The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1917-05-12

catholic University OF Washington, to
st. Thomas College and other worthy
institutions OF learning is evidence of
the great interest they take in the
cause OF education
Not by privilege, but by right, the
knights stand today in the foremost
ranks of the benefactors and patrons
OF the Arts and Sciences. The battle
is won. The field is ours. The public
forced to recognize us have learned
to admire us.
What has the society done, and
what is it doing to foster in it's men,
bers the virtues that have eternal
valued
The proud ship which, with distend-
ed sail maiestically proceeds, as it
cuts the briny waters, on it's journey
to it's destined port, will be found to
have caught up many barnacle in
its ocean journey. and it must be dry
locked and scraped. The ship must
be rid of these accretions which inn
pede its progress. So our society
launched on the sea Of life and i'm
PEELED by heavens favoring breath
shall. from time to time. find it's prog
ress to the port of Triumph impeded
by an occasionally clinging human
barnacle. For the good of the order
these must be gotten rid of. No one
who, without sufficient cause, neglects
to hear Mass on Sunday; no one who
fails to comply with the Easter duty
should be allowed to remain in ignor-
ance of the fact that this violation OF
the rules of the society forfeits his
right to membership.
The custom in some orders of re-
qufring certificate, signed by priest,
as evidence OF compliance with the
Easter duty. does not recommend it.
self. In the very nature of things
the priest ought, and generally does,
know less about that than any man in
the congregation. The confessor hard.
ly ever knows who goes to confession
to him much less does he try to re-
member the name of the penitent. In
the distribution of Holy Communion
the priest by the grace Of God is per-
forming an act so sacred that he con-
and gives it his fullest attention.
Every Catholic instinctively feels that
here carelessness were culpable, and
wlful distraction sinful. For these
reasons any member of the society can
more conveniently and with less liza
bility err furnish the desired informa-
ton.
| think it not inopportune to say
something here in regard to the eX-
emplitication of the degrees of the
order, substantially the work is worthy
of the highest Communications The en-
emplification of the third degree is for
most parishes Il festival occasion:
present and enjoy themselves. The
work is usually followed by a ban
quet, to which the citizens, without
distinction of creed, are cordially i'll
vited.
The tables may groan beneath the
weight OF eatables. but the mental
problems, served on these occasions
is the important feature. Great clio.
quence is not unfrequently heard at
/ these banquets. Besides. there is
much extemporaneous speaking. rarely
eloquent, seldom edifying. and hardly
ever instructive. Men gifted with a
wealth of words out of all proportion
with their power to think, have habit
of telling stories at these meetings in
which they ridicule the sucraments
The sacramento which Christ insti-
tuted for our salvation are too sacred
IL thing to he a subject OF amusement
What the priest said to Mike in the
confessional or what Pat said to the
priest. the present price Of baptism. OF
the story of the man who only had d
dollar, when he wanted to get mar
ried, and asked the priest to marry him
as far as it would go, are the stock
in trade of the enemies of the Church
The Catholic who tells such stories tc
a mixed audience pays too high a
price for the applause they call forth
DGihulll lNHNINa Observation-Disclosures NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.