The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1894-03-10
EMMET'S ANNIVERSARY.


triot, Robert Emmett, was appropriately
celebrated this year by Irish-American
citizens in all the leading cities of this
country. Hon. G. A. Gallagher, of this
city, was one of the orators at the A. O..
Fl. celebration in st. Paul last Saturday
evening. He delivered sou]-stirring
address which elected much enthusiasm.
Prefacing his address with poetical
quotation he said ID part: ..
Most nations count their years by the
anniversaries of their Independence or
tho chronological order Of their rulers;
Ireland recounts the periods of her his
tory by the hanging of her patriots, the
famine of her children, or the depopula-
ton of her soil. Most nations point to
towering monuments to commemorate
their heroic SONS; Erin pays her tribute
by tears shed above the graves marked
only by tread Of pilgrims feet. Most
nations blazon their public halls with
portraits of their distinguished sons;
Erin walks above her dead and proudly
points to her martyrs graves. Tonight
we find her, with bowed heart, but head
erect in maternal pride, the dewy pearls
stealing down her sorrow. stricken face
and the aood gates of her heart pouring
out the fullness Of mothers grief.
Never had mother 3 more devoted son;
never had son greater tilial love than he
whose anniversary We commemorate this
night.
'soh breathe not his name, let it sleep in the
shade,
Where cold aud unhonoTed his relics are laid ;
Sad, silent and dark be the tear that we shed,
As the night dew that falls on the grass DER his
head.
But the night dew that falls. though in silence
it weeps,
Shall brighten with verdure the grave where he
sleeps;
And the tear that we she'd tho in secret it rolls
Shall long keep his memory green in our souls -
Measured by the sacrifices made for
his country, in the annals of the world
there is not purer, brighter star in the
armament of patriotism; there is not a
name in the range { the worlds heroes
around which cluster dearer, more pa
thetic memories than those awakened by
the name of Robert Emmett.
A mere youth, just crossing the
threshold of manhood, wealth, educa-
ton, social position, plighted love, every
thing which seems the goal of an honest
ambition already within his grasp, he Of
fers them all upon the altar of his coun-
try and sealing them with his hearts
blood breathes out his life in one devoted
prayer for his country's deliverance.
In eloquent words Mr.. Gallagher ex-
patiated on the self-sacrifcing patriot
ism Of Emmett, and drew from the exam
pie Of his life and death lessons for fu.
ture generations to follow in the struggle
for Irish national independence. Speak
ing Of the Irish martyrs he said: "Noth-
ing less than the complete emancipation
from British rule would be acceptable to
them in settlement of the Irish question.
And when they took up battle cry it
came from Irish and not from English
lips; they looked to Ireland and not to
Westminster for deliverance. They had
but one standard, and the convict ship,
the dungeon aud the gallows might
strike the hand that bore it, but they
never could e6ace the challenge it flung
to the world no surrender These men
made the history Of I1eland glorious,
filed its pages with deeds Of ya1or and
proclaimed to the world the courage and
patriotism Of tho Irish race. &
The speaker compared the eonditiono
the Irish people with that of the Anerii-