The Irish standard., 1908-12-26

|, the old love OF religion burning al
bright if not brighter than eyer. Wher-
ever chanced to'bc on Sunday or
lolyday. whenever the bells rang out
for early Mass, the street Of tho viii
l;;gc. or country town resoi,ndcd with
the footsteps of hn curllcst and dcvouc
tarong pressing cagcrly forward to
worship 'thoir Lord and Savior, pres,
cnt in His Holy Sacrament How can
amy man seek to take away from the
Irish people that which iu all their
poverty makes them rich: Yet there
are SUCH people. There are people
fv'ho abuse their clergy. DO these. pco.
pie ever r;umly consider what "a power
for good III the land The Catholic
clergy. of Ireland have bcen and are
.stnl?. ...... >.
!:"rhc purity of lreland-to whom
may we turn in deepest gratitude for
this, the brightest jewel In lrcland's
CLOWN: TO the. clergy wlio.. by tho
gentle sway OF sacramental roufes~4
sion-a power for good iii every com,
munity. though sometimes, but very
seldom, .abused-huve. Influenced ire
lands sons and" daughters to such an
;'cxtent that they stand conspicuous
amongst the nations Of the world, as
/. The very purcst OF all i'm thought. word
ind decd. They have. meddled in poll. )
ties Why shouldn't they? Where
cruelty, injustice and wrong are RAM
pant who, ask, SHOULD be foremost
in the fray, against them? WHO Of
all men but the clergy? Did not the
clergy. OF King Johns time meddle in
politics when tiey helped to wrest
Magma Chartn from that contemplate
t.rant? Did not the, clergy of the
Church of England meddle in politics
when they helped to kill the sEduca-.
| ton Bill of 1902. Were the land.
lords Of Ireland conspicuous for their
Kindness and Justice to their tenants?
NO living man could truthfully say that
ti!ey were. '"' a..
"NWhep /; large numbers Of the lands
lords Of days not SO long since gone
by, sought by, every means in. their
power to grind the unfortunate, longs,
suffering people. of Ireland underfoot.
Ia sdureze every available farthing out
Of them and then to spend their ills
gotten gains IN England and on the
Continent. taking little or no interest
IN the magnificent 'mqr ana women
who We're. living and dying Tor their.
support, who, 1 ask, were foremost in
their battle tor'libcrty and right? Who
were the best friends Of the irish
tenant? !. who bpt the priests? Can
; anyone deny. this?. think mt. Had
they anything to gain by their en-.
+; Ge;tvors? Nothing whatever, but
trouble, abuse, Misrepresentation. and
jr many cases incarceration and ,oth-,
, or kinds of punishment.
"ln the face of. all this, there srs
Gcoplc today who would ask the peo.
Pic OF Ireland 10 throw off what they
call the; yoke Of st'ie'priests.' re go
10 further, f'would call this inciting:.a
patton to be guilty Of the basest in..
gratitude. but L will add something
more and say, that as not oply have
the. priests been the PEOPLES leaders
against .tife tyrannies Of. iandlordism.
but also against every form. OF in.
justice and oppgession which England,
tas heaped upon, Ireland during more
than seven long centuries. it. would be :
folly of Which T. cannot believe tho
11sh people to be. possessors. to throw
off that sweet and gentle yoke which
f,as been so Instrumental i'm bringing
to: them whatever they pessess Of s1fb--.
erty, honor, prosperity and independa,'
ence." - 7 .t...'-.,: m. : e
writing of.%:the Church. of 1reland,.
OF which he is a. nreniber: DR.. Collision:
stronsly csnsures. those rs.pensible for
1.-THE bigotry .hown't toward. their catst-:,
!, olic brethren. ,'A csthe,ic nnAd sfhea