The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-03-18
TAFT DRAWS LESSONS
FROM ST. PATRICK LIFE

! CHICAGO. March 17.-President Taft's
address at the banquet of the Irish Eel
| lowshp club was as follows:
| Mr.. Chairman and gentlemen OF the
Irish Fellowship club,
1t is two years since | tasted the fine
| flavor of your hospitality at luncheon
where my stay was only too short for my
pleasure. When your honorable commit
| tee visited me, therefore, 1 yielded to
| the temptation and agreed To again be-
! come your guest when you should meet
| To celebrate the day that awakens the
heart -throbs of every thorough son OF Ire
| land.
- ST. Patrick's day in the morning
] never quite understood the significance
OF the last words OF the phrase unless
| they meant the brightness of the morn
ing did not wear away until long in the
night OF that day in the spirit OF those
who are loyal 10 the anniversary.
"On such an occasion as this ones
mind turns naturally TO the history Of
that beautiful Ireland. with her back
| and the part that st Patrick played in
her civilization and development
Recalls Irish History.
''St Patrick was born probably on the
banks OF the Severn at a town that he
called Bannarenta, 3S9 years after the
birth OF Christ He was the son OF a
British celt and Roman citizen named
Calpurnius and his wife. Concessa. They
were of the same race as those for whom
he lived and died.
when, during the mutation OF the
Roman empire. protection was with
drawn from Britain, young Patrick, at
the age Of 10, was captured by an Irish
marauding force and taken 10 Ireland
and there for six years, I'm the far west
ern part of ConnauGht, served in bond
age as 4 herdsman.
Escaping from the island on ship
from Wicklow harbor after the six years
lac landed in France somewhere near Bor-
deauX, and wandering across the then iso-
lated face of Gaul. he reached Provence.
I'm southern France. and in n monastery
but recently foundercd on the island OF
Larinus. found refuge in the cloister OF
ST Honoratus. and there became a monk.
After n few years OF monastic life
he returned 10 Britain TO visit his home
and friends. and while there he definitely
formed the purpose OF redeeminG the
island of its captivity from pagauism and
bringing IL within the Christian church.
st Patrick introduced into Ireland the
Latin language. Ii became the language
OF the church all over the island. and il
made Il union with Rome that has never
since been broken. He laid the founda-
ton OF the culture and the spread OF
education and the development of the
liberal arts which put Ireland in the
forefront OF civilization for thouasnd
years.
Her history thereafter is a sad one.
Had the Romans conquered her as they
did Britain. had the SaXons followed. and
then the Normans, so as TO make hom-
oGencous people covering the three Islands
with the same history and the same in
terests and the same race. we should
not have had the tale Of sorrow OF in
Justice. Of outrage OF poverty. suffering
and neglect that MI the pages OF Irish
history from soon after tho Norman con-
quest OF England TO the early days Of the
last century.
Why the Irish Einigrate,
Certainly not until the nineteenth and
twentieth century have governmental
measures been adopted in Ireland TO bet
ter conditions OF the Irish people. Dur
ing the centuries preceding the nietceuth
and clear back TO the time OF the Tudors,
they have been subject To legislation,
the whole purpose OF which was selfish
of the dominant country. The result has
been that Irishmen have gone 10 other
countries.
I'm all our wars the lrishmen have
been 10 the front-in the revolution in
the war Of 1872, in the Mexican war and
I'm the civil war. They are naturally
warlike people and their patriotic love
for their adopted country made them
soldiers in the army OF the union than
whom there was no more daring, no more
effective than they,
For this club. you have no more
suitable name than the Irish Fellowship
club. FOR If you called II the Irish club il
would be necessarily a fellowship club.
II YOU called IL fellowship club. IL would
be reasonable presumption that II must
be Irish.
II am glad TO he here. am glad 70
feel the inspiration of ones kind that
permcates this entire country. and | shall
long carry in grateful remembrance your
cordial greeting"