The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1893-03-18

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With. eolat, their hearts being
gladaened with the fond anticipation
that before the next 18th Of March they
will behold Erin released from her fet-
tors and standing erect with the light OF
freedom on her brow. Many q st. Pat
ricck's Day has come and gone since Ire
land was deprived Of her God given
rights as q free and self governed nation,
but the spirit Of nationality did not die
in the breasts Of her suffering sons.
They still hoped to see their country re-
stored to nationhood, and in every gem
GRAFTON they fought and strived by vari-
GUS means to lift her up and make her 9
nation once again. They met the oppres-
sor on the battlefield and in the senate
and never ceased to protest against the
injustice Of their foes. They never rested
satisfied under the British yoke, and
though kept under the lash they we're
not submissive slaves. The spirit of ma
tionality was kept aglow in the gloomiest
days, and patriots prayed and planned,
and fought and died that Ireland might
be free. The irrepressible conflict never
ceased; it is now going on as bravely as
ever, and the fidelity and perseverance, OF
the grand old race in the cause OF hui
man liberty is soon to be rewarded by q
restoration of parliamentary independ-
ence. A great Englisman has arisen at
the end of the nineteenth century to give
back to Ireland her stolen rights and to
make restitution for past injustice and
wrong. He has succeeded in rail-, ing to
his call for justice to Ireland majority
of the people of the British Islands, and
il he lives to see next st. Patrick's Day
he will have accomplished his work.
Irishmen Therefore rejoiced Yesterday, for
their poor downtrodden country, which
they have always loved, is soon to have
a place once more among the nations.
Iriehmen have good reason to cherish
the memory of St. Patrick, for the faith
brought by him to their island has al
ways enlivened their love of country.
Faith and fatherland have always gone
together, though many noble Irishmen
who protested different creed to that
taught BY the great apostle, have given
their lives that their country may be
free. On the other hand, the Irishmen
who abandoned the ancient faith lost
their love Of country and became the
enemies OF their own kith and kin.
It is almost needless to speak Of the
glorious saint whose memory was cele-
bratsd yesterday. He lived SO long ago
that even the date of his birth is un-
known. He arrived in Ireland as an
apostolic missionary about a thousand
years before the invention Of printing
There are but few authentic records ex-
tant from which a true history of the
saint can be gathered. 1t is certain,
however, that the great saint passed
away from earth Ola the 18th of March
after converting the whole island from
paganism to Christianity, without the
effusion Of human blood as in other coun-
tries. The country of his birth is not
agreed on, but DIR. Lanigan seems to
give conclusive evidence of his being a
native of France. Some say he died at
the age Of l20 years, but the probability
is that he died on March II of the year
465, at the age of 70 years. Accepting
this date as the true one, he was As years
old when sent by Pope Celestine to con-
vert the pagan Celts of Ireland, and his
missionary life was 33 years among them.
In modern days it has been stated that
St, Patrick was a Protestant and that
the early Irish Church was not IN COM
munion with the See of Rome. The fact
is chat the Irish Church professed the
same faith and had the aame sacraments
and sacrifice in the days of st. Patrick
as we have today. In an early canon OF
the Synod of st. Patrick it is decreed
that ''all difficult questions which might
arise in the island should be referred to
the Apostolic See" The letter Of st.
Patrick to Coroticus, a British pirate
who carried off some of the early Irish
Christians into captivity, is still in exist
ence, and in it can be seen that the sac
were administered in the ortho-
dox manner by st. Patrick and his first
disciples. The letter of st. Columbanus
TO Rome in reference to the Irish mode
Of celebrating Easter, which he followed
while i'll France where different compu-
tation was used, is positive evidence that
The Irish people were not heterodox but
were obedient followers Of Rome. In
that letter Columbanus said the Irish
wore the disciples of Peter and Paul,
md were attached to the chair of Peter,
md that Rome was the head of the
of the world. There is no
7alid foundation for the statement that
Ireland possessed doctrine different
rom that of Rome, which sent st. Pat