Hugh Quigley - The Cross and the Shamrock

H >> Hugh Quigley >> The Cross and the Shamrock

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Father Paul listened meekly to the smooth discourses and flattering
promises of the rich lady and her children, not doubting, if she were an
O'Clery, which side she would choose.

"You are young, my dear Aloysia, but yet at or near the age of mature
understanding; and I know a brother cannot command you as a parent could
in this 'free country.' You have your choice--the traditional glory of
the old family of O'Clery, two brothers, and a sister as fair as
yourself, together with the old faith of St. Patrick,--the glorious
CROSS and the immortal SHAMROCK,--all these balanced against this grand
palace, probably great earthly comforts, and a religion that 'is not fit
for a gentleman.' Have your choice; choose boldly, and at once, and free
your brother from suspense."

"Are you my brother?" she said, wildly, "or do I dream? Have I a brother
on earth, and one so worthy as thou? O, I have no second choice," she
cried, falling at his feet, and wetting them with her tears.

"Plant this Cross in my bosom,
And this Shamrock in my hair;
And these are the only ornaments
I ever again shall wear."

The spirited girl prepared immediately to quit the splendid palace, and
she came to the resolution of taking nothing with her, either of dress,
or trinkets, or jewelry. "Naked and bare I came into this family, and
with one single dress shall I leave it," said she, "feeling sufficiently
enriched in what I have this day found--a brother, with the Cross and
Shamrock of the O'Clerys. O, what complete changes! Instead of Alia, I
am Aloysia; instead of Goldrich, I am O'Clery."

Paul did not think it prudent to allow his sister to quit the house of
her rich patrons so quickly, especially as Mr. Goldrich was from home,
and till the public should be satisfied, and all doubts about her
identity resolved. There was some opposition made by the parsons, one of
whom, a Mr. Cashman, was long fishing for the fair hand of Aloysia; but
this little dust raised by the "white necks" was soon hushed, when the
record of the baptism of Miss O'Clery was produced, and when the book of
heraldry was consulted to verify the armorial bearings of the O'Clerys,
which were, as we said, carved on the clasp of her necklace; and, above
all, when, on the left-hand ring finger of the young lady, the same
impression of a ring appeared which several persons testified having
seen on it when an infant.

CHAPTER XXV.

CONCLUSION.

During the _denouement_ of the events recorded in the preceding chapter,
and the discussion of them by the various _religious_ newspapers,--each
of which, like a well-trained spaniel, tried to bark so as to secure the
approbation of those from whom it derived its food,--Father O'Clery
continued in the discharge of his ordinary duties as if nothing strange
had happened. He addressed one letter on the subject to the leading
secular journals of the city, showing, by the most convincing chain of
evidence, the identity of the lady passing so long for a daughter of Mr.
Goldrich with his own younger and long-lost sister, and satisfying all
but fanatics and bigots of his prudence, and the propriety of the steps
taken by him for her recovery.

Mr. Goldrich, in the mean time, returned home, and though he could not
but feel astonished at the developments which took place in his absence
respecting his adopted daughter, he was too shrewd and too keen a man of
business to make himself a tool in the hands of bigoted parsons, or to
deny the validity of the evidence proving her to be no other than
Aloysia O'Clery. This was enough. What now was become of all the
talking, writing, swearing, and preaching of the dominies? To what
purpose was this big talk, loud exclamations, puzzling interrogatories,
and flaming articles of the Babylonian press? For a whole month nothing
was published by the editors but "leaders," "articles," "paragraphs,"
"communications," "reports," "speeches," "lectures," "sermons," "mass
meetings," "resolutions," "protests," and "letters of correspondents,"
regarding this "Popish plot," "this Romanist aggression," "this priestly
insolence," and a thousand other names, threats, and unflattering
epithets against persons and institutions, whose only connection with
the case of Miss O'Clery was, that they belonged to the Catholic church,
or dared to speak the truth, or claim their rights. Now the
hundred-headed Cerberus of the press is silenced, and skulks into its
dark lair, beaten and silenced, but not ashamed of the filthy dribblings
of its lying tongue. Now all the talk, articles, and "leaders" go for
nothing, since Mr. Goldrich acknowledges "the priest is right; she is
his sister." But did not that clamorous press, that bellowed and
hallooed on the rabble to rob, murder, and destroy,--did it not recall
its words, apologize for its naughty language, and retract every charge
groundlessly made? Like a convicted felon, did it cry _peccavi_--I have
sinned, been misled, or misinformed? No; not a sign of repentance has
been manifested, not an apology made, not a word of retraction uttered
by these self-styled philosophers of the press, who think they are
responsible to no law, human or divine, and who say they have a world to
redeem, and nations and peoples to regenerate. We have read countless
folios of calumnies, misrepresentations, and black libels on every thing
sacred and venerable on earth, by the American press, during several
years that we have read newspapers; but we never yet found one editor to
retract, apologize, or mend his manners and language, except when
compelled by the cudgel or by the law. What an anomaly does the
observation of the conduct of the world present to us! They refuse "to
hear the church," or be guided by the teaching of men who have spent
their lives in preparing and qualifying themselves for the office of
public teaching; and they submit themselves blindly and without control
to the guidance of men whom they know not, who have not always the best
moral characters, and whose training, in most instances, does any thing
but qualify them for the dangerous office they fill.

The instance which is here given of the almost unanimous hostility of
the press to the cause of justice, truth, and honor, illustrates what we
say; and the obvious conclusion is, that the "fourth estate" itself
needs reclaiming--the great modern reformer needs reformation.

Soon after Mr. Goldrich's return home, he called on Father Paul O'Clery,
and, with a great deal of good nature, congratulated him on his very
providential discovery of his sister, "my dear adopted child. And now,
reverend sir," said he, affectionately, "I beg to tender you the
hospitalities of our house. As your sister has been for so many years
one of the family,--and not the least loved one, I assure you,--I hope I
may, without impropriety, by right of relationship by adoption, claim
you as a member also."

Father Paul answered by assuring him he appreciated his kindness; that
he acknowledged the honorable connection in full; and that, though this
very affectionate advance had not taken place, Mr. Goldrich would ever
be regarded by him with feelings of veneration and love, on account of
his affectionate kindness to his sister, in giving her such a superior
education, and treating her on terms of equality with his own children.
The highminded and liberal gentleman, after having shed tears at the
idea of losing his dear adopted girl, departed, having previously
extorted a promise from Father Paul to attend a great party in honor of
Aloysia, at the palace, on the evening of the next day.

In the mean time, Aloysia's room was besieged with crowds of anxious
visitors and voluntary condolers on her resolution of renouncing wealth,
pleasure, and Protestantism, for poverty, Popery, and penance. Rich
merchants came, offering to settle annuities on her for life; rich
widows came, with their tracts and Bibles in one hand, and their real
estate deeds and scrip in the other, hoping to conquer her resolution;
and eloquent parsons, with their "sweet speeches and flattering
discourses," were chasing one another, like clouds driven by the winds,
to and from the well-furnished boudoir, all charged with the same
apostolic office of saving a soul, a beautiful, interesting one, from
falling into that world-wide "net" of Popery with which St. Peter and
his successors have never ceased to "catch men," since the days of Jesus
Christ. All the discourses, prayers, entreaties, threats, crocodile
tears, flatteries, misrepresentations, legacies, settlements, and other
seductive allurements have miscarried, this time. A Catholic Aloysia was
baptized, and a Catholic she is resolved to live and die, with God's
grace.

The "big dinner" was prepared at the rich man's house, where Father Paul
through courtesy attended, and where he was obliged to defend, in a
speech of some length, the violent assault of that Parson Cashman, who
we told was fishing for the hand of Aloysia, but who now, because she
rejected him with scorn, had the bad taste to insult the whole company
by his _champagne_-inspired attack on Ireland, her creed, and her
children.

Paul completely refuted his charge of ignorance of the Irish, by
contrasting their religious knowledge with that of the English and
Americans; in the former one of which countries there are seven or eight
millions of pagans, and in the later so many thousands who follow such
impostors as Miller, Smith, spiritual rappers, Transcendentalists,
Fourierites, and other impostors notorious for their crimes.

"The reverend gentleman forgets," said he, "that Ireland was once, and
for ages, the most enlightened country on earth, and deserved to be
called "the Island of Saints;" and that whatever of ignorance, poverty,
and crime--which, thank God, is little--she is afflicted with, was
inherited by her from the curse introduced into her by the upas tree of
Protestantism. Ah, sir, the eulogy of England comes with a bad grace
from the lips of a son of America, which she oppressed, and which, but
for Catholic arms, might be now, instead of a great republic, a
badly-ruled province of Protestant England. Study history, sir; study
history; and you will soon think better of Ireland and Catholicity, and
less of England and her persecuting Protestantism." And with that he
retired.

The remaining part of our tale is soon told. Paul O'Clery, from being a
good priest, became, in addition, a great man; his virtues, learning,
and genius soon attracted the notice of the princes of God's church. He
was consecrated bishop, "_in partibus infidelium_," and he is now a
pillar of God's church, and an ornament in his sanctuary, as archbishop
in one of the great cities of British India, in Asia. Behold, my young
readers, how the church opens the gates of her treasures, and encourages
the promotion of the humblest of her children. Virtue and genius are the
only titles to nobility which she regards. Every office in her gift (and
she has stations too high for angels) is open to the humblest aspirant
to perfection. How many scores of young men might be now shining lamps
in God's sanctuary, instead of being degraded to the level of the
drudges of the earth and the slaves of the world, if they only resisted
the glittering bait of temptation at first, and took as their model Paul
O'Clery, the orphan boy!

What became of Aloysia, do you wish to know? She joined her sister
Bridget in the nunnery, and after atoning by her tears and repentance
for the _material_ heresy of her youth, she lately fell a victim to
fever, contracted by her in caring for the poor negro slaves of New
Orleans. She preferred to die a saint than live a princess.

Eugene, as you already know, died a martyr for his faith, having been
persecuted to death by Parson Dilman and Mr. Shaw Gulvert of evil
memory.

Patrick returned to Ireland, where he has lately purchased an estate
under the encumbered estates law--the very same estate on which his
father lived under Lord Mandemon.

You recollect Van Stingey, the first persecutor of the orphan family,
was blown up by powder, and perished miserably. Amanda Prying met a fate
little better. Having been in the habit of imbibing strong drafts of
chloroform, for purposes of intoxication, she was found dead in bed one
December morning, after having imbibed too strong a dose.

The youngest child of Reuben Prying met with his death in this way:
Willy, the youngest but one, hearing that somebody was to be hanged,
asked his pa how the operation was performed. The father, of course,
believing that "knowledge was power," taught the child how to act the
hangman, and the lesson was not taught in vain; for, the next day,
Willy, experimenting on the "knowledge" communicated, hanged his younger
brother, Lory, dead. Thus perished the darling son of him who combined
with the parson to kill Eugene O'Clery.

I forgot to say that Mary Prying, the innocent, good girl, and the
admirer of Paul, became a convert, and is now a nun, called Sister Mary
Magdalen.

But what of the Parsons Grinoble, Gulmore, Barker, Scullion, and the
others, who had a hand in robbing the orphans of their faith? They are
all alive yet, and, according to their limited capacities, doing all the
harm it is possible for them to do, in propagating error and
disseminating discord. And your friend Dr. Ugo, who was instrumental in
saving the orphans, is yet living, and battling for the faith, never
omitting to inculcate fidelity to the CROSS and attachment to
the SHAMROCK on all his beloved parishioners and hearers. Amen!

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