Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-03-07
IRELAND'S PATRIOT son.
The Martyred Emmet's Memory
Kept Green.
Celebrating the Anniversary of His
Birth--Last Nights MecIins AT rur-
ner HaII--Judgr Rrennnn's Grafton.


/
| Or on the battle field We die.
| oh, what matter when for Erin dear We fhll.'
This was the sentiment that pervadet
every Irish heart that beat in Turner hal
last evening. as the audienCe-not larg'
| but an enthusiastic one--heard elo
qnent words pay tribute to Erin's pures
patriot, and picture the suiierings TIT
oppressed people of the little isle are still
undergoing. The occasion was the llOtl
anniversary of the birth of Robert EN-
met, which occurred last Sunday. ant
whose memory is dear to all lrishmer
the patriot and martyr who died on the
scaffold for his share. OF the uprising Of
'9S.
The celebration was hsld under tho
auspices of the Rock Island branch of the
Irish National League. President w j,
Browne presided and Elk President Nc
Entry and Secretary Mulqueen also ocS
cuIied seats on the stage. The speaker
of the evening was Hon John Brennan,
Of Sioux City, Iowa. President Browne,
in BETTING words expressive of the pride
and pleasure it afforded him, introduced
the distinguished guest.
Commencing his GRAFTON, Judge Bren~
nan said it was sometimes a question with
people as to whether it was proper for
Treland's sons in this land of their adop-
ton to keep on celebrating the events in
the history of their mother land, whether
an Irishman, maintaining his loyalty to
the one and his love and devotion to the
other The speaker then explained how
this could be by making the beautiful
comparison of faithful and devoted
husband cherishing all love and 10y
atty to the mother who bore him. He
alluded to the unfaltering devotion Of the
Irish people to the flag of America, and
said he had small belief in him who
thinks man cannot be good citizen who
does not forget the ashes of his fathers.
A man who can forget all the treasures of
his mother land. is the poorest kind of a
citizen, because he is wanting 10 the very
animal instinct of love of home and of
country. Judge Brennan spoke of the
difference in the climate of Sioux City
and that of Rock Island, speaking of the
atmosphere here today as remindful of
Irelapd's weather now. Now is the
blessed spring time in holy Ireland, with
its tall green grasses. and its layer upon
layer of flowers the blue bells.
the blue bells the butter cup,
underneath the buttercup, the
daisy. underneath the daisy the
shamrock. underneath the shamrock the
ashes of our fathers"
No man is responsible for the accident
Of his birth place. and Almighty God had
planted in the breast of every true man
some kindly feeling that makes him
think his own land the prcttiest land of |
all. 1t was something to he born in the
land that cherished a christian civilizaN |
lion years before Columbus discovered |
America, land where every hill contains |
he body of patriot, and all the sod the
blood of some one who died for liberty |
Dwelling briefly upon the resources of
Ireland the speaker described its dimen.
ious as 800 miles long and ITO miles
vide with mountains whose finger
fps MIXED the skies, with rivers
md harbors capable of ac-
omodating the commerce of the world
rich in timber, rich in coal and stone
climate milder than a mothers 10, !,
where sunshine and shadow chase each
'ther continually.
Robert Emmett was spoken of as Ire
and's purest patriot, and the silence he
ounseled in almost the last words he
poke to earthly ear should be broken
,nly with the hope that while we yet live
lis tomb shall be built, on which his cpl
aph shall yet be written. Judge Bren-
ian then drew a vivid picture of the cons
fiction and execution of the martyred
1nmet, reciting those immortal words {
which came forth from his lips when {
sked on the day preceding his execution
Sept. 10, 1S03-if he had anything to
ay, why sentence should not be passed
Ipon him, and which began, Let no man {
write my epitaph and my tomb remain
nchisled until my country shall
AXE place among the nations of {
he earth" Yet the next morning {
ept 30, 1903, when the public
xecutioner holding up Emmet's head |
nth the exclamation, "behold the head Y
f a traitor" no man dared avow his {
wn treason by claiming the mutilated q
emains. The body was hurried away to i
ne Potter's field, and the real resting place
Ireland's purest patriot was as little S
nown as the spot in the Mount of Nebo, e
opposed to contain the ashes of Moses. v
nevertheless the speaker predicted with
Iuch force that the time would come, and
t no far distant day when an Irish par
ament shall build the tomb and awrite
le epitaph to Emmet's memory.
The people had wondered why the
,ish people had centered their pride ups
d Emmett. There were greater Irish
zen in his own age, men superior TO him
all the qualities of mind, men of lof-
er genius, men of larger personal dar-
~, had lived before and since his
me, vet Robert Emmett comes down TO
lie Irish mind as the ideal of patriotism. b
( all the galaxy of glorious