The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1877-04-12

Ireland in those days was studded with
institutions oflearning and the college OF
Armagh alonecontained at one time Z 900
pupils. This was centuries before i
was civilized by British legislation.
Passing over wha. Venerable Bedc,
DR.. johnson and other eminent English
scholars say of ancient Ireland, | shall
quote Camden who is favorite author
with the English: "Our Anglo-Saxons
went in those days to Ireland, as if to a
fair to purchase knowledge. And we
often find in our authors that if a person
was absent from home it was generally
said of him by way OF proverb that "hc
was sent to Ireland to receive his educa.
ton" 1t also appears that our ancestors,
the ancient Anglo-Saxons had learned
the use of symbolic characters in Ireland
q would say by way of perenthesis that
hat is meant by symbolic characters is
shorthand writing which was known in
Ireland a thousand years before phon-
ography was invented by Isaac Pitman
Of Bath.) And from the Irish our an.
cient ancestors appear to have learned
and received their method Of forming
letters and obviously made use Of the
same character which the Irish now
make use Of" Thus for Camden.
DR.. Warner. another English hIsto>
rian, referring to this topic says:
"Ought we Englishmen not rather to take
shame to ourselves that we have hither-
to always treated that ancient, gallant
people with such iliberal contempt
they who had the start of the Britians for
many ages, in arts ard science, in learn
ing and in law" | shall end my quotas
tons with the following from Mr.. Magoon
an American writer, extracted from the
Heroes ofthe Revolution" :-"Ireland's
poets are among the oldest and the best,
her lierate shine brightly amid the
chiefest luminaries Of art and science
her martial heroes have never been ex>
celled, and OF her statesmen it is enough
to say that for centuries they have been
what they now are-the mightiest leaders
Of Parliament. When Ireland had ma.
tional councils Of her own she shone
Supremacy in legislative wisdom and
justice, when forced Into allegiance with
England she eclipsed the splendors she
encountered. The brightest names in
English generalship. science and juris-
prudence are Irish. But it is in elo.
quence especially that Ireland may safely
challenge the most refined nations of
modern times. An unbroken series of
consumase orators illuminate the dreary
history of that abused and much-injured
Ireland like SO III any pillars OF fire"
But some one may ask, why are not
the Irish of the present day as eminent
in literature as in former times ? an
swer, because Ireland is an enslayee
nation and governed by England.
Were this great republic still attache,
to the apron strings Of the ''mothe
country" think you it would be now tn
leading nation on earth in the arts an
sciences, in manufactures and inventions
: Most assuredly not.
But even to-day Ireland is we'll repre-
sented in the world of letters, but Eng
land has confisc ,Ied her great men an
called them British authors. Who anon
my fellow teachers knows that tn
great British scientist. Tyndal, is o
Irishman-that Sir William Thompso
one of the greatest living mathe mat
! eians is an Irishman-that Bull Ru
Russell. the great correspondent of tn
/, London Times during our ''late unplea.
: antness" is an Irishman-that DR.. Shelto
d Mckenzie, editor OF the PHILADELPHIA
! Press. and regular contributor to Satul
D day Night, is an Irishman-.hat Rober
4 Bonner OF the New York Ledger, an
Q Rev. John Hall. an abe writer tor tn.
Q journal, are both Irishmen-that D.
!, Joyce of Boston, who according to som
critics, has written the best poem of th
: century is an Irishman. or that Pro
r Dunn. OF the Winona Normal School
!. as much of an Irishman as l am, Ctr
r mendous applause.)
If will venture the assertion that ha
the writer's on the American press are
7. Irish birth or descent, and another asse
: ton which will astound you and appe
u almost incredible-thatt the United Stat
l. is not an Anglo-Saxon country b
J. thoroughly Celtic. The English peou
/. are not all OF Anylo>Saxon descen
Were those brave and worthy men Il
L. Pilgrim fathers Angio-Saxonso The
r being English does not necessarily maj
l. them so. Washington. the saviour
h our country, was not of Anglo>Saxe
but Norman descent. and he honored d
~ Celtic race by enrolling himself as
> member of 1.-THE Knights of st. Patric
le an Irish organization in Philadelph
"a at the time OF the Revolution. The tern
! ''Anglo>Saxon race" and ''molher cou