The Irish standard., 1888-01-14
THE MEN OF FORTY-EIGHT,
An Interesting Lecture Delivered by
Mr.. F. A.. Quinn, Of
Montreal.
o'coNNELL, THE .LIBERAToR.

4 The Men Of '48 by Their Glorious Talents
T Kept Alivein America the Spirit
Of Nationality.
Mr.. F. A Quinn, advocate Of Mon
treal, and son-in law of the late Hon.
L. d. McGee, a man eminent in his
profession and we'll known for his de-
votion to the Irish cause. delivered
the following lecture at Quebec last
week.
The irish race has been, and still is,
thank God, fighting race. Had it not
been SO, it would never have survived,
and to-day it would only be name and
a memory; its soil would be occupied by
the stranger, it's people dispersed and
lost among the multitudes Of men who
know not kith nor kin. but have adopt
ed the nationality of the people among
whom they may be born or cast.
For hundreds of years they fought on
the field Of battle on their own soil, and
displayed heroism worthy to be sung by
a Homer or Tasso, and when superior
numbers had beaten them on their ma.
tive soil, they sought in foreign lands
an opportunity with the aid OF French
and German and Italian allies, to wreak
upon their foB a vengence which their
small numbers prevented them from ,in-
! ficting in their own land, $4,000 Of them
laid bown their lives in the service Of
the French alone, and always against
the same enemy; so fercely did they
fight, so we'll did they give their blows
that an English King. exasperated at a
defeat inflicted upon his troops by the
exiled Iri h was fain to cry: s'Cursed by
the laws tha5 deprive me of such SOL
diers. In America again, in the war of
independence the Irish people lavish
ly expend their fortunes and gave up
their lives, in defence of American lib
erty, threatened by the foe who intiict
ed upon their country so much injury
and carnage, and no more glorious re-
cord is to be foune in history than that
! Of Irish devotion to American liberty.
Bat it was not Dy war that Ireland
was to achieve the victory; a small
country, the neighbor of a larger and
more popuious kingdom could. not in
the national order of human events ex-
pect TO conquer; but if ireland could
not achieve justice and the recognition
of it's rights as nationality.
O'Ccnnell appeared Oh the scene Of
Irish stife, and in his mighty intellect
found the method by which his people
could declare itself and conquer, by
heroism and constancy, almost equal to
that of the battlefield, d place among
the nations. Catholic emancipation,
equality of rights, civil and religious,
amelioration of the land laws, Catho-
lie education--these were some Of the
fruits of his glorious leadership. But
then came the famine! the famine! Oh!
the famine! Man woman and child sick
ened and withered, and there seemed
to be no hope. In his old age, wearied
with strife, broken at the sight of the
misery of his people, the great heart
of the Liberator broke, and finding no.
where to sooth his agony, ne departed
from his loved Ireland to lay at che feet
of the Vicar of Christ his own sorroWs
and those Of his people. But, like
Moses, he only saw the promised land,
and at Genoa he gave up to GOD, his
great soul, expressing as a last wish shat
his body be given back to Ireland,
which he loved so well as q patriot, and
his soul to Rome, which he loved as
Christian.
What sorrow, what lamentation, it
was to Ireland to thus lose far away
from its sacred shore the Champion CT
its Liberty, its Guide in the strife, its
Proyider ce in all its dangers, ALI seem
ed lost, the famine had broken the spir-
it OF the nation, the youth and man
hood of the country had fed or died in
agony; there remained but the women,
the children, and these alone whom
poverty or illness had retained at home.
The Times, than as now, Ireland's Bit
terest enemy, then as now, cruel and
diabolical in his hatred, cried with
tiendish glee: ssThe Irish have gone,
and gone with a vengence!
I Aye! the Times was right, the Irish
were gone, but gone to America, and
vengeance was to return! ! Each epoch
requires its own leaders. God in His
Providence gives to each people when
they are worthy Of His care the guides
best suited to its wants and His designs.
And amidst the desolation left to the
famine, there came forth the men Of 49,.
{ No longer was it possible ito hold the
great meetings Of O. Connell, the people.
had diedl But there yet renamed the
duty of keeping alive in the hearts Of