The Irish standard., 1909-04-10


Irish lack of tho virtues Of the Creep
ing Saxon patience and measure and
balance? Indvidualism, aspiration
and gayety-these l will offer as my
summation Of the characteristics OF
the Irishmen who have done some-
thing for the world. They are char.
acteristics conceded by ethnographer,
historian, and critic; indtvidualism III
moral fervor, patriotism. and faith:
aspiration In poetry and religion and
art: and that gayety which has made
Irish wit and Irish humor and Irish
poetry the delight OF the world. Bal
ance. measure and patience are but
methods. common to all worthy enter
prise. Individuallsn, aspiration and
gayety are ideals that FIRE the heart
of enterprise. VA
TN religion, We're no balance and
measure and patience attendant upon
the inspiration and gayety Ct the Irish
people7 After the days Of ST. Patrick,
what land was the home of European
learning for two centuries7 Ireland.
From the sixth century to the ninth,
what island, green set in emerald SEAS
was the island Of saints? Ireland. Did
the saints Of Ireland fail to display to
the world, balance and measure and
patience. in their endeavors to Chris
tianize Europe? or these, the first
and greatest after st. Patrick. st.
Columbia of the Churches, st.
Columbkille not only founded ec-
clesiastical institutions through
out Ireland, but passed over to
North Britain and so spread the
sweet teaching OF holiness and love
Of God and ones, neighbor, that he
brought heather clans into the Chris
tan fold. This lis that ST. Colunbkille,
patient saint, who, while transcribing
the Psalter, came as far as the verse
Of the oath psalm, where /. is writ
ten, they who seek the Lord shall want
no manner of good things and said.
here must stop, another shall tram
altar, and passed away as in blessed
sleep. Was his disciple. st. COLUMBIAN,
q man lacking in balance and meas
ure and patience? St. Columbian, who
with twelve apostles passed over to
the Continent Of Europe and founded
monasteries and churches in Eastern
France and Switzerland and Germany?
st. Columbian who laid the foundation
for the work of St. Boniface and the
Benedictine Order? 1 tell you, my
friends, there is proof of the patience
Individual energy worth while, as we'll ]
as of the aspiration of the missionary.
in the efforts which Christianized Eu-
rope during these three centuries.
"Regarding philosophy: Has Ire
land really failed of the highest suca
cess? The greatest of our Irish phil
the Middle Ages, like comet appear
ing, like a. comet disappearing, none
knew whither-John Scotus Erigeaa,
of Irish birth and Irish training, the
most romantic and the most luminous
of the philosophers Of those Centuries
of mystery. Like ball Of fire he wan
ders through the beclouded atmos-
phere; in an age when Plato and Arts
totle and the Neoplatonists were for
gotten of man, shedding tho fulness Of I
the light of Greek learning. In the
court Of Charles the Bold Of France.
he burns while, radiating a system
of philosophy, fired with freedom OF
thought and colored with poetic image
ination: and then the unknown dark I
engulfs him. A fore-runner Of schol
asticisn,, and of it's Angelic Doctor.
Thomas Aquinas; q prophet Of Descar-
ties and spinosa; prophet, and priest
unordained, of the Most High Cod
as Eternal Being, Wisdom OF Life. 4
manifesting Himself in the universe