Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-09-25
JOHN IRELAND'S
LONG LIFE ENDS
Venerable Archbishop of
St. Paul Diocese
Dies
SERVED NATION in WAR
Militant Churchman and Pa.
triot Was Frequently Sug-
gested for Cardinalate
SERVED NATION In WAR
By the Associated Press


st. Paul. Mimi, Sept. %.
Archbishop John ireland, of the st.
Paul diocese of the Roman Catholic
Church., died at 3;55 o'clock today, af-
ter a long illness of heart disease and
stomach trouble.
Archbishop Ireland recently celebrated
his eightieth birthday. Shortly after
ward he suffered a second relapse within
six months. and his condition became
grave.
Death came quietly. \ score of
prominent Catholic clerymen were at
the bedside.
For three days. Archbisi op Ireland's
physicians had kept their patient alive
blythe use of oxygen. Late last night
the final relapse came and in the dark
ened room where priests and nuns softly
chanted prayers for the dying. the end
came without a p~erCeptible sign.
The Archbishop's sister, Mother SUI
perior Seraphine, Sister Rose. Father
Thomas A. WEIGH. the Archbishop's
secretary, Vicar General j. G.. Byrne
and Bishop Joseph Busch. Of st. Cloud
were kneeling beside. the bed. The pre-
late's sister had been in almost constant
attendance for NOR than seventy-two
hours.
Despite his years and his weakened
condition. the physical resistance of the
archbishop amazed his physicians. Last
April after he returned. from Florida
where he spent the winter. he became
gravely i'll. His life was despaired OF
but he rallied. continuing in frail health
however. until about two weeks ago.
Last Thursday his physicians IN.
nounced that his condition had reached
u critical stage. Since then their bul'
letins We're practically the same. The
end always seemed a few hours away
Members of the archbishop's house.
hold said arrangements for the funera
would not he completed until word was
received from a member of churcf
dignitaries who attended the funera
Of Cardinal John NJ. Farley in New Yorh
yesterday.
with the voice and spirit of America
there will go wide and far what America
in her greatest ideal represents-d emoc.
Iracy and liberty" So spoke the Most
Reverend John Ireland. Archbishop oil
St. Paul. after the close of hostilities be.
tween the United States and Spain.
Similar words summarize the careol
of their author. Democracy and liberty
were his watchwords. and for them, a,
'ilISfI. Stlt1fl, ~ est al" III tiil', l'
lived and fought through a measure Of
four-Score years.
The son of an Irish carpenter. he was
born in 1898 the dutiful spiritual sor
of n GaIilcan Carpenter he toiled ant
died. Amid the green hills OF Vermont
his early childhood was passed. a prairis
schooner conveying him westward to St
Paul in 1852. There the religious zeal o
the youthful Ireland attracted the notice
and patronage of the Missionary RishoI
Crntip ubn SAINT tho lad IagtipaI ,It,
mately to succeed TO the diocesan throne
to France. to be educated for the priest
hood by the Marist fathers.
Militant in War and in Pulpit
The outbreak Of the Civil War Gale,
the young novice back to America. or
dained in St. Paul, he entered the Uniol
army as chaplain of the Fifth MINES
ota Volunteers.
Sharing the hardships of a winter!
and was forced 10 quit the field of bat
tie, but not before rendering himsel
conspicuous at the battle of luka. wher'
he rushed ammunition TO the front
where il was Sorely needed.
Equally militant in the pulpit. tn
young priest soon attracted national at
t%ention, as a St. Paul pastor. bv hi!
work for prohibition. These efforts
not long after. by the Faribault plan
resulted in the consolidation Of Catholi
49,, 49, '-''' ~''cN
AN idea of his conception.
Friction. caused abandonment of thi
scheme.
Elevated to the episcopatc in 1879
Rishop Ireland. within a year accom-
pi:shed the founding of a colony of 90
Catholic farmers in western Minnesota
and soon afterwards established the Hill
Seminary on the Minnesota side of tn
Mississippi River. TO which he donated
his private library. one Of the most com
nrehensive in the Northwest He be
came Archbishop of St. Paul in 1886.
Since his establishment as MetrOpoli
tan of that northwestern ecclesiastica
nrovince the name and figure of JOIN
Ireland have been ever prominent il
pubIic~afairs, both of church and natior
AS a suggested candidate for the Car
dinalate no American prelate was NOR,
often mentioned. and scarcely a question
Affecting the welfare of the nation fount
his voice silent or his pen idle.
Archbishop an Ardent Patriot
. Archbishop Ireland's strong American
ism. first put to the test when the Civil
War began was manifested afresh whel
the United States entered the world con
fict. No sooner had Congress formal.
declared war on Germany. han tn
faith to remember that they wer
Americans above all other ties and de
clared it their duty to- help in. ever,
way. Later. when occasion demanded
he advocated purchases VI iloeItS bonu
i and contributions to the Red Cross an
TO various relief funds.
~ In this course he followed consistent
part he took in a famous c%ontrovers
4 Ahich antedated his "F'aribault plan.
bt resulted from q petition made t
ssome 10 create in the United State
German parishes with parochial schoo
With orders that the German languag
be taught in these institutions. 1t
Sponsors sought to conceal the purpos
& of the plan by proposing also nat il b
III followed by other nationalities, but tn
4 Archbishop saw the fallacy of the ide
and FASTENED to Rome, where he sue
cessfully combated it.
The mass of our Catholics are Amer
cans" he argued. they resent any al
tannnt tn make them IriShmen Or GeI