The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-12-12
WOMEN OF IRELAND.

The history of all nations discloses the lofty, the
lowly and important parts played by In
Ireland, as well as elsewhere, they have had their
ROMANCE and tragedy. If rejoice in the beatidc
eXaltation of saints also suffer the depression
consequent of meditation on the sinner. If we
have had heroines, also have had out "de
structive deceitful women" Clouds however, dim,
do not destroy the sunlight, and on Tongues
Is meet:
20 woman! in hour of ease.
Uncertain. and hard to please,
And variable the shade.
BY the light of qufvering aspen made:
When pain and anguish wiring the brow,
A ministering angel thou!a
Woman is the natural figure of Irich nation
hood, and instinctvely the imagery of painter, po
ct and singer turns to the female form divine The
peasant addresses his Church his mistress; Man
gan calls his country ''hs dark Rosaleen." Nothing
masculine crops out in an apostrophe of Ireland.
The most ruthless vandal would not, could not,
think of styling her anything having a similarity
and appropriateness like "John Bull" Johnny
Crapeau' or "Unce SAM" says the San Francisco
Monitor.
The ancient names of Ireland we're Eric Banda.
Fiola and Scota-the first three after the queens
of the three brothers, princes of the Tutha de
Danand, who ruled the country when the sunburst
broke red the sea, and the Miesian queen Scotia,
came to give the fourth name.
England rules but does not govern Ireland. For
centuries she has maintained In that country vast
standing army of occupation and she has not sub
dued 1t. Why! Go ask the women of Erin. Why?
Because neither Norman knight nor Lord of the
Pale Hessian soldiers could resist the seductive
smiles of the Norah Creenas, Eileen Oges and
Molly Bawlls. The marauders married them, were
assimilated and lost. The lamb swallowed the wolf
and the ruthless invader became more Irish than
the Irish themselves.
There is no more stirring chapter in Irish his
hon l,a OLE ~ 4bo 0-+b {
nous in song and story.
For weeks Limerick had been under siege; for
weeks it had nobly borne the brunt of CALLING and
almost perpetual fire; and musketry
doomed and awoke the echoes of Caratoe and Clare
and rolled down the Shannon to the sea. Piece by
piece the Notifications of the city were crumbling;
at last breach made; first one, and then an
other and another, and the veteran soldiers of Will
ham of Orange rushed into the beeaguered city
bent upon repetition of Drogheda. Now then.
devout, spiritual afectionate, domestic and mild
women of ireland. shine out in the pages of his
tory; send you glory to the farthest world; do the
deed that will live until eternity breaks the night
of time! There are the sabres and guns dropped
by the dead hands of your husbands and brothers;
pick them up; use them for faith and fatherland!
1t Is more than your lives cry out for protection;
1t is than the sucking infant at the breast
the gray hairs lettering to the gravel 1t is free
dom and altar; God and country! IT'S done Like
liberated furies" you are upon theml The Satan
reels before your dauntless courage! You have
given your glory and your name to posterity! And
we, your children women of Limerick, nightly bless
your memory, proudly proclaim your virtuous
valor and read your record the scroll along
with the Joans of Arc and Matthias of Tuscany
The women of Ireland are in many respects like
other women. Of Caucasian race they are white
skinnedzson1e of them are thin-skinned, Some of
them have petty jealousies and can barge as well
as their sisters of other nationalities. Some have
brunette locks and some have auburn tresses Yes.
they have redheaded girls in Ireland, but they do
not call them by that name; they use the more po-
etc and uphonious colleen rhue.''
Were the space at my disposal, how we, could
revel in the achievements of Irish women in the
finer arts. Susanna Centlivre and Frances Sheri-
dan in the Drama Julia Kavanagh and Rosa Null
holland in general literature; Lady Butler in paint
ing and that sweet musical spirit, whose earthly
harp strings snapped but few weeks ago, Mary
Augusta Holmes.
With Christianity came resplendent Ireland:
with it refulgent womanhood Patrick is styled
"the image of Faith; Bridgid "the glory of Kill
dare" the personifcation of Charity. The great
ness of Colulnbkille, the fame of Iona the glory
of Lindesfarne, emulated and equaed by the
greatness of st. TIA, the fame of Mida and the
sanctity of SLEEVE Lauchra.
The perpetual Office of the monks of Mungret
was rivaled everywhere in Ireland of the matin
song and vesper hymn by thousands of holy wo-
men.
Our Irish mothers sometimes vain and fool
ish enough to wade through fashy novels of styl-
ish life for highfalutin with which to chris
fer. their children. Irish mothers, do you know
the beautiful names that lie on your own doorsteps
Rridgidthe sweetest of all, let the scofer leer as
he may-Ita Ethna and Flethimia. the royal daugb-
ters of Iaoghaire, Eva, Una, Bland; Kathleen.
Winnifred, Geraldine and host of Others
Christianity ennobled womanhood; Irish women
ennobled Christianity. As the apostolic spirit !