The Irish standard., 1910-08-27
The Celtic People Are Blessed With
Natural Sense of the
Supernatural.
Revival of Pilgrimage to Croagh
Patrick is Proof of Cid
Spirit.
Pence of the Irish Poor Are as Un-
failing as Prayers of Irish
Saints.

Among northern countries Of this
side of the world, says the Weekly
Freeman (Dublin), Ireland is the most
Catholic. The Gaelic people-or, re-
membering Brittany and the most
racially characteristic part of Scot
land, we may perhaps say the Celtic
people-have a natural sense of the
supernatural, and they we're not easily
turned from the ancient faith which
their devotion had in the early days
carried among Pagan nations geo.
graphically nearer to the cradle and
nursery Of Christianity.
The missionaries Of the Irish and
Scotch Gael planted the Catholic faith
in its chief centers in the heart of
Europe, in the places, then wastes Of
barbartsm, which were to be the uni
vsrsities and sanctuaries Of the mod
ern nations and the gardens Of modern
civilization. The faith Of the Gael
stood many a bitter test. The Mo-
hammedan principle of conversion"
by the strong hand, by sword and fire.
was tried upon the Gael for many
suffering generation. War and law,
murder and bribery. prescription and
spoliation Of the honest, with large re-
ward for the pervert, opportunity given
Rot inc xH11ai
hopeless obscurity and continuous de-
scent, social and intellectual, were the
doom Of the true and Of the spirit
ually minded-in face Of all this vio-
lencs and iniquitous subtlety welded
by the materially strong against the
weak, the great mass of the Irish peo-
pie stood firm in silent, firm refusal
which, all the circumstances weighed,
has probably no example in the his
tory Of any other country.
After all the generations of its per-
secutors and it's tempters, Ireland re-
mains essentially Catholic. It still in
a sense remains missionary of the
faith az of old, changing loyalty and
of it's racially true population.
The great National pilgrimage to
Croagh Patrick-revived of late after
the evil times-is itself striking
proof Of the unbroken spirit of the
country, of it's fidelity to the old sane
titles, to the holy places and the holy
memories, to the Apostle from Rome,
who prayed on the hill that, through
all the ages to come, the Gael might
never lose the faith and, as tradition
tells, won the assurance that his
prayer was granted. The link between
Ireland and Rome holds firmly still,
as it will hold as long as the Gaelic
blood still runs in the people Of this
country.
In times of poverty and Of the ebb
of the tide, as in the old days of
strength and fullness, Ireland is al
ways true to the See of Peter, the cen
ter Of the Christian world. There has
always been in it's little land at least
the one great element Of dignity that
it has been in the closest touch with a
worldwide thing, the Church that
spreads over all the nations and has
no less history than the history Of
Christianity Its ideal has never been
merely insular, it's memory not merely
local; it has always had its partner
ship with the greatest and most SUBJ
lime institution the world has known.
Apart altogether from the deeper con-
siderations that at once present them
selves, this wide relationship has had
a great. intellectual value; we are
mentally the better for our loyalty to
high and deep spiritual ideal.
The link with the center of Christen-
dom has never weakened; perhaps,
however, it may be said that it was
never stronger than it is today. The
present Holy Father has put singu-
lar spell over the country that could
not fail to revere his mighty office.
Pope Plus x is known to US not only
as Pope, but as gentle father of his
PEOPLE, personally beautiful type OF
i, the pastor and teacher, but also a