ent Fayette County, he kept a journal of the expedition, in which we read: "The 29 (June, 1754) Mass was said in the camp, after which we marched," etc. ("The Olden Time," vol. II., p 211.) There can be no doubt that a chaplain attended the important expedition that descended the Allegheny to take possession of "the Forks," and that Mass was celebrated the morning after the arrival; for now the French were undisputed masters, and no enemy was near to menace them. It was Friday in Easter week, April 17, 1754.

During the French occupation at Fort Duquesne religious services were regularly held. The Reverend Charles Baron, a native of France and a member of the Franciscan order, who in religion had taken the name of Denys, was chaplain to the French forces. He was ordained September 23, 1741. After serving several different parishes in Canada, he was appointed chaplain of this expedition, and took up his residence at Fort Duquesne. Sometime before the abandonment of the fort another chaplain succeeded him, and Father Denys was transferred to the chaplaincy of Fort St. Frederic at Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain, where he died November 6, 1758, a few days before the fall of Fort Duquesne.

There is in existence a record of the baptisms and interments that took place at the fort from the arrival of the French till October, 1756. This record was rescued from oblivion in the archives of Canada and one hundred copies were printed by Mr. John Gilmary Shea in 1859. It is an octavo volume of fifty-two pages, in old French, of which the translation of the title is: "The Register of the Baptisms and interments which took place at Fort Duquesne during the years 1753, 1754, 1755 and 1756." The Register is divided into three parts, each duly authenticated by M. Contrecoeur, commander of the fort, and contains fifteen baptisms, of which two only are French, eight Irish, two English and three Indians, one being that of Jean Baptiste Christiguay, "great chief of the Iroquois," who was then in the ninety-fifth year of his age. The number of interments were forty-two-thirty-four from Fort Duquesne and eight from the posts on and near Lake Erie-all of which were French, except two English and four Indians. The first entry from Fort Duquesne is dated

June 5, 1754, and the last October 10, 1756. What became of the register of the last two years is not known. The entries from Fort Duquesne are all signed "fr. Denys Baron, chaplain," except one which has in connection with his name that of "fr. Luc Collet, chaplain of Presqu'isle and French Creek." The title in the entries till August 6, 1754, is merely "Fort Duquesne of the Beautiful River."

So much for the early history, military and religious, that centres at " the Point" when it was known as Fort Duquesne. When the English got possession the name was changed to Fort Pitt which in time gave us the name of Pittsburgh. Passing over the intervening years during which the city began to grow, year by year, to larger proportions until it became the great industrial and commercial centre it is today, I come to the decade to which reference was made in the early part of this paper; the period from 1885 to 1895-a most interesting period in the local history of "the Point" as well as in the general history of the city.

As stated already the writer was Pastor of St. Mary's church during those years. The position was not an enviable one. The First ward, which comprised the historic places that clustered round "the Forks" or "the Point," did not bear the best reputation for good order and the highest type of citizenship. It was a battle ground in which was a warfare between the forces of good and evil for higher and better social and civic ideals. And this fight went on unceasingly during the decade from 1885 to 1895.

I shall be pardoned, I trust, if in dealing with this part of the subject, I am somewhat personal. This cannot well be avoided. The evil forces at work in the down-town district may be grouped under three heads: the abuses of the liquor traffic, the social evil, and corrupt politics. Before the enactment of the Brooks' high license law (May 18, 1887) almost any one who had the price could secure a license to sell liquor, with the result that in this district the lowest saloons were found in great abundance. These places were the haunts of criminals and were known all over the city. Within a few months of the first year I had charge of St. Mary's church three murders were committed

in these low "dives," scarcely a stone's throw apart. When the high license law went into effect a large number of these places were weeded out. The late Judge White presided over the first session of the High License Court. He was a stern opponent of the liquor traffic. When he handed down the license list of that year it was found that less than a hundred licenses were granted for the whole city. There was a great outcry from the supporters of the liquor traffic and the judge was roundly denounced by those who were refused license and their friends. Just as at the present time, especially in our large cities, an attempt is made to set at naught the Volstead law, so was it sought in this state, and especially in this down-town district of Pittsburgh to evade the high license law by running what was known as "speakeasys." Heavy fines and imprisonments, however, by the Courts soon put an end to the "speakeasys."

We had a large temperance society in the parish that was doing effective work in saving especially the young people from the evils of intemperance. It was a not unusual thing to find a Catholic clergyman, the Rector of St. Mary's, present every year at the opening of the license court to protest against the granting of a liquor license to unworthy applicants from the First ward. And it is worthy of note that for ten years not a single applicant received a license against whom he had protested. And thus the number of saloons was greatly lessened and the liquor traffic brought under restraint in the down-town district. This obviously made for civic betterment.

With the social evil and low politics I must deal lightly. The subject is an unpleasant one. This much, however, may be said: It was the policy then, perhaps it is so still, of the public safety department of the city to confine the inmates of "the underworld" to a certain district. Unfortunately for those forced to live there, that was the downtown district, from Market Street to Penn Avenue and from First to Fourth Avenue; this was the "red-light" quarter of the town, turned over largely to these unfortunate people. It was said to be controlled by a certain disreputable character, who shared the profits of the vile trade with certain "higher ups" of the police department for the protection given him. From time to

time there was carried on a crusade, led by some clergyman, against the social evil which made a great stir for awhile, but little.or nothing came of it. One of these notable crusades took place during Mayor Gourley's administration. The "red-light" houses were closed and the inmates driven to the streets or to other parts of the city. But when the storm blew over, they found their way back to the old haunts and things went on pretty much as before. It was a hard and constant fight to save the young people from the immoral contagion that prevailed in this part of the town.

Of the character of the fight, let me recall here the saying of the late Reverend Dr. Allison, then editor of the Presbyterian Banner, which summed up the situation: "The fight down there in the First ward is between Father Sheedy and the Devil; in such a fight I am, heart and soul, with the good Father." And so he was. So, too, was the Reverend E. R. Donehoo, a broad-minded, liberal clergyman, pastor for thirty years of the West End or Eighth Presbyterian Church, whose splendid public service in every good cause was felt in the community. He was known as the "reporters' friend," for no newspaper man in need of a "story" was ever known to go to him and fail to get

one.

But the strongest influence was that of the late Reverend Dr. George Hodges, the Rector of Calvary Episcopal Church, East End. One day, when things were at the worst, Dr. Hodges said to me: "Let us build a bridge (he meant a social and civic bridge) between the East End and the 'Point.'" That was the invitation this good man gave me more than thirty years ago. It was an urgent call to duty and I was glad to have the co-operation and active support of this efficient social worker. We at once set to work. He looked after the building of the bridge at one end and I at the other. The bridge was soon built. Dr. Hodges brought the people of the East End in great numbers down to the "Point." The recent opening of the Exposition building was an attraction-and I urged very strongly the people of the Point to move out to the wide spaces beyond Schenley Park and mingle with those more happily situated there.

This joint work for social and civic betterment went on for ten years, Dr. Hodges by voice and pen and practical organization doing a very large share of the work. Here I may state that I have met few men more resourceful in social welfare ideas and the practical means in carrying them out than Dr. Hodges. He was a great Christian social democrat and he loved the common people. In those days there was no stronger and far-reaching influence for good in Pittsburgh than his. Today social service is accepted everywhere. Thirty years ago it was a new idea but it soon took hold of the public mind, the practical results of which are felt today in the congested parts of all our large cities.

Putting the idea into practical shape we established down town a social settlement, known as the Kingsley House. I should have wished that the name of Newman was coupled with that of Kingsley, calling it the Newman-Kingsley House, thus linking the two famous English clergymen, who, whilst they differed widely in doctrine, were in perfect accord in social work. In this way I thought the admirers of both would be made to forget the bitter controversy carried on by Cardinal Newman (then Dr. Newman) and Rev. Charles Kingsley. We interested the best people of Pittsburgh in the work of the settlement house, and I trust, that its work goes on to the present day.

Another project of those days that met with popular favor and had the best results was the Sunday afternoon concerts that we inaugurated in the Exposition building down at the "Point." This, too, was the outcome of the civic bridge-building. The concerts were a tremendous success. The strict "Sabbatarians" were violently opposed to them. The press and public, however, applauded, and the Sunday afternoon concerts were a great success. Today when Sunday golf and Sunday motoring are the fashion, one wonders at the opposition to Sunday sacred concerts a little over a quarter of a century ago.

Thus does time work its changes. We had to explain how the Lord's Day, called by some "the Sabbath," was to be properly observed. Today Americans very generally have come to accept, I believe, the view of the proper observance of the Lord's day or Sunday then set forth.