THE AMERICAN FLEET IN SYDNEY THE CATHOLIC WELCOME

New Zealand Tablet, 10 September 1908, Page 11

THE AMERICAN FLEET IN SYDNEY THE CATHOLIC WELCOME

The most notable centre of public along the route of the great procession which heralded the welcome to the crews of the great American Fleet in Sydney, was at St. Mary's Cathedral. Thousands of spectators flocked to the vicinity, and long before the appointed hour great crowds surged in College street, while Hyde Park was literally blocked with struggling masses of people anxious to gain a point of vantage in front of .the Cathedral. From the central tower of the • Cathedral the-flags-of America, the Commonwealth, and Ireland fluttered in the breeze. Each flag was of full .dimensions (24ft), and was made to the order of Mr. T. J. Dalton, K.C.S.G., and presented by him to the Cardinal. The tower, was also decorated with a symbolical Southern Cross, which at night "was illuminated and presented an attractive appearance. Platforms had been - erected in front of the Cathedral," and at the western corner of the building a dais was decorated and reserved for his Eminence the Cardinal and a group of distinguished prelates. At the northern end of the Cathedral two thousand children, selected from the different Catholic schools, were grouped. Each child was provided with a miniature American flag, and. in_ their pretty white dresses and red sashes they made .a spectacle which brought forth more than one mark' of appreciation .from the- assembled crowd. As the procession passed the platform the children sang an ode of welcome, specially written by Mr..Roderic Quinn for the occasion, ' Hail, men of America,' hail,' '..A song of the Commonwealth '- (by Mr. P. E. Quinn), and ' God save Ireland.' On Sunday there was Solemn High Mass at St". Mary's Cathedral, which was" attended by .about 90 officers and 1500 men of the American fleet. His Eminence .Cardinal Moran presided t and there were' also present the Bishops 1 of Goulburn, Armidale, Wilcannia, Rockhampton, -Tonga, and the Coadjutor-Bishop of - Maitland. At the conclusion of the fliass" the officers and men. were entertained at a banquet in the N Town Hall. - At the principal table sat his ' Eminence the Cardinal, Captains- Osterhaus, Bdwyer, Richardson, Niles, Cowles, Beatty, Hutchins, Doyle, Sutherland, Nicholson,- the Lord Mayor of Sydney .(Alderman, Thomas Hughes), Sir William Lyne (Federal Treasurer)^ his Lordship Dr. Dunne (Bishop of Wilcannia), Senator Keating. (Minister for Home Affairs), Mr. Austin Chapman (Minister for Trade and Customs)) Mr. Justice R. -E. o !Connor,! Connor, his Lordship

Dr. O'Connor CBishop of- Armidale), Brigadier-General Gordon, Mr. Justice Higgins, and .the Rev. M. C. Gleeson (Chaplain U.S.S. Connecticut). CARDINAL MORAN'S .ADDRESS. At the conclusion of the banquet his Eminence the Cardinal proposed ' The King and "President Roosevelt.' In giving the toast of ' Our Allies, Friends, and Brothers : The American Nation,' his Eminence delivered an address patriotic and historical, in the course of which he said :— lt is my privilege on the part of the Catholic Church in this Commonwealth of Australia, to offer you, with all' the warmth of an Irish heart, a ~ Cead mile failte on this, the -first visit of 'your fleet to our Australian shores. There are special motives why, as Catholics and as Irishmen, rejoicing in the solidarity' that links together the Irish race the whole world over, we should extend this cordial welcome to you. The great nation whom you represent stands before the world in modern times as the fearless cham- ;. pion and standard-bearer of civil and religious freedom. During the past few weeks reports have reached us of the imposing celebrations which marked' the centenary feast in the diocese of New York. They, afford abundant proof, if proof were needed, that the tiny plant of the Ca.tholic Church of a hundred years ago has grown with giant growth, and now,, as. a stately tree, spreads out its fruitful branches far and wide,;diffusing its salutary blessings" on every side. It is meet we: should give a cordial welcome to the representatives of the great nation in which such glorious religious triumphs have been • achieved. What shall I say of the special benefits which have accrued to the Catholics of the British Empire— and in a mostparticular manner to Ireland— through the moral influence exercised by your great nation?The Penal Days. Need I refer to the tyranny of the penal laws to which of old the Catholics of the Empire were so long subjected? If the Catholic citizen in Australia, in Great "Britain, in Ireland, in India, in South Africa I—aye,1 — aye, and in Canada, too— is free to-day from the fetters snd oppression of those penal laws that are an indelible blot on the statute book of England, he is indebted in" a great measure for that singular blessing to the moral influence of the United States. Mr. Gladstone, in our own day, did not hesitate to declare that 'that system of penal laws^ against Roman Catholics was at once pettifogging, base, and cruel.' While these laws were as yet in full force, the eloquent statesman, Edmund Burke, described them as ' a complete system, full of coherence and consistency, well digested and well composed in all its parts. It w&s a machine of wise and elaborate contrivance, and as well fitted for the oppression, impoverishment, and degradation^ a people, and the debasement in them of human nature itself, as ever proceeded from the perverted ingenuity of man.' Even Dr. Johnson,, notwithstanding his strong Tory , prejudices, speaking of those penal laws, avowed that ' there is no instance, even- in the Ten Persecutions, of such severity as that which the Protestants of Ireland have exercised against the Catholics.' - Mr. Lecky, considering the penal code with all the calmness of an historian, writes : ' It may be justly regarded as one of the blackest pages in the history of persecutions.' When the century had more than half run its course (A.D. 1760J, the Chief Justice from the Irish Bench declaredthat in so far as the law of the land was concerned no such person was supposed to exist as an Irish Papist. As late as 1772 efforts .were made to alleviate the burden of the penal laws in j Ireland. Even the Protestant Archbishop of Armagh warmly advocated their repeal, but the Government was inexorable. American Revolt. . However, in 1774, the first rumblings were heard of the thunderstorm beyond the Atlantic, and the first lightning flashes wdre seen of the tempest that would usher in the Declaration of " American Independence. At once the conscience of Government was awakened. Something must be done, they said, to conciliate the Irish Papists. An -Act was introduced into Parliament and duly adopted to the effect, that an Irish Catholic might be permitted to take the Oath, of Allegiance, and thus be recognised, no longer as a wild beast, but as a subject'' of the Crown. -It was not, indeed,, a wide measure of toleration, for the whol~3 burden of the penal laws continued to oppress the Irish Catholics, yet it was something. A beginning was made, and the friends tif Ireland, without delay, made vigorous attempts to remove some at least of .the penal \laws ; but their efforts were unheeded' in England. - - * In 1778 the battle of Saratoga brought into bold relief the strength of the new-born United States, and for the first time three American frigates, under the command of the brave conimo-

dore who, I believe, was known to his contemporaries as ' Saucy Jack Barry,' made their^appearance off the Irish coast. Once more the conscience of Great Britain was awakened. < Again they said something must be done to lighten the burden ' of' the long-oppressed Catholics. A' Bill was introduced into the -British

Parliament repealing a few of the oppressive laws. Sir George Savile, in proposing the measure,, described the penal statutes as 'intolerable penalties and disqualifications.' The SolicitorGeneral for "England, in-' seconding- the measure, declared that some of those, penal laws " were at all times a disgrace to humanity.' Lord Beauchamp, ancestor of one of our most-distin-guished representatives of the Crown in New South Wales, supporting the Bill, said in repealing the~se~'laws, ' he was not so much employed in conferring. favors on the Catholics as in rescuing the statutes from disgrace.' And so a first Instalment of justice was' granted to the liish Catholics. In 1783 New York surrendered to the American army, and a further relaxation : c f the penal laws was made. Again, in -1793, storms were gathering on the. American horizon. The magnetic influence was once more^ felt in the British Cabinet, and several penal laws were swept away. , - " .

Catholic Emancipation.

It was not till 36 years later, in" 1829, that final emancipation was achieved. This great triumph was mainly owing to the indomitable energy and devotedness of the immortal Liberator, Daniel O'Conncll, but throughout his incomparable campaign he was at every step sustained and strengthened by the moral influence of the friends of Ireland in the United States. It is difficult for us nowadays to realise the stubbornness and stupidity with which the bigotry of England had clung to the remnant I of those- penal laws. When, in 1825, a measure of relief had I been adopted in the House of Commons, its progress was 'stopped in the House of Lords by the declaration of the Royal Duke of i York, heir-apparent to the throne. He solemnly avowed his unalterable determination to resist all proposals of Catholic relief, and he added that ' these Avere the principles to which he would adhere, and which he would maintain and act up to to the latest moment of. his existence, ' whatever ' might" be his situation in life. So help him, God.' The Lord Chancellor, Eldon, at these words shed tears of joy. The royal words were printed in letters of gold, and hung up in the London drawingroqms, and thousands of copies of the emphatic declaration wcr* scattered broadcast throughout the kingdom. Nevertheless, under the guidance of O'Connell, the Catholic Association pursued its onward course^ Early in 1829, no fewer than rcoo public !, meetings were held on the one Sunday, in Ireland! -'in several 1 cities of the United States, such as Charleston, Savannah, Washington, Brooklyn, Augusta Norfolk, and Louisville, similar a'sso-' j ciations were organised and meetings were- held. Special im- ! portance was attached to the meetings held in Augusta, at which ; Major-General Montgomerie himself, the son of an Irish exile i presided. - - ' The result may be briefly told. The Duke of Wellington, as Premier, asked the Royal sanction to introduce the measure of emancipation, and on the King's refusal handed in his resignation. No one else, however, could be found to undertake the task of forming a Ministry. When summoned to resume the helm . of State, he plainly stated to the^King: 'No one dislikes the emancipation of the Catholics more than I do, but there is no alternative; there must be emancipation or civil war.' Thus emancipation was at length achieved, and this great triumph of justice was unquestionably in a great measure due to the invincible moral influence exercised by^lreland's friends in the United I ' States. - ~-

However, the triumph oF emancipation is only one of the many instances in which Ireland experienced the beneficent results of the influence of your great Republic. What shall 1 say of the blessings conferred all through the terrible years when famine and' pestilence swept over the, land? Before that dismal . period Ireland was justly styled a fair and- rare land, rich and beautiful as a -garden in full bloom ; but, during .those famine years it seemed to be transformed into, a land of desolation and a dreary wilderness. During those years the Government of the United States -repeatedly sent its frigates laden with food to succor the famishing people; and Mr. Lecky, . resting his statement on official datav attests that, besides this public munificence, no Jess a sum than £20,000,000, was forwarded by friends of Ireland in fte United States to relieve the distress <ff the Irish sufferers. Then began that terrible- exodus in which, by thousands -and! tens of thousands, the natives of Ireland rushed away from its fated shores. Lord Russell of Killowen, Chief Justice of Engand has written of those emigrants: 'Their exodus has been hke that of the Israelites when they were seeking to escape from

the' Egyptian bondage.' To those exiles- the. United Sjates b> came the Promised Land. They found there freedom, contentment, and happy homes, and it is pleasant to record that *n every department of State and in every walk of' life those exiles and their descendants have proved themselves grateful, energetic and. enlightened cjtizens. .- . The Church, in Australasia. It will be pleasfng to you to know that in our own fair Australian land religion may lay claim- to no less progress. A hundred years ago- it would be idle to go ifr search of anything bordering on civil or religious liberty in Australasia. In all th= - vast territories designated by that name there was. no church' no school, and there was no priesfto break the Bread of' Life to the.Catholic wayfarer or to impartto thedying convicts the aonsolations f of religion. The lot of the scattered, suffering Catholics was the- • more unendurable, as they were ordered to assist at the Pro--testant_gervice, and should they refuse 40 lashes awaited them. In their last moments their hearts were embittered by the thought that enforced Protestantism would be the lot of their orphan children. Even ten years later than that centenary date, when a zealous priest made his way to this city, eager to spend his life in bringing the blessings of religion to his suffering countrymen, he was treated with contumely by the authorities^ thrown- - into gaol, and sent back to London a prisoner. In common with the whole Catholic body throughout the British Empire in 1829, we partook, in some measure at least,of the blessings which emancipation conferred; but" so Blind was • the bigotry, and so intense the anti-Catholic prejudices whicheverywhere held sway, that it took at least two decades of years for the principles of civil and religious liberty to assert their place, and for religious equality to be established amongst us.-To-day religion keeps pace with the material development 'and progress of this vast territory, and in the fervent spirit of union, piety, devotedness, and generosity our faithful people will not yield to any nation in Christendom.^ I have dwelt ; at some length on. the great benefits that have accrued to lieland through the moral influence of your great nation. There are still, however, many grievances to be redressed, many victories, to be achieved. May we not hope thai the same beneficent influence which has been so effectually exercised in the past shall long continue to make itself felt, the better to obtain for the motherland of many of your"citizens the • healing measures of which it stands in need; and" may "we not trust that the first fruits of that salutary influence shall be the contentment, prosperity, and peace, associated with the triumph' of Home Ruje, which arc the prized heritage of our Australian Commonwealth. Speeches were delivered in support of the toast by the Lord ' Mayor of Sydney and Mr. Justice O'Connor. Rev. Father Glecson, in responding, said their welcome j>v the- Catholics of Sydney would bs appreciated by the non-CatholiV ' body as well as- by the Catholic body, because in America in every movement that was for the uplifting of struggling humanity or for the promotion and well-being of the race, the Catholics an 3 Protestants stood shoulder to shoulder. Turning to the Cardinal, Father Gleeson said on behalf of the men of the fle^t he desired to again thank him. The banquet had the distinctipn ' of having 14 captains, over 120 commissioned officers, aooch'of" petty officers, and 800 .men present. The "reason why they had ' not 5000 present was because the Town Hall or the Cathedral could not accommodate them. It *as not too much for him" to say that when the fleet left Sydney their visit wouid be written in gold in their memories if such a thing were possible" "