The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-11-17
HISTORY OF oRANGEMEN.
A Protestant Minister, Of Duluth, Brought
to Task.

A Protestant Minister, Of Duluth, Brought
to Task.
To the Editor of the Irish Standard
In times past, and l believe even
yet, in Belfast Ireland, it was GUS
tomary for the Orangemen, those loyal
Orange, to celebrate their feast, day
on the twelfth of July. The times are
changing, and the Orangemen of Du-
luth are changing, too, for they kept
the feast this year on All Saints day,
and instead of the Union Jack they
toated a new banner--the banner of
saintliness. They were very happy on
the first of November in having for
their orator the Rev. DR.. Ryan of the
Episcopal church, Duluth, an Irishman,
IL we may believe his name; a rene
gade Irishman, If we believe the creed
he has adopted; for l think Irishmen
never had much relish for those sys-
TENS of belief manufactured in Eng
land except those who had the misfor-
tune to lose their parents and .conse-
quently in their infancy were placed
in the favOrite homes of Protestant
prOselytism, viz, the founding asy-
lums. However, this DR.. Ryan gave
on Sunday, Nov. s. a sermon to Orange
men, and in his predatory remarks
spoke of the saints "as the great and
good men who stood for love of God
and love of men," l wonder whether
he wanted to make out the Orange
men as men who stood for "lovc Of
God and love of men," 1t was n great
encomium If he meant it for them, but
one which I am thinking would require
a goodly share of argument to prop up.
Dr. Ryan, presuming, of course. that
Orangeism and saintliness are identical
to his mind, would be singular in this
respect, for in all my random read
ings even roaring Kane, that renowll-
ed hero of Orangeism, never went that
far; although it must not be denied
that he was an ardent supporter of
that historic fraternity.
Now, imagine that devotion to the
principles which Orangeism advocates
should not lead a man away from the
paths of historic truth; or, Mt lcnst,
good manners should debar even a
minister from allowing himself to be
so carried away by his preiudices as
to confound fanaticism with saintli-
ness. The history of Orangeism is a
history of religious bigotry and crime
from the first Orangemen who shouted
the "Lillibulero" and the "no popery''
cries in the streets of London and de
molished churches and affairs in the
days that preceded the advent of the
good King William down to the Or
angemen who participated in those
uncalled-for acts Of rowdyism that
characterized the Shankhill road riots
in Belfast Of ten or eleven years ago.
Their principles are at all times the
same--bigotry, rapine, crime, lawless-
ness. Dr. Ryan says that 'Orangeism
stands for Protestant ideas and their
maintenance" Professionalism must be
very much in need of protection when
1t requires the assistance of Orange
men to help it on to glory. 1t was not
selecting very Christlike Instruments
to spread the Gospel when it selected
for its purpose the Orangemen Of u
ster. However, with this remark of Dr.
Ryan we thoroughly agree. We con-
slider it very candid of him to confess
that Professionalism had to make use
of bloOdshed and violence in order to
find even standing room in Ireland for
the last hundred years. Professionalism
in this was true to its original. The
cruel enactments Of Henry VIII, the
statutes Of Elizabeth, the savage cru
elites perpetrated by Cromwell "n.'
which continued until the year 1745.--
those We're the weapons, offensive and
defensive, employed by Protestant
emissaries to subjugate Ireland to the
Gospel yoke; and when the English
soldiers We're not Mt hand to do this
Christian work-if the splitting Of blood
can be called Christian-then Orange
men were requisitioned, and they
beat their big drum and loaded their
rifles, and oh! they did make noise
and they shouted to hell with. the
pope and slaughtered a defensless,
solitary Papist If they met him, for
they always ran away wherever they
met a crowd, as there never lived UNI
der Heaven such pack Of towards
as those Orangemen were whenever
they met their match. It is exceedingly
surprising how n man of such attain.
ments us DIR. Ryan undoubtedly N
sesses can see anything worthy OF be.
ing made the subject Of congratulation