on of
its evil supremacy among the masses, and the condemnation of the
saloon was a necessary result.

This attitude of the missionaries was often a bitter-sweet morsel to
the pastors, nearly all of whom at that time had been trained in the
Old World. They were glad of the good done, yet sorry to see their
liquor-dealers put to public shame. One pastor is recorded as saying:
"The only people that have looked sad at this mission are the first
men in my parish, the rum-sellers." The following is a piece of
evidence worth publishing, though it is but one of very many which
could be produced. It is found in the Mission Record in Father
Baker's handwriting:

"A Catholic one evening, on his way to the mission, stopped in a
grog-shop and took a glass with the proprietor. 'Won't you go with me
to hear the Fathers?' said the guest. 'No,' said the other, 'these
men are too hard on us. They want all of us liquor-dealers to shut up
our shops. If we were rich we could do it; but we an't--we are poor.
These men are too high and independent; Father wouldn't dare to speak
as they do. But after all,' continued he, 'they are good fellows; see
the effect of their labors.' Then, taking out of his pocket a
crumpled letter which he had received through the post-office, and
which was badly spelled and badly written, he read as follows: 'SIR:
I send you three dollars which I received by mistake three years ago
from your clerk. And now I hope that you will stop _selling
damnation,_ and that God may give you grace to stop it.
Yours: A Sinner.'"

Whatever may have been the misgivings of some, the opposition of the
Paulists to the liquor-traffic was approved by the most enlightened
and influential prelates and priests of the country, as is shown by
the number of cathedrals and other prominent churches in which the
missions were preached. It should be added that this antagonism to
drunkenness, to convivial drinking, and to saloon-keeping, not only
received the unanimous applause of the Catholic laity, but edified
the non-Catholic public, and brought out many commendations from the
secular press as well as from the police authorities of our crowded
cities. A mission is a terror to obstinate evil-doers of all kinds,
but to habitual drunkards and saloon-keepers it is especially so. The
attitude of the Church in America on this entire subject, as
officially expressed by the decrees of the Third Plenary Council and
by its pastoral letter, fully jus