The Irish standard., 1909-05-22

been paid the Rev. Father Barrett. O.
F., St. SaNior's. Dominick street. Dub
lin, ireland, than the immense audience
that hlled the Monument National last
evening, whose spontaneous bursts of
enthusiastic applause greeted him
throughout his lecture, says the Mon
treal True Witness of April Is. An ex-
ceedingly we'll arranged and attractive
program had been provided and splen-
didly' carried out. The Chancel Choir
came in for much favorable comment,
their superior training being well in
evidence in the. several c1oruses which
they rendered. Prof. Shea may feel
justly proud Of them. The orchestra,
with it, inspiriting strains. put glad
ness in the heart and light in the eye.
tor were these not the airs Of the Old
Land. blended together in most de-
liyhtful- \ hsaFmeNK? The soloists. toos
.MessT1 Lanoureux. Quinn and Hamil-
ton, we're recipients of generous ap-
CLAUSE. MIDWAY IN the program came
ths'spisee} de resistance. the lecture on
Prominent, Traits of Irish Character
by Rev. Thomas Barrett, who has been
so ably filling st. Patrick's pulpit dur
ing the Lenten season. Preliminary
to the lecture the Rev. Gerald M'Shane,
pastor OF st. Patrick's, in his@usual able
manner. took the opportunity to pay
a. graceful tribute to the work of Faith
er Barrett during the six weeks he
has been among us. Father M'Shane
said. it was a breach of priestly eti-
ouette to. eulogize a. brother priest
in his presence, at least-but he felt
that the occasion called for it. When
the idea was conceived, said Father
M'Shane, of securing Lenten preacher
it was quite natural that for a pulpit
like St. Patrick's. we should look. to
the Old Land for, after all, in spite
of the Transformation that time and
space may have made in us, in spite
of our sense Of" loyal" attachment to
Canadian soil and Canadian interests,
1--WE are truly Irish yet" Father Bar
rett, o. p, had come from Dublin, and
now they had assembled to say fare
we'll and wish the distinguished guest
a. hearty God-speed and safe return
home to the dear. old land (applause.)
Father. Barrett's appearance on the
platform was the signal for loud and
long applause. After q few remarks
in acknowledgment of the pastors
tribute, Father Barrett passed on to
the subject of the evening. He said
that the Irish, are profoundly religious.
eminently intellectual, and that they
are possessed of physical courage in
a high degree. "I don't mean," said
Father Barrett, "that all Irishmen are
religious. and intellectual and brave.
Erin has produced many sons of-what
Carlyle would call-transcendent ras.
cality. Neither are we all wonderfully
clever-a nation of geniuses would
be a very uncomfortable place to dwell.
Notwithstanding which we are, as a
race. religious, intellectual, and brave,
and all in a conspicuous degree. Ire
land is truly q religious nation. Eng
land has gone forth. sword in hand,
ploughing up the earth into burrows,
and the children of St. Patrick follow
sitter to cast in the sacred seed. Erin
is seen now with the halo Of sane
tity upon her brow; again she is robed
in the purple dye Of martyrdom! to-
day she is preaching the Gospel
through the eloquent voices Of her chill
drer's example. and that voice has
gone forth to the ends Of the earth.
Here have we not race emphAtically
religious? In the second place the 1r-
ish are an elninently eloquent people.
Eloquence is the child Of passion. But
something more than mere passion is
necessary to produce the highest form
Of eloquence. The latter half of the
Eighteenth century was the most bril-