The Irish standard., 1909-04-03

laughing faces through this valley of
tears, has never been denied the Irish.
They have borne up against greater
wrongs than any other people could,
simply because they had sense of
hunor and a sense Of the ridiculous,
and never laughed so much at their
enemies as when their enemies We're
more in earnest fighting to crush them
out.
We have that fun and plenty cf it.
But we have not the fun, and we do
not relish the fun, which would repre-
sent us as a ration of baboons. We 10
no: have the fun and we do not relish
he fun which would represent our
patron st. Patrick as a drunken friar.
want to have the fun which would
represent our people always in the en-
brace of a. whisky bottle. because t>o
meaning of those things is that we
are an inferior race, that we are only
a microscope remove from the bab >on,
that our chief spiritual devotion is de-
votion to strong liquor, that we are in
cur proper place when we are hewers
Of wood and drawers Of water.
Suppose Abraham Lincoln was rep
resented OF. postal card as leaning
dubicusly against a lamppost, what
would an American think of it? Sup
.,ose George Washington was dressed
up in some Infamous toggery and sert
through your mails to make fun of
him. Suppose your president, or any
of the men or women you honor in this
country, were thus made little of and
despised, how would you feel about 1T?
How do you feel when you look at the
English comic papers during the war,
when you see how Abraham Lincoln
was caricatured? You feel stirred in
your blood, you feel your gorge rise
and your anger getting the better of
you, and you would like to lay your
hands on the ruffians who drew such
infamous libels.
We, the Irish people, feel the same
way, because it is the things that arc
+: closest and dearest to US that are made
little of; it is our good name that i,
! profAued:,s it, Ia. .thosa-tha we reverence
that are made to be laughing stocks
! II is those for whom we have suffered
so much-our good name, our Irish
personality. our Irish nationality, that
they would trample underfoot; and as
long as men are men, and as long as
1rishrnen are Irishmen, for that we
will not stand. (Applause.)
And now, ladies and gentlemen, the
duty of the hour is to call you to the
battle, and the duty of the hour is to
carry on good fight. The duty of
the ho'ir is to take up the burden that
your fathers passed to you, and to pass
it on 70 your children: andsthe duty OF
the hour in this State is more tran
ever to insist upon yourselves, upon
your responsibility. and upon the greut
truth, that only by relying on your
selves can you achieve these higher
things for which you strive.
! Self-respect. self-knowledge, knowl-
edge of the history of our race, knowl-
edge Of the achievements Of our fore
fathers-these are the things which
will stir up the true ideals in your
souls. 1t is for these things I appeal
TO you; it is for these things I ask
you to stand together, and above all
things, men and women, let lis put
aside our little ambitions and our
w-etched personalities. When we com
into the Irish cause, let us remember
that it is Irishmen that counts; let lis
forget everything except the great
goal. and whether we live by one de-
pa rtment Of American life or another,
let it not s,,nder the bond which should
bind every man Of the Gael together.
whether born in the old country or
born here. We are one people, one
blood. one bone. Let nothing on earth
ever divide US. (Applause.)
And then, let us not forget in our
prosperity, let us not forget the old
land at home. A great change is there.
The second spring has come. A new
spirit is in the people. A larger sun
shines up in the sky. Let us send
back nlcsssg &c of cheer to them as
today we consider the significance of
st. Patrick's Day, how our race has
been scattered all over the world. and
every century since Patrick brought
us into the fold of the Faith we say
with the Latin poet, "Quac regio in
terris nostri non plena laboris." "What
region on earth is there that does not
bear the marks of our enterprise? ??
What land under the sun where the
Irishman has not left his impress. and
his works bear rich and abundant