Year: 1879

and closed that phase of his subject with q
fervid and eloquent eulogy Of the faith that
had faced centuries of persecution and disas
ter, even to tbs extremes of starvation and
death, to triumph and flourish in the end.


The bishop said in conclusion that he had
not referred to these things simply to please
them with thoughts of home or to excite
memories of all that had been SO gloriocusly
suffered for home and religion. He, as the
minister, of God, was bound to make an ap-
plication that should be useful to them, and
that should come home to their hearts with
force and truth and bear fruit. What he
wanted to impress upon them was that their
forefathers had, for the sake of the faith.
been saints and martyrs, and had gladly
suffered all things to uphold that faith.
They therefore owed it to their ancestors,
they owed it to their nation and church, to
do the best and be the best they could. He
did not speak in reproach but in loving
Kindness: He would have them be all that
they could be if they would. Many of them
were poor and degraded, when they might be
independent and we'll educated. Their
children were poor and ignorant when they
might be comfortable and we'll trained. He
said these things to them candidly, because
he loved the grand old race, and it was dear





all that God and nature intended 1t to be-.
The Irish, in this new world, did
they not all know that great many of them
were not anything like what they might be
if they chose? They might own their own
homes, if not in the cities, then upon the
broad prairies. They might, if they pleased,
be independent, safe and happy. Then why
was it that so many of them were not? They
should bear with him while he told them the
truth, in kindness, and because he would if
he could, take all the dear children of the
saints, and confessors, and martyrs of the
early church, and gather them up in his
arms, wash all the stains from them stains
brought about from the peculiarly painful
history that had been stamped on them in
centuries of oppression, and point them to
the best and brightest in the future, both on
earth and in heaven. If they were asked
what was the principal drawback they had to
contend with, in this and other new coun-
tries, some of them would say it was the fact
| that they are foreigners in this country. But
it was not that. The deadly enemy of the
Irish was the saloon-keeper. It was useless
to theorize about the matter.


Their one bitter, relentless enemy was the
saloon-keeper and no one else. Just SO long
as they allowed the saloon keeper to make
them the inmates of his place, to become
intimate with them, to influence them, to
control their politics and indeed influence
their whole life, just so long was it hopeless
to expect that anything of the best could be
expectedfrom the Irish. The Irish saloon
keeper was the enemy of the Irish race, and
the portal of his place was the gate of hell.


The bishop said he had been ashamed to
learn that it was said that there were nearly
l,4OO Irish saloon-keepers in Chicago. They
knew their enemy. Let them profit by their
knowledge, for SO long as they frequented
the saloons, SO long would they find it the
deceptive ground from which they would
reel from one abyss to another and recovery
was hopeless. He said this because he
wished the Irish race to take the place that
God intended them to take-a place which
they had the qualities of heart and the talents
of brain to take and to keep-a place among
the foremost of the earth.


At the conclusion of tho sermon


THE MASS


was proceeded with and soon the impressive
religious ceremonies closed and the conere-
cation, to the lively strains of est. Patrick'e
Day. slowly emerged from the church.
In speaking of the sermon the Times edi-
torially says:


Gne of the most noticeable features of
the st. Patrick celebra ton in this city, yes
terday, was the address delivered by the
bishop of Minnesota. Eloquent and full of
sympathy for the Irish people, the bishop,
after entertaining his hearers with spirited
sketch of that peoples history and misfor-
tunes, closed with an earnest exhortation
that they declare their independence of their
most dangerous enemies, the Irish saloon
keepers. This portion of the address made
decided sensation, and was warmly COM
mended by many members of the Irish tenn
perance societies who heard it.