The Irish standard., 1909-05-29
MooRE's ANNIVERSARY.

q lew "OiuS respecting tne sweet DdTQ
who has cast lustre upon his native
country, and whose melodious verse,
breathing the spirit of Irish national
ity, has been heard the world around.
The genius of Tom Moore rises in
the appreciation of literary people Of
all lands as the years go by, and his
countrymen think more of him now
than In the past for rescuing the grand
old airs Of Ireland from the oblivion
in which he found them. They are
now embalmed in English and Irish.
and are destined to live forever.
Moore's poetry has largely contribu-
ted to keep Irish nationality alive. and
though Davis Mangan and others may
have. written in holder strains, we
doubt II any Of them surpassed Moore
in their love for motherland. What
can make the young Irishman's heart
throb for liberty more ardently than
his martial melodies, THE Minstrel
Boy" and Remember the Glories of
Brian the Brave" When a young IT.
ishman. enthused by the. poetry of
Moore. beholds the lovely scenery of
his native isle and realizes that for
eigners are In possession Of the soil
and monopolize the wealth Of the land
while he is practically an outcast and
pariah. what can be better calcu-
lated to inspire him with patriotic
emotions and create rebellious feelings
in his heart than the following lines
Of Moore:
Mononia, when Nature embellished the
tint
OF thy fields and thy mountains so
fair.
Did she ever intend that a tyrant
should print
The footsteps of slavery there?
'Tis sweeter to bleed for an age at thy
Shrine
Than to sleep for one moment in
chains.
What young Irishman is not moved
by the following lines. If any sentt-
ment of patriotism is left in his breast:
But onward. the green banner waving.
Go flash every sword to the hilt:
On our side Is virtue and Erin, \,
On theirs is the Saxon and guilt.
Nature did not intend Moore for a
soldier like Lord Edward or Wolfe Tone,
but he was richly endowed with the
heavenly gift of poesy and utilized it
in behalf Of his country Diminutive
In size and OF delicate frame, Moore
was better ntted to adorn a drawing
room than to lead soldiers to victory,
but he was brave 1rishman. every
inch OF him, and never sold his heri-
tage for mess of British pottage. He
was esteemed by his countrymen dur
ing life and is honored by posterity.
He is worthy of the tribute paid to
his memory by men of his race in
foreign lands and at home in his own
SHcSI leldIQ OF sorrow.
The Irish people all over the earth
are deeply indebted to Tom Moore, for
he did more than any other Irishman
to preserve the music and poetry of
his country from oblivion. None has
risen since his death to perform great
err work than he accomplished. He is
extolled by all the critics. An Eng
lishman says that in the quality of
national lyrist Moore stands abso-
lutely alone and unapproachable. A
Scotchman says that of all the song
writer's that ever warbled or chanted
or sang, the best is the sweet bard OF
Erin. His Irish melodies have been
translated into the principal European
languages, and they have been rem
dered into the Irish language in his
own metre by Archbishop McHaJe,
though few Irishmen are familiar with
them In the Celtic tongue in conse
quence Of their ignorance of the fine
native language which German scho,-
ars have helped to revive in recent
years.
Besides being a poet. Moore was
prose writer Of the frst rank. Lord
MacAulay was charmed with his style
and bestowed an eulokium on his writ
ings. He wrote history Of ireland, a
work in defense Of the Catholic religion,
and several biographies of eminent
Irishmen noted for their patriotism.
He wrote a grand tribute to the men,
DRY Of Robert Emmet. whose compan-
ion he was at Trinity college. Though
the Catholic creed which he professed
was detested by the British aristocracy
with which he associated, yet he ad-
hered to 1t with unwavering fidelity,
and published 4 work in it's vindica-
ton. O'Connell knew the value Of
his patriotic songs and frequently in
terspersed his speeches with stanzas
borrowed from them, as we'll as from