The Irish standard., 1895-01-26

~ -Ill.lJA 1 y AM ALL
D also "wirra sthrue'' is "a Mhuire, il
usgh," !" O Mary, how sad!.
II Foreigners have been struck by the
beauty and poetry of our every day salu-
tations. Instead Of the cold ''good day, .
show do you do" or "Hello" Of mod
Urn civilization, the Irish speaking man,
! aoman and child all say to friend or
Stranger, "God bless YOU" Sometimes
y. Patrick and st. Columcille are
brought in. To We come q friend, we
,x,lRky, .God be thy life.' When parting
3ne says: "a blessing with you," the
other, "God prosper YOU" When you
1se a man working: God bless T. Q
work." Answer, ''The same to yourself"
ii, "And you, too, too.' In time Of
trouble -"God save u.s." "The Cross of
Christ upon u.s." "God is strong" with
The rejoinder, "And Mary" In thanks
ssGlory to God," "Exaltation to God"
"a thousand thanks and glories to God"
When they meet priest who, IN the
Wild districts, where Irish is now spoken.
il usually on q sick call, bearing the
Blessed Sacrament, they say: "A thou
sand thanks and exaltations to the Son
dfsGod!' OF the dead, ''The blessing of
Ea,a ~, %hn,r or,n1ajD
4 Even animals, in the Gaelic mind, are
under spiritual influences. The red
breast is called 'Mary's little one," and
8sgraceful legend explains the name.
.rha crow Of the common rooster, instead
H being pagan cock a-doodle doc, is
song Of triumph, "mac ma Oighe Sian"
Qsrnok ma ho va slaun'N, the Son of the
Virgin is free. The Rosary Is called
tpaidirin,'' the little prayer.
J The whole OF the Gaelic literature ls
rsiigious in tone. The part of it that
II purely devotional is very large and
very beautiful Litanies, hymns, poems
ID which the whole Celtic soul is poured
il prayer, spiritual works, lives of saints
with AL that legendary wealth and def
ni54nsae Of detail in which the Irish
mind revels. -Eor twelve centuries the
Isish speaking peasantry have handed
dd85Wpin, generation to, generation, beautl-
tnl religious hymns, which are repeated
5adag shy the hesrths as they ::ware in the
tirnes:o s:of the saints. There is. q hymn for
alnnost every possible circumstance.
Thus, the hymn said when raking the
fir open: ..
tpare this fire as Christ spares all;
MAY Mary and Bridgid guard each wall!
Ana pray to the host of angels bright
To watch ourselves and our home TO- night.
And all this wealth Of religious thought,
gilt, coming from the most religious race
Of the world, is uncollected, untranslated,
unknown.
The great bulk of the Irish literature
comes to us from the Irish religious
houses, and large proportion is the
work of Irish religious. From St. Pat.
rick, st. Colnmkill and st. Bridgid,
down to Geotfrey Keating and MacHale,
HE Irish religious has also been a think,
or and writer. The name Of Donough
Nor ODay, abbot of Boyle, is practically
unknown to the world. His hymns and
sacred poems are not rivaled in the re-
ltgious poetry Of Christendom.
Around the good feast of Christmas
clusters great wealth of Irish literature
and legend. Christmas is. of course,
;Ghrist's Mass, and still we call
the Christmas Mass "Aifrionn ma
Giene.'' and the Mass of the Babe
'sLittle Xmas" or ''Old Xmas" has ita
own legends and practices, and these
too, want some hand which will gather
them up. !
!It you wish to appreciate the Celtic
thought as found in the Irish literature,
you must look at it from the religious
standpoint. II you want to find an anti
dote for the cold, morbid, materialistic
thonght Of the present day, go back to
the pure-spirited literature of the Gael.
Help make it known, and you will benefit
the world at large and bring honor to
the Celtic race.
Have Courage.
= ..ts = . Y i
Have courage to discharge q debt
while you have the money in your
pocket: to do without that which you do
not need, however much you may admire
ii; to speak your mind when you should
do 60, and to hold your tongue when it is
hotter thatyou should be silent; to speak