The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-03-30
A VITAL PRINCIPLE.


thickly wooded slopes rose above 1t
on all sides, and two streams, the
Lehigh and the Delaware, wound on
either side, and met at certain juno
ton. At night the trains came
laundering over bridges, winding
through the valley. waking the echoes
in the hills and glittering like fiery
meteors through the night. On the
outskirts of the town were mills, fac
tories and iron works, which sent up
their flame and smoke like beacons,
into the atmosphere.
1t was in one of these shops that
Daniel McGrath had obtained employ
faent, which was both difficult and
even perilous, since lives were sacri-
feed by the slightest imprudence.
He was six feet in height, CORE
spondingly broad in the shoulders and
with an arm that was terror to the
evil disposed. All kinds of stories, in
fact, were current of the strength and
courage of big Dan McGrath. More
over, he could sing a song and crack
joke with any one. So that he was,
in general, popular with his fellow
Workmen until certain number began
to have distinct grievance against
him.
And this was that he steadfastIy
refused to join in the Saturday night
orgies at a local tavern; or even to
take friendly glass on the way home
from work. For though he had never
been unduly addicted to strong drink,
Dan had taken the pledge, at the
close of mission in Ireland, on the
very same occasion, that he had regis
tered himself as an Associate of the
League of the Sacred Heart, and had
been ever since faithful to it's prac.
tees, notably the monthly Com
munion.
Nor was he at all slow to tell his
hearers the reason for these various
refusals of his. He liked. in fact, to
dilate upon the benefits which had
accrued to him from taking the pledge
and to explain that he did not wish
to be seen in taverDs at all, let alone
on the Saturday nights, as he wanted
to be up early on Sunday for Mass.
The first time he gave such rea-
son shout of laughter went up from
the group of workingmen, by whom
he was surrounded 1t was believed
to be rich jest that McGrath was
getting off, at the expense of the
poor, simple people, a mere handful
in that town, who frequented Father
Grady's church, which had lately
reared its head on one OF the thor
oughfares.
Dan was a good deal puzzled by the
laughter which he had unwittingly pro-
yoked, but just at that moment the
whistle blew and the men hustled into
their outer garments and snatched
their hats. The great building was
| deserted in a moment. The engines
| and the boiler still kept up their un-
ceasing din and the great fires in the
smelling furnaces continued to roar,
as the sign of perpetual vitality.
Dan passed one of these latter on
his outward way, and pausing to re-
| gard it for moment, he bethought
himself of a saying of his sturdy peas
| ant mother, when looking into flames
Lord, save us from the fire of hell -
Then he passed out into the sun
shine of that glorious day, mild for the
season, but the pleasant GOODNESS of
| which was grateful after the sitting
atmosphere within. Dan took off his
cap and wiped his heated face and let
the breeze from the mountains blow
down through his thick hair.
He observed the scene before him
with the keen appreciation of Celt
for the beautiful. He saw the two
streams, still unchecked by the frost,
flowing liquid silver, just touched with
the midday gold, between the hills,
frowning and majestic, with their trees
bereft of foliage, but rising in grace
full outlines against the skyline, and
catching marvellous effects of sunlight
on the provinces of their trunks.
Glory be to God! but tbs the fine
country all out" the Irishman MUIR
INJURED, as he proceeded at brisk pace
to neighboring lunch room, where
an enterprising woman undertook to
give their midday meal to the mill
hands. ~
When it was gradually borne in
upon his fellow workmen that Nc
Grath meant no joke at all by the
frank confession that he went regu-
larly to the "Romish Church and that
he allowed that church going to in.
fiuence his conduct there was general
establishment. Even the better sort
were disposed to look distrustfully at
the Romanist;' for their experience
with that class of the population had
been small.
The worse sort Of men, on the other
hand, whose Saturday night and other
orgies had brutalized them, began to
entertain truly diabolical hatred for
their simple and unoffending comrade.
Also they were disposed to count upon
that hitherto imperturbable good
temper, which had been proof against
jests and taunts of all kinds.
On one occasion, however, when a
certain little clique, led by particu-
larly low and aggressive fellow who
had been the leading spirit in the an
tagOniSm that began to prevail against