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58 THE CATHOLIC CONGRESS.
one-third of all their students, with one-fourth of the colleges, nearly
600 academies and 2,600 parochial (elementary) schools, instructing
more than 500,000 children, the church is seen to be a force which,
educationally considered, is equalled by no other single agency but
the government itself.
“The Theological Seminary of St. Sulpice, Baltimore, is,
according to the Catholic Year Book, the oldest organization for the-
ological instruction in this country, dating from 1791. To the
Catholics, also, belong several industrial reform schools, orphans’
homes, and normal schools.’’ With this splendid testimony of a
non-Catholic, and therefore one not partial to Catholic schools, I
may well close this, to me unsatisfactory, paper. It has hastily been
thrown together in the chance intervals of a very busy, every-day
life. Its style is crude, but its sentiments are honest.
With one glance at the past and future, I close.
My Catholic brethren, this to us is a glorious day. Glorious
in the splendid promise it gives for the future—glorious in recalling
the story of the past. As Catholics, with unsandalled feet, we stand
at the cradle of our faith in these United States. As citizens, we
have come to the cradle also of civil and religious liberty in the
west. With grateful and humble hearts we lay upon God’s altars
our thanksgiving for his manifold blessings to church and people.
With grateful and humble hearts we turn to our country’s altar and
thank God that he has preserved thereon the fires of freedom which
our Carrolls helped to light. Oh, Maryland—thou state of a blessed
name—thy land is holy! Thy land is holy—for here the ‘‘ Ark”
bearing the charter of freedom first rested—here the ‘‘ Dove’ of
peace among the nation’s first found homes. And thou, Baltimore,
fair city of this ancient see, how our Catholic pulses start at the
mention of thy name! Through the vista of foo years rises up
the figure of thy first bishop, John Carroll—priest, patriot, and
patriarch. Down the line of his successors, what glorious names
adorn thy annals. ‘To mention some of them is to touch the Cath-
olic heart. —A Kenrick, a Spalding, a Bayley—until the mantle falls
upon that man who, it is no flattery to say, stands not alone a prince
of the Church Catholic, but a leader of American thought, James,
Cardinal Gibbons.
But, to return to my theme, we are dealing not so much with
the past as with the living present. The foundations of our Catho-
lic schools have been laid broad and deep. ‘They are not all we
desire them to be, but considering the difficulties encountered, they
are schools of which we may well be proud.
There is, however, an unknown field for effective educational
work which, as I stand before this great assembly of Catholic lay-
men, I dare not neglect to mention. I refer to the colored people,—
to the freedmen of the south. I know those people. I know their
hunger for. knowledge. I know how docile they are and how
patient—how susceptible to good influences. I know these things,
for I am a southern man born; and, God forgive me for it, I have
had my share of the southern man’s foolish prejudices on this sub-
ject,—but I have got bravely over them. And I say to you, my
brethren of the first Catholic American congress, that we owe it as
an act of reparation to those children of a cruel fate to do all we can
to lift them out of that darkness, mental or moral, into which they
have been plunged through no fault of theirs. Oh, that God would
inspire some great-hearted man or woman to undertake this work,
some one who has been blessed with this world’s abundance, to lead
in laying the foundation for the Catholic mission schools for the
colored people of the south. When that glorious leader comes, the
field will be found ripening for the harvest.
Once in the olden time a Catholic queen pledged her jewels that
the adventurous prows of the ‘‘ world-seeking Genoese’’ might be
turned toward the west. In our day an American girl—uncrowned,
but by that royal patent of grace and good will with which God in-
vested her gentle womanhood—endowed with munificent hand our
Catholic university at Washington. And when for all time that
university shall point heavenward its cross-crowned spires, this deed
which she has done will be spoken in memory of her.
And as from that centre of Catholic education the cross of
Christ shall be lifted beside Liberty enthroned on the nation’s capi-
tol, we, as Catholics and citizens of the republic, see in the one and
in the other the perfect promise of freedom here and that freedom
wherewith Christ has made us free in our Father’s kingdom.
The church shall live by the unfailing prothise of her divine
founder. The republic lives only through the virtue of her people,
promoted, preserved, and perpetuated through ‘‘ Religion, morality,
and knowledge.”’
THE CHAIRMAN: ‘‘Gentlemen of the Congress: I am sure that
this body will excuse me for one moment and allow me to present
to this audience, at their own invitation, His Honor, Ferdinand C.
Latrobe, mayor of the city of Baltimore.” (Applause. )
Mayor LAtrosr: ‘‘A/r. President, Ladies and Gentlemen; I
am here to-day at your invitation to be present on one of. the occa-
sions of the deliberations of the Catholic congress in Baltimore. I
did not come to take part in your deliberations. I did not come to-
make a speech or an address upon this occasion, nor could it be
even expected that I should make a speech; because if so I am:
confident I should have been given some little time for preparation
before speaking to such an intelligent audience as I see before me.
But I am here officially as the chief executive officer of this city to
bid you welcome to Baltimore. (Applause.) I do not know what
attractions our city can offer. I do not know what species of free-
dom our city can give you, but whatever they are, I assure you
they are freely extended, and certainly in the chief city of the state
of Maryland, a'state founded on the eternal doctrine of religious
toleration (applause), every freedom of speech and thought is
offered to every one who comes to the city of Baltimore. (Ap-
plause.)
‘‘T will be happy to see you all on Thursday afternoon, when
we propose to extend a reception at the city hall to the distinguished
prelates and lay members of this great Catholic Church, who have
honored Baltimore with its selection as the place for the delibera-
tions of its congress. (Applause.) .
‘I thank you for your kind invitation to me to be present, and
if you will permit me I will now become a listener instead of a
talker upon this occasion.’’ (Applause.)
The thanks of the congress were tendered Judge Kelly for his
address. :
SOCIETIES.
SEVENTH REGULAR *PAPER, BY HENRY J. SPAUNHORST, OF ST.
LOUIS, MO.
Mr. President, Most Reverend Prelates, Reverend Clergy, ana
Gentlemen of the Congress: I very reluctantly accepted the task to
prepare and read on this occasion, before such a large and intelli-
gent audience, as I knew this would be, a paper on societies and
organizations, fully cognizant of my inability todo justice to that
subject, but the committee said I must, hence there was no escape.
When I undertake to speak of societies, it is necessary asa
preliminary, to say that Ido not mean such organizations which
are recognized by the church as strictly religious societies, nor such
as confraternities or societies for special devotions, or of piety, nor
sodalities and others of that class, which are strictly under the
supervision of clerical authorities. I speak of societies such as
are charitable in their character, composed of Catholic men, the
management of which is generally left in the hands of the members
themselves, but their rules being sanctioned by the pastors of the
parishes in which they were organized. Of these societies there
are a large number. Some of them confine themselves to the labor
of visiting indigent and poor families, in giving relief in kind to
the needy, or in kind words give advice, encourage and assist them
to their self-sustenance and to the practice of Christian life. The
means to accomplish this are gathered by voluntary contributions
in such manner that neither member knows what his neighbor con-
tributes. Foremost in this laudable work is the St. Vincent de
Paul society, also known as St. Vincent Brotherhood, with its con-
ferences scattered all over the United States, with its particular,
upper, and general councils well established. .
Next to this organization I would mention the different socie-
ties having for their special objects to provide homes for the
orphans and parentless, in which to shelter and educate the
orphans. Next, such organizations which take charge of the way-
ward and neglected, or abandoned children, conducting refuges and
reformatories. Then follow organizations providing for the old,
infirm, and sick, conducting hospitals and homes for that class.
All these are societies, organizations, and institutions which have
been established in every part of the country where there are Cath-
olics, each and every one working with such means as they can
command, in the direction of the objects to be obtained by them.