IRISHMEN AND CATHOLICITY IN AMERICA.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 69, 22 August 1874, Page 13

IRISHMEN AND CATHOLICITY IN AMERICA.

The New York correspondent of the « Sydney Freeman's Journal' in an able letter thus bears testimony to the undying love for the old land which the Irish retain under all vicissitudes. After bewailing the many noble natures wrecked, and precious lives sacrificed to the demon drink, he says: —

" Having now laid bare the one dark spot in the Irish character here, let us turn to contemplate a few of the bright characteristics of the race. Foremost and above all is the undying, inextinguishable love for the green old sod across the Atlantic. You may bend our race by oppression— you may burn its vitals by barbarous treatment— as the ponal code of England did for ages ; but one thing you cannot do, by firo, sword, or persecution— you cannot pluck the love from the heart or the fire from the soul of an affectionate people. Yes, poor Ireland ! if Providence willed you trials and tribulations, it gave you a noble heart and generous impulses. Examine the records of benevolence and you find no nation comparable with the Irish in its affection. This great American nation is but a conglomeration of all the nationalities of the old world, as it is cailfld. It is fair to presume that human nature, as our national celebrity Mr Slick says, is the same everywhere. Yet what do we find on unravelling statistics ? We find that when Europeans generally leave their nationalities behind them, they never seem to thick of anybody but themselves, whereas the Irish on the contrary, seem to have but one thought— the thought of those they left behind them. This fact is one of the puzzling idiosyncracies of our people. The Americans cannot understand it, neither can the English or the Scotch. But we do. Imagine, if you can, the amazing amount of love and self-denial in the Lish race, the ineffable tenderness too, when I state, from statistics recently to hand, that it is computed on most reliable authority, that over 140,000,000 of dollars were remitted from America to Ireland, by the Irish, in the last twenty-five yeats. Can the records of any nation under the sun furnish a fact to compare with this ? " Two hundred years ago the Catholics in Canada and the United States numbered only 200, whilst in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick there were none. Ono hundred years ago there was only one Catholic Bishop north of New Mexico and only 2000 Catholics in Canada and along the country bordering on tho Mississippi. It is only eighty-four years since the first Bishop (Dr Carroll of Baltimore) was appointed. Seventy-four years ago Dr Carr«.ll was the only Bishop in the States and Cauadas. In the year 1842 we find the Bishops increased from one to nine in Canada, and from one to sixteen in the States. To-day there are twenty-six Bishops in Canada j whilst i* the States there are sixty-six, with over 4000 priests and 4000 Churches with a Catholic population of ten millions, with schools, convents, seminaries and Colleges to correspond. Such is a brief sketch of the progress of Catholicity here. Every Irishman should feel a proud thrill .run. through his veins, as it is to his race chiefly that this astonishing progression is due. The American hierarchy and clergy deservedly rank on the highest place of honor in ecclesiastical gradation. Examine their names, hear them preach, and you at oncu detect the Celtic ring in every one of them. From the Celtic Dr Carroll to the Celtic Drs Hughes and M'Ulosky you cannot find a name (with a few French exceptions) on that glorious scroJl of illustrious Bishops that are not familiar to the ears of every Irishman. Glory and honor, then, to the grand old Island of Saints that Bent them forth, in the first place, and glory and honor to themselves next. Q-lory and honor, above all, to Q-od, who hath selected Irishmen to be the salt of the earth, the first in. virtue of the most cruelly persecuted of the human race.

" Intimately blended with the -weal of Irishmen is the progress of religion and education. I therefore shall briefly narrate how both are progressing here. As far as the Catholic religion is concerned its extension is akin to the miraculous. It has been often soid that Catholicity could not exist except under arbitrary rule. Here under the fin o«t government on earth it not only exists but flourishes in a manner that astounds the nations. It seeina to have at last found in America an abiding place, favourable alike to its universality of scope and its conservation of great truths and fundamental principles of rectitude. The State ard the Church perform respectively their duties in perfect freedom, and are quite distinct and untrammelled in their several functions. Hence it happens that the most ancient and conservative of institutions and the most republican of governments never clash or war. Each is constantly occupied in its own special department of duty — the one for the spiritual and the other for the temporal good of the people."

The Bishops of England have decided in their last meeting to publish immediately a collective Pastoral Letter to announce th<j opening of the University courses. In this letter will be inserted the Pontifical Brief which Monsignor Capel brought from Rome. Appended to this there will be published the names of all the members of the directing Senate, which is composed of fourteen ecclesiastics and thirty laymen. Some days after the reading of thia Pastoral Letter, the Senate -w ill assemble for the first time to hear Monsignor Capel's report : — 1. Upon the intellectual direction to be given to the University studies, that the pupils may be placed in such a condition as to be able to struggle advantageously for the civil positions obtained through competition with their competitors educated at Oxford or Cambridge. 2. Upon their moral direction, so impoitant in a Catholic point of view. 3. Upon material organization. 4. Upon the question of finances. For the vacancy in Galway, Dr Michael Francis Ward, who acted as the expense agent of Mr O'jbonnell, and contributed notably to that gentleman's return, is a candidate, with (the 'Nation' says) absolute certainty of success. He is a young gentleman of splendid spirit and considerable ability. He belongs to a local family of great influence and great popularity. Mr Jones, a carpet-bagger from London, and Mr Monaghan, Q.C., are also candidates.