The Irish standard., 1903-03-21


Mcbride in Paris the other day there
was removed from the ranks of the
working Irish patriots one of the most
enthusiastic Irish girls that ever wore
green.
AS Mrs. John Mcbride Maud Come
will continue to work for the cause.
And she declares that she will lecture,
write books and do an increased
amount of work with her increased
facilities for working.
But her friends shake their heads
sorrowfully. Well they know that the
Irish woman, once married, is the
veriest home soul that ever stepped
over threshold. No married Irish
"Joan of Arc" ever lived, and they
know that Maud Come, the public
character, is gone forever, says the
Chicago Chronicle.
s. st. Patrick knew this hundreds of
years ago. Born Frenchman, he elect
ed to go to Ireland to live; and one of
his reasons, openly expressed, was his
faith in the hearts of the women of
that country.
In the memoirs of st. Patrick, in the
sparse records that are preserved Of
him, in his histories, in his sketches,
in the folklore, in everything that
touches the life of the canonized Irish
man, there is breathed that one feeling
of faitll-sublime faith in the women
OF Ireland and in the strength of the
home which the Irish woman creates.
st. Patrick did no work in Ireland in
which the women were not hidden to
join. He taught the women, lectured
to them upon the sinfulness Of the idol
airy of the times, performed, so it is
reditably said, many miracles in their
sight, and, on confession of faith, he
baptized them. A beautiful painting
by Etchverry shows st. Patrick stand
ing upon a great rock near the border
Of stream, baptizing two Irish women
who are kneedeep in the stream. The
good saint is draped in his priestly
robes and the ladies are swathed in
white. All wear a holy expression.
st. Patrick at about that time, per-
maps $50 A. D., for the records are
misty, declared that the women Of Ire
land were beautiful; that they were
virtuous; that they were wise beyond
their times and that the hope Of the
Irish and Of Ireland lay in them.
1t was only 300 years after the death
of Christ and the emerald isle had been
captured by fire-worshipers, who put to
death Christians. Scarcely a Christ
ian was alive when st. Patrick came to
bring ''the gift Of Gods grace"
st. Patrick did what he could for
the green isle and when he left it there
stood in the land many fourishing
churches, the people were able to fight
the heathen that swarmed the island
the farmers were making headway
with their crops and banding togetbe;
to keep the idolatrous fire-worshipers
away, and Ireland had begun to enjoy
it's season Of Christian prosperity.
It was not until a great deal later
that the little isle made it's great marx
in the history of the nations Of the
world. But St. Patrick planted the
good seed among the women and tht
women, following his teachings, en-
couraged the men to fight and to stant
out for their principles. And soon thu
name of Ireland, which had been onl,
legendary thing for centuries bega1
to be known all over the civilized
world.
So st. Patrick, coming 300 years af
ter Christ, brought Christianity K
Ireland and he brought somethin.
scarcely less important-a knowledge
OF woman and the work she could d.
for her native land. The wise sain
knew that without the Irish woman
Ireland could never make it's mark II
the world, but that helped by its WON
en- it could raise itself from an insight
ficant place in the geography of tht
earth to being power. Perhaps HI
knew-even then-that Ireland woull