Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-04-01

stitutional monarchy. They assembled ill the lofty and heroic halls of ancient Tara. After the king who sat upon his throne, the very first places among the royal princes were given to the bards. They were the historians of the country and wrote i'll heroic verse, proclaiming ill melodious song. They were the priests of that ancient form of organism, the Druidical worship, whose gloomy mysteries they surround ed with the sacred charm of music.
 Contrast the treatment of the ancient Irish bards with that of the old mas ters, Mozart, Handel, Bach, Hayden, Chuck and Beethoven, the greatest mll- sicians of all time. These men who occupy the same exalted plane as Raphael, Michael Angelo. Shakespeare, Milton and Goethe, in the greatest of all gifts, the creative, thought them selves lucky if they perchance might live with a noble family, where they were treated like upper servants and scantilyl paid.
 The ancient Irish bards popularized their art by appealing to the nations heart through song. Whenever we find nation with wealth of national music which has descended from sire ! to son for ages, then we have nation filled with love for country, thus be speaking an ancient civilization. Ire land ranks among the foremost na- tions of the earth in this respect. By national music we mean songs of the people, songs commemorating the daily 1 life, legends, love stories, songs of heroic deeds. The songs the mother loves to croon to her infant the maiden warbles while walking in the sweet country lanes, the lover trolls to his lass.
 The bards were the favorite coun- sellors of the kings; the most learned men in the land, they knew the na- l tion's resources. If war was to he l planned or treaties made, the bards were called into the council; 1t was l their wise advice that guided and l formed the nations purposes. They accompanied the warrior kings to bat l tie. and when returning triumphant from the field of glory, the highest l hope of that warrior was that his name l would he immortalized in verse. The minstrels of Erin filled the land with the sound of their songs, and the very atmosphere of Ireland was impreg- hated with music.
 For many years after Milesius land ed, he labored to make Ireland great country. Yet the light of Christianity I had not vet bealned upon the land Many indications foretold it's coming one ancient tradition especially being 1 noteworthy. Years before Ireland be. l came Catholic the daughter of king named Leara or Lir, was changed by magic into a swan, and doomed to wander through the lakes and rivers of Ireland until the time when the bel of heaven should be heard ringing fol the first mass; then the unhappy princess was to be restored to her nat ural shape. So she sailed on. singing to the lakes and cascades:
 Silent, oh Moyle, be sise roar of thy waters,
 I Break not ye breezes your chain oi | N repose.
 The light came, anu Patrick. the Catholic bishop, stood upon Tara's l height. to meet the intelligence, the genius and the mind of Ireland. The light came, and Patrick. the bishop stood with voice ringing to words
 never before heard In the Celtic
 tongue, to music newly awakened ir
 the land. with the gospel of Chris
 upon his lips and the green shamrock
 in his hand. The mission of Patrick
 was an unqualified success. The peo lple were all converted; they seemed
 waiting for the teachings of Christ
 and never have that people deserted
 his teachings, They endured hunger
 cold, banishment. vet have the Irist
 people ever remained faithful to theil
 religion. /
 T During the three centuries whiel
 succeeded the Christianizing of Ire land, reign of glory followed which
 the world had never. seen. and this pc
 riod has ever since been known as th,
 age of saints and sages. Monasterie
 and colleges crowned every hill ant
 sanctified every valley, and this con
 tinued until Ireland became the mon
 astic center of Europe. In the count.
 Down. thousands of monks estab
 lihsed the custom of singing praises il
 successive choirs. so that singer harl
 and organ were seldom silent. One O
 our bitterest enemies. Sylvester Giral
 aus m English historian, admitted tha
 the Irish so excelled in music that tn,
 kings of Scotland and Wales came t,
 Ireland to look for minstrels and harp
 CTS to take back to be the pride ant
 honor of their courts.
 Students from all parts of the eartl
 came to study in the colleges of Ire land, learned the music and took 1
 back to their own lands: Germany
 France. northern Italy. with the splen did tradition of music they had learned in the island that was the mother O song.
 MUSIC LEA6EIgNG S,g PROHIBITED Does it noa Aeem incredible dea
 friends. that this music, the admiration
 of ancient civilization, was proscribet ] during the penal code? Music. learn Ing and the Irish language were shu
 out from civilization by England' laws. and only in the huts of the lowl,
 could the sweet music of other days h. heard. Of the grand and lordly ol,
 race of harpers and minstrels but a fev
 were left to continue the precious tra
 dition. and they held n great meetin, l in Belfast In 1792 At this meeting
 two or three still remaining of the ol,
 race Of wandering harpers assisted m, exhibited the last public effort mad
 by the lovers of Irish music to preserv
 to their country the only ornament 1ef # nf Ina nf nn