The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-03-15
Tribute To Archbishop Ireland

by certain ecclesiastics to discipline
parents for sending their children to
the public school he exercised a great
influence in creating the public opin-
ion which made that effort unsuccess-
full. He proposed a plan by which
Roman Catholic teachers should be
appointed in State schools, pledging
| themselves not to use any symbols or
give any instructions of a distinctly
| Roman Catholic nature during the
school hours. This plan as a definite
| scheme to be put in operation in the
| town of Faribault, Minnesota, did not
succeed, but the principle upon which
that plan was founded has now be-
| come generally accepted In most
communities in America the fact that
a teacher is Roman Catholic does
not interfere with his appointment,
and nowhere, SO far as we know, do
such teachers take advantage of their
position for PROSECUTING purposes.
| Archbishop Ireland did not wait for
the present war to resist the attempt
in this country to create bodies of
|
posed to appoint national bishops for
the Roman Catholic churches, he went
to Rome to urge the Vatican not to
| give it's sanction to any such factional
and divisive policy, and succeeded in
his mission. When, at the close of the
war in the Philippines, the difficult
question came up, In what way should
the F>ilipinOs be truly emancipated
from the control exercised over them
by the fact that much of their best
land was owned by the Friars? Arch
bishop Ireland contributed valuable
service to the National Administration
in it's dealing with this problem. Some
individual Roman Catholics and some
Roman Catholic societies in this coun.
try desired to keep that land under
the control of the Friars, a policy
which Archbishop Ireland vigorously
opposed. In a sermon preached in the
summer OF 1902 he issued a challenge
to the enemies of the policy of liberia
ton and strongly supported the action
of the United States in it's successful
negotiation to secure the purchase OF
those lands at fair price and so pro
tect both the property rights of the
landowners and the political rights OF
the people. In the present war Arch
bishop Ireland's patriotism was vigor
Gus and aggressive. AS soon as Con
gress declared war the Archbishop
called on his people to remember that
they were Americans, and from that
time put his eloquence and his energy
at the service of the Nation in his
appeals for military training, for the
purchase of Liberty Bonds, and fol
contributions to the Red Cross and
other war relief funds.
His critics have said that Arch
bishop Ireland was ambitious. That is
probably true. Most men who are
good for anything are ambitious. We
do not doubt that it was real, and
perhaps bitter, disappointment to him
! not to receive the Cardinals hat. He
} was not one to fall under the condem
nation of Christ in the saying, "Woe
unto you, when all men shall speak
we'll of you!' His vigorous participa
! ton in the great questions of the day
probably prevented the Vatican from
giving him the promotion which his
services had earned. But he earned
what was much better-the reVerent
|, affection of thousands of his fellow
, citizens for his life of unselfish service
/ and courageous warfare. Patriot and
priest, Archbishop John Ireland wei
, deserves the grateful remembrance il
!, which be will be held. not only by the
, membership of his own Church, but by
: all who love a patriotic and devoted
: fellow-Amerlcan