630
AN GAOḊAL
sitions of duty, as censure "those happy meetings
when" (to use the language of Curran in reference
to similar scenes), "the swelling heart conceived
and communicated the pure and generous purpose,
the innocent enjoyment of social mirth expanded
into the nobler warmth of social virtue, and the
horizon of the board became enlarged into the hor¬
ion of man." Certainly an association could not
be deemed useless which brought together in fam¬
iliar contact such men as Dickinson, Barry, Morris,
Wayne, Fitzsimmons, Peters, the Moylans, Hop¬
kinsons, and many others distinguished for their
genius, talents, wit and patriotism; which bound
them together by the tie of friendship and mads
them acquainted with the characters and qualifica¬
tions of each other.
The regular meetings of the society were held
on the 17th days of March, Jnne, September and
December. Each member was required to furnish
himself with a gold medal of the value of three
guineas, agreeably to the following description;
On the right, Hibernia; On the left, America ; in
the center, Liberty joining the hands of Hibernia
and America, represented by the usual figures of
a female supported by a harp, for Hibernia; an
Indian with his quiver on his back and his bow
slung, for America; underneath, Unite. On the
reverse, St. Patrick trampling on a snake, a cross
in his hand, dressed in pontificalibus, the motto,
Hiar."
These devices, designed some years before the
Revolution, were certainly ominous, if not prophet¬
ic. The Goddess of Liberty joining the hands of
Hibernia and America, with the superscription
"Unite," was sufficiently significant, considering
that the effect of that Union powerfully promoted
subsequent dismemberment of the British empire
and the liberty and independence of America.
The motto Hinr, or without the aspirate, lar, in
the Celtic language signifies "West," and from it
came the name of the country, Ere, Erin, or Ire¬
land, and Irena, aspirated Hibernia. But the
word Hier had in it a duplicate and equivocal sig¬
nification, peculiarly appropriate as the motto of
a society whose object was to "Unite" in fellow¬
ship the sons of the little isle of the "West" with
those of the great continent of the "West."
This medal the members were obliged to wear
at the meetings of the society under the penalty of
7s 8d. for neglect do so on St. Patrick's day, and
5s. on the days of the quarterly meetings.
Ten honorary members were eligible. The qual¬
ifications for ordinary members were that the ap¬
plicant should be a descendant of Irish parents on
either side in the first degree, or a descendant of a
member ad infinitum (honorary members except¬
ed). So that applicant must either be a native
of Ireland himself or one of his parents must have
been so, or he must have been a descendant of a
member. Honorary members could not vote, and
were not subject to fines. These were the princi¬
pal rules, and they were doubtless pretty strictly
adhered to when possible to be enforced. There is
however, one remarkable departure from them.
When it was proposed to elect General Washing¬
ton a member, it was found that neither of his
parents were Irish. It is true he might have been
elected an honorary member, but whether the
constitutional number of ten was already full, or
what is more likely, desiring a more closer and
more intimate fellowship with him than they en¬
joyed with the honorary members, and wishing him
to have all the privileges of a genuine Son of St.
Patrick, the fertile ingenuity of some of its mem¬
bers invented a plan by which Gen. Washington
could be converted into an Irishman, and thereby
at once rendered eligible. They reasoned in this
way ; We ourselves have no American blood in our
veins, yet by adoption, we have become members
of the young republic of America, and thereby
Americans. Why, then, may not the Society of
the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick make Gen. Wash¬
ington an Irishman by adoption? This process of
argumentation appears to have removed all scru¬
ples about the integrity of their rules, and "His
Excellency, General Washington" (to use the lan¬
guage of the minutes of the 18th Dec. 1781),
"was unanimously adopted (not elected) a member
of the society."
The first meeting of the Society of the Friendly
Sons of St. Patrick appears, from the minutes, to
have been held at Burns' Tavern, Philadelphia,
on the 17th Sept. 1771, when fifteen regular and
two honorary member were present. There appear
to have been twenty four original members besides
seven honorary members.
Before proceeding to the history of the society
it is proposed to give in this place (as far as we are
able) some sketches of the original members reserv¬
ing other members for subsequent notice.
Stephen Moylan's name stands first on the list of
original members, and his signature first attached
to the rules. He was the first president of the
society, and was doubtless the most active in its
formation, he seems also to have been the last
president of the society, being restored to the office
in 1796, after an interval of twenty-two years.
This gentleman was a native of Ireland, and broth¬
er to the Catholic Bishop of Cork in that country.
Three of his brothers — Jasper, James and John —
afterwards joined the society. Stephen Moylan
entered the army of the Revolution, in which he
soon became distinguished, was much in the con¬
fidence of General Washington, and rose to the
rank of brigadier-general. He was a man of high
honor and respectability, and one of the original
members of the Society of the Cincinnati. After
the war he resided some years in Chester County,
where he was Prothonotary of the Court. He
died at Philadelphia, and is interred in the burial
