for two years more. He walks
from Barcelona to Paris to pursue his
studies. Then he finds that his former
work was ill-advised and useless and at
the age of 81 he sits down to begin again
and takes up once more his Latin declen-
sions. Five years more of mental effort.
After thirteen years of preparation. at the