Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-03-21

grand movements Of the human race have
been controlled BIZ certain unwritten and
invisible, bat universal. and supremacy I'm
perial. laws From the very earliest epochs,
where the twilight OF history fades away to
tradition, the movement of Empire has been
Westward. Not that the human race has
left the East either By impulse, or BY sober
volition. Backward and Westward has II
moved, with arms stretched longinRIy low
ingly, toward the East. The seat Of the
highest civilization located In Greece, the
ambition OF the Greek strove to take the
centre Of Empire back to the Esst. Hence
twenty cities spotted Asia and
ALEXANDRIA. In vainl The traveller
from the yet more enlightened West did not
fail to observe, long centuries ago, that the
columns Of the PARTHENoN were beginning
to crumble. The Eagles Of imperial domi-
nation perched upon the banks Of the Tiber,
the Roman, in his turn, sought to remove
Eastward the centre OF Empire. Hence Cox
sIANTINoPLE! 10 vainl The traveller from
the vet remoter West now gazes upon the
colossal ruins of the COLISEUM. For many
generations British ambition has stFiven to
establish gigantic empire IN the East; and,
as IL to give the world assurance Of success,
the favorite Premier Of the English Queen
has bedecked her name with another sono-
rous title-Her Imperial Majesty Aud yet
MACAULAY, the most brilliant OF all Of Eng
lands historians has predicted thst the time
shall come when SO New Zealander will
stand upon London Bridge and contemplate
the ruins OF ST.. PAUL ~ And throughout
this grand westward movement Of ciViliza-
ton and Of Empire, nations, each fulfilling
its part Ia the drama, have assimiated their
lives to the lives Of individuals. Each ma
tionality has had It's birth, Its childhood, its
youth, its maturity, its mission to fulfill, its
Haplfpo e Hpafh ftc legitimate Fliana IN ha
grand Cemetery Of nations, which is-HIs-
TORY To this cardinal Law there have been
but two notable exceptions. One Of these
Is the nationality which sprang from the
shores Of the Mediterranean Sea, and rooted
itself IN the Emerald Isle. That nationality
has had its birth and it's youth; it has never
had its full development; its mission still
remains to be fulfilled. In vain has British
power sought to destroy that nationality
Vainly have British statesmen "A In their
hearts and legislation, exclaimed TO Irish
blood as representing q distinctive ma
tionality;-"Oat damned spotlm 1t will not
out Irish blood will not oaa, at their bid
dingl Where Ia this wide world
is there an Irishman; nay, where is
there man with but q sprinkling
Of Irish blood in his veins, who has not felt
It burning back to his heart and establish
ing there an imperial domination, as the cry
of an agonized people, trodden down by the
iron heel OF oppression, has come upon the
wings of the Eastern breeze across the At
lantic wavei In vain has English legisls-
ton, and the pitiless grasp of British power
and British capital, driven from her breast
the sons Of Ireland. Wherever an Irishman
has gone, Irish nationality has rooted itself.
English oppression has planted those roots
all over the world. The tree that
springs from them-Irish nationality
is indestructible by mere material agencies.
Ia vain shall frosts blacken its buds, and
leaves and blossoms; In vain shall the
thunderbolt rive its heart; in vain shall its
trunk be "smitten with mari and lighted for
destruction" the roots will but sink the
deeper into that soil which lies beyond the
reach Of the ''pale oppressor''-the human
soul. The blood of the Irish nationality is
greater in volume to-day than 1t was In the
days of Grattan, and Curran, and Plunket,
and Flood; and has lost not a spark Of its
patriotic fire. And nothing 20 confirms this
truth as the fact that an
Irishman's patriotism, like a mothers
love, can fasten upon two objects with an
equal, and yet an absolute, intensity. In
possible to cite the long line of distinguished
Illustrations Uf this grand feature of the
Irish character! Looking simply to Mont
gomery, the hero of Quebec, to Jasper, the
hero Of MOultrie, to jackson, the hero of
New Orleans, to Shields, the hero of Cerro
of the Confederate army of the West, when
has Irishman been false to his country or
his flag? As we contemplate and fully realize
the extraordinary power of the sentiment to
which have referred--above all to the now
historic fact that 1t will not die, that lapse
of time but serves to give it additional
stronghold not the verses of the national
bard of Ireland-I loved them in my boy
hood, l still treasure them In my heart-rise
bo Of fv,t0 ~
prophecy ITSELF
Like the bright lamp that shone in Kildare's
holy fame,
And burned through long ages of darkness
and storm,
Is the heart that affiiltions have come DER in
vain,
Whose Spirit outlives them, unfading and
warm.
So, Erin, OH Erin, bright through the tears
OF a long night Of bondage thy spirit appears.
THE ma ions have fallen, but thou still art
young,
Thy sun IS but rising while others have set;
And though slavery's cloud DER thy morning
The fun noon of freedom shall beam round
thee yet!''
These remarks were received with ire
mendous applause, on the subsistence of
which Gen. Jackson presented the beaut-
full silver service, the gift of the Jaspers to
the Montgomerys, in the following happy
mannerj
PRESENTATION OF THE PIECES OF SILVER.
Captain Redding, and yow the officers and
soldiers Of the Montgomery Guards:
To me has been assigned another most
pleasing duty-to present to you the beauti-
full pieces of silver, which you see before
me, as testimonial of the sincere affection
which is cherished for you by your brothers
in-arms of the Irish Jasper Greens. But
bright and beautiful as the silver may be, 1t
is at last but poor type of the sentiment
which binds your hearts together. The years,
as they lapse, will dim the lustre of the
silver; nay, will efface even the inscriptions
which 1t bears; nay, will wear away and
finally destroy the hard metal itself; but the
sentiment of which speak is indestructible
by the lapse Of time; will survive the gen.
Grafton to which you belong, as 1t has sur
vived the generation which founded your
comrade company, and which has left me, as
you see me, quite alone; nay, will survive
generation after generation-more indie
structible than the shamrock OF Erin,
which from year to year renews itself.
Warmed by the rays of historic
hope, Watered by the tears of his
torie sorrow, this sentiment will remain
perenniallY green-the deathless shamrock
of the soul And time and again, and
QBHST JOO OlJ5UJ yourselves, dUu bnOS6 WHO
shall hereafter bear your names, will mingle
round the festive board, with the invisible
hands OF MONTGOMERY and JASPER above
you interlocked, and with their blessing, not
heard but felt, descending upon you, until
the grand contamination of nations des-
tiny shall have been achieved, until the mis-
sion of the Irish nationality shall have been
fulfilled, until Ireland shall take her place
among the nations of the Earth, and the
epitaph OF her EMMETT be written-at last
After the regular toasts calls were made
on private P. j. O'Connor, of the Jaspers,
who delivered one OF the happiest speeches
Of the evening. This young gentleman has,
in q very short time, shown talents and
powers Of oratorY that make him one Of the
most promising young men of our city.
THE EIGHTEENTH.
The morning opened most auspiciously
for the first time since we left Savannah and
the sun made its appearance. The boys
having fully recovered from the effects of
the glorious time Of the evening, were soon
called to ranks. The Montgomerys and
Jaspers formed into battalion, under the
command OF Capt. Flannery. and marched
through some Of The principal streets.
On all sides were heard expressions
Of admiration of the martial
bearing and fine appearance OF
the Greens. During the march they we're
frequently cheered and showered with
boQuets OF flowers by the ladies. The bat
TALON proceeded to West End Green, where
is situated the monument erected to the
memory Of Jasper. The Jaspers saluted
the monument by firing three rounds. As
II Ct II