The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1891-03-21

100 years ago, when the ''city" of today
with it's 25O,O00 inhabitants was only ;
small town with little more than II, 600
: when wealth was less abundant thar
worth, and when the name of Ire!an6
was honored in it as it was honored il
no other town i'll the land, when hopes
which made them heroes for the time
were swelling in tine hearts of its peo-
pie, and their souls were expanding
, under the divine impulse Of new na-
tional life. [ take walk down a mar
row laneway, known then, and known
still, as ''Sugarhouse Entry" to an old
fashioned tavern. where. in small
room. sit four men in deep and earnest
conversation together. One of them is
Wolfe Tone; the others are Henry JOY
McCrecken. Samuel Nelson and
! Thomas Russell. Look into that little
room nOW--it i5 almost IN the same
condition as it was 100 years ago--and
you could hardly Imagine that within
its narrow limits was created and
planned one OF the greatest and nobIest
national organizations that ever adorn.
ed and dignified the history of any peo,
pie. For this is the birthplace of the
society Of United Irishmsn; from this
dingy retreat Was first promulgated the
gospel OF Irish redemption in the great
doctrine Of the brotherhood and union
Of Irlshmen Of all classes and creeds,
and fl ashed forth over the country, like
a divine revelation, from the CauseWaV
to Cape Clear, the vision of an indie
Here, ON q certain evening in the wear
1881, SAT- Wolfe Tone and his three com
rades, laying. as they fondly thought.
in the new society the foundation stone
Of nation. How near they were in
DONG so some of the grands0ns OF the
Belfast people of hundred years ago,
whose first steps In this way of polite
culture are to put off or disguise every.
thing in themselves that they
suppose to be Irish, and to assimulata
themselves in all things as far
as they Can, in accent, attitude and
attributes, to the true standard of Brit
annia metal, would now almost shake
| in their Wastend boots to think Of
! But they Were near it all the same and
question if even the great heart of
Tone himself, grandly hopeful and
heroic as it WAS, expected that the mar,
row circle Of four who sat that evening
around tbs table Of that little room
would have expanded SO glorlously, or
embraced such an area Of patriotism
and courage as it after wards did
! Within Grief period OF the formation
OF the society. the number of United
Irishmeu in Belfast alone amounted to
2639. well supplied with arms and am
munition, and inscounty Antrim to %.
600, proDortinately we'll accoutred.
These items are sufficient to justify the
eulogy passed upon Belfast by one who
has written IN LOVING and regretful
spiris Of what it and the men who
dwelt in it were Ia those days: TO
wards the coss Of the last century, Bel
fast YVES the advanced guard in Ireland
Of political progress" To Belfast is
also due the origin of the volunteers.
Here they first assumed an organized
military form, and here, in the POSSES
sion of one OF it's citizens. a sacred
treasure, the roll OF the first regiment,
dated March II, 1878, is still preserved.
The Volunteers arose in this way. In
the beginning of that year, Belfast
Lough was visited bs chs famous Amer
ican prlvateer, Paul Jones, aud the
town had narrow escape from pltlage,
it not destruction, at his hands. TO
| provide against any similar cOntin-
gency, tie government was applied TO
for troops to defend the town; but be
| tween America aud France the troops
Of Great Britain was fully occupied.
and the government could do practically
nothing for its liege subjects
in Belfast. Thereupon, saws MacNe-
vim, in his History Of Che Volunteers, "
the EARNED Professionalism Of ireland
arose. - It should be mentioned that
|
nitted to their ranks; but this restric-
tioD was very shortly removed, and so
purged Of everything like sectarian
feeling did they become that we find
the Belfast volunteers, who were chief.
ly Presbyterians, for the purpose Of
showing their sympathy with their
Catholic brethern, attending mass On
SUNDAY, May 80, 1884, where, it is re-
corded, they were entertained with a
sermon by Rev. DR.. Mcdonnell. the
distinguished author Of the toast, RE
ligion Without Priestcraft."
In 1891 Belfast celebrated, by what
was in those DAYS, and for a place at
the time so small. monster dem Onstra~
tlon, the anniversary Of the GLORIOUS
French revolution; and 10 the same
year we hnd that the town was so little
In favor of the authorities that Mr..
Balfour's ssdon 't-hesitate to- shoot, twas
anticipated in the directions given to a
| traon nf ooId1ors obnut fo ma uuartaTod