The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-04-21
THE STORY OF IRELAND.
It was Told by an Irishman at the
Grand Last Night.

0r8nQ A6Sb N 12aL
''But though conquered by the sword,
Ireland's spirit has never fallen, is still
unbroken. She hopes yet to be a ma
ton, and by the help of the God of JUS
tice she will be a nation"
Mr.. John P. Finerty of Chicago, so
expressed himself on Ireland's future
during the course of his lecture on
THE Story of Ireland" at the Grand
opera house last night, and that his hopes
accorded with the sentiments of his au-
dience was attested by the continued
applause he received. Mr.. Finerty's
lecture was a scholarly exhibition of
thought and oratory, and was worthy
him last night
You will hear the story of Ireland
from one of Ireland's sons tonight
said General J. c. Caldwell in introduce
ing Mr.. F'inerty last night Mr. Finerty
was born in Ireland in 1916, but was
forced to leave his native country While
still quite young because of his con-
nect1On with the Irish revolutionary
movement. After coming to this coun-
try he enlisted as a soldier in the civil
war, and soon after leaving the army
took up newspaper work in Chicago.
He has been connected with Chicago
newspapers since that time, with the
exception of four years spent in con-
greSS, and is at present editor of the
Chicago Citizen. Mr.. Finerty came to
this city at the special request of Mr.
Chas. ]. Devlin, and delivered his lee
ture for the benefit of the public library
fund.
Mr.. Finerty's story of Ireland com
menced with the earliest days of the
Emerald Isle, when it's inha bitants
We're wOrshippers of the sun, and ran
through the entire history of the coun-
try up to the present day. He touched
on all of the important points of that
varied national history, the christaniz-
ing of the island by st. Patrick, the
wars with the Danes and the Saxons,
the prosecutions of Elizabeth and
Cromwell, the act of the union and
the Catholic emancipation, and then
turned his attention to the exploits of
Ireland's sons in foreign lands. It was
lecture of unusual interest and his
audience heard him with marked atten-
ton.
The unlettered condition of the Ir-
lsh people in their own country is often
referred to- said Mr.. Finerty. DO
those who refer to it know why such
condition has existed? For 200 years
England denied the Irish people the
right of education. The price of $25
was placed on the head of a wolf and
of SchOOlmaSter. Practically but two
generations of the Irish Catholics in
Ireland, composing fve-sixths of the
population of the country, have had
the right of education.
Fifty years ago there stood on Irish
soil eight and One-half millions of peo-
pie. Less than four and One-half mil
lions of people are on her shores today.
In that period thousands have left their
native land to enjoy the liberty they
could not have at home in free Amer
lea, and thousands have been swept
away by the terrible famine. And dur
ing that terrible siege, when the gem
erous Americans were sending provis-
ions to starving Ireland, ship after
ship, full to the deck with products of
the country left the ports of ireland for
the docks of England"
In concluding Mr. Finerty said:
I do not think the cause of Ireland
is lost. The justice of God will tri-
umph in the end. The stone will yet
be rolled from the sepulchre, and Ire
land will rise in radiance and glory
nearer to the SUM-