Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-03-24
Ireland's Patron Saint Eulogized in
Address Tuesday Evening.
DELIVERED BY REV. FATHER FOLEY
At Sacred Heart Catholic Church Last
Evening Large Audience Listens to
Eloquent Address on Conditions Of
Past and Present in Ireland.


Catholic church, Rev Father James
Foley, the pastor, delivered an elo-
quent lecture on Ireland, to very
large and appreciative audience
including citizens of all denomin-
ations, and members of the
Catholic parishes of this city. Ill
was estimated that fully 1000 people
We're in attedance.
The spacious church was crowded toI
its utmost capacity. Chairs were
placed in the aisles, and the sanctuary
and gallery were filled, all being anx-
ious to hear the gifted speaker on his
favorite theme. In his opening re-
marks Rev. Father Foley told OF the
conditions existing in Ireland centuries
ago, of the habits and customs of the
| people at that time.
Labors of st. Patrick.
| He gave a graphic description of
| the labors of the great ST. Patrick, and
| the glorious results of his mission,
among the Irish people. Four centu-
ries OF happiness was the heritage he
left behind him in Ireland. The holy
cross and missionaries traversed the
plains where formerly banners waved
|
and colleges of Ireland became the
nurseries of learning for every coun-
| try. Hitler came persons in search
OF education from distant Bavaria,
from the foot of the Alps and the Pyr-
enees and from the banks of the Rhine
/ He dwelt on the labors OF the Irish
monks, remarking that their names are
| still recorded from Royal Madrid to
Imperial Vienna, from the highlands
/ of Scotland 20 the confines of Ger
many, even to the seven hills of Rome.
! A beautiful poem, entitled The Irish
i Monks" was then recited in manner
worthy of the gifted speaker, and he
declared that the intellectual supre-
macy of Europe belonged to Ireland
from the fifth to the ninth century.
The English Invasion.
}, He passed quickly to the English in
yason of Ireland and gave a graphic
t description of several hundreds Of
years of English misrule in Ireland in
q manner that clearly showed his init
mate knowledge of English and Irish
| history. He emphatically denied that
, he had any personal dislike to the in.
dividual Englishman. On the contrary
) he admired many of their excellent
r traits of character, but declared his
|, contention was against the barbarous
treatment meted out to Ireland by the
: English government.
He described the many penal law!
n enacted in different reigns against thu
!. Irish Catholics. selecting about six o
u the most diabolical ones from lis
$ of thirty-fiye, SO villainous as to de
serve to be condemned by Edmunt
Burke, as worthy to be devised in tn,
: lowest pits of hell.
The Landlord System.
5 The system known as Irish Land
!. lordism, was then admirably eS
|. planned and defined by the reveren,
t tablished by the English government
n having for its primary object, the tt
d tai destruction of the Irish race. Thi
was perhaps the most interesting par
of his lecture, and was listened t
i, throughout by the vast audience wit
!, breathless attention 1t must be hear
- from the speakers lips in order to fu
Il ly appreciated the long continued mi.
- rule of the alien landlords of IRELAND
- He scored the British literature i
:. which the Irish people have been fc
= centuries caricatured and belied
~ the English possessions and Americ,
He boldly took issue with the lyin
Misrepresentation against his rae
and answered the various charges /
manner that must have delighted hi
Is audience.
Virtues of People.
- He then spoke Of the virtues of HI
10 people. their love for chastity, the
es abomination OF divorce laws, their va
ct or on the battle fields of Europe ar
&c America,and interspersed his arg
D ments with quotations from Protestal
Ell and Catholic authors and recited son
is beautiful poems in a way that unmi
10 takably emphasized the truth of h
rt assertions. "Fontenoy," and "Pt
We Sheridan's Ride" figured in his lectu