IRISH
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IRISH
Emmet, attained distinction as one of the leaders of
the bar in New York. In later days James T. Brady,
David Graliam, Charles O'Conor, John McKeon,
Charles P. Daly, who to his judicial accomplishments
added those of broad scholarship and served for many
years as President of the American Geographical So-
ciety, Robert J. Dillon, Richard O'Gorman of New
York, Francis Kernan of Utica, afterwards U. S. Sena-
tor from New York, Bernard Casserly, U. S. Senator
from California, Daniel Dougherty of Philadelphia,
Patrick A. Collins of Boston, are a few only of the names
of men of that profession who by their talents and high
character have reflected honour on the race from
which they sprang.
In medicine another distinguished Irish exile of '98, William James MacNevin, achieved national reputa- tion in his profession. Prior to his time, Edward Hand, John Hart, Richard Ferguson, and Ephraim McDowell, all natives of Ireland, had attained distinc- tion as practitioners in this country. Irish physicians and surgeons were foimd attached to all the Irish regi- ments serving in the Civil War. A few are now sur- viving, honoured wherever known. Together they constituted a Iiody of devoted and self-sacrificing men, true to the noblest ideals of their profession. In 1902 it was an Irish American, Surgeon Major James Car- roll, who with another United States Army surgeon deliberately sulimitted himself to the perilous experi- ments then being made by the Government to ascer- tain by what means the yellow-fe\er germ was trans- mitted. As a result he contracted the disease and gave up his life as a sacrifice in the cause of science for the good of hvmianit}'. To the American-born son of Irish immigrants, Dr. Joseph O'Dwj-er, humanity the world over is indebted for the development of the pro- cess of intubation of the larynx in cases of diphtheria, and the invention of the instruments used in that operation. Always known for his charities. Dr. O'Dwyer declined to patent his inventions, thereby sacrificing large pecuniary gains. The merit of these inventions was recognized by the medical profession both in this countn,' and in Europe, and their use has resulted in saving the hves of thousands of children. The Carney Hospital, devoted to the relief of suffering humanity, was the gift to the citizens of Boston from Andrew Carney, a successful Irishman resident in that city. A similar foundation was established at St. Louis, Mo., named after the donor, John Mullanphy, another prosperous Irishman, who likewise established the Mullanphy Orphanage, a religious and charitable endowment at St. Louis.
Cornelius Heeney, an Irishman resident in Brooklyn, gave a large estate to the "Brooklyn Benevolent So- ciety" in trust for the poor, and especially poor orphan children, and procured the incorporation of the society, which continues to administer his charity. Still an- other Irish immigrant. Judge Myles P. O'Connor, established and endowed a home for orphans at San Jose, Cal., besides distributing a large fortune during his lifetime towards the support of works of charity and religion throughout the country. A statue in one of the pulilic squares of New Orleans, inscribed to "Margaret", marks the appreciation of the people of that community for Margaret Haughery. an Irish woman whose charitable labours during life won for her the title of "the orphans' friend", and who be- queathed a considerable fortune for the support of the orphan asylum which she had greatly helped to estab- lish. Of the lesser gifts of Irishmen and women to the cause of religion and humanity it would be impossible to give even a summarj'. It is enough to state that no people have given more freely or more steadily for these objects than have the Irish, and that a great number of the churches, chapels, convents, hospitals, asyliuns, and homes for sick and destitute humanity which are the boast of the present generation have had their origin in the piety, goodwill, and generous
contributions of the early Irish immigrants and their
descendants.
A notable feature in the history of the Irish arriv- ing in this country has been their tendency to asso- ciate themselves in societies composed exclusively of persons of their own race. As early as 17.37 we find twenty-six "Gentlemen, merchants and others, na- tives of Ireland or of Irish extraction " assembled at Boston on St. Patrick's Day to organize the Chari- table Irish Society. The professed object of their association was to relieve their fellow-count rj-men who might be in need and to preserve the spirit of Irish nationahty. With like purpose the Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick was estabhshed at Philadelphia in 1771, the New York society of the same name in 17S4, the Hibernian Society for the Relief of Emigrants from Ireland in Philadelphia in 1790, and the Hibernian Society of Charleston, S. C, in 1799. Later on, and as the Irish element in the population increa.sed, similar societies were es- tablished in other cities with the same benevolent purposes. In all of them the bond of union was the Irish nationality of the members either by birth or parentage, and the maintenance of such national spirit was one of the objects of the society. But this devotion to the history and traditions of their native land was constantly and inseparably coupled with an unwavering attachment to their adopted country, and the Irish in America have demonstrated beyond question that their affection for the land from which they or their fathers had sprung was no hindrance to the faithful discliarge of their duty as American citi- zens. Indeed, it needed no declaration of loyalty to prove that the men who were thus associated were devoted to the interests of their adopted country, for the roll of members of the several societies was but a list of men who, ha^dng done valiant .service for that country in its hour of need, became later the trusted officers of the Government which they had helped to estabhsh, and held high rank in the social and busi- ness circles of the respective communities in which they lived.
With the great increase in the volume of immigra- tion in later years (we refer to the period since 1820), the Irish immigrants, both those newly arriving, then mostly Cathohcs, as well as those already residing in the country, found themselves confronted with a deep-seated sentiment of antagonism based on both racial and religious prejudice entertained by certain elements of the popidation. While this spirit of hos- tility was avowed against all residents of foreign birth, Irish Cathohcs, by reason of their religion, their large numbers, and the resulting influence which as citizens they exercised in the political con- tests of the time, were singled out as a class to he especially attacked by this un-American section of the nation. This anti-Irish and anti-Catholic senti- ment was of unmistakable English origin. It had its beginning here in the legislation of the Colonies, which, copying the English penal laws directed against Catholic Ireland, proscribed the Catholic re- ligion and ostracized the Irish "Papists". It was embodied in the state church establishments of sev- eral of the colonies. Although the principle of free- dom of religion was definitely incorporated in the Federal Constitution, yet so persistent and obstinate was this prejudice that it found expression in the original con.stitutions of various of the states which made the profession of the Protestant religion a con- dition of holding office in the Government. It was further manifested in the repeated efforts to change the naturalization laws so as to withhold the right and privileges of citizenship from all immigrants ex- cept upon onerous conditions, including a fourteen years' residence in the country.
We are not attempting to detail the history or de- velopment of this spirit of prejudice against the Irish
