Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1914-02-28
X. OF c.
Hold Glorious Celebration In
Honor of WashiDgton's
Birthday.
Confer Fourth Degree on Class
Of Nearly Hundred
Candidates.
High Church Dignitaries Grace
the Banquet With Their
Presence.
Red LETTER DAY FOR ORDER

Last Sunday was assuredly a red
letter day for the Knights OF Column
bus of Louisville and Kentucky,
whose celebration of Washington's
birthday reflects the greatest credit
on both the Commonwealth and the
order. During the afternoon the
Fourth Degree Assembly had an ex-
emplification for a class of about a
hundred candidates that was ad-
mittedly the best ever witnessed in
this section of Kentucky. The cere-
monies were largely attended, many
of the Catholic clergy Of this and
other dioceses being present, in addi-
tion to Archbishop Keane, Bishop
O'Donaghue and Right Rev. Edmund
Obrecht, who were guests of honor.
When the exemplification had
been completed banquet followed
at the Seelbach, where covers were
laid for between 800 and 400. Grace
was offered by the Right Rev. Bishop
O'Donaghue, who with Archbishop
Keane, Abbot Obrecht, the Rev.
Fathers James p. Cronin, Patrick
Monaghan, Charles P. Ratio,
Rudolph Ruff, Edward Boes, George
Conner, William Gausepohl, Peter
Breintner, Eugene Bertello, occupied
places on raised platform with
Grand Knight Decker, DR.. ]. w.
Fowler, John p. Hanley, Lieut.. Gov.
McDermott, Robert Watson and
others. When justice had been done
the menu DR.. J. W. Fowler expressed
the delight afforded by the presence
of the hierarchy and clergy, which
was an Inspiration. and then paying
tribute to Hon. Edward J. McDer-
mott introduced the Lieutenant
Governor as POSTMASTER.
Gov. McDermott happily ack-
nowledged the honor. and then in
patriotic address, in which he paid
tribute to Washington and the con-
stitution, deplored the tendency to-
ward State interference in the
private affairs of individuals. This
is tendency" he declared, (which
threatens to undo all the work that
Washington and his far-seeing as
sociates accomplished. 1t threatens
to impair the working principle of
personal liberty. There is a popular
approval of the idea of government
regulation. minute and detail,
through bureaus, and this is leading
us to the goal of bureaucracy-a
form of government examined and
discarded by Washington and his
associates more than hundred
years ago." Mr.. McDermott deplored
the growing Willingness for changes
in the constitution. The feeling
grows, he said, that the constitution
was made only for the needs of those
early days, and that it can be
changed in these latter days without
impairment of national integrity
This belief, he declared, to be both
false and dangerous. 1t is no
answer, he said, to say that the con-
stitution is out of date. Those who
find the constitution out of date"
he declared, twill find also the Ten
Commandments out of date. Men of
small caliber in these latter days are
ready to change the constitution in
any particular. If such course is
given Roadway, one change will lead
to another, and this to another, until
there is no telling what the end will
be-" He declared that men are
not swayed by weighty arguments,
but by the dogmas of great per-
sonalities that they respect, and that
the need of today was for a man of
Washingtons type and measurement
TO cry halt in the popular move
ment toward bureaucracy, and point
the people back to the ideal of per-
sonal liberty.
The POSTMASTER presented Bishop
O'Donaghue, who esteemed il a
great pleasure to introduce Kfis Grace
Archbishop Keane, who he hoped
would depart with pleasant recol-
iections of the Knights of Columbus
and Louisville. The address of the
Archbishop appears in another coll
umn, and we commend its careful
perusal to our readers.