The Irish standard., 1890-08-16

i 1ES pages are TocOfQeQ Tie uEouS Ok SOm6fOl
! the grandest Of men that have ever lived
lin the history OF all the millions Of hn-
4 mainly. Though painful has been this
exile, though sad the partings and tear
! full the farewels which must be said
Though unjust and unreasonable were
many Of It's causes, Irishmen should moi
complain, for who can say that provi.
/ dence did not intend and so ordain that
| the people OF Ireland should bear hel
| learning, her faith and her genius to be
exhibited as shining examples and be.
queathed as priceless legacies to all the
peoples of the earth.
Beginning with the conversion OF Ire
land by her illustrious and revered saint
when wise rulers governed her, when
peace, plenty and happiness abounded
learned in all the sciences, arts and Ian
guages of antiquity, she became at once
the university and monastery of the
world. Hither came all the European
youth for instruction, and hence went
forth the teachers, the civ1lizers and
Christianizers of the world. Irish priests
could be seen in England and in Scot
land, and on the continent, in Spain, in
France and in Switzerland teaching the
faith Of Ireland, offering to all people
the God given means OF salvation, and
strewing with generous hands the
heaven scented flowers of education. O,
brightest page in the book Of time is the
record of the early fathers OF our race
nurturing at home the tree of Christian.
ity and scattering abroad its fruit, the
blessing of mankind, the germ Of civiliz-
alton. the liberator of the souls Of men.
This was the first. and a glorious goine
forth of our race. The next was going
forth of the soldiers of Ireland. Ia the
long and unhappy centuries which fol.
lowed the Saxon and the Norman inva.
sions, Irish soldiers filed and improved
the armies of Europe As they had been
foremost in the arts Of peace, SO now
were they foremost in the exercise OF
war. In the seventeenth century we find
Owen Roe O'Neill leaving his high place
at the head of the Spanish army, return
ing to Ireland and assuming command
of the forces of bis country which had
risen up against Cromwell, and after
winning every battle IN which he COM
manded he led his victorious army to the
north of Ireland to drive out the English
forces under Cromwell himself; but
Cromwell fearing to meet him, hired a
native to enter his camp and poison him.
With his life ended the hope and the
success of his army. But he was one
Irishman of whom it can be said that he
never led the forces Of his country in her
own behalf but to victory. We find an
! other of Ireland's bravest sons doing SER
vice in the army of France, where, after
gallant behavior in the battle of Elan
ders, amid the dust ard blood OF. the
fray, upon the very field itself, he was
elevated to the high position of marshal
hthe head of his Irish forces, in pursuit
of the English under William of Orange,
pierced to the heart by rifle ball, he
fell upon the field of Landon. But his
patriotism rose above the pain of death.
AS he saw his life's blood drunk up by
a foreign soil, and that his life had been
sacrificed in strangers cause, he cried
out, 80, God, that this blood had been
shed for Ireland" And the soul of Pat
rick Sarsfeld was called to its eternal
reward. These are but types of the
thousands of Irish soldiers and Irish
patriots who fought in the armies Of
Europe. It is one OF the saddest facts in
the history of the Irish race that they
should be found i'm the armies of the
world, fighting the battles of kings to
whom they owed no allegiance, maintain
ing rights in which they had no share
and slaughtering each other in strangers
causes. They we're forced to it, and this
| is but one of the crimes for which the
criminal rulers of Ireland shall yet have
to answer before the bar of eternal
Justice.
Behold Ireland! Her resources and
her -"Created in the prodjgality
of nature; with soil that anticipates
the husbandman's desires; with harbors
counting the commerce of the world; with
rivers capable of the most effective
navigation; with the ore of every metal
struggling through the surface; with a
people brave, generous and intellectual
literally forcing their way through the
disabilities of their own country into the
highest stations Of every other as we'll
as rewarding the policy which promotes
them by achievements the most heroic
and allegiance without blemish."
With such a country and such people
should be found all the blessings that
flow from Christianity, added to all the
material advantages that can be collected
from so courteous distribution Of wealth
by the hands of beneficial providence.
i y : Il.