The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1906-10-13

COilsiSISu VI dUOuL lNeuly VI IWculy-
five members. 1 remember speaking
to Englishmen at the time in private
with reference to the question of Home
Rule, and 1 said: You do not realize
the strength of the Home Rule move-
ment. You apparently do not know
that practically four-fifths of the peo-
pie of Ireland are in it's favor. The
reply of the gentleman, given in all
good faith to me, was, Il am perfect
ly sure if a few clever fellows"-and
he was kind enough to include me in
that category-"like you did not preach
the gospel of Home Rule the move
,ment would die in I, few months, if
not in a few weeks
In 1880 the Parneli,e party, of which
people had full suffrage, which en-
abled them to declare their views. Of
1O1 members, s4 were returned in ia
vor- of Home Rule. : In 1886. there WAS
another election; upward Of 80 MEM
bers out of 100 were again returned.
In, 1899. there was another election;
again more than eighty members were
returned. In 1898 there was another
election: again more than eighty mem.
bers were returned ont. of 100 in favor
of Home Rule. In, 1900 there was a
majority of 80 out of 100. In 1906, the
last general election, there was re-
turn again of 80 out of 100.
Famine Of az Not the Act Of God.
Famines, like, other human calami-
ties. are somewhat blasphemously and
stupidity described as the act of God,
attributing to the wisdom of Provi-
dence the natural and inevitable re-
suits of the follies of men. But the
great famine of Ireland, the famine of
1916 and 1s47, was not an act of God
in any sense of the word, as can be
proved by few facts. Death was SO
common from hunger in 1s46 that
people were found dead in scores and
hundreds and thousands by the road
side.
Catholic Demand for University.
Take the question of education. 1t
is unfortunately the only method
and weapon for starting life that a
large number of the Irish people
have. Education in Ireland is bad
from top to bottom, from bottom to
top. For three centuries there has
existed in Dublin great university
with splendid endowments, endow-
ments drawn from confiscated Irish
lands, and for all these three centuries
that university, to all intents and pur.
poses, has been university within
whose walls the members of the
Protestant creed had every, or nearly
every advantage.
For fifty years the Catholics OF
Ireland have been demanding uni
versity of a similar kind for the Cath
olic youth Of Ireland, and today that
question is as far from settlement as
ever. and two generations of young
1rishmen have grown up in these fifty
years. with their brilliant and prompt
and quick intellects deprived by Brit
ish rule of the opportunity of univer-
sity education. To such pass as that
have we come.
We who have read the classics re-
member that pathetic scene between
one Of the Roman emperors and one
of his generals. called varus. varu.
went into battle. and he left behind
him there the flower and the greats,
part of the Roman army and when he
came back the Roman emperor said
with majestic and tragic sigh. the
echoes Of which we hear in our ear.
today, nearly 1000 years after the
words were uttered:
"varus, varus. give me back my
legions." And ireland, turning to the
Parliament in Westminster, which de.
stroyed and stands on the ruins of the
Parliament In College Green, can say