HON. JOHN D. CRIMMINS, New York.
HON. JOSEPH GEOGHEGAN, Utah.
PATRICK F. MAGRATH, ESQ., New York.
HON. JOHN F. O’CONNELL, Rhode Island.
DR. M. F. SULLIVAN, Massachusetts.
BERNARD J. JOYCE, ESQ., Massachusetts.
PATRICK CARTER, ESQ., Rhode Island.
T. VINCENT BUTLER, ESQ., New York.
JOHN J. DALY, ESQ., New York.
GEN. D. F. COLLINS, New Jersey.
FRANCIS I. MCCANNA, ESQ., Rhode Island.
HON. ALEXANDER C. EUSTACE, New York.
HON. THOMAS J. LYNCH, Maine.
GEN. JOHN R. MCGINNESS, Virginia.
HON. THOMAS M. WALLER, Connecticut.
NOTES.
The entire proceedings of the Reception by President Roosevelt, Annual
Meeting and Eleventh Annual Dinner were stenographically reported by
Miss Viola Follis of Providence, R. I., and by her transcribed. Within a
few days afterwards, a copy of his speech was furnished each speaker, so
that it would come to the hands of the Editor of the _Journal_ exactly
as the speaker wished it finally to read.
The stenographic report and transcription were absolutely complete and
without error.
The floral decorations on the tables and walls were beautiful and
lavish, and at the termination of the dinner some of the nice pieces
were sent to the quarters of our lady guests, while the remainder were
sent to the hospitals.
During the evening music was furnished by a good orchestra. The words of
“Star Spangled Banner,” “Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean,” “Wearing of
the Green,” “Minstrel Boy,” and “Yankee Doodle” were printed on the
program, and the assemblage, accompanied by the musicians, sung these
songs with a will.
[Illustration:
HON. WILLIAM F. SHEEHAN.
Of New York City.
An Honored Member of the Society.
]
A large number of guests left Washington Sunday, January 17th, on the
Royal Blue Line 3 p. m. express for New York, and for their comfort
special cars were attached exclusively for their use. In the dining car
a special dinner was prepared and served under the supervision of
Conductor Lewis A. Herring, which was enjoyed by nearly all who returned
on that train, and he made the occasion enjoyable by pointing out
several interesting bits of scenery _en route_, among which was the
place where Washington crossed the Delaware. The menu was as follows:
Broiled Sardines on Toast
Blue Points on Half Shell
Ox Joint, Anglaise Consomme, Macedoine
Celery Olives
Baked Mackerel, Royal Sauce
Potatoes, Julienne
Lamb Chops, with Green Peas French Pancake, au Rum
Prime Roast Beef, au Jus
Mashed Potatoes Fried Parsnips
Roast Turkey, Cranberry Sauce
String Beans Spinach, with Egg
Claret Punch
Chicken Salad, au Mayonnaise
Tapioca Pudding, Custard Sauce
Vanilla Ice Cream Assorted Cake
Sugar Wafers
Roquefort and Edam Cheese
Toasted Water Crackers Saltine Wafers
Black Coffee
Benedictine
WASHINGTON, D. C., January 17, 1909.
A special meeting of the American Irish Historical Society was held in
Room 124, Hotel Raleigh, Washington, D. C., this day at 1.30 p. m.,
President-General Quinlan in the chair.
On motion of Mr. Donovan of New York, it was voted to revise the
constitution and by-laws of the Society, and the President-General was
instructed to appoint a committee of five to do this work, they to
report to the Executive Council.
On motion of Mr. T. Vincent Butler of New York, the thanks of the
Society were tendered to the President-General and the Secretary-General
for their efficient services in preparing for “the grandest meeting the
Society has ever held.” Mr. Butler, in support of his motion, made
interesting remarks concerning our fellow-member, President Roosevelt.
The President-General later announced that he had appointed the
following gentlemen members of the Committee to Revise the Constitution
and By-Laws: Messrs. Michael J. Jordan, Patrick J. McCarthy, Joseph T.
Ryan, John E. O’Brien and Thomas Z. Lee.
Short addresses were made by the President-General and several other
members on subjects connected with the welfare of the Society, after
which the meeting adjourned.
THOMAS ZANSLAUR LEE,
_Secretary-General_.
=Historical Notes and Papers.=
THE CIVIC VALUE OF MEMORIALS.
BY MISS MARY A. GREENE OF PROVIDENCE, R. I.
HONORARY STATE REGENT FOR RHODE ISLAND, NATIONAL SOCIETY DAUGHTERS OF
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, GREAT-GREAT-GRANDDAUGHTER OF THOMAS HUGHES,
CAPTAIN IN THE WAR OF THE REVOLUTION AND MAJOR IN THE WAR OF 1812
AND AN ORIGINAL MEMBER OF THE RHODE ISLAND SOCIETY OF THE
CINCINNATI—A MAN OF IRISH PARENTAGE.
Who that visits Italy can fail to be inspired by the ruins of the Forum
and the palaces of the Cæsars on the Palatine? The Italian Government
has done wisely in making its work of excavation a work also of
restoration by replacing as far as possible the statues and monuments of
ancient time in their original positions, and in entrusting visitors to
the care of guides educated for their duties by a university course in
the history and archæology of the Eternal City. Such a guide, after a
whole day spent in enthusiastic descriptions of the temples, public
buildings, rostra and tombs of the Forum, was asked, “How happens it
that you are so very enthusiastic over all this, when it is your duty to
make this round day after day?” Never will the hearer forget his reply
as, drawing himself up to his full height, he exclaimed with the
proudest, loftiest accent, “_I am a Roman_.”
“The grandeur that was Rome” was the spirit of her citizens, their
expression in the life of their city, of their high ideals. When these
ideals failed to inspire, Rome fell.
That which makes a State is the character of its citizens. One of the
strongest influences in the moulding of character is the example of the
heroes of the past. Preservation of the history of those who helped to
make and mould the nation is, therefore, essential to the maintenance of
patriotism. Indeed, it is essential to the true moral development of the
nation,—to the very preservation of the nation.
One great advantage of the memorial tablet and the statue over the printed
page is that the former are seen and understood by all, while the pages
of history are only turned by those who have a certain degree of
education and interest. “What mean ye by these stones?” the children in
the land of Canaan would ask, gazing upon the heap of twelve smooth
stones by the banks of the Jordan. Then would the fathers in Israel
reply, “Because the waters of Jordan were cut off before the Ark of the
Covenant of the Lord, and these stones from the bed of the river are for
a memorial forever of Jehovah’s leadership of his people through the dry
bed of the river into the promised land.”
The historical and patriotic societies of the United States are doing a
much needed work by the erection of tablets and the marking of historic
spots. A want of reverence for those who founded our nation and fought
to establish it; a carelessness as to the lessons to be learned from the
early history of the country; a desecration of places consecrated by the
blood of our heroes, had much to do with making us, in appearance, a
flippant, boastful people, glorying only in the “bigness” of our country
and what our own generation was doing, in short, the boastful Yankee
caricatured by our European kinsmen.
That temper has changed. While the greater seriousness with which the
American people undertake their problems of government is no doubt in
part due to territorial expansion and greater international relations,
credit must also be given to the impressive influence of the memorials
placed in our State houses, our parks, along our streets, commemorating
the worthy deeds of our ancestors.
It is then a direct benefit to the State, and aid to good government, and
to the realization of the highest civic ideals, to place, where all can
see, memorials reciting the virtues and the heroic deeds of men like
Washington, Lincoln, Greene, Sullivan, Sherman and a host of others
whose splendid achievements, in war and in peace, are a part of our
heritage as American citizens, and are the inspiration of our youth to
give also of their best, in talents and in loyal, patriotic effort; to
make our country great in the best sense,—great in the character of its
citizens, great in the accomplishment of high ideals; great in the
enjoyment by all of the blessings of liberty.
Providence, R. I., February 12, 1909.
[Illustration:
MR. PATRICK CARTER.
Of Providence. R. I.
Member of the Executive Council.
]
CARTER DAY NURSERY. GIFT BY MR. PATRICK CARTER, MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE
COUNCIL, IN HONOR OF DECEASED SON.
CEREMONY TAKES PLACE AT HANDSOME BUILDING, CORNER PINE AND BYRON
STREETS, IN PRESENCE OF CLERGY, PROMINENT BUSINESS MEN AND
REPRESENTATIVES OF RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS.
BY THE SECRETARY-GENERAL.
In the presence of members of the clergy, prominent business men and
representatives of various religious denominations, the new Day Nursery,
erected at Pine and Byron streets as a memorial to Edward A. Carter, by
his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Carter, was formally transferred to
Bishop Matthew Harkins at 11 o’clock yesterday morning. Previous to this
ceremony there was a low Mass, at which Bishop Harkins was the
celebrant, Rev. Austin Dowling, also a member of the American Irish
Historical Society, acting as his assistant, at which time the building
was blessed.
A large audience assembled in the hall on the second floor to witness
the transfer of the keys, the deed and other documents to the Bishop. It
numbered men and women prominent in the business and social life of the
city, as well as others interested in charitable work.
After Bishop Harkins, wearing the purple robes of his office, had taken
a seat on the stage, with Fr. Dowling on his right and Rev. William Pyne
on his left, Mr. Carter made the following speech in presenting the
structure to the Bishop:
MR. CARTER’S ADDRESS.
“Bishop Harkins: In my own name and that of Mrs. Carter I have great
pleasure in handing over to you this morning, as the representative of
Nazareth home and the head of the diocese of Providence, the keys of the
Edward A. Carter Memorial, the receipted bills for its cost and a
paid-up five years’ policy of insurance on the building for $15,000.
“I am sure it is a happy moment for Mrs. Carter and for me; I may say,
the proudest moment of our lives, to be in a position to commemorate in
this way our son who gave such promise in his youth, and who was taken
from us so suddenly.
“A little more than a year ago we laid him away in St. Francis Cemetery
and with him the hopes that we had built upon, but the money which would
have been his to invest in business had he lived we have resolved to lay
aside for his memory in another kind of investment.
“This is our only stipulation—that it be administered prudently,
scientifically, but with mercy and in the spirit of Christian charity.
“We have no fear, Bishop, that the money which we have given to the
Nazareth Home will ever be diverted from the purpose for which we intend
it. We require no bonds from you, for your high standing makes the
ordinary safeguard of business in this case unnecessary. Into whatever
hands you entrust it, we feel certain that they will execute what we
plan.
“You, ladies of the Queen’s Daughters, honor us with your presence here
today. You have presided at the formation of this work; your ideas are
here incorporated and you have pledged yourselves to its support;
therefore, may I be the first to welcome you to its hospitality.
“Let me then, Bishop Harkins, in closing, hand over to you these
evidences that the building so happily completed is entirely
unencumbered; and let me assure you that while in doing so I now resign
the responsibility which has been my preoccupation and pleasure for
several months, still, while either Mrs. Carter or myself live, our
hearts are in this building, both for the name it bears and for the work
which we have confidence it will never fail to do in our community.”
RESPONSE OF BISHOP.
In response Bishop Harkins said in part: “Mr. and Mrs. Carter, I receive
very willingly and gratefully these evidences of your generosity. I
express to you my thanks and those of the entire community. There may
have been other cases in the United States like this, but this is the
first case that has come to my knowledge where a memorial of this kind
has been reared to an apparently lost, but not really lost, son.
“This is a very special, a very peculiar case. It shows not only a very
strong affection, but a very lively faith. It is that faith that is
necessary, a faith in the future, a realization that death does not end
all.
“Your son was a Cathedral boy, and when I say that I speak with a
considerable degree of pride. He was one of us and we knew him and loved
him. You determined that he should live on in a certain way and live
just about where he lived when he was here. So you have made your boy to
live; you have given him a kind of earthly immortality, if I may use
that term.
“He will live in the persons of the poor children who will be cared for
here. They will have the uplifting influence of the good sisters, the
Queen’s Daughters, the clergy, and all who can help them in any way. Yet
it will be he who will be living here.
“I thank you in my own name and in the name of the diocese of
Providence. I am sure that all those here present agree that no better
example can be given a community than that given here today. There is
gratitude in the hearts of all the citizens of Providence for this gift.
“In the name of the sisters who will have charge of this institution, I
wish to thank you. I welcomed them to our city here in Providence, for I
knew that I could not do greater service than to bring here the wise and
careful administration of charitable work they have always shown. They
will be mothers to the children. They will try to give, and will
well-nigh succeed in giving, all the maternal love that is given
children in the most favored homes. They will train them not only in
their duties to the church, but in every duty they must perform in civil
life.”
In conclusion Bishop Harkins paid a tribute to the Queen’s Daughters,
the organization which has assumed the maintenance of the institution.
DONORS ARE HONORED.
After the Bishop’s address, Miss Mary A. McArdle, President of the
Queen’s Daughters, made a brief address, in which she stated that Mr.
and Mrs. Carter had been elected honorary members of the Daughters of
the Queen of Heaven, concluding by presenting to Mrs. Carter a bouquet
of roses, in number the same as the years of life of the son in whose
memory the structure was given.
Mr. Carter responded briefly and the visitors then inspected the
building, many registering in the book provided for that purpose.
Among those present were: Mgr. Thomas F. Doran, Vicar General of the
diocese; Rev. Owen F. Clarke, Rev. Edward E. Seagrave, Rev. D. F.
Lowney, Rev. James C. Walsh, Rev. M. J. McCabe, Mayor P. J. McCarthy,
Mayor-elect Henry Fletcher, Attorney-General William B. Greenough,
Assistant Attorney-General Harry P. Cross, Cyrus P. Brown, Col. Cyrus M.
Van Slyck, Judge Frank E. Fitzsimmons, Judge Thomas Z. Lee, John E.
Canning and Thomas F. Monahan.
MODEL INSTITUTION.
This nursery, said to be one of the finest institutions of its kind in
the country, has been erected for the accommodation of poor children,
regardless of race, creed or color. The Queen’s Daughters, a body of
Catholic women with a membership of 700, which was organized in January
of the present year for the performance of charitable works, has assumed
its maintenance. The organization is affiliated with the Queen’s
Daughters of St. Louis, formed in 1889 by thirty-two women of that city
for charitable purposes.
The Sisters of the Holy Ghost, also known as the White Sisters, to whom
the institution was donated, first came to work among the sick poor in
this city in September, 1907. In their errands of mercy they found that
a day nursery was very much needed in the section in which their home is
located. The two day nurseries already established have been unable to
take care of all the children, both having long waiting lists, and the
building blessed yesterday will relieve the situation to a considerable
degree.
The building is admirably arranged, the purpose for which it will be
used having been taken into careful consideration by the architects,
Stone, Carpenter & Sheldon, and the ideas of the architects being
faithfully carried out by the builder, M. J. Houlihan.
[Illustration:
VICTOR HERBERT.
Of New York.
The Eminent Composer and High Authority on Music.
A New Member of the Society.
]
Mr. Carter’s intelligent liberality has rendered possible in Providence
a charity of peculiar value. The handsome building is a better monument
to his son’s memory than the most costly sarcophagus would be. It bids
fair for many years to come to minister to the needs of great numbers of
children of tender age whose parents cannot care for them during the
working hours of the day; and the community would have double reason to
congratulate itself if the example set by these donors were to inspire
other citizens of Providence to similar generous gifts. There are
twenty-three thousand women in this city who are employed in gainful
occupations, and many of them are married, with small children to
provide for. It is difficult to think of a more useful institution than
one that helps to lighten the domestic anxieties of these workers during
their enforced absence from home.
Mr. Carter is a member of the American Irish Historical Society and of
its Executive Council and served on the Reception Committee at the
events in Washington January 16, 1909.
WAR RECORD OF COLONEL JAMES QUINLAN.
ONE OF THE EARLIEST MEMBERS OF THE AMERICAN IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
BY FRANCIS J. QUINLAN, M. D., L. L. D., PRESIDENT-GENERAL.
In Volume VI of the Journal appeared a short sketch of Colonel Quinlan’s
life, in which his military record was incomplete and the date of birth
and receipt of certain commissions were incorrectly stated. The data
having been carefully collected and verified, a revised sketch is hereby
submitted:
James Quinlan was born in Tipperary, Ireland, September 13, 1833, and
came to New York in 1850 and there studied engineering. In 1853 he
joined the National Guard and became a member of the Sixty-Ninth
Regiment, being commissioned a Lieutenant in 1855, under Charles S. Roe,
and commissioned Captain in 1856.
On April 23, 1861, a few days after the fall of Fort Sumter, he left New
York with the Sixty-Ninth as Captain of Engineers. He was present at the
battle of Blackburn’s Ford, July 18th, and Bull Run July 21st, where he
was severely wounded. After this battle Acting Brigadier-General T. F.
Meagher recruited the celebrated Irish Brigade, and he was commissioned
Major of the Eighty-Eighth New York Infantry, one of the regiments of
that organization, in 1861, and ordered by General Meagher to proceed to
Fort Schuyler and take command there until further orders. (As far as we
know, he was the first volunteer officer to take command of a Fort in
the Civil War.) He was present in all the battles of that famous Brigade
in the Peninsular Campaign and commanded the regiment all through the
Seven Days’ fighting. He won his Medal of Honor by leading a charge on a
Confederate battery at Savage Station, Va., June 29, 1862. The battery
in question was one of six guns, and had been very annoying to the Union
troops. Several other regiments had made efforts to silence it, but
without avail. General W. W. Burns, U. S. A., who was in command on that
memorable day, wrote at the time Major Quinlan received his Medal of
Honor as follows: “The Medal of Honor won by your gallant charge which
silenced the enemy’s battery at Savage Station and closed that desperate
attack upon the rear of the Army of the Potomac, June 29, 1862, is a
just reward and memento for conspicuous bravery due from a grateful
Republic to the brave leader of the gallant Eighty-Eighth New York. No
one can feel more satisfaction for this signal proof of distinction and
glory than your old Commander of that day. The Eighty-Eighth saved the
lives of many gallant soldiers by that forlorn-hope charge, and cleared
our way to victory that day. It commemorated the charge of the Irish
Brigade at Fontenoy.” In the Circular “Medals of Honor” issued by the
War Department October 31, 1897, the ground of award of Major Quinlan’s
medal is as follows: “Led his regiment on the enemy’s battery, silenced
the guns, held the position against overwhelming numbers, and covered
the retreat of the Second Army Corps.” He was honorably mentioned by
General McClellan for bravery at Malvern Hill and Antietam. He was
commissioned Lieutenant-Colonel on September 22, 1862, and received his
honorable discharge for disability on medical certificate February 4,
1863.
After a few weeks’ illness of heart trouble he died at his home, 104
East 96th Street, August 29, 1906.
And so has passed into history the name of a citizen of foreign birth,
who owed allegiance to the whole of his adopted country, and when her
troubles came he was found early at the front, dedicating his all to her
perpetuity.
A firm, honest friend, a devoted Christian, a loyal brave soldier went
to his rest when James Quinlan joined the soldiers of our great Republic
who had gone before.
JOSEPH O’CONNOR, EDITOR, AUTHOR AND POET, WHO DECEASED AT ROCHESTER, N.
Y., OCTOBER 9TH, 1908.
SKETCH OF HIS LIFE. ONE OF HIS FAVORITE POEMS.
A great editor laid down forever a brilliant, beautiful and useful pen
when Joseph O’Connor, the Rochesterian, passed into Eternity from his
home in Rochester on the night of October 9, 1908.
In a few hours the news had flashed to all points of the compass,
bringing a pause and a hush of sadness to thousands of homes, from Maine
to California, wherein his unique personality was known and loved
through his nearly forty years of journalistic leadership.
Born in New York State of Irish parents in 1841, he was educated in the
best schools of his native State for the practice of the law, but he
early chose journalism instead of law for his life work and he made a
magnificent success of it.
He brought to the work a mind well-stocked with more of the true history
of the world than falls to the lot of most students of history. He
brought to his work a mind imbued with the true Christian philosophy of
the Catholic catechism. He had formed from youth up a habit of broad,
kindly outlook on things in general. He assumed and maintained a manly
attitude in politics, uncompromising in principle, but tolerant of other
men’s opinions. He had a born poet’s appreciation of true poetry, and a
literary judgment that came to be universally respected. He had a gift
of expression as a model of unique, finished, sincere writing. And his
humility was the best of it all.
He won his readers to his way of seeing things as much by the very
apparent unconsciousness of his own superiority as by his logical
presentation of his subject.
Through all his long life of varied editorship and many degrees of
political and literary success, there is no pessimism charged to his
account, no animosity, no bitterness; not even discourtesy.
Many a time in the heat of a political campaign he had to strike at a
champion of the other side, but his blow was always leonine. It was a
settler of the subject in dispute, but it left no ugly memories—no
galling personalities ever marred his political battles.
He scored his successes by the friendly hand shakes of his worsted
antagonists.
He prized his independence in politics, and never jeopardized it by
accepting favors or honors from friend or foe.