Monday In The Garden of EdenAmerican Mounties
Canada may have its Royal Canadian Mounted Police or as mostly they are known, "Mounties". But, America does too. On a smallish island between New York and New Jersey stands a testament to the courage and bravery of one very special clergyman: Father John Drumgoole.
In the middle 1800's, when there were no child labor laws nor even government mandates for children to attend school, immigrants from many countries came to New York City to find a new life. As we all know, that didn't always happen. Sadly, these people came with their children and found they were unable to support them on the meager wages factories paid.
The struggle to keep families together ended nearly always when a mother died or a father, overwhelmed by what seemed inescapable poverty, abandoned his family.
By 1850, thousands of children were orphaned and left to fend for themselves. Some lived on doorsteps begging for food or enough money to feed themselves and their siblings. Many grew too sick and died in a street gutter like some human trash. Others were gathered up and shipped out to the midwest on shamelessly named "Orphan Trains".
John Drumgoole was an Irish immigrant who came to America with his mother, herself a sickly woman. He spent most of his adult life caring for her. He felt great sorrow for the orphans he saw living on the streets who were trying to earn money for food selling newspapers, potatoes, sweet potatoes or peanuts they'd stolen from the backs of produce trucks. When his mother died, he entered the priesthood. His first act as a priest was to search for a place where he could house the numbers of young boys he saw living in staggering poverty.
He convinced the Diocese of New York and several politicians to allow him to purchase a piece of land on Staten Island. He named it Mount Loretto, The Mission of the Immaculate Virgin. It was located high on a bluff between Arthur Kill and the New Jersey shore on a wide expanse of forested land that reminded him of his native country. When he first laid eyes upon it, he knew it was perfect for what he had in mind.
He enlisted the help of locals to build a large dormitory where he could house these orphaned boys. Then, he brought in fellow clergymen to help educate them and teach them how to become self-sufficient. He began by creating what would become the largest operating farm in the state of New York. The return on his merciful investment was the profit the farm produced that allowed additional facilities to be built. Later on, Father Drumgoole added a staff of nuns and built St. Elizabeth's Hall for girls.
The men and women who lived at Mount Loretto, many of whom I am proud to have interviewed, have an unusual bond between them and their beloved MIV. They refer to themselves as "Mounties".
Contrary to a knee-jerk opinion of how any orphan's life plays out. Most of these men and women have jobs, families and professional careers. It cannot go unnoticed, however, that Mount Loretto is like a mother to them. Many of the men with whom I spoke proudly state that it was she who prepared them for the military.
In speaking with them, I could see how very important family is in their lives. Contrary to why they were orphaned, in most of the cases, one or both parents had died and they had no other family who would accept the responsibility for raising them and their siblings. Miraculously, some even found humor in parts of their life circumstances. None of the American Mounties I interviewed had a negative view of their lives at Mount Loretto. They told of making rosaries, working on the farm and going into the nearby town to see movies. They speak most fondly of their teachers and mentors. There was an occasional and most typical mention of teachers who gave "a lot of homework". Considering that Catholic and non-Catholic orphans received their education there, this is not so very unusual.
What is unusual is the strength of character the American Mounties possess. Each year, they hold a "reunion" where American Mounties from as far back as the mid-1950's attend. They come from nearly everywhere to attend. Like all reunions, there is the initial notice of how each person has changed. Smiles all around and laughter pervade the air. To an outsider like me, this is a proven tribute to just how strong is the human ability to overcome life's greatest difficulties. Whenever life seems difficult and hopes are dashed, I remember our country's national treasures: the American Mounties.
Yes. I have an ego. That's how all humans beings know who they are. Ask any expert psychologist what the word "ego" means. In Latin, "Ego" translates as "I".
Do yourself a favor, try writing and then come back and tell me how easy it isn't
Get a clue oh great radical right winger. I've interviewed relatives of those who were on those orphan trains. So, unless you want to match wits with people who were there on those trains and living at MILV, you don't know a fig from a fruitcake about the subject. Next time, do your homework. Interview people who lived through the situation. Get first hand information from them that is verifiable. That's what a good writer does.
As for the rest of the tripe you posted, it's obvious you can't write or your envy wouldn't be getting the best of you.
My suggestion if you want to be a literary critic? Go back to school and get an education first. Then, come back and play critic.
Now, calling your bluff....Let see some of your literary writing. I know that every NY editor is just dying to see it in print.
Please don't politicize what I write. Obama is the next president and all of your naysaying will change nothing. As for Father Drumgoole, it is more than typical of an underachiever right wingers to denigate one single man who cared enough to help others. Or would you prefer a radical right winger who walks into a church and shoots people like in Tennessee?
Perhaps, it is time to begin to send all right wing extremists where they belong: With bin Laden.
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