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* 'mv. KVf CATHOLICS IN AMERICAN HISTORY MisirOecilia Mary Thennes, TaugK fcer of Mr. and Mrs. John A. Thennee of this city, was declared the winner of an essay writing contest as conducted by St. Mary's court, C. O. Fn of McHenry and in which eighth grade pupils of St. Mary's parochial school participated. The subject was "Catholics in American History," and as result of the efforts of the winner she will be presented with a medal at the annual graduation exercises of St. Mary's school, which will take place at the Empire theatre on Tuesday evening of next week. , The judges in the contest were Rev. M. J. McEvoy, Peter M. Jvten and Carl W. Stenger. Miss Thennes' essay is herewith published in full: . ; CATHOLICS IN pt , AMERICAN HISTORY •'•vvlik' Is often said that Catholics are "foreigners," and have the foreign spirit and consequently cannot be good American citizens. It would be well for those who say this to remember that Catholics were the first white people that ever came to America and were the first to introduce Christian civilization into our country and to develop a genuine American spirit; ajid thru all the years of American Vices that graced the new World was the sacrifice of the mass. ; Thus was the mightiest human enterprise in all history inspired by the holy Catholic church; and if original Idiscovery secures the highest right to the occupation of a country, then Catholics have the first right to live on American soil. While the Spanish settlements were being founded in 1566, the religious welfare of the Indians was not overlooked. The city of St. Augustine was founded and a church built. It is the oldest in the United States and a Catholic one at that. This is a very emphatic paragraph said by Senator Vest of Missouri. "I am a Protestant. My father was an elder in the old Scotch Presbyterian church and my earliest impressions were that the Jesuits had horns and hoofs and tails and that there was a faint odor of sulphur in the air when one of them crossed your path. Some years, ago I was assigned by the senate to duty upon a committee to examine the Indian schools in Montana and Wyoming. I visited everyone of them. I wish to say now, what I have said before in the senate, that I did not see in all my journey a single school that was doing educational work worth while except those under the control of the Jesuits. The Jesuits have elevated the Indian wherever they have been allowed to do so, without interference by bigotry and fanaticism, and the cowardice of politicians who are afraid of the A. P. A. They have made the Indian a Christian and also self-supporting I am not afraid to say this, because I speak from personal observation, and no man ever went among these Indians with more inhistory Catholics have been in the forefront among the propagators and protectors of our sAmerican civiliza- " tion. In this essay I wish to show how the Catholics influenced the Past _ arid present history of our country inj "against*"the Jesuits general, and then conclude with a^ j did when , ,eft the city of more minute examination of Catno-; lies at the present time. The first thing Catholics did for the western continent was to find it and name it and let the world know about j it This was no small achievement! and it required centuries to accom-J plish it. Now to begin with it was, St. Brendan, an Irish monk of the sixth century, who discovered a "mosti beautiful land in which there was a; great river." This land is supposedl to be some where around the country] of Chesapeake Bay. These long,! perilous journeys of St. Brendan have b$en known as the "Irish Odyessey" and were accredited to European! Washington." In 1634 a coi|pf>any of Catholics came to AmenypA to build up a state where they could worship God without molestation. George Calvert, Lord Boltimore, resolved a refuge in the new world for the prosecuted people of his own religion. From his friend, Charles I, he obtained the promise of a grant of land in northern Virginia. Lord Baltimore died before the charter was completed, but his son, the second Lord Baltimore, received the grant. Charles I gave the name of Maryland to this piece of land in . ^ , honor of his own queen, who was a fg eographers even in the time of Co-! 0 , .. T t TA . Catholic. In the spring of 1634 Govlumbus. It is a remarkable fact that - on the map which the learned Paulo Toscanneli prepared for Columbus just before his voyage across the Atlantic there is a space marked far out in the Atlantic ocean named St. Brendan's land. From the life of Columbus, written by his son, Ferdinand, we learn that Columbus had the very map in his hands on his way to America. This St. Brendan was not a mythical character, for we are told by several Irish writers of history, that after he returned to Ireland he established the monastery of Clonfert, one of the great schools of ancient Erin. The authorities cited in support of these statements are "McGee's Irish settlers in America," Humbolt's "Cosmos" and others. If these authorities are trustworthy, then we are obliged to admit that nearly fourteen hundred years ago this continent was discovered by an Irish monk, the first name given to it was in honor of a Catholic saint. It wa§\ Catholic Ireland's influence la Norwa^ and Iceland which opened the way, l^ter on, for the early discoveries in America by the Norsemen. It was thru the Scandinavians that Christen influence continued to come • from Ireland to America. In 985 A. D„„ Greenland was discovered by TfiSgan navigators from Iceland and soon after this the untiring Irish Catholic missionaries evangelized Norway, Sweden and Greenland and , re-Christianized Iceland. Immediately after this Leif Ericson discovered America and then, for four hundred years, there was continuous intercommunication between Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Greenland and America. It was chiefly thru Leif Ericson's influence that Greenland was evangelized. Near the close of the tenth century Leif made a visit back to Norway and found that the king and the people there embraced Christianity. He was so impressed by this fact that he promptly became a Catholic. He returned to Greenland a - Christian missionary and soon the whole of Greenland became Catholic. Sooji after he discovered America $nd reached New Foundland. Later he found Narragansett bay. Thus was the Catholic sign of redemption erected on the coast of Massachusetts nearly six hundred years before the ftlritan set foot on Plymout Rock. About four hundred years after Lief Ericson discovered America, Christopher Columbus, after reading MarcO Popo's book of travel, was convinced that the earth was round,, but to carry out this plan he needed •toney. He first went to his native country, Italy, but was rejected. I*ter he went to Portugal, but with the same answer he returned to ask aid from Spain. Here he learned that they were at war and could not help • |Bm. It was thru Father Juan Perez, • friend of Columbus, the confessor of Queen Isabelle, that the money was gotten for set sail he, went to confession and received the Holy Eucharist. When they boarded tfceir little vessels he reverently committed the little fleet to the benign «*re of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On the first sight of land the admiral and his crew fell on their knees and titianted the Gloria in Excelsis. In his jreligious ZPR! he called the land San Salvador and the first Christian ernor Calvert landed on the northern bank of the Potomac river ' near its mouth and founded the town of St. Mary's. Father White, a priest who came with them, had but landed when he got permission from an Indian chief to convert his wigwam into a chapel. This was the first English church in America. Virginia would not have permitted the church to stand. New England would not. It was only in the wilderness of Maryland that it was safe. The Catholics Were broad minded to let the people have freedom of religion. They were later driven from their own land to other parts of the other colonies. It was later proved that a country should have freedom of religion. Frontenac, the governor of new France, wanted the Mississippi river to be explored. He chose Louis Jolliet, a Montreal trader, for the enterprise. In May Jolliet, with Father Marquette, started off from St. Ignace mission in northern Michigan to find a great river of the west. Dragging their light canoes up the rapids of the Fox river, they crossed Lake Winnebago and soon discovered the Wisconsin river. On June 17, 1673, they entered the river called Mississippi by the Indians, but named Conception by Father Marquette. They sailed up the river, passed the Ohio and converted the Indians to the true faith. Fearing to fall into the hands of the Spaniards and the Indians they turned back. They felt assured that the river emptied in the Gulf of Mexico and did not want to risk their lives to go and see. Ascending the Illinois river Marquette ministered to the Kaskaskias. Thence pushing onward they entered Lake Michigan and reached Green Bay in September, having traveled on less than two thousand miles in their light canoes. Jolliet and a few companions returned* to Montreal. A year later Father Marquette set out to establish a mission in Kaskaskia. He had scarcely reached the village when he fell ill. Desiring to spend his last days in St. Ignace he started homeward. The days of the explorer were numbered. While his companions were hurrying him home he died on the shore of Lake Michigan, thanking God that he was permitted to die in the " wilderness. There were very few explorers tljat ever left without a priest. Charles Carrol of Carrolton was one of the signers of the declaration of independence. He was educated abroad. On his return to the country he took up the fight against the taxation of the people for the church of England. He was one of the men who would give up their fortune for the cause of America if necessary. When the Baltimore and Ohio railroad was to be constructed Carrol turned the first spadeful of sod. In his home he , -. had a chapel. The Catholics are and the voyage. Before he i should feel very proud of him because with his crew of men, | he has done very much for the country. He died in Baltimore in 1832. About six months after the declaration of independence, a noble man of France, named Marquis de Lafayette, after seeking in vain to secure help from France for the Americans, secretly fitted out a ship at his own expense and sailed for America to join the forces of Washington without pay. His historical words were, "When first I heard of American independence my heart was enlisted." He was hailed with intense joy on his arrival. And was almost immediately appointed major general in the army. A few days later he began his acquaintance with Washington, which soon ripened into intimate friendship. It was thru Lafayette, with the aid of Marie Antoinette and the king of France* Louis * the fifteenth, that Catholic France signed the treaty with the United States. It was signed a year after the declaration of independence, on the sixth of February, 1778. In the same year that Lafayette came over to America General Kosciuszko and Count Pulaski came to lend their assistance. General Kosciuszko was one of the men who founded the West Point academy. He was a Catholic of much importance because in the academy they train men for war. Count Pulaski was one of the men who offered their services to congress in 1777. He is known as the father of American cavalry. At the close of the war on November 4, 1781, in one of the Catholic churches in Philadelphia members of the United States congress, Washington, Lafayette and many of the distinguished generals and citizens attended the services. The Catholics as well as their fellow citizens rejoiced $hen Washington was elected president. Before the inauguration, Bishop Carrol, on behalf of the Catholic clergy, united with the representatives of Catholic laity in an address of congratulation to the new president. The memorable and cordial reply of Washington, "To the Roman. Catholics of the United States," was as follows: "I hope ever to see America among the foremost nations in examples of justice and liberality; ard I presume that your fallow citizens will not forget the patriotic part which you took in the accomplishment of the Revolution and the establishment of their government, or the important assistance which they received from a nation in which the Roman Catholic religion is professed. May the members of your society in America, animated alone by the pure spirit of Christianity and still conducting themselves as the faithful subjects of our free government, enjoy every temporal and spiritual felicity. Even Washington was grateful toward the Catholics. -- - It was Pierre Charles L'Enfant, a French engineer, a Catholic, who laid out the great city of Washington, one of the lovliest in all the world* The territory which is now the city of Washington was decided to the federal government by Daniel Caroll and a group of his fellow Catholics at a price which made it a virtual gift. It took very much skill to do it so exactly, but with the help of God it was finished. No other men of a different religion can say and boast as. much of its men as the Catholics. About twenty five years after the birth of Charles Carrol another great Catholic was born in Ireland, his name was John Barry. He came to America at the age of thirteen. He was captain of a very fine packet ship of the day. When the Revolution broke out he gave up the be3t ship in America to serve the patriotic cause. He was offered $80,000 by Lord Howe if he would join the British forces, but he would not. He said: "I have devoted myself to the cause of America and not the value and commend of the whole British fleet can seduce me from it." He was the first one to have the name of commodore. They are going to erect a statue in Franklin park in Washington in honor of oar Catholic commodore. Also during the Civil war peric^l the Catholics were very active. Some of the very important generals were Catholics. General Sherman was k man of much importance in the Civil war. He has taken cities and cut off supplies* On one occasion he had cut off the telegraph wires so he could not get any communication with the north. He started his troops on the march to the sea. Railroads were torn up and bridges burnt and everything that was of any use to the confederates. With the' aid of the blockading fleet he stormed Fort McAllister, which soon fell. It guarded the city of Savannah. Sherman sent a telegram to President Lincoln and "as a Christmas present to the city of Savannah, with one hundred and fifty heavy guns and plenty of amunition." Sherman has said: "I should have fell back many times,, if it were not for my wife." The noble wife was a Catholic. General Rosecrans, one of the not-* able Unioi\ generals of the Civil war. He was a native of Kingston, Ohio; entered West Point academy at the age of nineteen and graduated in 1842. He was fifth in a large and distinguished class. He served twelve years in- the army; resigned in 1854 with the rank of captain of engineers and followed the vocation of civil engineer in Cincinnati until the war broke out. He offered his services to the government at once and was assigned as aid de camp to General Mc- Clellan, then commanding the depart? ment of Ohio. When McClellan was called to Washington to become general in chief, Rosecrans succeeded him in commander of the department of Ohio, with the rank of brigadier general. He .rapidly cleared West Virginia of the confederates. Not long after came the battle of Chickamauga, long and hard fought one, but with such a ter rible loss of men. After a month later General Thomas succeeded Rosecrans. But was Chickamauga de feated? No. Because it broke the spirit of the southern soldier. Gen eral Thomas would have resigned if it were not for Rosecrans, who encour aged tot art to. Towards the end of 1863 he waB placed in command in Missouri with headquarters at St Louis. In 1867 he resigned his commission as brigadier general in the Union force. In the army General Rosecrans' ex ample heartened the men of his own faith and dispelled the mists of preju dice from the minds of others. He never entered into a battle on a perilous enterprise of any sort without first hearing mass. He was exceedingly strict in the observance of the Lord's day, he was well observed in theology. General Sheridan said of him, that a. visitor of the city of Washington will find no more regular attendants at mass in that decidedly Catholic city than Rosecrans, grand and gallant "old Rosey," the hero and the idol of the army of the Cumberland. As to loyalty in the recent World war, it is already so well known and so fully appreciated by our American people that it is hardly necessary to add another word now to their glorious record. Joyce Kilmer was a native of New Brunswick, New Jersey. He entered the field of journalism in New York. When the U. S. entered war he was ready to serVe her. At the time of his enlistment he was editor of the Literary Digest. He was assigned to the intelligence department. One of his duties was to find the position of the enemy's guns. He served during almost all of the second battle of Marne, until August 1, 1918, when he received a mortal wound. I am glad to also .state that he was a convert. Not only did Catholic men show their loyalty to the country, but the dear Catholic sisterhoods all over the land sent up their prayers to God and offered their services as nurses of the suit and the dying, both in the hospi tel and on the battlefields. As a matter of fact, thousands of these dear "angels of mercy" went to the scene of war and many of them lost their lives in seeking to save the lives of others. This was not only true in the recent gigantic war, but it has always been true in all the war thru which our nation has ever passed. A recent writer gives us the following brief account of the noble work of the nuns of our Civil war: "There were 250,000 Catholic soldiers in the Union army. Excepting Louisiana and Maryland, there were more Catholic sisters nursing the Union soldiers than there were Catholics in the confederate army. Every order of Catholic sisters in the country sent every available sister to nurse the sick, wounded and dying in field and hospital. Their charm, grace, efficiency and skill at all times under superb management of Sister Anthony and Mothers Catherine Spaulding and Columbo Carroll, won and 'received the eternal gratitude of the entire nation. What these noble women proved themselves to be in those troublesome times, so too are such today. The crawling, Sneaking, human viper who dares to slander them deserves and should receive the everlasting curse of mankind. As to the unflinching loyalty of the K. C., Governor Hammond declared: "I believe thoroughly that no order of citizens in this country is more patriotic and more devoted to America today than the Knights of Columbus." Now# we make bold to say finally that not only in the great World war, but in every crisis thru which our nation has ^passed, the Catholic citizenry has invariably proved itself loyal to the country. This sentiment was forcefully expressed by a fairminded editor in Pittsburgh. "Whether the need is for fighting men or for the trained nurse, an examination of the records show that both in times of peace and times of war the Catholics of the United States have ever been found in the vanguard. No pen can do justice to the sacrifices of blood and treasure made by thesfe devoted citizens when their country called." After all the foregoing historic evidence of Catholic patriotism, extending thru all the decades 6f our country's history, one would naturally suppose that the spirit and attitude toward Catholics in America would be one of peace and amity and fraternalism. But here we encounter a most disheartening disappointment. Instead of peace and good will, we find hatred and suspicion. By Cecelia Mary Thennes Imported olive oil at C. Unti's. Market your eggs at Erickson's. The finest imported olive oil in cans at C. Unti's. Big supply of crockery juat received at Vycital's. A: E. Nye transacted business in the metropolitan city Wednesday. J. W. Smith attended to "matters of a business nature in Chicago Monday. Misses Mayme Ibsh and Clara Miller were Chicago visitors the first of the week. Hurry, hurry, put up your'screens the flies are on the way. Screening at J. J. Vycital's. James Revor left this morning for a few weeks' visit with relatives and friends at Niles, Mich. Mr. an# Mrs. Harry Lindsay and children of Milwaukee are- spending the summer in McHenry. SUNDAY SCHOOL CONVENTION TO BE HELD AT UNCOIL JUNE 17 TO 20 Tlw good citizens of Lincoln say, ^ "We are ready" for the great convent^ tion, June 17-20, and Sunday school^;;;'*pl workers all over the state are prepar' :: ing to respond. All are urged to reg» „ ^ ? ister before the convention opens tha|p">' a comfortable place of entertainment** may be assured. To do this senj' : $1.00 with your name and address t|i& the Illinois Sunday School association, 128 N. Wells St* Chicago. ^ Convention headquarters will be afc~". the Cumberland Presbyterian churc* Broadway and Ottawa St. A speci railroad rate of one and onefare will be granted on certificates ofc; receipts reading to Lincoln (thesff' . ,should be secured with ticket) anft4 •validated upon arrival in Lincoln af§P". convention headquarters. Camping : V ground will be provided for r e g i s t e r e d .: delegates coming by auto. > - ^ This sixty-sixth annual convention? will mark the launching of advance s movements in every department. N# ; C one or two delegates can learn all th#1*^ ' convention has to offer. At least half dozen delegates should go fron|.. every community that the Sandajfv school workers at home may knon»«" * and feel the thrill of new life thafejn-: i stirs the field of religious education today. Get your olive oil at C. Unti's and - be assure of the best on the market. It's imported. When you are contemplating building of any kind call on or phone 93-R, Wm. G. Schreiner for insurance. McHenry, III. C mwm 1 fwiuks siciams vomsm cr- WORYWBRW ML&8M01S KftS r/ The Charles A. Coffin Foundation In 1922 Charles A. Coffin, founder and creator of the General Electric Company, retired from active leader ah ip of that Company. A* an expression of appreciation of Mr. Coffin'a life work the Charlea , A. Coffin Foundation was created. Thia Foundation oonaiata of a fund tha income from which ia to be utii~ imed in encouraging and rewarding service in the electrical field. A gold medal known as the Charlea A. Coffin Medal ia awarded annually to the electric utility operating company in' the United Statea, which during the year has made ~ the greatest contribution towards increasing the advantages of the uae of electric light and power for the convenience of the public and tha well being of the industry. The Company receiving the •_ Charlea A. Coffin Medal receives also $1,000 for its employes ben- > aSt or aimilmr fund. THE announcement that the Public Service Company of Northern Illinois has been awarded the Charles A. Coffin Medal for 1923, is important information to the more than 21,400 stockholders, who will feel a natural pride in the attainment by their company of this signal honor. This award, which has attracted national attention to Northern Illinois, was made to the Public Service Company-- ^ "in recognition of its tHaHngaiah^d ctMstribuihm during the year nineteen hundred twenty three M the development of electric light and power for the convenience of the public and the benefit of the industry." In selecting this Company for the high honor, among all those competing, the Charles A. Coffin Prize Committee of the National Electric Light Association considered these outstanding factor* in the Company's activities: Thoroughness of the policy of personal service M . --^Customers. : ^ _ Particular initiative, skill and enterprise manifesto^, , in enlarging the general use of electricity. _ Developement of efficiency in company organization Improvements in construction practice, resulting in greater reliability of service. Increased efficiency in the generation and tion of electric energy. Extension of service to homes not previously wirad and to rural communities. ^--u Had not the people in the territory served by this Company recognized the essential importance to their communities of dependable electric service ^ and by their friendly co-operation as customers and stockholders, expressed their confidence, this Company could not have accomplished the things whiA won honor not only to it, but to Northern. UlinoM. PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS Sirring 6,000 aqaar* miles--202 cities ami toum» --writh GOB or Electricity jg. E. McCOLLUM, District Manager Crystal Lake, Illinois