Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-05-02
THE CELTIC RACE.


Long before the time of Caesar, al
the beginning of the Olympiads, the
fame of the Hibernia Druids had reached
even the remotest part of Scythia
While, in Italy and Gaul, Apollo, Mars,
and Mercury, were objects of divine
worship, the Irish Drgids taught invo-
cation to {" One Al Seeing, Az Healing
POioer."
Such was the remarkable piety, NOR
ality, and philosophy of the Hibernia
Druids, centuries before the Christian
Era, that ireland was called Lnsalq
Santa, /. e., "Sacred Island" 1t also
wore the honorable appellation OF
Blessed and Fortunate Island" These
old Irish had an excellent system OF
currency, (of ring money like the an
cient Greeks) made of valuable metals,
which was infinitely ahead of the present
fancy paper system of the United States.
In many things their civilization was in
advance, even of that of immortal Rome,
at that period. The pyramids, or " round
towers, which are yaestanding in many
parts of ireland, are proud monuments
of the genius and skill Of the ancient
Irish people. They have not only deied
the shocks of time, bu0have strained the
imagination and wonder of all modern
erudition. What a marvellous .piety,
what stupendous thought it was, which
reared such immortal structures While
gazing upon them, | have found it i'm
possible to restrain the conviction that
they sprung up, in obedience to a genius
scarcely less than that which reared the
mighty pyramids of Egypt. What a
tremendous faith it was, in the hearts
and brains Of these old heather Irish,
which nerved them on to perform such
miracles of labor
Herodotus tells us that the purport of
an inscription upon one of the pyramids
of Egypt was, that the sum of 1000 tai
ents Of silver, $500, ,OOO), had been ex-
pended in the purchase of onions, rad
ishes, and garlics alone, for 363,O00
men, occupied for twenty years in build
ing it. " The Round Towers of Ireland. +"
says OBrien, ''we may we'll conceive
must have been attended, at the early
period of their erection, with compare
lively similar expenses"
1t is fashionable for the clergy and
public lecturers in this country, to rep
resent these ancient Irish as 8 barba-
rians." They were no more barbarians
than the Grecians and Romans were of
that period; nor, indeed, than we are
at the present time. l deny that they
ever displayed so ferocious an appetite
for blood, or such a relentless spirit of
revenge, as we have displayed for the
last eight years, and are still displaying
here in New England The character
and temper of the old heather priests of
Ireland, were a hundred fold more like
the charitable spirit of Christ, than
great majority of our clergy at the pre-
sent time. Ignorance may scowl, and
bigotry make faces at this awful truth
but no one dare deny my statement, and
appeal to the record. While witnessing
the terrible sayagery of war, or listening
to the bloody and horrible impreeations
of our pulpits, | have almost been tempt
ed to exelaim with Wordsworth
"Great GodI I'd rather be
A Pagan, sucked ~ creed outw0rn
50 might 1, standing in mis- pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less for
Have sight Of Proteus rising from the sea:
Or hear old Titus blow his Hreathed horn"
Nor is the ancient record of Christian
Ireland less worthy of our admiration
aud gratitude. Respect for the truth
of history forced Montmorency to make
this confession. Only on the score of
erudition, it must be acknowledged that
the Irish theOlogian, as history asserts,
did not only exceed the modern Greek
and Egyptian, but his profound acquain-
tance with the sciences, arts and laws of
his country gave him an unrivalled supe-
riOrity in the literary and civilized
world. 1t has been said that Ireland
was the first country to receive the Cos
pei of Christ, without the shedding of
blood. Is that nothing to stir the re-
speet and gratitude of an American
Christian minister of the present day {?
1t was by Irish missionaries that the
Gospel was carried over Western Eu-
rope and they rested not until they
had penetrated the Lombard dominions.
and planted the standard of the Cross
among the loftiest peaks of the Appen-
ines, Is all this nothing ? During the
sixth. seventh and eighth centuries, Ire
land was the chief seat of learning and
for the world. 1t was here
that the English nobility, of both sexes,
were sent for education. Even here
some of the British kings were sent to
be educated. 1t was here that Charlie
magne found professors for his italian
schools. Is all this nothing for ireland ?
What nation has more glorious his
tory? To what nation of the earth can
we direct our eyes with a more approx
ing gaze? Do you wonder why this
once glorious nation now lies broken,
and mangled, and starving among the
nations Ask England. Ask your
selves what other nation would not be
the same, after having been stripped of
its liberty for SO many hundred years +?
The old Brehon laws of Ireland were
the foundation Of the common law of
England, which is the foundation of the
proudest guarantees of personal liberty
in our Constitution-those sacred guar
antees which have all been thrown down,
and madly run over by the party now in
power. Do We wonder that such party
should hate the Celtic people ? Ger
tanily a party which can bestow such
love upon the semi-human
negro race, is consistent in hating Celts,
and all other white nations These
madmen do, indeed, bate all white people
who are not SO deluded about negroes as
They seem as if drunk with
some poisonous draught-some fatal gas
sintgrana, which has stolen away their
senses, and fascinated them with negroes.