The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1868-01-28
speech OF Hon. James A. Morgan.

teu states fcnslOn omce, delivered the iollOWing
admirable address last evening, at Platz's, on
the occasion OF the lo9th anniversary of the
birth of Robert Burns, in response to the scnti.
ment ITO the Memory of Thomas Moore"
Mr.. Morgan said;
Mr.. President AND GHNTLHMES: While I
feel deeply honored at the kind invitation to re-
spond to the toast just read, and the more be-
cause II may be termed an irregular proceed
ing" must nevertheless confess that expert
cnce on this occasion all the novelty of new
situation, and labor under the embarrassment to
which 1t would naturally give rise. An Amer.
lean by birth, education and sympathy, yet
! hope IN no restricted sense Of that glorious
term, / find myself surrounded by "Auld Sco-
tia's" sons and admirers, assembled to commem-
crate the birth Of Robert Burns-the poet Of hu.
manity-called upon to respond to the sentiment
"The memory Of Thomas Moore" the poet
By moonlight In the Persian tongue,
Along the streets Of Ispahan."
Had been called on, MT. President, to respond
to sentiment In honor of some American poet,
might possibly have found something aPpro:
PIRATE to says for example, of that grand old
quaker poet, Whittier, God bless him. OF Bry.
ant, whose name is imperishably interviewer
with some of the brightest gems in the realm Of
poetry; OF that jolly good fellow, Saxe-though
he's not much OF apoeti OF that other fellow,
Longfcllow, whose muse soars to the loftiest
heights; of Poe, whose spirit, trust, now tunes
its Tyre for sublimer strains of Hhlleck-
That were not born to die. -
l shall attempt no extended eulogy either
upon the poet or his productions, or upon the
beautiful land that gave him birth. lam not "to
the manner BORN have never fingered in the
"sweet vale OF Avoca," nor gazed on Boyne's
dark waters, nor stood on Tara's lofty hill, ever
echoing his renown. l dare not therefore touch
upon the story OF his life; for remember tn at
when the host OF Israel, pursued by the chariots
and horsemen OF Egypt, and guided by the change
full pillar of cloud and OF fire, had passed between
the liquid walls of the Arabian sea, only Jewish
| hand could strike the cymbols with the boldness
due to the theme Of their march. My affinity
with Moore as with Burns Is derived rather from
| A deem kymDatly with the AubicctB which in.
| spired their muse and with the principles which
| they endcavorcd to inculcate than from ANY
| Shamrock or the Thistlci although, perchhnce
in my ancestry both these national emblems in
| tertwine.
| Tracing ones ancestral line is.sometimes al
unpleasant and even perllous experiment, ant
yet will venture to say, Mr. President, that II
could tonight drop into that little shop on An
guier street, Dublin, you'd as freely drink !
glass Of the good old Irish beverage as have OF
this occasion Psrtaken OF the barley brec"
tion with that of Burns. Born like him, In tn,
humber walks OF life, without the adycntitioul
| yet powerful aids OF atiiuence and rank, borrow
| Ing nothing from ancestral fame, and indebted
| only to God and himself, he gave to mRnkint
those impcrishable emanations of genius, the
"Irish Melodies" whose music viii rcsound
throughout the ages wherever human voice
may be heard. He touched the national harp
"he knew the strings in which its music dwelt,
and he evoked from 1t more than its Ancien
sweetness, He sang OF liberty and OF love, az
when these sentiments become extinct in IL
human breast the memory of Moore will pc rls
from the earth. His song has done more tC war
liberalizing, eleyating, and refining his cf,untr,
men than the martyFdom OF Emmett or the elt
Quence of O'Connell.
lie loved his native land, more bear. tlful eve
| in her sorrow than the "vale of Casl Imere - he
palaces deserted and her shrines de stroyed; an
he sought to inspire his countrym6, IN with som,
thing the spirit OF their ancestor when Irelan
-greenest island of all the seas was the seat {
learning and of art, when she : ent her mlssioni
ries to convert the hordes o. Western Europ,
when she had a code Of laws that gave equal an
exact justice to all before Strong bow and treaso
placed her under British 'rile-
when her kings with standards Of green unfurlet
| Led the red. branch K NJ ghts to danger;
Ere the Emerald gem Of the Western world,
was set IN the crown. Of u stranger. ~
May we noth sir, that the genius OF Moor
together with tina of Burns, and all other III
efalillng Rgehcieh will hasten the coming of til,
good time whicf. he has so graphically depicte
? when from tie lips Of truth, one mighty breA
shall, IKE WhlTlwind, scatter in Its breeze
The whole dprk pile Of human mOckcriesi
Then shall the reign Of mind commence on earth,
And startin fresh rs from u se cond birth,
Man, IN De sunshine Of the world = new spring,
snail walk Transparent, like some holy thing. "
And may we not also hope that the day Is ne
. far distant when we shall see the birthplace
Moore, the land of the " ever glorious" GrattAI
{ of Emmett, Of Philips, and OF Curran, redeemt
from foreign domination, standing erect in h,
ancient majesty and power, clothed with ind
pendent sovereignty, and purified by centuries
suffering, with her valleys dotted with churcht
and her hills crowned with school houseB-th
shining lights OF advancing civilization-marcl
Ing forward to take her place among the nation
OF the earth.