The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-03-17

| low citizens wished to reward him by
| the presentation of an axe. A prom
inent citizen had been delegated to
make the presentation speech, and he
set to work preparing it. The fire
man heard of the gift and he also set
to work writing a speech of accept
ance. The night of the presentation
came and the town hall was crowded.
The prominent citizen called the fire.
man to the stage and then became so
ratified he couldn't remember any of
the speech, so he said: Here's your
axe" The fireman in his turn also
forgot his speech and said: Hell, is
that the axe?''
THOMAS F. RYAN
There were no Irishmen in the ark
with Noah because the Irish were rich
then and had boats of their own"
was the story ascribed to an old fash
toned Irishman by Attorney Thomas
F. Ryan of Litchfield, speaker Of
fascinating mien and eloquence. Mr..
Ryan was given the toast Thoughts
on the Day. He said that Ireland
had a civilization that dated back to
100 years before the Christian era
when a race known as the Milesians
inhabited Ireland and had a civiliza-
ton that antedated that OF the Greeks
and Romans. He said. "They traded
with the Phoencians and mention
this because it is said that Henry II
of England went to Ireland to rescue
them from barbarisn. We know they
had their parchments TOO years before
the Christian era. Between the Fifth
and Eighth centuries-the dark ages
and it was Ireland that kept the sane
tuary lights of education and learn
ing burning through those years. Ire
land had an army. One of the require
ments of the soldiers was that they,
must eat but one meal day and
each man was obliged to battle each
day. Each soldier was obliged to be
able to leap as high as his forehead
and when running the ancient Irish
soldier was obliged to be able to pick
a thorn from his foot. Is 1t any WON
der that q country like this has pro-
duced such large quota of athletes.
The only weapon that Patrick took
the Cross Of Calvary. After Patrick's
coming, Ireland was the seat OF learn
ing of the world.
''While the rest of Europe was in
darkness Armagh alone had 1000 stu
dents there at one time. Ireland had
a code of laws, the. Brian laws which
lasted for 1000 years.
you read nothing of this in the
histories that have been prepared
through English Inspiration, but you
are beginning to hear of 1t because
the Mslesians are still marching on.
They don't come asking favors. There
is not star in the flag of our union
that has been placed there without
Irish aid. 1t Is enrolled in the his
tory of England that one-half of the
continental army were Irish, one
quarter were American and the re-
naming one-Quarter were Scotch and
other nationalities. Knox. the first
~ Tric 1& OIL
the hero Of Bennington, was Irish;
Morgan, the hero of Cowpens, was
Irish. The first time that the Amer |
lean flag was waited to the breeze
on the high seas it was raised by an
Irishman, John Barry. George Tay- |
of Independence, was an Irtshman. and |
Ia sfgners of the Declaration of Inde- |
pendence were of Irish blood. An
drew jackson, who administered the |
most severe defeat to the British at |
New Orleans In 1872, was Irish. Nc
Donough, the hero Of Champlain, was
Irish; James Lawrence, whose don't /
give up the ship, was an inspiration |
TO the men of the nation, was Irish. |
Oliver Hazard Perry, the pride of the
American navy, was the son of an
Irish mother. So we come rightfully |
into our heritance in this country.
But have only spoken Of past perl
II
hold for us. I say applaud US when
We win, console us when we lose, but
for Gods sake let us pass on"
JAMES B. CARROLL
James B. Carroll of Springfield,
Mass, a classmate of Rev. ]. B. Nj
HILL was the next speaker. His toast
was "Leaven of Irish Character He
opened by saying: although many
centuries have interviewed since st. |.
Patrick lighted the first paschal fire
of Christianity close to Tara hill, from
that day to this the spirit of Irish |
Christianity has never been extin-
guished." In part, he said:
cit is exceedingly difficult to under
stand Irish history or to understand
Irish character unless we keep stead
lily before our minds the spirituality
of the race, for this spirituality has
been the nurse of the supernatural
tality to the Irish people in every con-
test, in defeat. even also in triumph.
It is the supernatural ideals which |
have kept alive the long struggle con-
tinued through centuries against vio-
lent and trem endous odds the struggle /
of brave and courageous people for |
constitutional liberty and constitution
al freedom.
"Duyirg the lifetime of living men /
Ireland's history has been one of pro-
greSS. We have seen one abuse after |
another abolished, one reform after
another substituted, such as the ex-
tension of the right of suffrage, the |
spread of education, the diSesta blisn-
ment of the Irish church, reform OF
land tenure all of these things have /
come slowly, but they have come as |
the result of the determined and con-
slant agitation of the Irish people, |
And now it would seem that we were
at the breaking of new day for Ire
land and when a real substantial |
measure of home rule was about to |
BIO granted here, and when that day
of home rule comes there will still be
the wish, dear to every patriotic Irish
man, that Ireland will resume it's for
mer place as an independent nation.
Every patriotic Irfshman feels the
humiliation that comes with the state
ment that Ireland is mere depend
ency of the English crown and that |
the Irish without their own country
are q subject race. This sheer means
that we are incapable Of self-govern-
ment and that We have no ability and |
sense Of responsibility that fits US to
the rights of nationhood. Quite the
contrary. the Irish people have over
and over again in war and peace, in |
every line of human effort, demon
strated their fitness for all the duties
of citizenship. In fact many of thel
good deeds accredited to the so-called |
Anglo Saxon civilization would never
have been possible without the large
share our ancestors took in it's form