The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1898-07-09
EXCEL The ANGLo.sAxoNS IN MERIT
LONG LIST OF THEM GIVEN ny WAY
OF DEMONSTRATION.
BY JAMES MCMILLAN, OF CINCINNATI
AND WILLIAM j. BALFE, OF THE N. Y,
GAELIC SOCIETY,

Inc New York Sun has a number of
intelligent readers who are insistino
that the paper and it's writer's shat,
make no mistake about the Celts. A
ie" OF them have sent interesting COM
muncatlons to the editor. James Nc
MILAN, OF Cincinnati, writes as follows
On lhe Celt and the Anglo-Saxon:
AS one Oh your constant readers
was very much interested by the edi-
torlal in your issue Of the Sth inst on
eit'ea Anglo-saxon Superiority"
Much is being said and written now,-
days upon the same subject, but no.
"here 90 we see it admitted that other
races are entitled to some of the nraise
"hlch IS SO lavishly bstowed on tho
Ahglo-saxon. Without any desire to
aetract from Anglo-saxon greatness
out merely as a matter of American
fa1r play, would like to make few
remarks in behalf of another race q
race which has always been associated
with the Anglo-saxon in the onward
progress OF the world, and which is
deserving of more than the sliehtinp
mention Which is sometimes made of r.
The Celtic race existed in the Rr,tish
islands before the Anglo-saxon, and
lrom the very beginning has exercised
great influence upon it. Otherwise
why should the Anglo-Saxon be sinner.
1or to his kinstolk on the continent .
AS might be expected, this influence
SHOWS itself especially in our liter
azure, and a vast substratum of our
literature is Celtic A comparison Of
the early literatures of the two races
reveals the fact that all the fine meta
phor and coloring are to be found in
the Celtic. These early Celts had MS q
common remark: For dullness the
creeping Saxon" The two races in the
course of centuries became so commin-
sled that 1t is now impossible to draw
hard and fast line between them. There
is no doubt that both races were bcne-
lifted by the commingling. as each
contributed the very characteristics
Which the other lacked. Matthew
Arnold made the statement "if Celtism
had not moulded England she could not
have produced Shakespeare It is.
therefore, unnecessary to notice a rec
ent declaration that Shakespeare's
mother was Celtic lady of the maiden
name of Griffith. Neither will space
permit us to enlarge upon the Celtic in
fiuenco in our literature down even to
Iennyson, nor to mention the great
Celtic names with which 1t is adorned.
10 notice few of the leaders in the
other spheres of life, the greatest Or
alton ever delivered in the house %
commons was r. B. Sheridan, and the
most brilliant forensic advocates of all
time was Thomas Erskne. It may be
stated with some certainty that no
single statesman has exercised SO much
influence on British policy throughout
the present century as Edmund Burke.
From the capture of Canada on the
Plains of Abraham down to the latest
battle of Atbara the Celts have been
foremost in extending and maintaining
the British empire, and this is not only
true of the private soldier, but also OF
the commanders and generals, from thu
Duke of Wellington down to the latest
rising star, Kitchener.
Glancing at our own country, we find
that If there is any policy to which we
have pinned our faith more than an
other 1t is the Monroe doctrine, name
typically Celtic. If 1t should be said
that Canning had some part in originat-
ing that doctrine, we can reply Chat
Canning was at least as much Celt as
Saxon. Mr.. Blaine developed and i'm
proved the Monroe doctrine somewhat,
and if on account of the recent brilliant
achievement Of Admiral Dewey at Ma
nila it should appear advisable to have
it changed or superseded, we can de-
pend on President Mckinley to do so.
We are assuming our share in the run
| ming of this Anglo-Saxon civilization.
1t was by no mere coincidence that The
war TO a successful issue, and saved the
| nation, boro Celtic names. refer es-
pecially to Grant, Thomas, Sherman
and Sheridan.
The isolated instances of the individ-
ual heroism and powess, which are
considered by many to be peculiarly
Arglo-Saxon, are generally found on
closer inspection to be Celtic, such as
Livingstone, Stanley, Chinese" Cor
don, R. Gordon Cunningham, etc. An
other name worthy to be placed beside
that Of Livingstone lie DR.. G.. L. Mckay,
Of Formoss. graduate Of Princeton
To consider fully the place which the
Celtic race occupies would require an
entire volume. but I can only notice a
few Of the leaders. We see that the