The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1893-04-01
the modern drift Of the world toward q

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land and Scotland they are once more
building up the Church. In Australia it
is spreading through their work. And nc
in our own beloved country where the
great social problems Of the future are
to be worked out the Irish race is the
great prop and pillar OF the Catholic
Church.
In no country has music and poetry
been SO generally cultivated as IN Ire
land. It is there where the bards OF
every age have enjoyed tho greatest pr
villges and in every generation their
songs and music have famed dying en-
bers of patriotism till the people burned
for freedom. The poems of Ossian, the
ancient Irish bard, are not surpassed in
all literature. England has her Shakes
pea1e and Byron; Scotland may we'll be
proud of Bobbie Burns, the great poet OF
humanity. But Moore's Irish melodies
embody the songs and ballads of nation.
The popular airs of Ireland are set in
choicest rhymes and in language at once
musical and expressive, every chord OF
human feeling being aroused. Ireland
gave Boyle O'Reilly to America. What
more terrible indictment of English mis-
rule in Ireland than to say, that a man
like John Boyle O'Reilly, one of lures
noblemen, was driven from his native
shores never to return. 1 cannot yet real
ize that this noble man is gone to that
eternal shore; but O'Reilly is not dead.
He will live forever'in the hearts of the
Irish and American people. For did he
not say himself: n
s'The singer who sings is always alive;
We hearken and always hear
It has been said that every Irishman
is something of poet. Ii is equally
true that every Irishman is something OF
an actor. The most gifted actors Of this
century bear Irish names, John McCul-
Tough, Barry Sullivan, McCready, Bar
rett. O'Neil, wherever the Eng
lish language is spoken their names are
household words. Mary Anderson and
Ada Rehan are both the daughters of
Irish parents.
Irish oratory is famous throughout the
the world Where is O'Oonnells rival?
He stands alone, supreme, unapproached
and unapproachable,among orators Graf
tan, Sheridan and Burke in the senate,
Curran and Pluukett at the bar-what a
magnificent galaxy of eloquent mon!
They stood unrivaled in their day.
We have now gazsd over Ire}and's in
f1uence on civilization in the past. We
have seem her spreading the light OF the
gospel and sowing ths seeds of education
among the nations OF Europe. We have
beheld her successfully overthrowing the
Danes, bravely resisting Norman
encroachments, and standing alone
among the nations she has cluug stead
fastly to her ancient faith and national.
ity through centuries of unmerci Ill OPP
preston. She has n in the fight and
she now appears on the threshold OF the
twentieth century an unconquered ma
ton with pure, unsullied faith. With
a past 50 glorious and honorable, in
spite of the direst misfort unes, what
may we not expect Of her future, now
that her shackles are about to be re-
moved.
The nations have fallen and.thou still art
Thy sun is but rising when others have set.
And though slavery's cloud Ger thy morn
The full moon of freedom will beam round
thee yet.
Erin. oh Erin, though long in the shade,,
fhy star will shine out when the proudest
shall fade.