The Irish standard., 1900-06-09

tricity and steam. For the Dutchmen
of the African veldt are the noblest
and truest representatives and cham
pions that ever lived and fought for a
sentiment which is as deeply implanted
in the human heart and soul as the de-
sire to avoid death-nay more so, for
during all the ages of the worlds his
tory men have scorned to purchase life,
and have cheerfully gone down into
the black valley of the shadow rather
than surrender the claim of their kitt
and kin to separate nationhood. Phi
losophers may gravely dilate on the
brotherhood OF man. Poets may cher
ish enthusiastic visions of a time
"When the battle-Aags are furled
Der the Parliament Of Man, the Fede-
ration of the World"
But until the world ceases to be the
abode of the human race, the instinct
of nationality for which the Beers have
fought and died so bravely will be the
dominating factor in deciding the fate
Of peoples.
Our own people have been fighting
almost constantly for the preservation
of their separate and distinct nationality
during the great period of eleven hun
dred years. The annalists tell us that
the fiery Mortimer, who had held all
Europe in terror previously, first de-
scended on our coasts during the closing
years of the eighth century. For two
hundred years the Celtic race cease.
lessly struggled against the fierce invad-
ers, and finally broke their power and
ended their career OF conquest when the
Tolka ran red with the blood of thou
sands of gallant warriors through the
green plains of Clontarf. This long dew
astating struggle waged by semi-inde.
pendent Celtic tribes against mighty
foe, arrested the development of the
Irish nation just at the period when the
peoples of the various parts OF Europe
were drawing together, and cementing
the foundations of the states that have
since made the worlds history; and the
divided and distracted clans had not ye,
recovered from the effects of the strug
gle against the Danes when the Nor
mans crossed the channel. Then began
the battle for freedom which has been
waged ever since-by the clans in the
fields of battle-by the rebels on thu
hills OF Wexford and Down-by tn,
outlawed Rapparees in their mountain
fastnesses-by the leaders of constitu.
tional agitations in the senate or in the
meeting places-by the men who met
and planned, and conspired in secret
by the peasants who flung their bare
breasts against the bayonets and mus
ket-barrels of England's troops al
Rathcormack, Carrigshock or Mitchels.
town Square.
Ours is struggle unexampled in the
history of the world. The story of the
resistance of our race to the powerful
conquerors who have waged ceaseless
war against the Irish national idea con-
tains many pages that we may we'll
ponder over in sorrow and in shame,
but it also includes records of deeds and
triumphs-of good work bravely done
and suffering nobly endured for Ire
lands sake-which inspire the hearts of
freemen as truly as the proudest le-
gends enshrined in "The Chronicles of
the Cid"
The strong hand of the conqueror has
been on the throat of ireland for CEN
turies. His ships command her coasts; !;
his laws are enforced by garrisons
which occupy all the land. Yet, seven
hundred and twenty years after the ad-
vent of the first band of invaders-and
century after the last vestige of inde-
pendence was wrested from the nation
by force and fraud-1reland still stands
before the world unsubdued in spirit
and mistaken in her determination to
win her misunderstanding cynical,
callous, and material age with an ever
present proof OF the immortality OF the
sentiment of nationality.