The Irish standard., 1893-05-13
THE FRESHMAN ABROAD.
lgnatius Donnelly Analyses Irish Character
and Genius for the A. o. 81.

TIE FRESHMAN ABROAD. aE#S
Ignatius Donnelly Analyses Irish Character
and Genius for the A. o. a.
Last Saturday 9, ening at ST Paul,
Hon. Ignatiue Donnelly delivered an IN
teresting lecture on ''The Irish IN Amer
ica," under the auspices Of Division Nc.
A. OH. Seated on the stage, which
was very appropriately draped with
American and Irish flags, were Judges
Kelly and Willis, Hon. T. D. OBrien
Hon. W:.P. Murray and the officers OF
the division.
Judge Kelly introduced Mr.. Donnelly
in a felicitous manner, and the Sage OF
Nininger at once entered on his theme.
He spoke extemporaneously, except Tor
few notes; yet the lecture was OF the
most interesting kind. The speaker
opened with the statement that this is
destined to be great year in the history
Of our country, which for many thou
sands Of years slept On unbroken sleep,
sundered from the civilization of the old
world. He reviewed rapidly, but in q
deeply interesting fashion, the monoton-
GUS voyage of Columbus and the events
surrounding it. 1t was, he said, the
most adventurous, romantic and marvel.
GUS trip in accepted hnman annals; in
it's results doubling the habitable land Of
the globe.
ATTRIBUTES OF RACES.
Passing then to the part played in the
formation of history by different races,
he held there was no people more inter
esting to the student, none more plctur-
esque, than the Irish. He was almost
prepared to say distinctions of national
ity were unfounded apart from the diff
ferencee between the great white race
and the blacks and others OF somewhat
lighter shade. The sunken Atlantis was
used as base for charmingly wrought
out argument to show how the great
elements Of nationality had intermingled
il Ireland, England, Scotland, France
and other countries, by vast migratory
movement occurring thousands OF years
before the beginning of recorded history
Scientific data was drawn upon to
show that west of Ireland, few hun.
dred feet below tho water, is sunken
contln uation of the island. Pursuing this
line of thought Mr.. Donnelly said:
think what q change is some ines
made by little things. Suppose that, in
the era when the earth's crust was rising
and falling, settling into place, that OK.
tension OF land had remained above
water. ireland would then be larger
than England. Power goes with popu.
lation and production. Naturally Eng
land would have been conquered and, in.
stead of speaking the broken Scandlna.
Wan we call English, today the world
would be using the Irish language. In
Elizabeth's time 100000 people spoke
the English tongue; to-day l20, 600 00C
people in every corner of the globe use
it. Judges on the bench would have
been interpreting and acting under that
wonderful system of Jurisprudence,
THE BREHoN LAWS
The great plays SO wrongfully credited
to Shakespeare would have been printed
in Celtic" This trend was continued in
the speakers inimitable way until the
audience was shaking with laughter
Then the speaker took and analysed Irish
legend and tradition. The Emerald Isle
was for ages the great converging point
where the most adventurous of all ma
tions met and commingled blood, produc-
ing the heroic, determined and rowing
race now going forth from that island
Always the object of invasions, the peo-
pie had never been conquered. England
had taken possession, and every foot OF
land had been confscated four times
over; but even today she is rising like an
island from the troubled sea of English
craftsmanship.
Touching another branch of his sub
ject, Mr.. Donnelly said his hearers might
be proud Of the old countries, but none
of them were to be compared to this
great land of America. "It has been
kept clean, as it were, by the sponge
of the Almighty, for great people to
come and inhabit, here to work out the
great destiny of humanity; in a country
sheltered by a flag whose stars are like
stars of hope rising above the dark wa
tiers of time-of hope for all the people
of the world"
AHEAD OF COLUMBUS.
Referring to the claims of all nations
to earlier discoverers of America than
Columbus, Mr.. Donnelly worked out a
neat and powerful case for st. Brendan,
whom he logically connected with Quetzl-
coatl, of the Mexican religious legend.
He paid magnificent tribute to st. Pat
rick; then took up the American side of
his subject, and in glowing, patriotic
words exhorted all his hearers to instill
INTO their children the thought that thew