The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1890-03-29

MINNEA
glorifips its saint but also has to de re
cafe the martvrdom of that saint by its
pagan ancestry. Not so with Ireland;
it seems as il the people were fully pre-
pared to receive the Christian truth
from him, to recognize in him the rep
resentative OF their Creator. Human
passions indeed, have caused djssen-
sions ana struggles among the different
local divisions in Ireland. But until
the English came and established them
selves in the country these inrernecine
feuds did not rob ireland Of the fame
of being the seat OF culture and religion.
In the time just prior to the Norman
conquest the people offs England con-
sisted principally of Saxons and Celts,
they were more adapted for the tilling
of the soil than for fighting. Previous
to the reign of Edward the Contessor
the Saxons had been conquered by the
Danes and two or three OF their kings
bad ruled the nation. Among them
was the KING who attempted to conquer
ireland in the days of Brian Boro. The
Danes were defeated by the Irish at the
battle Of Clontarf with great slaughter.
Eventually, however, the Danes were
largely driven from England or subdued
bv Edmund lronsides and later by Ed
ward the Confessor, representatives of
the Saxon line Of English kings. Years
before this there had been established
in Normandy, France, a colony Of pl-
rates and adventurers from the coast OF
Norway and Denmark, who were called
Normans by the French and thus had
given the name of Normandy to the
province These people were of fierce
and warliko nature and it seemed as if
their settlement in France and their life
there had but served in the course. of a
few generations to make them tiercer
and more warliks than ever. In the
days of Edward the Confessor their
kingdom was ruled by William. bastard
son of his father, King Robert, For
years he meditated descent upon Eng
land and at length after the death of
Edward the Confessor led small army
of Normans into the island and by bold
scheming and successful battle or two
subdued them; his followers were few
IN number but SO warlike.s SO fierce and
unconqnerab1e were they that instead
of amalgamating with the English they
held them in subjectlon al a conquered
people; William made his Normans the
barons and dukes Of England and re-
duced the Saxons and Celts to the most
abject slavery. No Saxon, Celt or
Dane was allowed during the earlier
reigns of these conquerors to lsave his
hut or strike light after sundown; the
penalty of dong so was death. The
English nation were as submissive as
sheep to this warlike race. A brief
history Of the several successors to this
bastard after the conquest may be Of
interest to you. He had three sons,
Robert, William and Henry. Robert
the elder was not so b)oodthirsty as his
father and brothers. so that on the death
of his father. his brother William easily
obtained the crown of England, but he
was so vicious that even the N0rmans
cOnld not endure him and one dav while
be was hunting IN the forest one OF his
followers shot him. He was succeeded
by his younger brother who became
Henry the First. It Is related of
Henry's son that he was so hardened
towards the conquered English that he
threatenened to exterminate them when
he became king. He was fortunately
drowned before his father died. After
Henry's death Stephen, who was a
nephew of the conqueror usurped the
crown. The grandson Of Henry the
First by one of his daughters, called
Henry Plantagenel ascended the throne
on the death of Stephen and was called
IAOuly Guo 0CCUAua tLO VI oSA1o oAA@A'|
previous to this incurslons had been
made into Ireland by tile Normans and
their kin but in his reign they began il
earnest the conquest of the island; this
was in the 18th century. He and his
freebooters were backed up by STORES
and provisions which they wrung from
the Saxons and Celts OF England and
were thus enabled to obtain foothold
in the country and conquer it, at least
a large portion of it; he then divided the
whole island among ten of his followers
making them barons or earls. He had
married the divorced wife of the king
of France and had a number of sons by
her: Henry, Geoffrey, Richard and
John, true Normans. bl0od odthirsty,
quarrellng and lighting among them
selves, until at length Old Henry the
Second died Of grief over their quarrels
and disobed edience. OalYtwo of his sons
survived him. Richard and j Ohm and .
grandson. Arthur, son Of Geofrey.
Richard actuateds by the true spirit Of