The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-08-07
The o'Connen Celebration I'm Ireland
and America.

| The event which was celebrated with so
deliberately in many other cities in almost
every part of the world. was something more
than a national OF religious anniversary. IL
was not merely Irish nor exclusively Catholic
In O'Connells work every nation and every
people struggling to be free may have share.
| The Protestant as well as the Catholic may
rejoice that Ireland acknowledges him
as her Liberator, because in gaining
emancipation for the oppressed Catholics OF
his own country he deepened the fountain
and widened the stream of religious liberty
in every land of either hemisphere. Free
dom's battle is the self-same cause in what
ever name it is fought 1t was principle, not
a creed, for which O'Connell struggled, and,
however the creed may have been benefited,
it was in reality only the principle that
triumphed. In view of this the jealousies
which disturbed the celebration OF the OCon-
nell Centennial were exceedingly lll-hmed
and out of place. The Roman Catholic Church
could gain nothing by making it mere
ultramontane movement. Fenianism could
!
Brotherhood in diverting it TO their exclusive
benefit All men, oil nations and all creeds
were equally entitled to its privileges, be-
cause the celebration itself was only the COM
memorahon of an aspiration common to
humanity, and its success is the response
of universal sympathy. Though the one
great act of OConnelrs lfe-Catholic eman-
cir ftuhi oh i'm
his high place among the statesmen OF his time
and the benetactors of every age-was accom-
plished for Ireland, its influence has not
stopped with the land her Liberator loved so
well. Free America rejoices in this anniver-
sary as an approval of the policy of our
fathers in leaving every sect free to worship
God in its own way. Enshackled Germany
sees in it the hope of q higher religious free
dom. Catholic Rome in celebrating this
anniversary. commentaries the princi-
pie of religious liberty as well as
O'Connells achievement for Ireland. 1t is
this broad and universal sympathy-the bond
which draws closer and closer the brother
hood of men-which gives significance to the
occasion and for the moment turns every eye
to that green island so loved by its children.
O'Connells name is an inspiration of liberty,
and it is in response to this inspiration that
not Ireland alone, but freemen in every city
and every cline have just done such signal
honor to his memory.
The celebration in Ireland, as a matter of
course took precedence of the demonstrations
in other parts of the world. The cable this
morning bears ample testimony to the gran
deur and importance of the occasion. The pro-
cession was one of the largest and most re-
markable in history Probably one hundred
thousand Irishmen walked the streets of Dub
lin yesterday in O'Connelr honor, and in all
its parts the celebration was as Irish as
Irishmen could make it. In no other
country could like scene have been enacted.
There was o struggle for precedence, ending
in fight, that could have happened nowhere
else. There were rivalries and iealousies that
no other people would have thought of but
these things, characteristic as they were, may
be deprecated, but are better overlooked and
forgotten. 1t would have been as well,
doubtless, if the Amnesty Brotherhood had
been content with a more modest place in
the procession; but it was not in the
Irish character to be SO content, aad
we must remember besides, that good
Churchmen, even, were unwilling to
! give O'Connell over entirely to the Church.
/ He is to the Irish people what Washington is
to us-the embodiment of national senti-
ment-and it is not possible that they should
merely revere his memory, but revere it with
! direct reference to the hopes nearest their
| hearts. Indeed, in our own country we have
| had an illustration OF this within few years.
During the civil war both North and South
claimed Washington as the apostle of
that liberty for which they were
struggling Being dead, either was sure
Of his leadership had he been living.
1t was this feeling which prevailed in Dublin
yesterday when those two thousand Irish
men seized the head of the column and
held it throughout the ma rch of the process
sion. There was no hostility to the Church
in this, for every mothers son of this pugna-
cious brotherhood, we have no doubt, reioices
as heartily in OConnelps work of liberation
as the Pope himself; but it was an effort to
utilize great occasion in behalf of a more
universal sentiment than Catholic eman-
cipaton We can applaud the feeling while
we deprecate the act. Catholic emancipation
was a great achievement certainly-an
achievement which Protestants as we'll as
Catholics have every reason to commemorate
but OConnels influence was of kind that
outgrew as it outlasted his work. In becom-
| ing the embodiment Of a national sentiment
the inspiration and incentive OF the struggling
element among his countrymen to-day as he
was of his own eneration-O Connell became
to Ireland ali that Ireland hopes and desires in
the way Of political freedom. 1t was
impossible to rob such an occasion as this
of its political significance. O'Connelps