352 ANDREW J. SHIPMAN MEMORIAL 



learning, wealth or position among their members — save a great 

 name here and there — they struggled on through difficulty and 

 opposition. Then note the rise through the nineteenth century 

 to the present time. In the earlier part of the last century, the 

 almost starving Irish, untrained and unlettered, came as ex- 

 ponents of an already depreciated, if not despised, form of 

 faith ; and cuhured opponents pointed to them with their peas- 

 ant habits and general ignorance as the fruits which the Catho- 

 lic Church brought forth in the lands where her doctrines 

 reigned supreme. Then there were no splendid temples here, 

 in which (3ur Lord was worshipped on resplendent altars, and 

 where music, painting and sculpture might show forth to the 

 most listless observer the culture which the Church encouraged. 

 Even the worshippers themselves were far from edifying in 

 those earlier days, and dissensions broke out upon small provo- 

 cation. It seemed to justify whatever our opponents could 

 invent to fling at us ; and it was succeeded by a short-lived but 

 active persecution. 



Conceive, if you can nowadays, an unlettered, poverty- 

 stricken, hard-working minority persecuted throughout these 

 Atlantic States by those who thought they were doing their 

 country service in suppressing — if not actually oppressing — 

 and adherents of the oldest Faith in the Christian world. Per- 

 haps it only needed a touch of persecution to bring the Catho- 

 lic body closer together, and make them more determined 

 to succeed. At any rate, they made marvelous progress. 

 Churches, the peers of any in Christendom, have sprung up all 

 over the land ; schools, colleges and universities have banished 

 the unlettered ignorance of the people while intensifying their 

 faith; institutions of mercy and charity on every hand have 

 shown their hearts to be as great as any in this broad land. 

 They have made material and earthly progress equal to any in 

 the world, but have not forgotten the saving precepts which 

 sanctified everything which they undertook. The magnificent 

 statistics gathered by the Government but a short time ago are 

 an eloquent testimony of that progress. To-day at least, this 

 great Universal Church of God has put on in this land of free- 

 dom the robes of brightness and glory which belong to her as 

 the Bride of Christ and the heir of the ages, so as to be known 

 and acknowledged of all men. 



Such a glorious reminiscence is but a "commencement," ex- 



