The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1872-03-17
st. Patrick'S Day.

rolled silently away since the great Cnr's'
! tian APOSTLE Of Ireland planted the cross
upon her green hills. For more than four
teen, centuries this day which We new cele-
brate, has been recognized 40 tho real
birth dayof Irish greatness and nationality.
Greatness was there before and nationality
was there too.M Great mon, great poets,
great warri ors in Ireland had left the Inn
print of their genius upon her history, her
literature and her architecture. But tho
real Irish character was formed only when
Christianity had welded it's own beauteoes
grace to the noble traits of nature already
existing, and from that union wrought .
result which the annals Of history will In
vain essay to rival.
Heroism IL universally regarded a. the
halo which rests upon the loftiest pinnacies
of moral character, and nowhere in tho
history of the world has heroism found 80
glorious and universal an expression In
national character and history as in Ire
Martyrs. She has been, in fact, . martyr
herself, and her history for centuries was
continued martyrdom. The Irish people
have known how to suffer for their faith
such prosecutions as NO other land ever
knew and to lay down their lives by thou
sands and tens Of thousands for the mainten-
ance of q principle. What higher test
have We of strength and perfection of
character than the willingness to suffer, to
sacrifice everything dear, to encounter
poverty and degradation, to meet death
itself rather than yield the sacred tribunal
of conscience to foreign dictation or deny
the truth in its lowliness and apparent
weakness through fear of men
There has never been any other people
ground down as persistently, rs con-
tinuously, a. ingeniously, for such an
inconceivable length of time - ground
Down and crushed into such mire OF
poverty and abasement-as the Irish peo-
pie, and yet no man can name the day or
the moment when, during all those long
seven centuries of agony, the Irish heart
ever grew faint or dreamed a single dream
Of submission. The conqueror's heel was
on Erin's throat, his sword was sheathed
in her very vitals, but PROSTATE, helpless,
yea almost hopeless, che has fought on to
this day, nerveless her arm, but the fire OF
the unconquerable in her eye. Her gar
ments have been soiled and torn, her
beautiful face has been disfgured with the
very dust and ashes of humiliatieBr her
comeliness has been hidden under wounds
and blood, but no craven word, no pleading
| tear, no quailing glance, has ever permit
| ted her master to dream that the captive
| was slave.
Shall we say that st. Patrick's day and
St. Patrick's name have not had something
to do with this wonderful historyf All
the other nations of the North fell away be-
fore the baleful influence of the Reforma-
ton. Ireland alone stood firm to the
Faith. Why was this7 Was her blood
altogether different from that which flowed
in the veins of the Scotch and Weleh
Scotland and Wales yielded an easy VIC
tory to the fatal frenzy that swept at that
time like an epidemic over the Northern
mind, but the spirit Of Patrick yet lowered
over his dear Ireland aud the prayer of
Patrick lived yet in the echoes of her hills,
bringing down the blessing of Faith as
gave her his last blessing.
The difference between Ireland and other
countries is simply that they are national
while she is Catholic. Her civilization Is
Catholic, her very nationality is Catholic.
France remembers Napoleon, America cele-
brates the 4th of July, England boasts of
her Wellington, Italy even to this day
dreams Of her Caesars, every nation prides
itself on it's worldly renown or success,
Ireland alone centres everything in her
Saints. She is the only nation that openly
recognizes the spiritual rs more important
than the worldly, and proclaims God
greater than Mammon.
Ireland's great festival-political and
social, national and domestic, all in one
is ST. Patriots Day.
THE PUBLIC Discussion IN RoME.-The pub
lie controversy, mentioned in the Roman letter