The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-03-18


os the Mar1oe and Meuse frcm one end
to the other of the great battlefields
of the present terrific European wac
Irish blood and Irish bravery are fl
ing new volumes of wonderful Irish
| glories.
what is true of Europe is equal
lily true of America. Where is the
American chapter of history that does
not contain some Irish contribution
| The great South American republics
| of Brazil and Paraguay honor the
great Limerick Jesuit Father Field,
who converted 10000 natives and
| laid the corner stone of Christian civ
ilization in that country. Argentine
Republic reveres the memory of Rear
| admiral Brown as their greatest sea
| captain Chill and Peru glorify the
| deeds of Ambrose O'Higgins and his
son Bernard, the former Viceroy
! and the latter a Dictator of Chill. All
South America honors the South
American Lafayette, John Devereaux,
who led the legions of Bolivar in the
liberation of Bolivia.
mo one can ever measure the debt
| that our Country, the n1ightiest re-
public on earth owes to the heroisn
and virtue of sons and daughters of
the Emerald Isle. 50
Irish blood baptized this young re-
public with Capt. Parker and Generals
Sullivan and Morgan and Moylan and
Anthony Wayne at Bunker Hill and
Saratoga and Cowpens and Stony
Creek Irish honor gIorihed the
American name on the high seas when
Captain Jack Barry the Irish Cath
olic first Commodore of an American
navy informed those who. sought to
tempt him to turn traitor not for
all the frigateS of the British navy
would I sacrifice one iota of my 10y
atty to my country Irish patriotism
inspired Chas. Carroll of Carrol1ton
to place in jeopardy the largest
American fortune of his time when he
signed the Declaration of American
Independence and Irish generosity
led Thomas Fitzsimmons and Domi-
mic Lynch and other Sons of st. Pat
rick to finance the campaigns of
Washington with, liberal donations
during the terribly trying days Of the
Revolutionary war
| Irish eloquenee of Archbishop Car
roll of Baltimore. prevailed upon the
then Catholic government of France
to- send across the legions of Lafay-
cite and Rochambeau to make York
town possible. Irish valor preserved
the honor of the young republic with
Perry and ,McDonough on the Lakes
and old Hickory Jackson behind the
cotton bales of New Orleans.
.'Sons of the Emerald Isle fought
and died on every battlefield of the
Union now and forever one and in
separable.' They wore blossoms Of
blood on their springs of green in the
Ecaps of Meagher,s heroes at Mary'sH
Heights, They raised the Star Span
gled Banner up among the clouds at
Lookout Mountain and dashed victo-S
riousIy with Phil Sheridan up the
Shenandoah Valley. Army chap
1ains like Father Gorby, John Ireland
and Stephen Mcmahon won everiast.
ing fame and wise advisers like Arch
bishop Hughes Of New York were
among Abraham Iincoln's most vail
ued friends during the trying days
from 81 to SIS. Who can ever pay
sufficiently eloquent tribute to the no
bic Sisters Of Mercy and Charity
on the battlefield won for them the
glorious title Angel of the Battle
field 2,
In. peace as well as in war Irish
virtue and thrift have done wonders
for the progress of every department
of American welfare. Robbed of the
privileges of education and social po-
sition at home our Irish. ancestors
toileds and sacrificed and gave their
last hard earned dollars to give their
sons and daughters the best possible
advantag es in this land of unlimited
opportunity. Thanks to their zeal for
reli gion and education and Charity a
marvellous chain of churches and
schools and hospitals have been built
and maintained in every section of
of true sacrifice for Il/that is best in
life Irish Fathers and Mothers have
given their best daughters to live and
labor in behalf of the poor and the
needy and the education of over
million and, half Of our American
boys and girls in the marvellous chain
of parish schools of every diocese in
the u. s.. A.
.sThink aofzthe industry of the Irish
1aborers in the advance of American
prosperity. Think of the purity of
the Irish innni grant infusine noblest
ideals of family and Individual life
into American society. What better
examples of virtue has our country
ever known than that of the Irish
Servant Girl? What nobler exam
pie of fidelity to marriage obligations
than the Irish fathers and mothers
whose greatest pride was a, large
family of pious and well educated
children and whose appeals to di-
vorce courts were unknown?
.sMy friends we reflect upon all
these glories of our noble Irish an
-cestors not in a spirit of bossting but
rather. to become inspired to initiate
their heroism and piety and virtue. i
ssAs they fought and sacrificed and
even died for al that is nobiest in
life so must we, their children, in
spire all men by our fidelity to the
ideals of our country, our church and
our God.
S make our heroic fidelity to duty as
noble as that which in our Flag is
typifed by the red that recalls the |
bravery of martyrs. Let our pure
lives inspire men to- practice the no
bic virtues typif1ed by the stripes of
white and let our staunch defense |
and practice of all that is best in life
be. as constant as that which is typi-
fed by the stars on the everlasting
field of blue.
Father Keefe received a tremen-
dous round of cheers when he fin |
dshed The banqueters stood and the |
StratfieId shook with their applause
With him leading the entire assem-
bIage pledged to the flag. !
Mayor Dutton had the hall in an
rproar continually. He recently re-
turned from a trip to Ireland and he