The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1898-12-31
CHARMSACULTURED AUDIENCE
The Eloquent Divine talks to the
Citizens of Boston.
A REVIEW OF IRISH HISTORY.
Celebrating the Centenary of '98
In the Puritan City.

The following mastery lecture on Ire
lands Influence Upon the Nations was
recently delivered under the auspices of
the Charitable Irish Society nt the Bos-
ton Theater by Mgr. Thomas ]. Conaty,
the scholarly rector of the Catholic Uni
vcrsity at Washington on the occasion Of
the celebration of the centenary of '9S:
ITO the Irish mind '?S is a synonym
of insurrection and rebellion, IL tailsman
of patriotism. and u reminder of trcach-
many struggles for independence, from
the days when the Norman took possess
sion of her fuircst lands until the mo-
ment when the United Irshmen deter
mined to make a desperate stand against
an alien government.
The treaty of Limerick. which mark
ed Il most iniQuitous epoch in the deal
ings of the English government with Ire
land, opened tho door to an exodus Of
Irish warriors whose names are inter-
mingled with the history of France,
Spain and Austria.
''rhc opening up of this continent to
IL refuge from tyranny and a home for
religious liberty. They planted their
stakes in these New England colonies, in
Pennsylvania and in the South. When
the call to arms rcsounlcd throughout
the land the Irish exile took his place
under the banner OF liberty to defend his
new home against the opprcssOrs of mis-
native land The Irish cXiles and their
enemies had met at Fontcnoy; they met
again at Boston and Yorktown.
Toward the end of the eighteenth CEN
tury the movement of the Grattan volun-
tcers and the echoes of the American
revolution brought some redress Of griev-
anrcs to Ireland but the French rcvo-
luton scattered broadcast the seeds OF
revolt, and relying Oh their own
strength, trusting in the friendship Of
France, and conscious OF right. Protest.
ant and Catholic united in the insurrec-
ton of 9S to plan grand effort for
freedom
bribery and treachery united to
thwart the efforts of those patriots Lord
Edward Fitzgerald. Wolfe Tone and
Fr. Murphy were among the many vic
Tins sacrificed to the moloch OF tyranny,
and the life of Robert IGmmct WIS after
ward demanded rs Il fitting close to the
drama of iniquity. The life of the pa
triot was taken, but the spirit of his
patriotism grew in strength and intc1l-
sity.
Monsignor Conatv drew Il picture OF
the effect OF English law upon the Irish
from the day of the Norman invasion
until the iniqultous act OF union after the
insurrection Of '9S. He then passed to
discussion of the influences which the
Irish had upon the countries into which
they entered, and said: ut was hard to
Judge of these Influences, as We are too
close to them to calculate their worth.
The providence of God imposes missions
upon nations as upon individuals. Ire
land has been fashioned by Gods prov
ilcncc through bright days of glory and
through dark wales of sorrow into vo-
cation and place in the history of man.
kind. Few nations have been called to n
greater influence upon the peoples
among whom it has come into contact
poor, downtroddcE. dcSpiscd and cal
umniatcd, for seven centuries she has
never failed to protest against her op-
al of
country to diminish, never lost hope in
ultimate freedom. She has learned the
language Of her tyrants which was eX-
pcctcd 10 be her dcslruction; but instead,
though she has been driven forth by
cruel legislation from her home, she has
entered largely into tie Englishspcak-
ing world, to be Il powerful influence for
tho very things which her enemies de-
Bpiscd--hcr religion, her language and
her national ideas.
Like Jew and Greek. The Irish have
been the bearers to the world of an idea
in religion and in literature.
"Thcy have been In their exile, as in
their native land, the standard bearers
OF Roman Catholicism, the unllinching
asscrt0rs of the unity Of the church of
Christ. In education they have borne the
message of the spiritual and the imagin-
ative, which act as the very soul of
poetry, and give life to literature. The
Irish merged into many nationalties,
but never lost love for Erin. Their Ire
land always remains; and while hold has
been lost Of it's nationality, hope has
never been lost of rcgaining it.
what sacrifices the Irish have made
for religion! Diocletian Of old deceived
hi ,-elr with the idea that he had hlQtted