The Irish standard., 1896-03-14
GRANDEUR OF THE A. OH,
An E'oque rant ana Interesting orae,on on
5s tbs History Of tho 6 i.
d ordDr.. .s. s s.=s :ss.'.s,
FRIENDSHIP, UNITY AND cBzR1TY
Necessity for Org , sioa Ably Pointed
Gu! by the SIP saker In an
Effective Way. s5:,..


OF P. a. Lehan delivered at the banquet
given by Division 2, A. o. H. on the night
of the installations Of officers at Manehes-
ter, N. H., as reported by the Emerald
of that city: - -..r- $1,000 .,4 +
"Mr. Chairman, Brothers.: To say that
it affords me pleasure to be present here
this evening would I suppose be consid-
cred superhuous. A meeting such; as
this, is a place where true Hibernian
can always feel at home. I have always
said and shall always maintain, we new
err can have too many of such gatherings,
we never can have enough. The pres
ence of so many men of the Ancient Or
der of Hibernians here this evening is
evidence to me that the first great fun
damental principles OF our grand old Or
der is a ruling characteristic with us all,
for am sure that the spirit OF pure, an
alleged friendship alone animates every
one present here this evening. And then
/ know that we are here in spirit OF. ull-
ity, because. if we were not united the
spirit of split and discord and disunion
would surely manifest itself amongst us
and we would not be here at all. Being
here in the spirit of friendship and OF
unity it is a source of infinite gratiti-
cation to observe the feeling of charita-
BITE: consideration manifested so far i'll
the exercises of the evening, and trust
that at the c.ose the same spirit will eX-
ist and that thus at our social gathering
we viii happily exemplify all of the beau
tiful triple motto Of this ancient organ
ization Of the men of the Irish race.
I'm the preamble to the constitution
which forms the code of laws by which
our organization is governed we lind
paragraph which reads:
.''In this world OF action and OF selhsh
interest, where all people are associated
FOR mutual aid and support. and partlcu-
larly in this broad land Of freedom where
all nationalities are represented, ana
where class interests, protected by Or
ganized and exclusive institutions, pre-
vail. it behooves the Catholic children OF
the Irish race to enroll themselves be-
meath a common standard in the: cause OF
Church. Country and Mutual Aid.
This paragraph is clearly meant as
an incentive to our people to organize
for mutual aid and protection. ~
And surely there IS no race or people
on the face of Gods green earth today
with whom the necessity for organizing
and banding themselves together exists
to greater extent than 1t does With the
people of the race and creed to when
you and l have the honor to belong. We
have as it were been made the custo-
dams of g. faith that has been made, to
endure all manner and forms OF persecu-
cutions and sufferings. Irish men and
Irish women have almost from time I'M
memorial been compelled to suffer and
endure the most cruel and inhumant tor
lures because they believed 1t to ne their
duty to keep alive and burning IN the
Celtic heart the fire and the light OF that
faith expounded by the one true church
founded by the Great Father himself,
and transmitted to the .congenial soil OF
erin by the immortal ST.; Patrick, Ire
lands patron saint.
What strange yecissitudes OF fortune
and of power has that holy and venerable
church of ours undergone IN the long,
long years that have passed since In Ire
land she first raised slender splre
crowned with the emblem OF the consum-
nation Of sorrows, heavenward and en-
braced within her fostering bosom our
pagan ancestors, to the present day
Needs there are none for me am sure
and at best it would be a presumption
on my part to attempt for you at this
time a portrayal of the magnfficence, the
sublime grandeur TO which religion at
tanned in that Island home OF ours, until
Jealous of its power and influence the
arms of the ,despoiler were raised against
it's further spread. Of the expeditions
sent to strip that land of her glorious
temples of religion and learning and alas.
and alas of the success OF those expedl-
tions---for Ireland was robbed OF her
grand old temples and the houses. and
shrines erected and dedicated to the glory
of God were pil!aged. RACED. given up to
the flames or @cnnfiscated and converted
TO other and unho}y purposes. Reilelon
itself was so banned and prosecuted ana
hunted that at one time apparently not
atvestige Of the ancient faith remained.
But not so entirely--Ireland would not
easily put aside the faith she had en-
braced and when driven from her nlonas-
teries and religious houses, when her
temples and her shrines had been raZed
given up to the flames and pil]aged. Coos
Irish nTiest, and the people banded them
selves together when and where. they
could. Converted all the land into one
magnificent. open air temple and .Wor-
shipped God beneath the emerald sheen
of irish skies What more sublime spec;
tacle can we find in the history OF re1i-
zion anywhere than that which is pre-.
sented to us than in the picture OF SOME
Quiet hillside of some secluded mountain
dell. the altar fires alight, the rock OF an
altar which clothed in his priestly vest
lnents some good old soggarth is offering
Trio ho)v sacrifice to. the Throne of Grace