Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1904-03-24
NOTABLE SERMON
At GROVE CHURCH

The services at Grove Presbyt crian
church were of an especially interest.
ing character Sunday. The subject
which Dr.. Mccormack had announc-
ed for his evening sermon was: st.
Patrick, the Apostle of the Irish. 1t
was a fine discourse leading over fields
of thought seldom trodden nowadays
in Protestant chrches. In announcing
his subject Dr. Mccormack said:
"The bare mention of such theme
generally excitos smile, sometimes
even laugh and not seldom an ex-
preston of supercilious contempt and
this is not less probable when Pro-
testant proposes to treat it. 1t is not
a little remarkable that there should
be such power to call forth the light
er sentiments of our nature by the
mere name of Ireland or of st. Patrick.
Some people are disposed to attribu
this TO lack of earnestness or depth
OF purpose, or of practical, steady and
successful conduct peculiar to the peo-
pie. Others might attribute this feel
ing to the levity and recklessness, the
good nature and love of ease. the ready
wit and buoyancy of spirit slightly
characteristic of the nation.
Il shall not stop to attempt an ex-
PLANTATION smile as you may or sneer
as you choose it abides an indubitable
fact that there is such place as Ire
land and people or race, or remnant
Of a race, called Irish.
Few people have had larger share
OF misfortune, by whom induced it is
not my purpose to say. The annals of
Ireland are among the most dreary,
dismal and depressing of the many
penned by the writers of history. i
speak this with all deliberation. The
people may be light-hearted, but no
student of their melancholy past can
rise from a perusal of their history,
! light hearted There is only one 9th
er people of whom | could say this
with anything like equal truthtulness: !:
| that other people the Jewish race-a
people great in their heroes, poets,
Legislators, philosophers and great in
their patriotism, great in their per
sistent and invincible vitality, but
greatest in the wrongs inflicted upon
them.
The Irish race is of respectable an
tiquity. The country, it is true, is of
small dimensions when compared with
/ Texas But the peoples who have
modified the history of humanity have
lived. like Irishmsn upon comparative
ly small territories. Egypt, first in
architecture and astronomic science,
has only the valley of the Nile; Israel,
the greatest of peoples in power over
the conscience and heart of mankind,
had only paltry strip of land Greece,
first in art, philosophy, peerless III
! eloquence subsisted upon mere hand
! full of barren rocks Rome, Mistress OF
the world, the greatest road builders
and organizers, had only narrow pen
| insula. Therefore upon the score OF
! size of local habitation the Irish may
not be despised Ireland has magni
! ticent sea board The Cove of Cork
! is a natural harbor Its famous water
WAYS, as the river Shannon, are cele
F.! brated the world over. Greener grass
grows not than in the valleys of Ire
land fairer flowers bloom not, than
in her hedgerows; there is no butter
more delicious than her Cork brand,
nor potatoes more fioury than those
dug from her fields
II do not think | ever closed a vol
ume with "a sadder heart than when l
laid down the history of Ireland. 1t
is the story of a conquered people.
Her fall was due to the wretched sys
tenn of provincial kingships. The ma
tural condition of society was war.
Ireland has always enjoyed a good
! fight 1t is her life. her mea6 and
drink. 1t is either a fight between
physical force and moral force. Home
Rulers and Anti Home Rulers, Orange
men and Ribbon men; the followers
of James Ii and William Ill or the
house of Desmond and the house of
Thomond, of O'Neil and O'Rourke.
The annals are filled with tales of such
petty and pigmy conflicts, disaster
and defeat l have come to the con-
clusion that the best thing left an
Irishman who loves his birth place is
to leave it.
Sadness is met with in everything
Irish purely Irish-in the deserted
villages, the mud wall cabins, the
half naked children, in the very songs,
in the broken bridges. In the grim
shadows of the past the people sta
crownless and broken stringed harp,
a fitting symbol of the abomination OF
doomed.
"Since the Reformation the lot OF
Ireland has been one of woe, but she
has been steadfast to the faith OF her
fathers.
Ireland 5 history, however, was not
especially DR.. Mccormack theme.
His discourse had to do with st. Pat
rick. The patron saint of ireland was
man of highest worth. For 1900
, years he has been enshrined in the
, hearts of that nation. He died in the
= fifth century, yet his name is still a
magic spell. The spots hallowed by
; his touch are visited by thousands
q Such is the majesty of goodness St.
Patrick's birthplace is supposed to
have been in Scotland at own
known as Fitzpatrick. Certain it Is he
b was not born in Ireland. At this point
, Dr. Mccormack paid his respects to
pritiaiEp1