The Irish standard., 1910-01-22
Is Lucidly Explained by a
Correspondent.
His Patriotic Views Given at
1 Full Length
On the Present Policy of the
Irish Party.
Editor Of the Irish Standard:

somewhere-we believe in his book on
Pragmatism-tha the most important
thing about a man is his philosophy.
The same idea is forcibly expressed by
Mr.. G. K. Chesterton when he writes:
1--WE think that for a landlady consid-
ering ledger, it is important to know
his income, but still more important to
know his philosophy. We think that
for a general about to fight an enemy.
it is important to know the enemy's
numbers, but still more important to
know the enemy's philosophy"
Philosophy is the root of action. A
the very foundations Of society. A
mans philosophy is the most important
thing about him, because it is the mo-
tive power (which drives the wheels Of
his life, and determines his relations
with his fellow-man. And as 1t is with
individuals so with societies and ma
tions-the most important thing about
them is their philosophy. That is why
we have headed this article 1.-THE Phil
osophy of the Sim Fem Movement"
What, then, is Sim Fem? In Its
nominal Specification the phrase means
1--WE Ourselves" or to give it correct
English rendering, "Self-Reliance." AS
= fact in the political life Of Ireland it
means the attempt on the part of q
certain section of the Irish people to
realize in their own person the idea
of freedom through the recognition of
the duties and rights of citizenship on
the part of the individual, and by the
aid and support Of all movements
originating from within Ireland, in.
stinct with national tradition, and not
looking outside Ireland for the accom-
plishment of their aims.''
This attempt at national self-devel-
opment finds expression in a variety of
ways; but the one that is most widely
known in this country is the rehabili-
tation of Irish industries of all kinds.
There is a Sim Fein society in Min
neapolis, the object of which is to CO.
operate with those at home in the laud-
able work of building up their indus
Irish manufacture, and thus to pro-
mote the material welfare of the land
of our birth or our fathers. Every
Hibernian in the Twin Cities should
be member of the Sim Fem society.
But unfortunately, every Hibernian is
not member; on the contrary, many
Hibernians are positively hostile to the
society. Why is this? The answer
brings us face to face with the phil
osophy of Sim Fein.s
The reason that so many Hiberniaus
here and elsewhere are either apathet-
ic or hostile in this matter is because
they confound the Sim Fein party of
ireland with the Clan-na-Gael of
America. Now, a Sim F'einer is not
necessarily a Clan-na-Gael. A Clan.
na-Gael, when you strip him naked, is
. Fenian; and a Fenian may be de-
scribed as Sim Feiner gone mad.
Clan-na-Gaelism is Sim Feinism run
to seed. Every 1rishman, no matter
how practical he is or imagines him.
self to be, can be Sim Feiner with
out doing violence to his self-esteem.
But not every 1rishman can be a Fe-
nla0 o. Clan-na-Gael. Those only are
such who have drunk the wine of the
gods and have lost their reason, And
yet we dare assert that the men who
have lost their reason-the men who
have seen visions, the men who have
been caught up in ecstacy into the
4 heavens, and heard in their dreams
& the clash of swords, the thunder of
the horsemen, the shoutings of the
captains, and saw their own hot blood
leap out in fiery challenge into the
faces of the foe-are the men who have
put on Immortality; those are the
good men and true" those are the
sfonly Irishmen. A Fenian or Gamma
h Gael Is essentially a poet, and the
4 freshman of today must either be poet
or die the death. The noble German
poet said: "Give me a great thought
before I die" The true Irishman of
today says: "Give me a chance to die
for my great thought"
ss That great thought is the idea of
I national independence. That is the
Ideal OF every true Kelt. The Irishman
u who has lost this is no longer poet,
no longer a mystic, no longer an Irish
man. He is hard-headed economist.
he is q blind bigot, he is an English
imam. Now here precisely is where the
Tiff occurs in the sweet Lutte of ''Friend-
S1htp, Unity and Christian Charity"
The Clan-na-Gael accuse those who
are not Clan-na-Gael of having lost
Their grand idea. But the others deny
81 NJ and fhurnn their choefe- 800 $780,.