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Show ! t , I - ,:':-.- ' ' i sr.'.- j I-: y?:;-:"Z&' '111? ;...L RICHARD C. KERENS. ST. LOUIS CATHOLIC ! gets w mum : Notra Dame University "Lactare" M?(ial This i Year Conferred on R. C. Kerens-is Well Known in L'tah. i Richard C. Kerens ..f St. L,ui-. is v.-,. known in this city am! slate by roa-"i: r.:' his connection con-nection Avith the Sa.i Pedro, Ls Aug. Irs a- Sail Lake railroad, of which "lie is ,u- .i" ih- chief pn- motors and heaviest -in-kh,,Mer. The fel'li.wivg i report, therefore, of his r.-een! houm-.,. i;.Lr. n-.-in ! the Xoire Daine 'Scholastic, will be ,," interest ;,, i our readers: j The Laerare medal, t he highest .-prcs-i-n esteem Avithin the gift ..f Xoire ;iH. univ.-rsiix, : and annually beM.,Wed o'i sunie American lay Catholic Cath-olic for moral excellence, ejvje -,v;.i"h and distin- ' guished service to hunianiiy. t- thi year (-inferred on the Hon. Richard ("'. Kerens ,.f St. j.oui-. The Catholic public of America is pretty '! I acquainted with the in-! hut ion and sbniiicance the Laetaro ni'-dal. Its inception two decades a sr.. may be traced lo "The Golden I.Vc." ;t -ifr Llesse-I by the I'ope on mid-Sunday of L.-ul. or Lietaiv Sunday, anl iisiialiy pn-scnte(i to a un mber of royalty roy-alty in recognition of the rceiph nt's .-xf raordinary virtue, piety and 'philani.hrop.A-. According ' to a ceremonial of the year l-, the tie-tow.d by the Holy Father was accompanied by the . following blessing: "Receive from our hands this rose, by Avhich is designated the joy of the earthly and the . ' heavenly Jerusalem, The church, namely, militant and triumphant, by which is manifested to all the faithful'of Christ that most beauteous flower Avhi-h is both the joy and crown of all saints. Receive this rose, most beloved son. who. according to the A-or!d, art noble, valiant, and endowed with great proAvess. that you may be still more ennobled hy e very virtue from Christ, as a roe planted near the streams of many Avater; and nun- ibis grace be bestowed upon you iu the overllowiug clemency ..f Him Arho li veth and reignrth. world without end. Amen'' ' -Thilsv-if will be seen that the purpose of the emblem Avas to set the sal of ihe Pontiff's ap-prrn-al on a man's life; to say to " 'at holies of all classes: "Here is a man avIio ha exemplified the lessons taught by Christ, Avhose example I command to' you." What an ennobling influence this must have on society, and it. is just such an influence Xotre Dame tries to exert in its bestowal of the Laetare medal. The medal itself is of solid gold, of exquisite Avorkmanship, and bears on one side the inscription, inscrip-tion, "Magna est Veritas et. praevalebit ; and on the other side the recipient's name and that of the uni-A-ersity. In an accompanying address, arti.stioa.lly framed and printed on silk, the reasons are so' forlh for the presentation.' Such is the Laetare medal, a distinction already conferred on a select group, Avhich includes the following very eminent men and Avomen: lr. John Gihnary Shea, historian; histo-rian; Patrick J. Keeley. architect; F.Iiza Allen Starr, art critic; General John Xewell. civil engineer; engi-neer; Patrick V. Ilickey. editor: Anna Hanson ; Porsey. novelist; William J. Onahau. publicist; Daniel Dougherty, orator; Major Henry T. Brown-son, Brown-son, soklier and .scholar: Patrick Donahue, editor; Augusfin Daly, theatrical manager; Anna T. Sad-lier, Sad-lier, author; William Stark Rosecrans, soldier: Dr. Thomas A. Emmet, physician; Hon. Timothy Hoav-ard, Hoav-ard, jurist; Mary Gwendolen Caldw( 11, philanthropist; philanthro-pist; John A. Creighton, philanthropist; William Bourke Cockran. lawyer and orator; Dr. Benjamin Benja-min Murphy, surgeon; and Charles'.!. Bonaparte. laAvyer and publicist. Richard C. Kerens, the latest chosen for the elis-tinctiein, elis-tinctiein, was born in Ireland in 142. and Avas brought, to America by his parents while yet a mere child. Early in the son's life death depm-ed him of his father, so that the family cares devolved on the struggling youth, whose character soon manifested mani-fested the self-reliance, enterprise and determination determina-tion that have strikingly marked his subsequent career. At the age of 1!) he joined the I'nion army.' whore his ability and attention to duty Ave-re quick- ly recognized. After two years of disf ingnishcrl j i sorico in the Army of the Potomac, he was trans- I j ferreel to the Avest in ls-5 and participated in the 1 campaigns in southwest Missouri, taking part in the ' I '. conquest of northwest Arkansas. While on this ex- j i pedition with the federal army he met Miss France j J J. Jones, Avhoni he married in lt7. and who has f " j been his loyal helpmate and inspiration ever since. In- 1372 he engaged in the transportation of I mails, express and passengers by stage poaches to i points in the frontier beyond the advance of rail- j roads. In 174 he be-irau the operation of the south- f em OAerland mail, a service Avhich covered 1.4li I miles of frontier country and Avhich involved gn at . j risk of life ariel property. His promptness, fidelity ' anel perseAerance earned the commendations of the ' postmaster generals of three administrations. Later I he moved to St. Louis. Avhere he first took an inter- . est in politics, anel as a staunch Republican Iiecame j prominent in the councils ef his party. . He Avas licA-er a candidate for office, but in 1-VJ2 was a dele-gate-at-Iarge to the Minneapolis -Republican con- A-eution, and Avas elected to represent M.issouri on ! the Republican national committee. He has not confined himself to any particular line of business j . since the settling in St. Louis, having large inter- ;, j ests in mines in Xcav Mexico. Colorado anel Ari- j", zona; also deAoting his energy to the numerous rail- roads in which he has OAvnecship. Rccogiii-iing his j expe;rienee in railroael matters, President Harrison ; appointed Mr. Kerens one of the three L"nit-d , States members of the Inter-Continental Commis- ; sion. Avhich had for its object the construction of a railroael throughout the; South American .repub- lies. .The same president also appointel him com-missioner-at-Iarge to the World's Colur-ibian exposition, expo-sition, Chicago. In l!S96 he was again chosen to represent Missouri in the Republican national committee; com-mittee; and. when the Missouri legislature assembled assem-bled the following January he received "the vote of the Republican members and senators for United States senator, an honor again accorded him in J 1S09. ' ' ' ' In private life Mr. Kerens is amiable and of a (, - - I Kfial trmpetanKiit. over ready to assist otlirrs and 1 tr chan: with thorn 1I10 fruits o his knowledge and !rxpTno JIo lias always onjo.ved" the confidence El and admiration of his neighbors, and thoe who know him best say of him that lie never sacrifices I principle for expediency, is true to every ennobling I r impulse, firm in the discharge of his duty and un- J iii flinching in his t niggle for tueeess in all his tm- 1 Vl dertakings. TI is charities have been many and gen- I rous. lie has given large contributions to the I Mi Catholic churehe.-, hospitals and schools in St. I v.i louis find else win re, to ihe Catholic university and I 1,f. ' the St. Louis university. In all he has donated for i tli charitable and religious purposes princely sums. (t Richard 0. Kerens is a hich type of the Cath- f olic American citizen. For many ycrs he has boon r.: before the public in the front rank of the servants of hie country. During the civil war he was the. pi: soldier brave, faithful and noble-minded, Iii times l,v of peace he has boon the adviser of statesmen and '( f presidents. II" has taken a most active part in the affairs of his country, notably those of the Ke- 110 publican party, to which he has been eonseicntious- ly and loyally attached, and throughout he was the Catholic outspoken, proud of its principles and . practices. Whoever came in contact with him felt in; at once lhat he Mas a Catholic, and he was all the 1n more respected because of this by hosts of friends who knew him. In business he has been connected th with large enterprises. .Not only was he the out-spoken out-spoken Catholic, but a practical Catholic. Irre- f:' proachable in his private life, faithful to his church P,. duties, receiving the sacraments, hearing mass, not :! only on Sundays, but also on week days. Quiet ly :" and without ostentation he would slip away in the early morning from his hotel to some neighboring ' church to hear mass. m Such a man deserves honor; fcuch a man deserves v lo be put forth as an exemplar : such a man teaches in Catholics what they ought to be in private as well 71; as in public, life; such a man brings honor to his church as he does to his country, lie breaks prej- J,i udir-es among the enemies of the church, and he v. uplifts his fellow-Catholics, teaching them to be l:i proud of their faith, and showing in the most un- ' mistakable manner that, a Catholic who honors his j faith does not as a result suffer in the estimation j y, of his fellow-citizens because of his faith. j ) iii This has been his unvarying course through life, j 1 "r Only those near him know to the full ihe nobility (J of the man. CarefiJ of his family, he has brought y up his sons and daughters to be good Catholics and to be loyally fond of their faith as he himself is. He is no longer a young man; his life has been y eventful, and his ways have been where passions . j and prejudicese might be expected to assert them- i selves frequently; but during his long career he jJ lias been faithful and has borne ''the White Lily of fn s blameless life." t,i Xow as ever the great need of the church is s staunch Catholic laymen and exemplary Catholic J1. citizens. These daily preach the faith in their own t.; effec ive way from their own quiet pulpits. A large in number of Calholics of Mr. Kerens' stamp would make the power of the church more far-reaching j j in this country. Assuredly in selecting Mr. Kerens j :t ',!, for this year's Laetare medal, Notre Dame has dis- j m covered another prince among laymen worthy of ! j her highest honor, j |