The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-11-14
lT TEACH IRISH HISTORY.
The Catholic Children Of the Old Land
Ignorant Of Their
Ancestors. - 81. I
OTHER COUNTRIES WE'LL Known
Heroes Of Ireland Give Place to British
Warriors of
Old 81

The Catholic children in our parish
schools, academies and colleges receive a
good practical education. The seeds OF
virtue ARE planted in their hearts, while
their minds are enlightened and refined.
With them religion and the sciences go
hand in hand. They are instructed in the
principles of divine faith, while they are
taught ali that is necessary to make them
successful in business ornaments in So
ciety and good citizens of the republic,
says st. Michael's Monthly Calendar. 81
The young people in these schools are
taught history both ancient and modern.
Indeed, they glory in their knowledge of
history. History, many OF them claim, is
their speciality. Now nine-tenths of these
young people have Irish blood in their
veins. and yet with all their historical re-
searches they are positively ignorant Of
the history Of Ireland. They know the
history of every land save that of the
ali about Cyrus, Alexander, Hannibal and
Caesar, but they know nothing about Neil
the great nor Bryan nor Malachi. They
will talk intelligently Of Alfred and Har-
cd and William the Conqueror and Rich
ard Occur &c Lion, King Henry VIII,
Elizabeth and the four Georges, but If you
refer to Hugh O'NeiIl, Owen Roe, Hugh
Qnonnell of the Earl of Desmond, they
will very probably tell you that they new
err heard Of those persons. They are thor
oughly convsrsant with the history of the
War Of the Roses, but they have never
heard Of the fierce struggles which the
O'Nie1ls Of the North, the O'Rourkes OF
the West, and the O'Moores Of the Eas.
and the Desmonds of the South main
tatned SO long for faith and fatherland
This utter neglect Of the teaching Of
Irish history in our Catholic educational
institutions is a great fault that should be
remedied as soon as possible. IrishAmer
lean Catholics should be taught the his.
tory OF the old land They will find little
III that history of which to be ashamed:
they will find great deal to strengthen
their faith and inflame their love for the
dear old home Of their fathers. Ireland.
it is true has lost hei. independence, but
she not lost her honor; she has lost her
liberty, but she has not lost her faith.
She is the island of saints and heroes;
she is the mother of pure women and
brave men. Her children may be poor,
but they are poor because the tyrant and
stranger has robbed them Of their fertile
lands; they are poor because they refused
to sell their country and their creed for
British gold.
From the sixth to the ninth century
Ireland on the testimony of all writer's.
was the most enlightened or all nations
Her schools were the admiration OF the
then known world, and no scholar was
thought TO have completed his education
until be had graduated from some Irish
college. Dagobert, king of the Austria
sian Franks; Egbert, prince Of Northunl-
-
brord Arch bishop Of Utrecht; Agilbert,
great men finished their education in Ire
land The great schools of Clonard, Mo-
vile, GienaaIough, lniscaltra, Clannac-
noise, Lismore, and Bangor numbered
their student by thousands. Irish schol-
ars carried the torch Of enlightenment
and civilization to the most distant parts
of Europe. and many of the great univer-
sites Of the present day traced their cri-
gin 10 these learned exiles. The names
of Virgilius, Sedul!us John Scott Erigena,
Columbanus and Call call to mind that
Irish scholars and saints traversed the
frozen forests Of the North and the burn
ing sands of the South preaching the Cos
pei to pagan Europe, leaving in every land
they, visited the works and memory OF
apostolic men.
The true history of their country is pur-
posely hidden from the irish people at
home. The English government having
entire control OF the national schools, has
ever excluded from the reading books
every unpleasant incident that would tell
against herself. Hence there is no men
ton Of her prosecutions Or cri>elties Of the
conquered race, nor of the brave, heroes
who preferred poverty, exile and death
to slavery and aposlasy. But The English
policy should not follow us here. Our
school books in this country should faith
fully portray the Irish character, and We
need a. history that will show the children
of Irish descent what their forefathers
suffered for their country and their faith