The Irish standard., 1902-03-08

THE IRIS
strew the plains of South Africa will
the choicest specimens of the aristoc
racy of England. He never dream
that he was about to become tn,
laughing stock of Europe. He nevel
dreamt that his great idol his poe
laureate of brutality, his great Rud
yard kipling, would turn upon hin
with wrath and rage and tell him h,
wholly worshiped a lie; that he hat
to send to the younger nations fol
men who could shoot and ride, ant
that his cherished sons, the sprigs O,
English aristocracy, We're only "han
neled fools at the wicket and muddie(
OATS at the bat" These simple farm
ers have exposed England's weakness
to the ridicule of the world. England
Eseems tonight to be almost a beaten
and bankrupt bully. Nations have nc
future state and therefore national
Spunishments must come in this world
hand for one believe that the first
note of England's knell has been
sounded by the chivalrous yeomanry
OF South Africa and that you and !
live in the days when we will trample
on the grave of the greatest, the
grandest, the meanest, and the most
portentious tyranny that ever cursed
this earth.
was saying that when England
got possession of Ireland she took full
possession. She took charge of every
Catholic child in his cradle and she
attended him to his grave-or to the
poorhouse. Catholic children could
only be educated by Protestant teach
ers. Catholics We're excluded from
every profession. A Catholic could
not legally possess horse of greater
value than five pounds. The elder
son of Catholic turning Protestant
reduced his father to tenant for life.
n catholic priest could not celebrate
mass on penalty of death. The same
price was put on the head of Catho-
lie schoolmaster as on the head of a
wolf. There is code of laws which
the distinguished lawyer who is to
speak here tonight never read in his
law-books. And 1 would venture the
assertion that never upon any statute
books but on the statute books of Eng
land was such an Infamous code in
scribed. That great Irshman Ed
mund Burke, whose stature looms so
high that it can be seen from every
quarter of the globe, said of it, that
never yet did such contrivance for
the degradation of the people proceed
from the perverted ingenuity Of man.
Another man, almost as famous, said,
and said even better than Burke, that
this code Of laws was invented by the
devil and conceived in hell. There
then was Ireland gagged and starved
and robbed by this bully of the ma
lions. l accuse England tonight of
having robbed Irishmen and then
Knocked and tainted them with their
poverty. l accuse England tonight.
and l am but the echo of history. of
having set a price on the head of the
schoolmaster and then of having
tainted and Knocked Irishmen with
their ignorance. And during all this
time England had not only possession
of Ireland, but possession of the
worlds ear also. She might pour into
that ear what tales she pleased and
the world would believe her. And if
here and there belated Irishman
made protest the world shrugged it's
shoulders and said, 80 the whine Of
beggar," and "the defeated always
are, you know" And SO the eigh-
teenth century dragged it's slow length
along and Ireland disappeared from
the history and the politics of the
world. But time was engendering the
hour when the map of that same
world was to be changed. Thomas
Jefferson wrote the Declaration of In
dependence. The American colonists
rose in their might and the echo of
their victories kindled ray Of hope
in the hearts Of the beggars and the
slaves Of Ireland. France shook off
the rusty chains of centuries, and in
shaking them off almost shook every
king in Europe from his throne.
Everywhere strong men We're wrest-
ling and bursting and flinging aside
the letters which kings and despots
had imposed upon them. Somehow
the cry Of Liberty, Equality, Frater-
nifty, was heard in Ireland, and Ire
land again resolved to make one more
struggle for life and in her poverty
and her rags and her chains to place
herself side by side with the rising
democracies of Europe.
A few men who did not profess the
faith so dear to the Irish heart re-
solved to cast their lot with the people
and to baptize Dublin in smoke and
flame the Capital Of an Irish Republic.
You will bear with me while mention
few Of these immortal names to-,
night The Presbyterian Of Ulster
was represented by William Orr; the
gentleman Of the South by John and
Henry Shears; the aristocracy of