The Irish standard., 1910-01-22
That field in realms of thought be won,
And armed minds do their uttermont.

Some way to faithful Innisfail
Shall come the majesty and awe
OF martial truth, that must prevail
To lay on all the eternal law"
1t makes very little difference which
of these two views we in America
adopt; although the present writer is
Of the opinion that the Clan-na-Ga
view Is the safer for this country. But
it does make wonderful difference
whether we reject our ideal altogether,
or replace it by that of the time spirit
OF the twentieth century. No sane man
can deny that the ideal of Nationality
is higher than Agrarianism; for the
latter, in the nature of things, is only
an instrument of the former. And yet
it is the substitution of Home Rule or
Agrarianism for National Independence
of Nationhood that has brought abov.
that painful dislocation of the Irisu
body polite, the worst manifestations
of which we in America are witnessing
all around US at. the present moment
The rising generation-the sons of
the old Fenians--are fast losing all in
terest In Ireland. And the reason is
because they have no high ideal held
up before them. There is nothing for
the imagination of the young to lay
hold Of. The sword, the helmet, the
sign and countersign, the sharp word
of command, the weekly drill, the flag
these are something tangible and
definite. These things are the sym
bols Of Nationality. They are the gar.
ments of great idea. They are, as it
were, the sacraments of nation. So
long as the rising generation move
about in these things. they will see.
and know, and understand. But take
away these outward and visible signs
of Nationhood, substitute for them the
distant prospect of the British House
of Commons. with Mr.. Redmond in the
foreground. and "Tay Pay in the din
ing room. or the picture of a beautiful
farm house in the Glen of Aherlow or
the plains of Leinster,, or even the
green flag and the Union Jack waving
in unison over the -Four Courts-and
young Irish-America will turn awav in
disgust. If any one wishes to see how
low we have fallen, let him glance at
the cartoons that appear week after
week in the front page of the irish
World. Now, u, cartoon that has 2
function, and that function is to in
terpret for us correctly, If more or
less humorously, the thoughts of our
contemporaries :on some question Ut
general interest. yThe future historian
Will go to- the cartoon as to real
source of historical. truth There can
be no doubt. that the cartoons in the
Irish World arc tine. insofar as tlncv
reflect the mindR'fof a certain section,
OF our race-7and what are they: Fig
ures' the sign of the dollar, Mr.. Red
mond at meals, Mr.. T. P. O'Connor at
play in a theater, Paddy proddihg John
Bull-not with an Irish blackthorn.
which would be noble, but with an
American greenback-Paddy digging
his own grave and the spirit of Clan.
r1ckarde lowering, above, and others
Of a like nature. " ~ 4e'. rs,.
The truth is that we are on the
wrong track, and If we wish to live we
must return to the old paths. If we
would keep Irish America, let us pre-
serve its martial spirit. We must, at
all hazards, keep a-glowing the valor
of 1.-The fighting race" the spirit of
Kelly and Burke and Shea, and not the
spirit that the young men see around
them every day in the banker, the
broker, the ubiquitous book agent, or
the real estate man who is always
with us.
1t is the realization of this truth that
nerves those who still walk in the
paths of 81. But when we sconfound
them with the Sim Fein party of Ire
land-as many of us dove are doing
an injustice, not to Sim Fem, but to
ourselves. The Sim Feiners are nei-
Their Fenians nor Redmondite Home
Rulers. They are not clan-na-Gael.
because it is too much; they are not
Home Rulers because it is too little.
They stand midway between Agrar-
ianism, which is one extreme, ana
Physical Force, which is the other.
They are convinced that the Irish ma
ton must be saved in herself and by
herself, not by any. external agency
whatsoever. That unhappy seer and
divine poet James Clarence Mangan,
brings out that central idea Of Sim
Fem in his noble Irish national hymn:
so 1t is with nation,
Which would win for it's rich dover