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VOL’ XXIV.
Griffin’
PHILADELPHIA SEPTEMBER, 1896.
=
No. 411
GRIPES POPRIAD
PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY
MARTIN I.J. GRIFFIN,
* 711 Sansom STREET,
PHILADELPHIA.
« . Devoted to
Church and Country.
TERMS:
60 Cents a Year im advance.
“This paper is mailed regularly to
its subseribers until an erder
to discontinue is received and
allarrears are paid in fall.’
— es
+ “NOTHING OF CHRIST.”
In a recent speech Mr. T, V. Powderly
said’ |
“Why is it that labor absents itself
from the - house of God ?” was asked of
me. as an Episcopalian for one
Sunday last year, The minister was a
good speeker. le spoke about the
church repa‘rs, and parsonage repairs.
He spoke 45 minutes, and never spoke
of Christ, nor His work, but the collec-
tion was not forgotten,
“In our cathedral the priest told the
people to he good, but nothing of Christ
—not aword, I went to the Presby-
. terian chureb, and to every church in
the city—ail the same story ; all for man,
not one word about God. Not a word to
help the poor man,
“A bishop came ona trai, A lux-
urious carriage, was ready to meet him,
with foar white horses and coachman in
livery ; people bowing, coachman tipping
his hat. Drove to his own door, which
he entered. walking from carriage to
dooron acarpet. If that bishop stood
for anything, he stood for Christ, who
waiked barefooted with a crown of
A Luxurious Temple of Worship.
“A temple was built of stone, with
$120,000.
of the people who contributed the money,
None of them are earning over $2 per
day; many only 90 cents per day,. The
parsonage cost $35,000, for Christ’s
representative to be warm in ; God is not
bungry. or cold, needs not this luxury.
Why this extravagance ?
Mr. Powderly isa “heretic”? isn’t he ?
SOULS ABOVE SILVER,
“But what puts this question above
all others is the moral aspect of it; while
Scripture authority, to be forever lost.
Think what it means to bis family. to
his wife and children, and tothe com-
munity in his loss as a producer to the
State and the nation, and then maltiply
it by 60,000, aye, 75, you
have some tain conception of the tribu'e
this country is paying yearly for the
privilege of collecting from this great
iniquity about $200,000,000 more or less.
Such a momentous
being the leading issue of a party whose
proud boast is that ts dominating spirit
is love of God, home. and humanity?
—Joshua Levering, Prohibvtion Party
Candidate for Presedent.
“OLD MARY JOHNSON.”
Another of our village’s celebrities, though her fame was principally
among the Catholics, was dear -* old Mary Johnson,”? She too was an ad-
mirer of “‘curley-headed-Hogan,” and adbered to him ‘a poor persecuted
martyr,’’after his suspension by Bishop Conwell. When he couldno longer
remain with the other priests in Father Greaton’s house, but took up his
residence in the small two-story dwelling, as the residence of Mrs, Baker’s
parents, and which now belonged to St. Mary’s Church, Mary Johnson
became his housekeeper, I wish I could describe Mary to you as many of
our fathers have seen her. She was scarce more than four feet high, lean
in proportion, and until old age, active upon her feet; she never walked,
she always trotted, If Mr. Swiveler had seen her, he would have declared
her a close connection of the Marchioness. I must give you a description
of this his:orical house, [t was a two storied house with attics. From a
step on a level with the sidewalk, you entered a box-entry, about four feet
by three, which led into Mrs, Baker’s “best room.”? A window on the
North side opposite the door of entrance gave you a view of a narrow four
foot yard and of the St. Joseph’s Residence. To the right of this window
was a door leading to the kitchen, or as it was generally called “ the living
room.” As soon as you passed this door, stepping to the right, you might
ascend the stairs to the second floor, landing upon a small square entry,
between the two rooms and having another flight leading to the aitic as it
is now styled, then, to the garret. In this entry was a window from which
an easy view might be obtained of all who entered the Bishop's house, It
wasa tavorite occupa.ion of ‘the Gentleman from Limerick” to sit in
this entry pretending to read, but in reality watching the incomings and
outgoings at the house of his adversary. One afternoon when engaged in
this pastime, a committee of three of the trustees of St. Mary’s—Joha
Leamy, Richard W, Meade, and John Ashley, waited upon Mr. Hogan, to
obtain his signature toa letter they had prepared as from him in reply to
the Bishop's Secretary, Rey. Wm. Vincent Harold, 0.8. D. Their knock
at the door brought Mary from her classic apartment to answer it. it was
necessary that she should pass the Reverend gentleman, who, not knowing
who was about to visit him, thought he might tako a-liberty: with his
little ‘Dame Durden,” he had often taken with the proud damsels of
Penn’s City.—Noble Mary Johnson! She had clung to Mr. Tlogan through
good report and ill, for she thought he was a true priest of God ; she had
heard the cvrrent stories, but, to her, these were the inventions of enemies :
she knew he was censured by his Bishop, but she had been led to believe
the Bishop ‘‘an obstinate, ill informed tyrannical, old dotard.”” 1¢ is true
he had kept very late hours, but Mary was an industrious, cleanly body,
and after a day’s hard labor, when she ascended to her garret and had said
her prayers, she recked but little of sublunary affairs, Mr. Hogan did not
attend the sick, so she had no dread of night calls hovering over her innc-
cent slumbers. But, Mr. Hogan, this time, had made a mistake—the blood
of purity suffused her face, the light of insulted virtue flashed from her eye,
and with the strength of an Agnes ora Lucy, she gave the chair a push,
which sent it and its sacrilegious occupant heels over head down the stairs,
Crash went the door, and there lay William and the chair, and ‘* who could
say which was which?’ The gentlemen in waiting hearing the noise,
entered, and what was their amazement to behold their chosen pastor, lying
upon the floor of the kitchen, his well greased locks disheveled, and bruised
more severely than he chose to acknowledge. and the little Heroine of
Willing’s Alley standing dishcloth in hand ready to defend herself and
honor. ‘*That woman’s crazy,’ said Mr. H, rising, ‘‘ without the least
provocation, she threw me down stairs, she’s an emissary of Cooper's.”
** She’s little in size,” said John Ashley with a peculiar smile, ‘* but she’s
big in strength.”? From that day poor Mary Johnson was never perfectly
‘right in mind.” Tfer self-imposed mission was to drive all dogs out of
Church, Mass or Vespers, or Lenten Service, there was Mary with her
stoo], which she placed in the middle of the aisle, Infatuated animal if
the canine species, you made a mistake in entering St, Joseph’s Chureb, of
you thought you would there find a haven of Tepose for your weary men-
bers.—Mary Johnson is there ; think not because she is so quiet, telling her
beads, or gazing at the Holy Tabernacle, you can enter unperceived ; you
have not crossed the thresaold, no one else may have perceived you, when
‘up jumps Mary. Now, doggy, doggy, you had better go out—tuke the
word of a friend and go atonce. You need nos think to frighten her by
your * bark;’? why, Lion, she’s not afraid of your ‘‘ bite,” Rover, none of
your tricks, skip and jump, yes, flourish your interesting narrative, you
cannot blarney Mary ; that’s as trite as a twice told tale to her. Juno,
poor pet, suppose not that your mistress’ skirts shall prove a ‘* Fairy God-
mother’s cloak ’? to render you invisible. Doggies, Mary has said that you
shall leave the Church, and Mary’s fiut is irrevocable. Come, nice fellows,
come now, come, go out, Is there any rule without an exception? This
+ exterminating statute had one solitary. Every day before first Mass, a tan-
colored quadruped walked serenely and stately up the middle aisle, until he
arrived at the ten-plate piece of furniture so useful for imparting warmth
to man and brute, and there he lay down and slept till service was over,
when he rejoined his master at the door, Many wondered why this privi-
lege. No reliable data can be found to show when and how or what he did
to propitiate the lady of the stool.
For many years, Mary made her home, as akind of domestic anda
kind of protégé, with the family of Mr. Philip Smith. She died a few years
since, when an inmate of St. Ann’s Widow's Asylum.
It is sad to state that Norah and Mary were not the only persons whose
reason was affected by Mr. Hogan’s misconduct—bappy would it be if the
faith of none had been darkened. All who favored him came to an unfor-
tunate end, It used to bea common remark, ‘So andso is dead—wasn’t
ita fearful death??? ‘ No wonder’ would be the response, ‘they were
Hoganites.”” I know of but two remaining, a very aged lady and her son ;
and [ must confess I wait with not a little curiosity to hear of their death,
The ancieat dame I have not seen for years; the son is a penitent of one of
Ours, andjdaily visits the Church and devoutly prays before Him Who has
never been petitioned in vain for pardon; and if humble prayer can avert
the temporal punishment due to certain sins, I hope this death will bea
proof of it. It is also sad to notice that the son of one of the leaders of that
unholy schism—whose memory bis Country will cherish for ages, if she
lasts sojlong, as her savior —died yesterday, Nov. 6th, 1872, outside of the
pale of the Church, and his funeral services are to take place at St. Mark's
Protestant Episcopal Church —Truly the sins of the fathers are visited upon
the children to many generations,
[This was Gen. George G. Meade. Ep. JOURNAL.]
[Woposrock Lerrers, Vol. III, No.1. Jan, 1874.]
FIRST CONFIRMATION IN PHILADELPHIA.
First Confirmation in Philadelphia by Rev, John Carroll, Catholic
histories and writers assign to the year 1784. After considerable search
and testing statements of several writers I am satisfied that Father Carroll
administered Confirmation for the first time in Philadelphia in St. Mary’s
Church, October 2d, 1785, Possibly the following Sunday, October 9th
may have been the day. .
Tis appointment as Superior with power to administer this sacrament
is dated June 6th, 1784. The letter of appointment came to Le Sieur
Barbede Marbois, the French Vice Consul in this city, and it was not until
Nov. 28th, 1784, that Dr, Carroll received it. That*would haye been too
late in the year to have gone ona visitation from Rock Creek, Md, Besides,
it would have been necessary for him to have given notice so as to have
those who were to receive the sacrament properly prepared. Again no
trace of Dr. Carroll’s presence in Philadelphia in 1784 have I been able to
discover,
But be came here in 1785, having one thing todo, That was to get
the signature of apostate Jesuit, hiscousin, Rev. C, I. Wharton, to certain:
papers conveying to Wharton’s brother the estatein Maryland which he
had surrendered before joining the Jesuits provided his brother married
with the consent of Rey. Dr. Carroll, That consent having been given,
Dr, Carroll brought on necessary papers to be signed, They met for this
purpose at the house of Thomas FitzSimons, where Dr, Carroll wasa
guest, and though they had issued controversial Pamphlets against one
another, they met on the. most friendly terms to transact the business.
[Dr. Carroll’s pamphlet, in reply to Wharton’s, is among the rare books in
The American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia.] The Property
was in St. Mary’s county, Md., but unfortunately the land records of that.
county for that date have been destroyed, Otherwise the Cate of the papers
would give us the date of confrmation more nearly,
Rey. Dr. Carroll, after making visitations in Marylaad, on Sept. 224,
started on ‘on a progress”? for Philadelphia, New York and New Jersey,
That date was Thursday, and perhaps he may have reached this city, by
Sunday, the 25th, but considering the means of traveling in those days,
a
and the consequent fatigue, and that Dr. Carroll is likely to have stopped
at Bohemia Manor, in charge of his brethern of the then suppressed (?)
Society of Jesus, and to have attended to the Catholics thereabout, it is not
likely that he reached Philadelphia until during the week, The first Sunday
of October (2). 1785, with a possibility of its being October 9th, may be
regarded as the date of the first Confirmation in Philadelphia,
MARTIN I, J. GRIFFLN,