The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-03-18
ST. PATRICK.
Continued From FRS, Page.

come forth from God, and unless they re-
turn to God as their final cause they can
not liye-they cannot attain their divinely |
destined end.
Ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece. are
no more, because there was not IN them
the shirt that would lead to God. ! care |
not how prosperous q country may be, |
what mountains of gold may glitter in its !
Golfers, what formidable armies may pro-
tect its shores, still, its tendency is not
toward God, il its animating spirit is not
tinctured with the Divine, II is iated to
dissolution.
But, some ono will say, "You seem to
regard the nation as an exclusively super
natural institution; you wish to make II
monastery or cloister, and its members,
monks and nuns ever thinking OF God"
By no means; when ! say that nation
for It's life must tend toward God, when
| assert that every national act and decree
must be overshadowed by the superna-
tural. | do not intend that God should be
the Immediate object OF the nations
every effort; simply mean that an analy-
els OF every national work must reveal the
fact that God is in that work in one Of the
three modes in which lie maniiesis Him
self 10 man, either as the true, the beaut-
full or the good. AS long M
nation continues in the pur-
suit OF tho true, the beautiful or
the good II tends toward God; Tor wher-
ever there is truth, beauty, or goo ness,
there is God. Truth, Of whatever charac-
Ter It may be, is but reflection OF the
eternal truth, the eternal beauty, the eter-
nal goodness. The life OF nation is au-
thority; now, this authority must be
founded on truth God; II must be marked
by beauty OF disposition for attaining It's
only legitimate end-the good: hence,
when q nation acts in opposition to the
true, the beautiful, or the good, II acts
against It's own interests, and aims death
blow at is very life
The great powers OF the past are no more,
because they were not animated with the
liie.giving love OF the true, the beautiful
and tue good. lrcland, despite the deadly,
poisonous attacks Of hell.trained enemies,
lives today because her animating spirit rs
immortal truth, beautyand goodness. This
remark may provoke from some cynic the
laugh of ridicule, or call forth the ques-
tioning taunt, "lreand aud the True, the
Beautiful and the Good" II there DO u
man who dares question this assertion, lot
him stand forth aud sink Ia the earth be-
meath the weight Of his ignorance; lot That
sneering smile bc quickly changed into the
pain OF deserved confusion.
II you would know that Ireland has
ever lovingly, persstenily, hcr0lcally
pursued the true woocd the bcauti.
iul, and initiated the good, enter with me
into the region OF history, aud there, on
all sides, will you see undying monuments
bearing Witness to the iact that no nation
ever lahorcd rs earnestly rs the Irish To
realize the grand ideal contained In this
triple manifestation OF the Deity.
Truth What Is ruth aud where Is Il TO
be- found? II is q strange something
toward which We are drawn with magnetic
force. II Is light brilliantly burning In
the distance, leading ~ ON 10 some mys-
icrious goal. Whether read IN the star,
or discovered ia the bosom OF the earth,
whether found amid the intricacies II
mathematical calculations or arrived at 10y
ab.iruse metaphysical spcculalions It Is
always eagerly gtaspcd by the noble soul,
because u N reflection of the Great
Truth.-God the souls only lust end.
Truth " the flower which blossoms In the
field Of lhc intellect, but il must lin, find.
entrance and nursing in the garden OF the
heart. socrates, Plato, Aristotle, the pride
ofinicllcci. Kant. Fichte. llcgcl, Hamilton.
Picid. grcat minds, during learned life
time sought after truth, but found Il not
Al the end OF theircarc they graspcd the
phaniom-crOr. Why2 Because they
tended no, Ia God; because they lost sight
OF the fact that every truth IL AN eunna
ton Of the Divinity; because their
hearts had not the rich, native soil
20 receive and develop the al.
vincly given germ. But with the
liish mcc II was different Col
had formed the Irish hear, Ia all the noble
impulses oi nohlcst humanity. lie had
made thr ltishuan worthy representa-.
tive OF man In his highest natural state.
lie had given him n keen intellect, an In
tcllecl tiirsting for truth, but. at the sam,
time. a heart OF purcsl tendencies, pre-
pared to receive every presented species o
truth. A. have already noted, even IL
the days Of Paganism, the Irish, though
they had not reached the true in religion
still, by native nobility, embraced thl
best and least degraded form ol dolntry
They longcd for the truth ~ did the jew
for the Messiah In their ycarnings 10
that missing something which their suul
cmvcd. they traverscd the seas, communi
Gated with nations Of enlightenment. cul
tivaicd letters. and arrived Ut u Compare
lively high state Of wealth. luxury aud civ
iliEaiion. In their intellectual darkness
the glory OF their noby formed hearts ~
manned undimmcd. When, at length. II
the designs Of providence. the timo ha,
arrived Tor the lrish nation 20 receive th
light of religious truth, that light dartc
from heaven into their hearts. and, lik
yon ray II sun. which irrcsistingly enter
the windows and gcnially warns ~.
gently forced It's way into the heart Of IA
Irish nntipn, supernaiumiizcd the nobl
natural, and. by It's splendid cot
eccmtions, flooded the soul
the nation with never dying glory. q
the bill OF Tara s. Patrick. with the wor
OF Divine inspiration, placed before NJ
assembled chivis and people the jewel
religious truth.
The yast assembly listened in wonder
the new doctrines u the apostle. The
souls were strangely slfrrd. New iccln
rushed through their frames The wi
Diuid- leaned upon their harps aud u,
cncd aud argued iill conviction seized up,
them; then Dublnch, the most iludriu
OF the hgnls and learned men OF lrclan
raised his harp In transport aud tnid. o
ye kings aud men Of Erin, this man spca
the glory ol thc true, and this harp
mine shall never rcsound again save un
the praises II Paircks God" The H.,
elcd truth offered them daKKled IN,
minds. Conviction sciz'd upon thcl
This was the treasure which, Tor ccnuri,
they had been seeking The grand tru
the only true was now before them III,
trained minds seized II; their noble hcti
embraced u, and their high spirit has ~
Ia futuFt Ia Tho rrtasut luv fIhn u,,,,