The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1895-03-23
A LOYAL TRIBUTE.

A LOYAL TRIBUTE,
Continued from First Page.
of April Is, 1929, three long centuries Of
blood and tears, Ireland was the martyr
nation of the world. Her children were
bound by the triple chain Of slavery, OF
ignorance and Of beggary, his faith was:
the only bright beam of hope or Of glad:
mess that, for 800 dark years OF sorrow,
the Irishman say through his tears.
"As far as the world was concerned,
Catholic Ireland had ceased to exist.
She sank out of sight. forgotten even by
the Catholic nations, left, like Christ
upon the cross, abandoned to her on
emies. The prosecuted Christians Of the
first three centuries OF the Christian era
from the only approximate comparison
in the history of the world to the martyr
dom undergone by the Irish people dur
ing their three centuries of sorrow. The
prosecutions undergone BY the early
Christians were fierce and relentless, but
they we're spasmodic and fitful. The
prosecutions inflicted upon bleeding Ire
land were savage, satanic, unceasing and
vigilant in their search Of every tender
sentiment of the human heart that 1T
might be made to suffer for the grim
satisfaction of Englsnd's naughty prides
"The Irish were q proud and naughty
race. Their sacred traditions for 6OQ
years bore testimony to their intellectual
superiority over their envious foes. Enge
lands course of heartless cruelty
was to condemn this proud people to
hopeless ignorance. An Irish Catholic
was forbidden by English law
TO read or to send his child to SCHOOL,
and then, in every land in which the
language of England was spoken, the
victim OF English infamy was scoffsd at
as ignorance. The Irish always had
been lovers of freedom and they hated
prosecutions and injustice, but the plan
now adopted by their English foes was to
create turmoil among them at homes
sell some of the families among them
into bondage in foreign lands, and then
tell the world that these people were unss
TT for eelf-government. The nobility Of
ancient Ireland was despoiled of ita
ancestral domains, the people robbed Of
their homes, and then branded as beg
CARS before the world. An alien church
was imposed upon the people, which they
were forced by system Of Ubiquitous
.tithes to support out OF their scanty
means. Notwithstanding ell this in-
human and persistent persecution, the
Irish race in every land are today the
foremost defenders and loyal friends Of
religion. In every land in which the lam
guage of England is spoken-the LAM;
guage OF their traditional enemies-the
fourishing condition Of the Catholic
faith is due to the zeal and the fervor Of
the Irish race. No people have suff ered
80 sorely for religion's sake, and no
people have met with such glorious.
success in spreading the knowledge Of
divine truth among men," II
n IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH.
Rev. j. j. Keane, pastor OF the Imma-.
culate Conception Church, also made
reference to th faithful apostle for whom
the day was held sacred in his morning
sermon Sunday. In substance he said
stChrist was the perfect man. His sacred
humanity was endowed with every gift
Of nature and Drowned with every grace
Of the spirit Il exhibited to decadent
world the dignity Of true humility, the
royalty Of obedience. and the supremacy
Of charity. It chose the cross, and in de-
feat showed forth victory and trans
formed suffering into q hame OF love.
making the sacred heart holocaust for
God and for man. He gave to others to
share bis merits and his splend ors, and,
as the clouds Of evening spread and give
color to the rays Of the setting sun, 30
The lives of the saints bring home TO us
strikingly the alories which Jesus Christ
brought to earth. They encourage the
human heart 70 hope that IA HisstrenRth
the poorest of US may be strong. Not,
only do they show forth the glory Of the
Incarnate Word, but every saint, 10 GO
far as be u an image q Christ Jesus, u
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