The Irish standard., 1896-03-21

IRISH s. TAM
church upon earth which was to dlsnense
Ibis mysteries, last to the end of time, and
preach his gospel to all people. Finally
i he told them that he was the representa-
4 tive Of that church to. preach tAe:sgospel
1 Ito the Irish people. The Irish people lis
! tened to Patrick, accepted the doctrine
Of Christ and were baptized. For thirty
years Patrick went among them through
Lenster and Ulster and Connaughts and
Munster, preaching the gospel and ad-
i minister.ng the sacraments He ordained
| priests, consecrated bishops, erected mon.
asteries, converts and churches, and as
! sembled synods for ecclesiastical disci-
i plinary legislation, and then practically
retired from his active missionary labprs
! for the last thirty yeas of his life to. de-
vote MS time almost wholly to prayer and
| pen:tential works. He had visited Rome
| twice to lay the report Of his diocese at
! the feet of the supreme pOntiff. After his
4 second visit he fxed his metropolitan see
at Armagh and left the active work nfEth
| IRISH church. to the care of St. Benignus
and his other .suffragan bishops. The last
Years Of his life he devoted almost entirely
| to prayer and retirement to fit himself
more and more TO meet his death, which
occurred according to the best authorities,
| on the 18th Of March 493. Before his
death he had the happiness of behoding
Ireland converted into avn island Of saints,
and for centuries after his death the fame
Of the Irish schools for sanctity and schol-
arship drew to her shores thousands OF
Students so that the name which Ireland
bore among the nations was "the Island
of Saints and Doctors" Who that has ever
stood by the ruins of the seven churches
of Glendabough in the County Of Wick
low, or of the seven churches of Clanmac-
noise In Kings county, but has not won
dered at the: immense size of these ruins
where the most famous seminaries of the
world with their thousands Of learned
graduates shed a bright luster upon Chris
tian civilization? Who can recount the
missionary saints and scholars who went
forth from the shores of Ireland for CEN
turtles to evangelize and enl:ghten the
countries of Europe? Yes, the crystalized
history of centuries flashes upon the Irish
intellect today the glories of her kings
and the sanctity of her scholars while she
was free, as we'll as the sufferings of her
bondage. And while her destiny III the
past seems to point her out as the nurse
of ill-requited schoolmasters and OF the
successful fighters of other nations bat
ties, yet we have bright hopes Of her I'LL
ture destiny. Ireland has had long
night, but she must have am inevitable
day This Is the conclusion to which ev-
cry phi1osophic mind comes. This is the
conclusion which the consideration Of the
history of the Irish people and calm ex-
animation of Irish characteristics force
upon us. The love of country is so deeply
rooted in this peoples heart that the de-
termined purpose of the race must be
finally accomplished. 1t is a continued
fight for freedom that has been taken up
and perpetuated by successive generations
for centuries. The right to a separate and
distinct nationality has never been sur
rendered by the Irish people, and the in
dications are that it never will he, until il
assumes that glorious triumph which long
and great sacrifices merit. Yes the hopes
of the near approach of that final SUCCESS
are brighter today than ever before in the
history of Ireland. Her ancient foe is
becoming isolated among nations, Eng
lands danger is Ireland's opportunity.
Danger threatens England from all sides,
and the people Of Ireland are alive to Ire.
lands opportunity. Every man in Ire
land is today a statesman. We have
plenty of material there for an IRISH par
! lament. The Legislative branch Of an r.
ism government has ample reserves from
which to draw, # anything, AN over-sup-
ply. Plenty of material too for the exec'l-
tive and judiciary branches. But how
about the military department? Is it to
be supposed that the ancient military gen
:l1s of this people has departed? There
are men still left in Ireland who are not
4c rho rs nf T,,n1o i'm
direction when the opportunity of Ireland
presents itself These men have learned
prudence and Judgment from the sad ex-
perience of the past. They are able to
calmly calculate with mathematical pre-
cision the cost OF military supplies and Of
the maintenance Of am army and navy
either for the obtaining or the preserving
Of Irish freedom, and they are neyerthe-
less determined when the opportunity Of
Ireland does present itself that they will
be in position to take advantage OF 1t at
any cost; for who can count the price Of
freedom IN men or money? BY all means
hen let the Irish people at home go on
and perfect their organization, and not
the legislative branch alone; for in leal-
ing with Great Britain they have too fire.
quently learned in the past, that the de-
structive elements of war have a more
powerful influence upon her than the
most skillful, learned, and eloquent argu-
ments advanced from undying principles.
Let, then, the true patriots of ireland
with that discretion and secrecy, which
prudence demands in the case, perfect the
military department of Their organization
and as surely as day follows night, so
surely will the God Of armies nerve the
Irish soldiers to strike a successful: blow
for their island of destiny. We cahnot .e
prevented from wishing them, agreeably
to our own feelings and with all our hearts
the largest measure of success. The great
mistake of the past was that they rushed
blindly and unprepared into the. breach
when England was at her strongest and
Ireland at her weakest. This mistake is
not likely to occur again. They have but
to wait the reversal Of the conditions,
and the signs of the times point to no
very heightened delay. Yes, L have strong
hopes for the final success of the
cause of Ireland She has had a long
night of sorrow, she has the promise of a
long and glorious day, and tonight / see,
in the future Irish republic, the dream Of
Moore realized, when Ireland shall truly
be
- 'sGreat glorious and free,
First flower of the earth, and first gem of
tho Goa -