The Irish standard., 1909-03-27
ARRAY OF GENIUS.
Catholic Literary Lights Recalled by
Father Smith.

Father Smith.
| At a recent meeting, the Columbian
Assembly of New York. on behalf Of
the Fourth Degree knights of Column
bus, rendered reception to Rev. John
talbot Smith, LII. D., ex-president Of
the Catholic Summer School of Ameri-
ca, one of the foremost Catholic liter
airy men of this generation. The hall
was crowded with representative Cath
ciic men who gave Father Smith an
ovation, when he arose, in response to
the address of the chairman, Hon.
Michael J. Kelly, to address the assem-
blage.
| Father Smith is an eloquent speak
er, a clear thinker, analytical in mind,
critical in judgment, racy and at times
pungent in style and Of the platform
presence. Accepting the reception and
handsomely engrossed souvenir testi-
nlonial gracefully, he took the oppor-
tunity, since he was received and hon.
ored as literary man, to speak to the
audience upon the foundation of Cath
| o]ic literature in America.
"When our faith and principles, our
intelligence and character, our moral
ity and patriotism, were openly and
secretly called into question, or at
lacked as monstrous, a group Of illus
trious. self-denying men and women
took up the pen in our behalf, and in
lar essay, defended and explained US,
1'ebuked and banished the slanderer
and the ignoramus, and cleared away
the wilderness Of doubt, suspicion, ig-
norance prejudice and venomous hos
!ility which lay between us and the
American public.
John Carroll, the first bishop of Bal
timore, was the most dignifled of our
earliest defenders, his letters, pastor.
ais and speeches rendering us immense
service up to 1915. John England,
Bishop of Charleston, from 1920 to
1912, wrote many volumes for the en-
lightment of Americans as to the true
Catholic Church and conducted an able
review for both sections of the COM
rlunity.
archbishop Kenrick of Baltimore,
showed in his famous works on the
clogy that the American wilderness
could produce scholars equal to the
best abroad. Archbishop Martin j.
Spalding wrote hundreds of essays on
disputed questions between Protest.
ants and Catholics, and showed the
thinkers Of the time that the Catholic
lad tremendous case in fair court.
Archbishop Hughes Of New York, up
to his death in 1864, never lost an OPP
portunity for public debate in order to
teach both Catholics and Protestar!s
the merits of the great public questions
Of the time.
"A}l these public men seemed -
flower in the last of their lines, Orestes
A. Brownson, the great reviewer, the
|
that he thought himself fitted to dis
cuss even the most delicate questions
Of philosophy and theology.
James McMaster, in journalism. in
PRODUCED an explanation and defence
o. the Catholic idea in America. of
the stormy character of Veuillot's in
| T. tn
more conservative companion was Pas-
rick V. Hickey, who founded the Cath
clio Review. The Paulist Community
gave us two Of its founders, Father
Isaac Hecker ard Father Augustine
Hewitt, writer's of deep sympathy, who
could make a most powerful appeal to
the American conscience.
"These writer's found their historian
n John Culinary Shea, New York
journalist, who collected the great facts
in the history of the church in America.
from the earliest days down to 1867
His four volumes are his enduring
monument.
AuOIS tue pOelS we were repre-.
scented by George Miles of Mount St
Mary's, Emmettsburg; Boyle O'Reilly
OF Boston; Maurice Egan and Father
Tabb. Mrs. James Sadlier and Mrs
Anna Dorsey wrote our earliest novels
and DR.. Huntington our greatest
Christian Reid and Mary Agnes Thick
er are our representative novelsts OF
tie present day.
"B. other Azarias gave us representa-
ton in the department of philosophic
literature. his essays on letters, edu-
cation and philosophy, ranking with
his splendid essays. These men and
women were the leaders and stim-
ulators Of a little host of writer's who
did their best in our behalf. Their
reward amounted to nothing except the
service itself. That is enough for the
true Christian, but the people benefit
&C should acknowledge the favors AID