Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-06
Medal
for This Year
Goes to Egan
United States Minister to Denmark is
Recipient Of Coveted Honor
from Notre Dame.

NOTRE DAME. Ind, March 5.-CSpecial)
The Lsetare medal, which is the highest
decoration Of honor for a lay member OF
the Catholic church in the United States,
and which is annually conferred by the
University Of Notre Dame on some man OF
woman who has achieved distinction IN art,
literature. science or philanthropy, goes this
year to the present American minister to
Denmark, Maurice Francis Eagan. author.
educator and dlplomatist. The award Is
made for distinguished services to Catholic
literature and education.
For twenty years before this appointment
as the representative Of the United States
at the court of Denmark, DIT. EaEan was
occupied as a professor of literature, and
during that period he found time to pub
hsh several important works on literary
criticism which are held in high esteem
by university men. He is also well known
as a novelist, but his claims to literary ds-
tinction rest most on the verse which he
has written. In several published volumes
ne has shown merit as a true poet, and as
such, he has been held by critics like Ed
mund Clarence Stedman and Richard Wat
son Glider. The last named placed him
among the three best sonneteers in Eng
fish. Because the literary quality Of his
work is so fine, and most OF all because
his themes are wholesome and elevating,
the trustees OF the University of Notre
Dame have selected DR.. Easan as the re-
ciplent Of the Laetare medal this year.
The medal takes its name from the title
given the fourth Sunday of Lent, the day
when the announcement Of the award is
always made. 1t corresponds to the decora-
ton Of the Golden Rose, which Is conferred
by the pope every year on some member
Of the nobility Of Europe. The medal is a
large disk of pure gold. richly enamelled,
and bearing in relief some design suited
to the profession Of the recipient. A motto
in Latin, Truth is mighty and shall pre-
vail" appears in black enamel surround
ing the design. Accompanying the medal
is an address OF award painted on silk by
some artist of renown.
The Laetare medal was first given in
1888. 1t was then conferred on the historian,
John Culinary Shea. In succession the fol.
lowing were decorated: Patrick ]. Kelley,
architect; Eliza Allen Starr, art critic;
General John Newton, civil engineer;
Patrick v. Hickey, editor; Anna Hanson
Dorsey, author; William ]. Onahan, pub
icist Major Henry f. Brownson,
soldier and scholar; Patrick Dona.
hue, editor and philanthropist; Angus
tin Daily, theatrical manager; Anna
7. Sadler, author; General William +,
Rosecrans, soldier; Thomas Adds Emmett
physician; Timothy E. Howard, jurist; Ohm
A. Creighton, phllanthropist; William
Burke Cochran, lawyer and statesman,
John B. Murphy, surgeon; Thomas b. Fitz,
patrick, merchant and philanthropist,
Katherine Eleanor Conway, author and
editor; francis Quinlan. surgeon; James &
Monaghan, publicist and educator; Chris.
tine Frances Herman, author.
Although the name of the recipient and
the reasons for the award are made public
on Laetare Sunday, the actual presenta.
ton of the medal does not take place until
some weeks later at a time when digni
taries of the Catholic church and men emf.
nent in the same line OF work as the re.
clpient can be brought together. In the
case Of DR.. Egan, he will probably not be
formally decorated with the medal unit
the latter part of May or Jvue.
Maurice Francis Egaa WIS 5orn in Phila
delphia in 1852. He was graduated from
La Sale college in that city in 1873. H,
received the degree of master Of arts from
the University of Notre Dame In 1878 anC
of LII. d. from Georgetown university II
1879. In 1891 the University of Ottawa con
ferred on him the degree of ]. u. D., anC
Vlllanova the degree of PHI. d. in 1907. II
1878 he began newspaper work and he wa,
successfully reporter, sub-editor and editoI
until 1888, when he was called to The chat
OF English literature in the University o
Notre Dame, where he remained Until 1895
when he went to the Catholic Universit,
of America in Washington as professor o
literature. In 1907 he was appointed b,
President Roosevelt envoy extraordinar
and minister plenipotentiary to Denmark.