The Irish standard., 1902-11-08

full of the magnificent passion of
battle-riding around with sword in
lland, srasping Il battle flag, turning
disaster into victory, or pursuing the
enemy with the terror and speed of
a Nemesis willy as an Indian.
original and astounding in strotcpv
always deceiving as well as over
whclnllng an enemy. When the battle
or Winchester commenced, Sheridan
was twenty miles away from the
scene of the conflict. Thos. Bucholl-
an Reed, in his poem. describes him
lmstcning to the battle on his black
charger and reaching the field only
to find the union army, broken, crush
cd, and in full retreat He SAYS:
'"rhc first the general saw were the
groups
OF strngglcrs, and then the rctrcating
troops.
He dashed down the line mid a storm
of hlzZas
And the wave OF retreat checked it's
course there because
The sight Of the master compelled 1t
to pause"
The scattered fugitivcs turned back
with him, faced and routed the vic
torlons rebel army, and turned defeat
into glorious victory. This achieve
incnl is unique in history and is w0r-
thy the race to which Sheridan be-
longs d,
The men of the Irish race have
ever been remarkable for their pro-
found respect for their women. But
| one OF the best reasons for this is the
grand fact, that Irish women always
deserved all the respect they ever
received. They were from the begin
ming ana are now vivacious, witty,
attractive ana beautiful. Always as
now they were noted for modesty and
purity. When st. Patrick began his
mission in Erin he found these con-
ditions there. Hence, many of the
women then became virgins of Christ
ana by vow of chastity cOnsecrated
their virginity to God. The Irish
people educated their women. Indeed
Ireland is the first Christian country
in the world, which made women
teachcrs and professors. In the Irish
schools and univcrS' lies OF yorc, fe-
males filled professors chairs and
taught men. The French historian
Thcbaud, S. j., tells how in Erin it
was quite common to find women in
the monasteries teaching men the
ways of ascetic life and religious per-
fcctiOn. In the golden age of Ire
lands Catholic development, when
most OF the sons and daughters Of the
people became monks and nuns, Irish
chivalry became sanctified and super
natural Whenever as the same The
baud tells us, the quarters of the nuns
became undesirable, they formed
themselves into ranks, and marched
in a body to the nearest convent Of
men. At their approach the monks
moved away from the monastery,
leaving it and it's belongings to the
nuns, and built new quarters else
where for themselves. This is the
Irish way. The real Irish man thinks
that nothing is too good, or too sacred
for a woman. She is so beautiful,
and holy, that every man is to be her
servant and her protector. Hence,
we hear so much of a wager offered,
long ago in Christian Ireland, by a
rich and charming Irish maiden, that
alone and on foot. she would traverse
the island, without being molested
by any person. The poet Moore voices
this tradition in song. He represents
this maiden, with the wealth of a
queen. and the beauty of goddess,
making her island tour.
| Another trait, conspicuous among
the people of our race, is their OPEN
hearted generosity and tender pity
for others. And this is why the
Christian schools of Ireland were
thrown open to the youth of all ELL