The Northwestern standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1885-1886, 1886-02-27

nificant and a terrible design. Placed
above the remains OF the fallen was a
great tomb. The lid of it was repre-
senteda rising up, propelled by some
one from within, while a hand reached
out and darby groped for q dagger
which lay upon the monument. ItWas
4 significant and terrible emblem of the |
national sentiment of revenge, but to-
day ireland appears TO be marching
rom the tomb i'll which she has SC long
slept. Iii I could suggest q design for
her monument it would be a hand
not at the dagger, but at the
torch, not OF the incendiary, but the
torch Of enlightenment, Of civilization.
(Applause.) This meeting, my friends,
and the similar meetings that have been
held I'LL over the world are testimony to
the intense sentiment of ma
tionality in the Irish people.
That intense sentiment OF nation
allty shall end cur night, our
hour Of darkness ana terror. While to-
day Bismarck is ordering the depriva-
ton OF the Poles from the seats where
their ancestors lived for a thousand
years, the irish people are struggling TO
assert themselves as a nation. Now,
my friends, it lis not necessary for me
to enter into any defense of Irishmen
Or the Irish race, as / am proud to say
/ ann of that blood, Ireland herself
needs no defense, but every nation In
this land of ours--in this mighty re-
public, and this republic is not as the
English poet said, Halt brother to the
world This is the world. ! thank
God every day I live for this magnifi--
cent land and its magnificent institu-
lions. Never since the globe first
sprung out from chaos has such a land
been seen upon the face of Gods earth.
Is was Ralph Waldo Emerson, / think,
who remarked that when a new boy
came to the boarding school in twenty
four hours every boy in the school had
taken his measure, and we in this coun-
try are considering the strong and the
weak points Of the nationalities who
come TO us. Their low aspirations and
their high impulses. The Irish race is
upon trial in this country as a race. We
have welcomed here tonight gentlemen
of all Mationalities. Americans, who
have no drop OF irish blood in their
veins, you viii pardon me if [ devote
some remarks tonight to a defense of
Ireland that + may reach the good
Judgment of those people who
have honored us OF other national
tiles tonight. Oppression never lacks
an excuse. Wefcan set that down as
an oblivion. 1T is not SO many Years
since in our own country when the
rights of mankind were denied to men,
because OF their color. Those who
would assail the Irish people, say to us
they are an inferior race, and that
their misfortunes are caused by their
oWn faults and we have no right to
pity them. Myfmends, the people Of
western Europe is a mixture OF three
great physical races. ana sssleneu ne ia
|, col,se 70 thsl !clnsion that they should
be grouped by the distinctions of COM
| pisxion. The three races mingled in
all the nations Of Europe are the light
! haired race with blue eyes,the red-hair-
led race with blue eyes, mingled with
| dark race of smaller statue, with black
| hair and dark eyes. Instead OF the
| Irish.people being peculiar race where
misfortunes are to be traced to them
selves. undertake to say that they are
the most mixed race on the continent OF
Europe. Why. friends, it IS most gen
orally known that when the English
under the lead Of Earl StrongboW, went
to Ireland, they found the people OF
Ireland in the possessionsOf a NorWeg-
ian King, Where they had their Nor
wegian Kings and Bishops for 800 years.
Every ancient town Of Ireland was a
Scandinavian colony. Brian Borou was
Dane, and after that the Irish whip
ned the Scandinayians, and it is to their
Immortal glory that they did (applase
and laughter.) / would say III honor
to the 81 andinaVians that the Irish was
the only race that did whip them zap
piause.l My friends, if you could
trace the pedigree of every ruling fam
liz and every aristocracy IN Europe, it
would fetch mp with q Scandinavian.
Take group of Irishfnen and look at
them, and look at the mixture of conn
plexions that you see--eFen in single
family great laughter In 1884 made
q campaign for Congress, daughter and
I would here observe that that was the
only thing did make, renewed laugh
teri But it was my good fortune to
speak one night al a meeting exeiu-
! lively scandinavian and the next night
T struck one Of those Irish colonies
and I give you my word OF honor. my
friends, when / looked down upon the
audience I could not tell which from
tother. (LaugfIteI.) If had been given
the gift Of the tongue | would have
made the mistake Of talking in Scandl-
navian. tLaughter.) Why, my friends,
this prejudice is not worthy q rs. The
trouble with the American people is
that they received their literature and
their laws from England. and the Eng
lish settlers came To this country feel
ing very much towards the Irish as We
dc towards the Indians, tiaaghter), so
that you take many Of our good, proni-
nent Americans and they have got an
inherited prejudice against the Irish.