The Irish standard., 1909-04-10

fuence on civilization, because Of an
Irish lack OF the virtues Of the Creep
ing Saxon patience and measure and
balance? Individualisn, aspiration
and gayety-these 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 ethnographsrs
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. Individualism, aspiration and
gayety are ideals that fire the heart
of enterprise. +.
''In religion, were no balance and
measure and patience attendant upon
the inspiration and gayety ct the Irish
people I After the days of St. Patrick,
what land was the home 81 rh,sonean
learning for two centuries1 b sIFeldnd.
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? OF 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 heathen clans into the Chris.
tian fold. This is that st. Columbkille,
patient saint, who, while transcribing
the Psalter, came as far as the verse
Of the oath psalm, where Il is writ
ten, they who seek the Lord shall want
no manner Of good things and said,
here must stop, another shall tran
scribe further and sank before the
altar, and passed away as in a blessed
sleep. Was his disciple, st. Columnan,
man lacking in balance and meas
ure and patience? St. Columbian, who
with twelve apostles passed over to-
the Continent Of Europe and founded
rnonasteries 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? I tell you, my
friends, there is proof Of the patience!
and balance and. measure which make
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 sues 4
cess? The greatest Of our Irish, phil -S
osophers, was that 2Melchizedek of I
the Middle Ages, like comet appear
ing, like a comet disappearing, none
knew whither-John Scotus Erigeaa,S
of Irish birth and Irish training the !
most romantic and the most luminous
OF the philosophers Of those tenturless 4
Of mystery. Like a ball Of fire he
ders through the beclouded atrnoss
phere; in an age when Plato and Arts-
totie and the Neoplatonists were Sor,gS5
gotten of man. shedding the fulnessS ofs
the light 5of Greek learning. InS tha \
court Of Charles the Bold Of F.arce.5}
he burns q while, radiating a. system
'of philosophy, hred with freedom
thought and colored with poetic trnax
nation: and then the unknown darl
engulfs him. q A fors-rlnner of lsehol-s -sl
asticisn, and Of its Angelic Doctor.;
Thomas Aquinas;; = prophet ofs DsscArs .
tes ana spinosa; q prophet and isstssts
unordained, OF the Most Iiigh II
as Eternal Being, Wisdom Iof itc. q
manifestinE Himself ;in the univ erssS.