The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1899-12-23
A.CHRISImAS GREETING.

In compliance with a time-llonored
custom, The Irish Standard to-day
wishes all its readers and patrons a
Merry Christmas, and desires to say a
few words to them on the great fes-
tval to be celebrated next Monday
throughout the Christian world. The
anniversary OF the birth Of the Savior,
on December rs, is the gladdest day OF
the year to all believers in His divinity.
To young and old, but especially to the
young, it is day OF JOY and gratitude.
To the children of the Catholic Church
it is the day OF all days in the Roman
calendar. By them Christ will be hon
orcd with dcvout hearts in every land
from the rising OF the sun to the going
down thereof. The Holy Sacrifice Of
the Mass will be offered up on a million
affairs with the greatest pomp and mag
nificence, and the most eloquent pane
eyrcs OF which human tongue is cap
able will be pronounced on the Divine
Babe of Bethlehem in all the civilized
languages OF earth; for the Catholic
Church alone is universal in point Of
space as we'll as time. Sweet music will
lend its charms to the most gorgeous
ccremonials, and the great temples Of
worship will rcsound with the Gloria
in Excclsis Dec which the angels sang
t,,o p,,t 1,,,,o
desire to inflict homiy on Our good
natured readers, and will therefore
speak OF human affairs, leaving heav-
emily matters to the divinely appointed
custodians OF the Catholic faith, taught
by Christ and his apostles.
Christ was man as we'll as God, and
as a man we will speak OF Him to-day
He loved His native land and was a
true patriot. Though His mission on
earth was divine and He came to re-
deem humanity from its sins, yet He
was not Indifferent to the temporal well
fare OF those among whom He dwclt
He was the especial friend OF the poor,
and He threatened woe on the rich.
He sympathized with the lowly and the
unfortunate and lashed the money
changers from the temple. He went
about doing good, and when hypocrites,
with sanctimonious faces, charged Him
with being in the company OF sinners
He stigmatized them as "whited sepul-
chres," what they really were. When
they tried to entrap Him by. asking
Him questions about the lawiulness OF
paying tribute to Caesar, He confound-
ed them by His answer. He was in
deed a patriot, as is evident from His
life and teachings while on earth, and
He looked with favor on those who
loved their country. He Himself wept
over Jerusalem when contemplating the
fate in store for it at the hands OF Titus.
And this brings us to speak OF patri-
otism, which simply means love of ones
own country. The virtue of patriotism
is implanted by God in the human heart
and the man who is destitute OF that
noble feeling is not worthy OF respect
In the words OF Walter Scott
The wretch, concentered all in self,
Living, shall forfeit fair renown;
And doubly dying, shall go down
To the vile dust. from whence he
sprung,
Unwept, unhonored and unsung.
1t is, therefore, the sacred duty OIL
every man who is citizen of these
United States to love, cherish and pro.
tect the nation from foreign and domes.
tic foes. There is nowadays spurious
patriotism which is very different from
the genuine article referred to by the
ipoet. True patriotism does not consist