The Irish standard., 1897-12-25
A CHRISTMAS GREETING.

A CHRISTMAS GREETING.
merry Christmas to all the readers
and patrons of the Irish Standard. The
same to the editors and publishers of all
our esteemed contemporaries, both secu-
lar and religious and irrespective of pol
tiles, SO long as they express honest SEN
tlments for the promotion of the public
welfare
We have no desire to inflict a homily
on our dear readers but this is a joy-
Gus, festive season, during which our
heart is bubbling with good nature, and
we wish them all full measure of
peace and happiness-not only for the
physical order which at best is epher-
neral and transitory. but that which
comes from above, and which this world
with all its vanity and vexation of spirit
can neither give nor take away. In
short. we wish peace on earth to men
Of good will"
On all our readers who have the best
interests Of this grand country at heart
We invoke the blessing of the divine
babe who was born in the lowly village
OF Bethlehem Of Judea nineteen centuries
ago. Though He came to attend to His
Fathers business and to redeem hui
manity from it's sins He was not in
different to the temporal welfare of His
native country. He loved the land Of
His birth and wept over Jerusalem when
contemplating the fate to befall that
city from the hands of Titus, who left
not one stone upon another but utterly
destroyed it.
The Savior Of mankind whose ami
vcrsary all Christians celebrate today,
was patriot, as is evident in His life
and teachings While on earth. The vir-
tue OF patriotism is implanted by God in
tho human heart. and the man who does
not love the land that bore him is not
worthy OF the respect of anyone In
the words of Sir Walter Scott no matter
how high his title or position may be.
'''Hhq wretch concentercd all in self,
Living. shall forfeit fair renown,
And doubly dying shall go down
TO the vile dust, from whence he
sprung.
unwcpt. unhonored and unsung."
1t is, therefore, the duty of every
man who is citizen of the great rcpub-
lie founded by Washington and his COM
patriots to love- cherish and protect it
from foreign and domestic foes. We are
sure that the readers of the Irish Stand
ard love America with all their hearts,
and that they will never allow British
chicanery and intrigue to rob them Of
their God-givcn rights.
A large number of the readers of this
Journal have fled from British oppres-
sion and sought this republic as re-
fugecs. They will assuredly combat to
the death. if necessary. the yielding Of
their rights and privileges under the
American constitution to their ancient
opprcssor and invetcrate enemy, not
withstanding the mania for an Anglo
American alliance with which certain
class OF denizens in this country is
affected at the present time.
They will be more likely to heed the
warning of Washington to keep this
country from "entangling foreign al
liances" than to indorse the recommen-
dation of the jelly-fish and India-rubber
Mckinley in his recent message to COM
grcss.
Our readers Of Irish birth, who arc
adopted citizens of the United States
will not be the less true and patriotic
to the stars and stripes for taking an
interest M the land they left behind
them. For their especial qualification we
copy the following leading article from
the Christmas number of the Dublin
Frccman's Journal:
In wishing the Irish people many
happy returns Of the day we cannot but
express the fcrvent hope that next year
will see the dawn of a newer and better
condition Of things in ireland. We are
about celebrating the memories Of the
good men and true who only one CEN
fury ago staked their lives for the cause
of the motherland. Their aim was high
and noble, their efforts brave and per-
severing. That they did not prevail