The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-02-24
Continued from page ID
Some Catholic Achievements

Look over the list of martyrs who
carried the banner of Christ and
peace into the New World Think
of what one Jesuit, Isaac Jogues, suf-
fered while among the Mohawks, and
then if for no other reason, you
should be proud to say, Il am a
| Catholic"
Catholics have nothing to be
| ashamed of. When this country was
striving for freedom did not they do
their part, although the spirit of the
Revolution was anti-Catholic.
In the signing of the Declaration
of Independence we had Charles Car
roll. In the signing of the Constitu-
ton, We had Daniel Carroll and
Thomas FitzSimons. In the Revolu-
ton we had some great men. You
have heard OF John Barry, Father
of the American Navy" of whom it
is said England offered him a vast
sum and command of the best vessel
she had. Barry's answer was, Not
the value and command of the whole
British fleet can seduce me from the
cause of my Country" There was
Stephen Moylan, Muster Master Gen
eral, secretary and aide-de-camp to
Gen. Washington, the first man tol
suggest that the united Colonies have
one flag instead of each colony hav-
ing a different one. Moylan, the man
who was known to have sacrificed
IaI hot n iuhf no
| free. Moylan, the organizer and COM
mander of "Moylan's Dragons" In
| the long list of Catholics who took
part in the Revolution, do not forget
Pulaski and Kosciuszko.
There is one class Of men you will
not find-traitors, like Gen. Charles
Lee and Benedict Arnold-among the
Catholics of the Revolution. The
science of the languages OF the Amer
lean Indian is now one much studied.
What could the scholars of the pres
| ent day do without the work of the
| Catholic missionaries. The languages
of the Florida tribes were studied,
mastered and published by Father
Paraja, before English settlers landed
in Virginia. The great authority for
the languages of the Indians of
Maine, is the dictionary prepared by
Father Sebastian Rale. Our knowl-
| edge Of the Illinois language is due
mainly to the work of Father LIE
| Boulanger. The Franciscans preserv-
ed the languages of Texas and
| California, and the Jesuits the Ian
! guages of other tribes.
The discoveries of the mainland of
| North America were John and Sc
bastian Cabot; the discoverer of lower
Canada and the River st. Lawrence
was James Cartier; the discoverer of
Lake Huron was the Franciscan,
Joseph lie Carron; the discoverer of
| Lakes Champlain and Ontario and
the founder of Quebec was Samuel
Champlain. The founders of the two
oldest cities in the United States
Santa Fe and st. Augustine-were
Onate and Menendez; the founder of
San Francisco and the Apostle of
California was Junipero Sierra. The
first maps of Lakes Ontario and
Superior were made by the Jesuits-
the first map of Lake Erie was drawn
by the Sulpician, Father DeCasson.
The Salt Springs of New York were
discovered by the Jesuit, Simon
LeMoyne, and the oil wells near Lake
Erie by Father Dalton, Franciscan,
in 1927. The Hudson River was dis
covered by Verrazano, seventy-fve
years before Henry Hudson, and the
year after it was discovered, Gomez
called it the river of st. Anthony.
Thus we might deal at length with
the achievements of the sons of the
Church. We can trace the footsteps
from Vinland, discovered by Lief
Ericsson and his Catholic Mortimer,
to far off Alaska, the scene of the
explorations and labor of the martyr
Archbishop, Charles John Seghers
On every page of the history of our
Church Catholic explorers, mission
aries, scholars and scientists have
left their imprint. We have mention.
ed but few of the long list of Cath!
olic achievements that give honor to
our Church and country.
Past and Future.
The Catholic Church has had such
a glorious past that it's enemies are
afraid that the future will be greater
so they cry-"We must stamp il
out Already the cry comes, I'VE
have stamped Romanism out of the
Philippines and must keep it out"
! The enemies of the Catholic Church
are trying hard to do ton the lee
ture platform, through the press, and
under any guise that suits their con-
. veniences. The one at present is
! under the title of Patriotism, and
: they call each other, Patriot
All no doubt recall the plot that the
J enemies of the Catholic Church de.
. vised in Montreal, and which was to
be launched during the Eucharistic
Congress- plot so diabolical, that
, 1t must have betn Matched in He'll.
They point to France, Portugal, Italy
and Mexico as proof that the Church
is at last losing, and in a sport time
they will have Christ and the Catho.