The Irish standard., 1890-11-29
LITERATURE or IRELAND.
The Kind That Keeps Alive the Spirit
OF Irish Nationality and Makes
Patriots.
ANCIENT IRISH HISTORY.
Ths Story Of Robert Emmet Has Made
Thousands of Irish Rebels Aga,nst
England.

Thousands of Irish Rebels Aga,nst
Enelsnd.
The wonder is that Ireland has 30
much literature. distinctly national,
rather than that she has so little, when
compared to the neighboriDg countries
OF Europe. Persons acquainted with
her history since the English invasion
know that the conditions imp0sed upon
her by her rulers were not favorable to
the fostering OF learning among the
Irish people. Bat the Irish, having a
love for literature from the rem0test
antiquity, sustained their reputation as
prtservers of letters dnrinR the CEN
iuries of alien government. The great
bulk OF the Irish are manual workers,
poor IN pocket though rich In patriot
ssm; and the condition OF their lives
prevents their giving financial encour~
agement to any great literary enterprise
OF their own; so, many Of the brightest
literary genuises OF the Emerald Isle
are lost to their country, and neither
their names nor productions convey ua-
,lonal associations. In America, Ire
land is represented bY only one great
newspaper; and no great magazine, at
nome or abroad, represents the national
aspirations OF the Irish race. at the
present time.
tiut there IL literature common
among the Irish, wherever their lot ia
cast. II is TO be found in the mansion
of the wealthy and refined as well as In
the humble home Of the laborer. 1t is
the literature which keeps alive the
spirit of Irish nationality and makes
each succeeding generation patriots, 10
matter on whatspart oe the globe they
have found q habitation. ~ sss.
There are the various histories Of Ire
land, telling Of her former greatness
and the subjecti0n OF her people, the
lives of her saints, who helped TO
Christlanize the world, and who gave
free education TO students from all parts
of Europe, "ere tie emerald gem Of
the Western world was set III the crown
Of the stranger" Then, there are the
saws OF Ter poets, the works of nOvelists,
and the biographies Of her patriots who
suffered in dungeon and on gibbet for
tbs cause of freedom. So we'll are the
irish acquainted with these works that
among the people who are too poor to
own the books their contents are
familiar.
The history Of Ireland tells the reader
that thirteen years before the birth ct
Christ, when the sons Of Milesius with
g numerous body of select troops from
Galiciss. In Spain, invaded Ireland, they
found the island inhabited by the de
scendants Of Particular, a descendant
of Japhet son, OF Noah. 1t was ascer-
tanned that Particular, his wife, bis
three sons and their wives, and one
thousand soldiers landed In Ireland two
hundred segenty-eight years after the
food, and came there from Greece. But
what appears singular about the con
queror and the conquered, ls that they
sp0ke the same language. Indeed,
Doctor Creagh, Archbishop of Armagh.
who was confined in the Tower of Lon
don, where he died in the year 1887, in
his Irish grammar, says, 1.-The Irish
sanguage was the only one spoken by
the natives from the coming Of l'artho-
ian three hundred years after the food
until the present day"
The origin OF the Irish language 10
lost In antiquity. The alphabet con
yists of but seventeen letters. which the
srish literati used from the most remote
perlod OF their written history.
A further pernsal of Irish history In
structs ns that niEe hundred years be-
fore Christ great university was
founded at Tara. which preceded all
Others Of the kingdom In rank and dig
nifty. The reader is told also that the
whole BODY Of literati Of ancient Ireland
had but one chief, and he was the arch
druid. This body was exempt from all
civil jurisdiction, and acknowledged no
power but that Of the arch druids and
their delegates. Large estates were
settled on them aud their posterlty
Their persons were sacred, and they en-
joyed uncommon privileges. The duties
OF the chief bard was to celebrate In
verse the achievements OF his chief and
his house; he made birthday odes and
went over the names Of the illustrious
dead. They also attended their patrons
in field Of battle to animate them In
their engagements and bear witness 70
their EXPLOITS. ssi 3.
The historians also tell US Of the re,
ligion and government Of the ancient
inhahitants of the island They wor-
ehiped tue sall under the f,aaae OF Bel;