This research has extracted from the records of Rhode Island the influence of the Irish schoolmaster, MacSparran, in moulding the intellectual development of that colony; it has called attention to the work of George Berkeley in the promotion of education here, and what is to me personally exceedingly pleasant information, that Brown University, my beloved alma mater, in its infancy was succored by the contributions of worthy people residing in Ireland. The work of presenting to the world the achievements of the Irish in America, in its just proportion to the achievements of men of other races in the colonization, struggle for independence, and the creation of a republic, the development of that republic from a theory into a concrete nation, and the perpetuation of that nation, is a duty not only to the men whose deeds are to be chronicled, but also a debt which we owe to ourselves, which we should cheerfully assume. The labor involved in this from its very nature is such as can only be performed by an organization such as the American-Irish Historical Society. The true status of the Irish in America, notwithstanding the fact that their brain and brawn have been interwoven in the woof and web of our nation’s fabric, has never been fully appreciated by reason of the prejudices which have been associated with anything that bore an Irish name. This prejudice, in no small part, arose from misconception and misunderstanding of the Irish nature, temperament, and characteristics. There is a brand of bigotry that is sometimes designated as inborn. In the case of a bigot whose bigotry is congenital, it is well to follow the Scriptural injunction to reason not with a fool lest he grow wise. But in the case of those persons who, by reason of misconception, or want of acquaintance with Irishmen, cannot properly estimate our race, yet whose minds are broad enough to cherish the worth of a man when demonstrated, and whose patriotism counts every man a friend who has contributed to the glory of his country, an impartial history of the deeds of Irishmen in America would effectively serve to displace any prejudice. What lover of the human race, animated by that noble sentiment of Terrence, “I am a man, and I think nothing human foreign to me,” can fail to appreciate the sturdy virtues of the Irish people in America, their patient industry, their obedience to constituted authority, their domestic constancy, their desire to provide homes for their families, and education for their children.