The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1913-06-21
Rev. Father Curry, Head of St.
James Parish and a Deputy
Sheriff.
Has Been Policing His District in
Cherry Hill Section For
Twelve Years.
His War on Settlement Workers
Whom He Called freaks
With Fads."

Speaker Smith of the New York AS
sembly was talking at meeting In
the Cafe Boulevard. Tho discussion,
which was concerned with the New
York police and the handling of vice,
was lively, says the New York Sun of
June 8.
"Shucks!" said the Speaker, who 10
not only u boss of branch of the Leg
islature but also one of the young
leaders of Tammany, "Shucks! We
don't need reformers. More professional
reformers live Off the East Side than
would be needed to patch Second ave.
nue. from Fourteenth street to Har-
lem.
"The best policeman in New York Is
Father Curry. Start something in his
parish and see how long you can get
away with it,
1t was conglomerate audience that
heard him. In it were Senator Robert
Il. Wagner. who had just been pleading
for his bill creating board Of public
welfare to handle vice in the greater
city: Sheriff Hamburger, Chairman Neu
of the State Civil Service Commission,
Assemblymen, other Senators besides
Wagner, workers from the East Side
settlements settlements who did not applaud the
reference to Father Curry and nems
bers Of the City Club, including repre-
sentatives of the high brow Fifth ave-
nue. element whom Senator Wagner
had just denounced.
Every one present knew Father
Curry, ana pretty nearly every one
grasped the significance OF Speaker
Smiths description Of the priest as
New York's best policeman. Father
Curry has been in the police business
for twelve years now, and he said re-
Gently he had no intention Of getting
,, out of it. He is the head Of st. James
parish, which covers the chunk of the
lower East Side known of old as Cher
d
or down the Bowery to Chatham
Square, Oliver street. you will come in
the middle of the block to q row of old
fashioned dwellings facing a modern
schoolhouse on the north side of the
street. A small brass plate on one of
the houses will tell you that it is st.
James rectory.
Inside is q large vestibule with the
pew seats and few pictures which
are obscured by a pen and ink framed
notice reading: Persons not members
of this parish are respectfully referred
to their own clergy" It is a legend
writ in self-defense, but if you have
! no clergy in particular you must not
hesitate to wait until the inner door
opens and a sturdily built man in black
with a massive head, kindly brown
eyes and beautifying white hair looks
in upon you, saying simply: Il am
! Father Curry"
He makes you think Of Pope Plus x.
There Is more than trifling outward
resemblance and as you catch the very
| appealing, friendly, Irish tone of the
priest and observe his simplicity and
ready sympathy you will not wonder
that he has made his people love him
And when you have seen him in action,
il that should be your fortune, you
| will understand how he has made ene-
mics for life.
"What about your work?" you ask,
and Father Curry answers: "Oh, but
it is nothing out of the ordinary. 1t is
just the usual duties that fall to any
priest" But he confesses cheerfully
enough that 1t is growing harder to
attend to all these duties"
| They have been extraordinary in
scope. He has followed little children
! into saloons and put the fear of the
law into bartenders who filled the
youngsters pals with beer; he has
gone home with the children and made
parents squirm for sending their little
ones into saloons; he has denounced
settlement workers whom he believed
to be PROSECUTING among the young Of
his flock he has combated settlement
workers who painted the East Eide in
the region of st. James parish as
q slum; he has fought time and again