The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-06-16
BOYS of Graduating Glass Of
1912 at St. Peters High
School Write Clever
Essays.
RECALL LATE DISASTER
Lives of the Graduates Are
Compared to Ships Built
by Man Cast Adrift
on Stormy Seas.

The following essays were read at
the graduating exercises of st. Peters
high school Thursday evening, Much
care and study in their preparation
can be seen in the manuscripts. All
of the authors we're members OF the
class Of 1912:
The Church, The Guardian OF Liberty.
by Jas. Griffith
Rev. Fathers, dear parents and
friends: In the name of teachers
and companions, gladly bid you vel
come to these our closing exercises.
We, the class of 1912, stand today be
fore the door of the world of action,
we look through and are filled with
Hope, Courage and Faith. For uH
there is no such word as Fail; there
are mountains to climb, but we fear
not. for success lies at the top. We
are now ready to step from school
into the busy world here ends the
preparation, tomorrow begins the
work in earnest.
Perhaps few of us, possibly none,
will ever be great in the worlds eyes,
but we do hope that 1t will find us
good Catholics and good American
citizens. Certain parties in the coun-
try say that this is impossible-let
these turn the pages of history, and
there read the records of over four
hundred years. Was not Columbus
Catholic? Were not the Cabots Cath
.,:.o r,1o,a orao{od tho Crocc of
Christ on Cape Cod century before
the Puritans landed on Plymouth
Rock. Was it not Jesuit priest. the
sanity Marquette, who first made
known the source of THE Mighty
Father of Waters" and sailed down
it's now famous stream?
Il America was settled by Catholics
from every nation of Europe, but to
Catholic Maryland alone belongs the
honor of proclaiming freedom of wor-
ship. Trace the records on to the
Revolutionary War Among the noble
signers of the Declaration of Indepen-
dence, the name of Chas Carroll of
Carrollton, stands out in bold relief;
the Catholic Irishman, Gen. Moylan,
fought side by side with Gen. Wash
ington. "Saucy" Jack Barry was the
father and founder of the American
Navy, and from his ship the Stars
and Stripes were first flung to the
breeze; without the aid of Catholic
France and her brave Lafayette, the
Colonies would have struggled, per.
haps longer, perhaps in vain.
To these could be added long roll
of immortal names. Catholic generals
officers and soldiers who cheerfully
faced death.
Where the tortured trumpets
scream aloud,
And the dense bullets drive"
The marvellous growth of the
church in this country, in the face OF
bigotry and silent persecution, tells
its own tale of the fidelity and labors
of the American Priesthood Wher
ever American troops marched to
battle for their country, there the
Catholic priest went eager to
battle for souls over brows wet from
the blood of strife he poured the bles
sed waters of eternal life; the Catho
lie soldier heard the words of abso
luton whispered in his ear, and the
shades of Death were swept away
when the Crucifix was held aloft
Close the book of War, and open the
Annals of Peace.
Here, again Catholic Jurists, Sena
tors and Cabinet officers; such as
Chief Justice fancy, Chief Justice
White and Attorney General Bona
parte, with hosts of others have evel
given examples of loyalty, to theil
country's flag. and still remained de
voted sons of the Catholic church.
Citizenship means civic loyalty anc
obedience to the constituted authority
and these are the basic principles o
Catholicity. Did not the Divin,
Founder Himself when he walked OF
earth confute the intrigues of tn,
Pharisees by the simple sentence
Render to Caesar the things that ar
Caesars, and to God the things tina
are Gods
We are told that Religion and bus
ness do not mix. Religion and dis
honesty, crookedness and double
/ dealing, do not mix but these thing
are not business. Honesty and fai
j dealing mix with Religion and thes