The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-06-01
SIN THE DAYS OF pRour."
An Interesting Contribution on a cele-
brated IrIshman.

An Interesting Contribution on Cole.
brated Irlshmaa.
The genius of the Celtic race is pro-
verbal. The whole world has given
testimony to their intellectual abilities.
Celtic. France from the days of the
Troubadours to the present time has
enriched the domain of literature by
the number and brilliancy of its writ
ers, while in science its most honored
notaries have emerged from her acad-
emies. Ireland, the true homeland of
Celts has given unimpeachable testi-
mony to this fact. Her sons and
daughters have occupied the front
ranks amongst the leaders of modern
scientific and literary progress This
has ever been her history. She in the
midst of European darkness when the
Goths and Huns had debased the
proud literature of Rome, shone q soli-
tary respondent star, and Continental
Europe did not grudge to bestow upon
her the title of Saints and Doctors.
The Irish people have been accused
in modern times of deep-seated ignor-
ance by the very nation to whose very
king she once gave knowledge, for it
is well known that King Alfred of
England spent several years in the
Irish schools, and there is in exist
ence Latin poem eulogizing those
schools and their masters. They have
been accused as grossly ignorant and
stupid by the very nation that strove
might and main to deprive them of
the two choicest gifts that God could
give to any people, religion and edu-
cation. The history of English domi-
nation in Ireland for three hundred
years was brutal attack on the peo-
pie in order to coerce them to bow
down before new tangled gods. The
Irish, possessed Of the courage Of the
ancient Greek, manfully scorned their
unlawful attacks and tenaciously
chung to that creed which, in the eyes
of the conqueror, seemed to be as
untenable as that Of Buddha or Con-
fucius. The world knows the conse-
quences of their determined hold on
the old faith. The mass houses, where
the chieftain and rustic in solitude
betook themselves to soothe their cares
before the Author of Consolation, be-
came the stronghold of ruffianly SOL
dicrly and ribald jest, and profane ut
terances filled the sanctuary where
Hosannas of praise assembled before
God of Battles. The school houses
Jared no better. They were both
marked as victims for the spoiler; the
Irish people were to be left without
the rudiments of education since they
had not known better than to scott at
those who We're ushering in new
era of enlightenment: the commits
stoned soldiers of new Gospel that
was to supplant the older that had
failed in it's mission of love and truth.
II is passing strange why the cham
pions of truth should be so unfaithful
to their principles as to strive to do
away with education, yet that this was
lle case. the hedge schools in Ireland,
which existed even in the very begin
ming of the last century, amply bears
testimony. 1t was an act Of treason
against English supreme authority for
an lrishman to frequent school, and
then after all this unparalleled tyran-
ny. English writer's have the unblusll-
ing effrontery to tell how the Irish
have fallen completely away in COM
phrson with other peoples in the con-
test for literary and scientific laurels
during the last centuries. How was it
possible for the Irish. eXpatriated,
hanged and scourged, to engage in lit
eraturc during the glorious reign of
Anne. The people of Europe were en-
joying liberty and peace, so necessary
for literary work. The tide of revolu-
ton was spreading far and wide over
Ireland, and her poor prosecuted chill
dren, together with her priests and
teachers, were secrctcd in some lonely
glen with the scent of the English
blood hounds on their track and the
slavc-ship Or scaffold staring them in
the face. Nevertheless, those Irish
people, even in the midst of all that
misery. gave unnlistakable proofs of
their devotion to the cause of learning.
for despite all the cruel enactments
that were in existence against them,
hundreds of brave young Irshmen had
the courage to leave behind them sor-
rowing friends and fleeing to the lone
ly bay in the Conemara coast. and en-
barking on the outlawcd galleys.
sailed the main and directed their
footsteps to continental colleges,
which the piety and generosity of
good European mobiles had founded,
and there occupied in after times
prominent positions ut the head of
armies or universities, teaching the
royal youth Of Europe, or swaying the
political destinics of the hour in their
respective countries. The story of the
Irish zeal for education, under the
pressure of almost unspcakable OBJ
stacles is written Mt large in the his
tories of the colleges of st. Omers,
Douay, Paris, Bordeaux and Nantes in
France; Madrid, Alcala and Salaman.
ca in Spain, and Lisbon and Coimbra