The Irish standard., 1908-03-21
Names of Some Of Those Who Have Indel-
IDLY Made Their Mark in the Pro-
fessions Thus Referred to.
Not Less Than Thirty of Our Bishops and
Archb;shops Learned Their First
Prayers on Irish Soil.

To answer fully the question, What
have the Irish done for American edu-
cation?" would need a small book in it
self, says the Boston Republic.
Was not the late President William
Rainey Harper, the father Of Chicago
University, of Irish descent? This OK
traordinary man crowded the work of
several centuries into less than fifty
years, sacrificed his preferences as a
student that he might carry the heav-
lest financial responsibilities. and died
poor after having gathered G,zer
millions for his university.
OF OUR 1rish-born educators, no one
outranks William H. Maxwell, whc has
been for eight years the superintendent
Of New York's public schools. Under
him are sixteen thousand :sacllers and
more than half a million children. the
most lively and cosmopolitan of young
sters in the world. Superintendent
Maxwell has had to fight for every
inch of progress in his development
of the New York school system; but
like the dogged Irishman that he is,
he has driven ahead with his far
reaching projects. no matter whether
the hue-and-cry was vita him or
against him.
Nothing is too good" he says. "for
the Taxpayers child"
Speaking of public schools, it would
be sin of omission at this point not
to mention the thousands of young
women of Irish birth or parentage who
arc doing faithful work as school tech
ers in all parts of Greater Boston
The number of our Irish professors
is comparatively small. Some VINO de-
serve special mention are Maurice F..
Egan of the Catholic University in
washington, now Minister 10 Denmark.
Robert Ellis Thompson of the Central
High School in Philadelphia, and
Thomas c. Hall Of the Union Theolog-
ical Seminary in New York. A Gaelic
chair was established in 1896 at the
Catholic University by the Ancient
Order Of Hibernians, and is filled at the
present time by Professor Josep!. p.
Dunn, who is of American birth. TO
John Tyndall, the notable Irish scient-
list, the United States owes a double
debt, inasmuch as he not only delivered
s,,
devoted the proceeds to the cause of
scientific research in America.
It is very seldom that an Irislran
lack; the gift Of speech. Take away
our Irish orators and journalists, and
this would be a dumb and cheerless
country indeed. Here, for instance. is
an ofshand list of Irish writer's of the
past and present:
Captain Mayne Reid, the idol of
American l,oys, and a soldier in cur
war with Mexico; John Boyle O'Reilly,
the Editor and poet; F'itz James
O'Brien, who wrote the famous short
story. lie Diamond Lens; Igna.,us
-~O'''"-''s wv iilOSI SSISd tllc dIlu 1;lC-
turesque public man of his generation
in MINES ota; Edward Lawrence Cod
kin. of the New York Evening Post, a
fighter in the high realm Of national
morality; Henry w. Grady, editor of
the Atlanta Constitution; Patrick
Walsh, who was the editor of the Au-
gusta Chronicle and represented Gcor-
gia in The United States Senate, and
Joseph Alcdill, founder of the Chicago
Tribune
Am:n:g those still living are James
Jeh1ey Roche, now in the consular SER
vice; Joseph Fitzgerald, author and
translator: William NJ. Laffan, proprie-
tor of inc New York Sun: George L.
Oliver, of the Pittsburg Gazette; Eu-
gen. 81. O'Neill of the Pittsburg Dis
patch: John Mcleod Keating, who
won fame by his fight against yellow
fever ia the South, and John F. Finer
ty. the eloquent founder Of the Chioa-