The San Francisco call., 1909-10-18
PORTOLA LECTURE
BY FATHER YORKE
Address on "FreigE1ted GalIeOn"
Delights Large Audience at
Van Ness Theater
Entertainment Given in Aid of
Fair TO Benefit Star of
Sea Church

Rev. Peter C. Yorke lectured on =
Portola theme yesterday afternoon al
the Van Ness theater in aid OF the star
OF the Sea fair which is to be held next
month and delighted a crowded house
by the original way in which he treated
his subject and the humorous vein ne
used at times i'm punctuating his re-
marks, The title Of Father Yorke's lee
ture was The Freighted GaIleon'' and
was taken from poem by Bret Harte
The speaker dwelt at length on the
discovery and early history of Cali
fornia and its close association with the
Catholic religion. He also touched on
the pronunciation of the name Por-
tola and the necessity for having a
common purpose in advancing the well
fare of San Francisco.
Father Yorke said that the spirit of
religion animated the white robed
friars who came north TO California on
the OLD Spanish vessels in the early
days to explore and seek TO educate
and Christianize the Indian races and
not the hope of being lionized by some
geographical society.
WORK OF WHITE ROBBED FRIARs
Religion faith and liberty. courage
and supreme confidence that they
were in the hands of Cod" he said.
were among the chara cteristics that
animal the men who had manned the
'freighted galleons' in the carly days.
Religion was the first thing in the
freight list in both the old Spanish
ships and the French vessels which
came to this country and up the st.
Lawrence river.
The names OF the priests Of that time,
he said. were the names of the men
who had been mainly Instrumental in
making California famous and not the
names Of her governors or statesmen.
Father Yorke continued:
This country is too lax in giving
proper credit TO the mother countries
for the services they accomplished in
exploration. II was the spirit of re-
ligion that presided at the explora tion
Of all America. and it was under the
auspices of religion that the Catholic
missionary and priest left home to as
sist the heather in foreign lands.
VALUE OF CHURCH WORK
The Catholic church is doing more
today in the cause Of education than
ali the millions Of Standard oil and
Carnegie Libraries
Religion is being banished in our
system Of education. and is also being
IL llOEEQ ln PUBIC NE 11dll OF lIi6
TDited States is today unchurched. IL
Il Catholic church was taken out of
= erica il could be regarded as a
caurchless country.
TAFT-S WORDS INDoRSED
Father YorlSe said that he believed
with President Taft who said in this
city recently that no republic could eX-
ist unless il was guided by the reins
OF the moral laws. The United States.
continued Father Yorke. Is the hap
piest and best governed nation on the
EARTH but this viii not continue unless
morality and religion were observed.
The last lesson. which should be a
lesson TO the city. was of the ships
crew of the galleon and distinguished
the ships crew in that they had COM
mon purpose in discipline and in hold
ing together
The city is your ship and you must
stick together as the crew Of any ship
that expects TO come to port
Father Philip ORyan, pastor of the
Star of the Sea parish. acted as chair
man and neat sum was realized for
the fair. Prior TO Father Yorke's ad-
dress an instrumental and musical pro-
gram was rendered by members OF the
church.