The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1909-04-10

ny IAAO 1ZtOSAo~ sSA' ~AAN ~
day they stand by John Redmond to
whom they are a tower of strength
At the recent Dublin convention. there
were 300 priests as delegates and only
one of them stood by VIM. O'Brien
when that gentleman was interrupted
in his speech for saying that the con-
veniton was packed The priests of
Ireland will always be interested in
the cause Of their country and act an
honorable part as they have always
done.
In the days Of the Land League,
organized by Michael Davitt, two not
ed American journalists went to Ire
land to study the situation. They were
David r. Locke, of the Toledo Blade,
and James Redpath of the New York
Tribune. Those wide-awake Ameri-
cans travelled the country over and
called on the Catholic priests for in
formation, and never did any Irish
men pay finer tributes to the intelli-
gence and patriotism of the Irish
clergy than the two newspaper men
from America. Mr.. Locke informed us
that he was originally prejudiced
against the Irish as a whole, but after
seeing the sufferings of the Irish ten
antry from landlordism. the blood
boiled in his veins and he flayed the
landlords with his tongue and pen He
spoke in the highest terms of the Irish
priests because they were the cham
pions of an oppressed race and unset
when by their talents and education
they could rise to eminence in foreign
lands.
In the last year, several American
correspondents visited Ireland and
wrote home to their papers true ac-
counts of the condition of things in
the Emerald Isle. Among them was
William E. Curtis, who represented
the Chicago Record Herald. Referring
to the Irish priesthood, he says:
Il have formed a very high opinion
of the Irish priesthood from tho ex-
amples 1 have been able to meet and
to know. They have impressed me
as an unusually high class Of men in
tellectually as we'll as spiritually, and
every one must admire their devotion,
their sincerity and their self-sacrifice
Some of them naturally become die
tatorial. for it is often necessary for
them to assume an air Of authority to
preserve the discipline in their parish
es, but I think that is more or less the
rule in other countries and in al! de-
nominations. You can't talk back to
a Judge or a school teacher or d par
son. And that is undoubtedly the
ground for the charge so frequently
made that Ireland is 'priest-ridden.
But the average intelligence, culture
and efficiency among the irish priest
hood is probably higher than it is ir
any other country. and their influ.
ence is correspondingly greater"
This fair minded correspondent die
not condemn Irish priests for their &C
tivity in politics. He says that many
of the priests do take an active part
in political affairs. but it is entirely
Il matter OF individual taste and inclin-
alton. and the proportion is probably
no larger than 1t is among the minis
ters of all denominations in the CniteC
States. Those who arc we'll posted or
this subject assured him that abou
one-third of the total number of Cath
olic priests habitually interest them
selves in political affairs. local as wei
as national; still larger number take
and about onehalf Of them let politics
entirely alone. This is probably fail
estimate, and will apply to the clergy
Of the church of Ireland (Protestan
EpiscopaD and the non conformist de.
nominations with equal accuracy, al
though they are much less numerou:
lan the Roman Catholic clergy.
We notice with regret that a certain
newspaper in New York is decryine
the activity of the Irish clergy in tho
politics of their native country. The
fact is that they have as much RICH
to participate in the politics of IRELAND
as the laymen. They are Irishmen az
we'll as bishops and priests and the,
would be less than human If they die
not take a deep interest in everything
relating to the land of their birth.
AN ENGLISH EVANGELIST.
According to the Pioneer Press
Gypsy Smith. who is conducting a re-
vival under the auspices of the Prot
estant churches Of st. Paul. is attract
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