The Irish standard., 1915-01-09

| own bone and flesh, who, through mis-
fortune, from the present broils in the
empire, are needy prisoners.
Cove, Jan. Gath, 1776.
Colonel ALIENS Daughter Became a
Nun.
1t has always been supposed that
Ethan Allen was an avowed Atheist.
1t may be that he became such in after
years, but certainly, in 1776, he was
believer in God, for no man who dis
believed in the existence of Supreme
Being could have penned the words:
Thanks to God"
This is distinctly Celtic ex-
preston and it is possible that under
the stress of feeling, at the generous
outpouring of Irish charity, he felt that
God should be praised.
1t is interesting to recall that his
daughter, Fanny Allen, was the first
lady of New England birth to become
nun, in the Congregation of Notre
Dame in Montreal, where she died in
1919.
Previous to her going to Central,
presumably to become proficient in the
French language, her mother, who was
Ethan Aliens second wife, insisted up
on her being baptized by Rev. Daniel
Barber, an Episcopalian minister in
Claremont, N. H.
Other Distinguished Converts.
After her profession, he visited her
in Montreal and what he saw convinced
him of the truth of Fanny Aliens new
faith. A short time before he had been
in correspondence with Father Chever-
us of Boston, who loaned him several
Catholic books These books he gave
to his son, Rev. Virgil Barber, the
principal of an acadamy in New York
State. Virgil Barber had had religious
doubts also, and was being advised by
Jesuit, Father Fenwick, in New York
City.
In 1916, a year after his visit to his
father, when he obtained the Catholic
books, he and his wife became Cath
olics.
In company with Dominican, Faith.
er French, he visited his father in
Claremont, and the result was that
Daniel BARRIERS wife and all his chill
dren became Catholics, together with
his sister-in-law, Mrs. Noah Tyler, and
her daughter, Rosetta. Later Mr.. Ty
Ter became a Catholic and all the chill
dren entered the Church. Four daugh
tiers became Sisters of Charity and one
son, William, became the first Bishop
of Hartford, Connecticut.
Daniel Barber did not enter the
Church with his wife, but later on, Ii
the same year, 1917, down in Maryland
his doubts were sufficiently cleared
away so that he had the pleasure o.
being reunited spiritually with hi
family.
His son Virgil, his wife and theil
five children the year previous hat
entered the Church in New York City
Their history subsequently is unique
, He became Jesuit priest. His wifi,
a Visitation nun. The Oldest daugh
ter, Mary, became a nun in the Ur
suline convent in Charlestown, now {
part of Boston, which was burned b!
mob of fanatics in 1885. The othe
three girls also entered the same orde
and the boy, Samuel, became Jesui
priest just as his father did.
Irish Bishops Hospitality.
Who knows but this wonderful sc
ries of conversions is due to TIN
prayers of Fanny Allen, the CONVEX
daughter of Ethan Allen, who once
enjoyed the hospitality of the Catho
( lies of Cork, and it would not be be
, yond the bounds of probability to thinl
, that one of the two gentlemen whit
extended the kindness to Ethan Allel
was Bishop Moylan, then presiding
over the Bishopric of Kerry, after
wards Bishop of Cork. He was thu
, brother of Stephen Moylan, the com
missary general under Washington ii
, Cambridge in 1875, and who first dis
covered the, what we call graft,
, amongst the Portsmouth farmers wit
!, were furnishing flour to the Contin
entail troops.-Freeman's Journal.