The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-03-17
FATHER INJURY
INSPIRES MANY
AT BIC BANQUET
Eloquent Jesuit Impresses
On Knights of ST.
Patrick.
"ERIN'S DESTINY .
CROWN OF THORNS"
Proves Lie In Contention
That Catholicism Pre-
cludes Patriotism.

erin, with a smile on her fair
face and tears dinn1ing her eye, puts
on a crown-not of glory, not of gov
eminent, not of literature, not of
power, but the same crown that was
pressed down upon the brow of Gods
divine soma crown of thorns."
So said Rev. Joseph A. Mu1ry, S. J.,
president of Fordham University, last
evening when he addressed the 800 or
more members and guests of the
knights of ST. Patrick at the annual
banquet of the organization held in
The StratfieId.
From the minds of the many who
gathered to honor the memory of
Ire1and's patron saint, last night, it is
unlikely that the impression acquired
at this banquet will ever be lost.
While gaiety and feasting marked the
celebration, the one thing that will
recall to the affair the memory of the
celebrants, will be not the handsome
women, not the banquet itself, the
music or the dancing, but the trans
cendent beauty of the sentiments that
were expressed by the learned Jesuit
who addressed the meeting.
Probably no speaker who has been
heard by those who attended the ban
quet has ever inspired and lifted up
their minds and hearts to such a de-
gree as did Father Mu1ry. Struggling
against the oppression of spirit caused
with no prepared address, Father
Mu1ry's story of the Destiny of Ire
land and the Destiny of Man was a
masterpiece of logic, of pathos, of
eIoquence and of beauty.
Father Mulry stepped aside from
the beaten path of chronology. He
dwelt not so. much on the oppression
of Erin as the end to which it is
leading. Dropping ireland for time.
he presented a mastery bit of logic
proving that the assertion that the
state of being a good Catholic does
not prevent one from being good
citizen of the United States, is a lie.
cannot be a good Catholic without
being a good citizen.
The speaker told of Destiny.
Every nation has somep articular
path marked out for it in the mind
of Cod he said. ''Greece was all
that represents tncarnate beauty,
architecture, art, science, painting
and sculpture. Rome's path was the
addition of power, the power to have,
the power to govern. thep over to
dominate. The world was then ready
for the reception of Truth and Jerusa-
lem put into human life that attri-
butte Then the world has Beauty,
Power and Truth. The crown of
Power has been placed on the brow
of Italy, the crown of Beauty on the
brow of France, the crown of Truth
on the brow of Jerusalem, but Erin,
waiting With a smile on her fair face,
and tears dimrning her eye, puts a
crown not of government, not of liter
ature, not of power. but the same
crown that was pressed down upon
the brow of Gods divine Son-the
crown of thorns.''
He characterized the womanhood of
ireland as 1.-The sweetest and truest
and purest that ever dawned on
earth" He said Ireland is the only
nation in history that has held wom-
anhood in the place where it belongs,
above everything.
He told of the oppression of Ireland
after St Patrick left, how famine,
gaunt and hollow-eyed staKed
through the land and how Cromwell
Ian soldiers tore from the mothers
breasts the babes and tossing them
into the air, caught them coming
down, upon the points of uplifted
swords. |'The Day of Reckoning is
Coming said Father Mulry.
Father Mulry scored the opponents
of the theory Of evolution.
It was on the subject of patriotism
in connection with Catholicism that
Father Mulry inspired his hearers the
most. His argument was that
obedience to the Constitution of the
United States is obedience to God.
LAS a Catholic, I see the finger of
God in the lew. Sooner almost would
lift up my hand and try to tear down
the Great God from His throne to
lift up my hand and try to tear down
the God-gIven Constitution of the
United States.
s'The Constitution is safer in the
hands of the Cath than in those of
that class of persons who say I am a
menace because L am a Catholic. It
is safer with me than with them be-
cause they don't believe that it came
God is in the flag.
eff the President of this United
States should call every Catholic
would rise up. Why? Because the
voice of God is calling him. He will
follow the flag up the hill because
he believes in following the flag he
is following Him. He doesn't care if
majority and he will fight the battle;
and if he die, he will but win, con-
scious of having done his duty, and
his last sight will be of Thee, Flag of
My Country, and of Thee. God of My
Land"
These remarks were inspired by the
fact that little bits of Shiny things
down in the dark and abandoned caves
of Ignorance, come climbing up and
out of their mouths, spit venom, say
ing that we Irish, we Catholics, are
a menace to the Constitution
Because the hand of the cardinal
was placed on my head in Holy Or
ders, it doesn't mean that my blood
is less red,' he said. eff I have God
then I lave patriotism, because the
power behind it is Cod
4 DR. Cornelius F. Orben president
of the Fordham Alumni association,