The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1889-03-22
IRELANp.s pATRoN SAINT.
How st. patrick's Day was Observ-
ed--Judge Severance's Address.

terday, but il was deemed advisable to
hold the annual observance on Saturday.
The dav was observed in its usual quiet
manner, and III the evening supper
and literary exercises were given at the
opera house. The number of Irish
American people living in this county
is not as great as in many communities,
but they make up in patriotism to the
lands OF their birth and adoption what
they lack in numbers. A great many
came in from the country TO help cele-
brate, and the shamrock and the green
ribbon were numerous on the streets,
The supper WIS served IN the base
ment of the opera-house, and was par
ticipated in by II larger number than Oh
any former year. The repast was sub
stanhal and varied, and the tables we're
well waited upon by young ladies from
st. Johns Catholic church, under the
auspices OF which the celebration was
held. The ushers, door keepers, etc,
were chosen from the local lodge of A.
elaborate and costly badges. Supper
WAS served from 800 to 500 p. IN when
the party adjourned up stairs to listen to
the literary program. The house was
filled TO the doors. NJ. ii. Lamb, coun-
ty delegate OF the A. o. of III. acted as
master of ceremonies.
The first number on the program was
a chant by the choir OF st. Johns Catho-
lie church, "Gloria in Excelsis.'
Judge Severance was then introduced
and spoke for half an hour in eloquent
terms. tie said:
st. Patrick towers above the men of
the past as CbimboIazo among the sur
rounding hills-adored because of his
exalted character and the herculean task
he performed and the labor he bore
He was the father of Irish nationality,
aud performed u labor never before de-
volyed on one man. Single handed, he
raised up the IRISH people from a mIre
of ignorance and paganlsm There is
extreme doubt as to where he was born
| and as TO his nationality. He fought for
Rome ard NAV have been Roman OF
| the purest blood and noblest type.
| When sixteen years of age he was taken
| prisoner and carried into Ireland, where
| ne was sold TO become herdsman. He
remained III this condition for SIX years,
or until he managed 10 escape by the aid
of rowing pirates. He was retaken in
six months and sold again into slavery
Sixty days later he escaped again and
entered religious institution, where he
studied the new philosophy that was
then agltating that portion of the coun-
| try. lie WAS educated as priest and
even bishop. AT The age of thirty he
returned TO Ireland, and there spent the
rest of his days. He died in 493 at the
age Of l20 years.
No nation W. ever more benighted or
wrapped in deeper and darker paganism
than Ireland was al that time. The
DIulds had their seat there then, and
We're the most defiant of all toward the
new philosophy, Norshipping thunder
and lightning and everything most ter
rible in nature and every noXious beast,
most Uf all the serpent and the adder.
Among them, that man was the most
incky who found the largest nest OF ad-
ders and stole their eggs and laid them
on a Druidical sign. they worshiped in
the dark woods aud forests, and their
worship was rs dark. MS their surround
ings. st. Patrick knew there was no
use OF trying to reform a pagan country
by merely reasoning, as long as it was
stepped III ignorance He therefore put
education and civilization hand in
h. y ne new philosophy. Under
IL lltlons no country could
aui.",U. JuGea is now more barbarous
than whenChrist was born, and Mohom-
medan still hold the keys to the holy
sepuicher. Greece has sunk continually
because education did not walk hand in
hand with religion. In Egypt the seeds
of religion fell upon hot and arid soil
of passion, and could not take root. st.
| Patrick knew the reason. Religion is
never in advance of education, for no
correct or proper Interpretation and APP
| pIicatIen of it can be made where there
is too little education to receive and con-
strue it. st. Patrick therefore estab-
lished and built up all kinds of institu-
tons for. the elevation of the people.
| Hence it is that his memory is to-day
reyered and honored.
Ii il said St. Patrick banished snakes
from Ireland. A few centuries later they
were found euried in the boots of the
Irish people, and Father Matthew drove
them out again forever. To st. Patrick
and Father Matthew jointly belong the
honor Of banishing the snakes.
The names of st. Patrick and Ireland
will be associated together until the lat
| ter ceases to rock on Its ocean billow
| What of Ireland? Soon after st. Patrick
died, contiguous nation turned Its wolf
| ish eyes on Ireland, and since then has
pursued her as a wolf does lamb. Eng
land claims that Pope OF Rome once
pope was Adrian w, and was an Eng
| lishman. He published pontifical de-
cree stating that Ireland was transferred
to England, probably to reward an Eng
| lish king for services rendered. The
pope had no such power, and no country
ever recognized such q power in him. /
read sometime somewhere that the Dew
| il once took Christ to a high mountain
and showed plat spread out before
HIM of the whole terrestrial kingdom
and offered TO give it to Him if He would
render him personal homage. | think
it must have been not the Devil but an
Englishman. IGreat applause. Eng
land worked internal discord in Ireland
to better serve her purpose. Not salts
fed to allow Ireland to worship in her
own wav, she forced the Catholic popu-
lation to pay tribdte 10 the English es-
tablished church. No measure of deep
er outrage than this was ever perpetra-
ted. England then embarrassed the
Catholic population with destruction of
their civil rights. Ireland groveled for
ages under the burden of these chains,
but to sea- her woe and to break her
down forever England confscated all the
land of Catholics and gave it to English
soldiers, making the people a homeless
nation. But Ireland did not break; she
is as 1.-THE as a steel bow, and when
crushed springs back. She holds to-day
a marked place on the intellectual plat
form England always was robber of
nations.
The speaker highly complimented
Gladstone, saying that he stands away
above all English statesmen, his face IL
lumined with good Will toward men.
pleading for Ireland and asking for
home rule.
ireland is entitled not oilv to home !
rule, but TO retribution for the crimes
done IN the darker ages of the past. |
England should recognize this to. day, |
and should buy the Irish domain and re-
turn the land to its rightful owners un-
der system of tenantry whereby the |
people will eventually become possessed |
of it. That people is race of slaves
beneath the African .slaves-which does |
not own the land where its babes are
buried. Ireland should be added as
another star in the diadem of nations. |
She has ALWAYS produced the most bril-
liant men of their times, but one after
another they have gone down by the
guillotine or the hangman's knot, be-
cause they dared to ask for their coun-
try's rights. America, know, Will be
glad to ask that Ireland be made an in
dependent nation.
Prolonged applause followed this
speech.
The remainder of the program was as
follows:
Vocal solo-"Dreary Heart Miss Nellie G.
Observation-Disclosures Of Destiny in Despair"
Rev. John Pryor.
Instrumental solo-Mss Cora Carney.
Vocal duet-"The Heart of the Wind, The