, 1867-03-22
IreIandnnd Fenianism
Az ADDaxss By HON. FRANK P. DUsAS TO THE
CITIZENS OF wALLA WALLA.

Fsiiow Citizsns, Ladies and Gentlenlen I'll have
been invited by the Robert Emmett Circle of the
| Fenian Brotherhood, to address you nPon the
history of Ireland aud Feniansm. The subject
opens wide Geli, and to do il Justice would
require weeks of preparation. have had but
two days notice, aad two thirds Of that tine has
Oeen employed Ia professional matters which
could not neglect Consequently. If 10 not do
las certainly shall notl the subject justice.
| You will, hope, accept want Of time to make
preparation as my apology. ireland, the " Gem
of the Sea, has history which dates back to
the ante edeluvian period, aud was, until after
the Christian era, undoubtedly the aboie Of
nnmerons- adreutnrers from the different bar,
baric and other provinces of Europe, and
her people have sprung from different naGen-
Slities. The records Of the different clans and
parties that obtained foothold on her soil are
not as accurate a right be wished, and we are
LEFT In doGht rs 70 the csisin Of the kGcrigiaees
| of Ireland.
/ The oldest authentic written Listsry of Ireland
we hAve, dates back t. about the year 432 of
the CHRISTIAN Era. When Patrick, sou of
CalphHru, now, and for centures past, re-.
nowned and known as the famous St. Patrick
and whose natal day we now met to cele-
brate, was carried, with his sisters, DAreca and
! lEpita, captiyes from G iul to Ireland, by King
/ Mai. From this period the conversion of Erin
/ from FG;aiismt to Christitnity may be dated !;
aad brought f5r,h such good results, had been
sowr, and although the 1ctrines Of Christianity.
which were thea Spre ding rtpidly all Over Con
tinrntLl Europe, COuIl uOt have heen much
/ Jngsr0w .t!.heli from Iceland, yet it is impos-
: = b!, f,r any pefs5l Nhp has given the history
OF Ireland proper aftsntien, not to be impressed
Niih the earnest convict IL that thatcnuniry is
! IgsrGtcd in Il special manner 10 ST. Patrick for
/ tlr5 g0giYuS hasYGEt Of sanctily which her SOL
: HlS made Droluce and he nj hal,
/ his name has ever since exertel among the peo.
pie OF that Island, in preventing a relapse 10
that Condition OF semi-bITbariSm from which
they had emerged, a fate which tue history of
nations show thst every pccT:c without fixed
and permanent government in which all pariici-
p'te, are liable to. popular belief am y nj!
cases OF the Irish nation that the blessed ST
Patrick has, since the time Of his death. er
cried his innaeacs in Heaven as the patron
'alnt OF Ireland, has also dOac mUch, and is
sui DOING much to keep the people ia that con
diton of religions subjeciion - t5s Gs uuuIs of
Christianity which ha N ide the Irish nation
pre- -eminently a religions pecpe. who s-rlple
not 10 make their rcil-i,US views para.
mount to life itself. All to-day d ,abt
It there cGa.I be fpunl a. I.t,Hntn WHO has
received proper religions training. that w,u,l
not, # he dread alternative were presented Of
Ter up his life nPun The lurti.Iing rack rather
Than sacfihce or rtn"uncr one single article of
hrs religious f.iiL From The iurrodcction of
Christianity IN lrclaud dates ;he bp.,iauinl. of
that high ordrr Gi eIviiiz ,iipn wh ch i.,ldp TIE
Island famous for Thirteen CClturLtS alter. Aud
when date ihp civil i .liou { ireland as beciu>
ming with the iItrDiaciion q Cari-ti,ni,v hope
! VIII not be underwood as luumlti ~ that Ire.
lAnI vs., considering her dated p5Sfri D. W ant
o. Commerce and entire ab sea &c Of even the ruI>
lme"ts OF re+di"S "ni wiring, behind the oii-r
nat ol- o. the aut!c bor.i-r. Blt it i,lev br
interesting To inquire, what Kind Of ciy;!is .tiuu
did pagAn'srrlnnd enj in the absence of letters
commerce. anL the Gthc- usual conron.iianls Of
perfect or srmjocrf c; cirliz .i1n That the first
migrations tOtreldud brought with thrm, at least
the germs of social know lge appears from all
the traditions HEG historical "reminiscences to be
indisPutab.e, and although they had IT the al.
Tanta-es from their Isolated position of ieyelop.
lag them iutO a ciylhzItion like that of G rceue
and Rome, yri TIE social state which that germ
did proIuce, " =, far removed from barAlr:sin in
tue scnse in which III It word is usually under.
stood FrJm all We can gleIu of her history VIC
have gool reasons iyr Lrlicviag that Ireland
when in ;hat epoch Of her history denomiaaieJ
her days o. pag1niSm, had reached II point re,at.
lVely advanced IN the social scale, and that aft
erw"rds, whfn Christianity came to be cngrAfted
upon her soil, 1t found a genial resting place.
and that the difficulties inciients to effecting "A
change 10 any people from Ilolatry tq Christian,
Iiy were far easier overcome on that Island than
ia any oth'r counjry known at that day. Ifthis
proposition Is u1trne, how Will any disputlnt
account for me su Idea lp,ire of learning and
saneiity by wach, i Is admitted, she became
distinguished a. tiic peer of r ,me and Greece IN
their palm:e,t d}s, within less thaa one c .n,ury
afl,r sac received The gospel from her adopted
sOn 81 Pat.i&. Tle history of no nation emerg-
lag from 6's6Irlsm proper shows such IL result,
and could GOi have boea produced among
people so barbarons us Soho writers of
the present day, who nreicrgaged in the interest
OF Eaglhnd, in the attempt 10 make the people
OF the GIneteenlh century believe that the Irish
nation, having descended from barbaric ancest.
ors, are rot yet sufficiently removed from its
iuliHence to be capable of self government or, in
other words, to manage aal control their in.
ternal pOIty without the Interference of the Brit.
ish Government. But it comes with ill grace
from the minions of English tyranny TO upbraid
the Irish nation with barbaric descent when
impartial history shows cOnclusively that Ire.
land bad her indigenous institutions, however
rude they may have been, and her own patri-
archlal system of social intercourse and m main-
tanned her independence against the assaults of
all invaders by her superior proRess and form
idable pixies in the hands of those who well knew
how to handle them, Mt time, when Britain,
now naughty, imperiouj and tyrannicIl lay
with ancient Gaul in abject snhjection at the
feet Of imperial Rome, from whom she imbibed
her civilization, if indeed h can be said that the
natives OF great Britain, reared under her in
stitutions, and imbibing her peculiar ideas, can
be said to be civilized Civilization in its proper
Significance, includes something more than the
introduction of the Christian religion aud the
cultivation of the arts and sciences. IT implies
metamofphosis Of people from a savage o.
barbaric state TO condition wherein the people
OF that patton have been constrained from
sense OF right and justice to form laws in con-
formlty with the dictates Of humanity and reli,
gion for their future government, refinement aud
guidance. When they are admitted to the fans
lly OF civilized nations, they are expected to
conform te all customs Of civilityr that arc u.s.
ual in the intercourse between refined anA int
elleetual beings and when ever nation, once
admitted into that relationship, shall retograde
TO barbarism, and shall do acts which are de.
Eouneed by the laws of civilization to be the
eading characteristics of bIrbgrie people, she
should be again excluded from the list Of civil,
ized nations. The conduct of Great Britain
during tae eighteenth and nineteenth centuries,
to extend the term no further back, has been
such as to raise in the minds of many
persons serious donhk to whether she