The Irish standard., 1912-10-26
IDEALS AID DESTINY
Of IRISH RACE
An Eloquent Address at Winnipeg
to Hibernians of that City by
Rev. V. Naish, S. j.
Text of Lecture Taken From the
Saturday Weekly Review, an
Antl-Home Rule Paper.
Which Used the Oft-Refuted Say
ing That Irish People Cannot
Govern Themselves.

Govern Themselves.
Rev. V. Naish, S. j.. who was
preaching IL retreat i'm st. Edwards
parish, Winnipeg, Man., delivered an
address Monday night OF last week.
before the Ancient Order of Hibern-
ians, in Odd Fellows hall. corner of
Princess street and McDcrmot ave
nue., the subject being Home Rule. and
the Ideals and Destiny of the Irish
Race. He said in part:
Il find the following, which may
serve as the text of my lecture in IL
! recent issue of the Saturday Review,
well known English weekly. 1t is
a fair presentation OF that section OF
public opinion which is hopclessly set
against the concession of self govern
lncnt to Ireland: There is also the
simple fact that the Irish as a ma
tion have SO far given no evidence
whatever of being able to govern
| themselves. 1t is the Irish genius to
lead rather than govern, to be ell
thusiastic rather than judicial, to
| In all the more brilliant human quail
ties the Irish excel; but in the hum
drum business of government, which
is an endless series of adjustments
! ana rsrHron1!seG, they do n>t c.:cel!'
Il am not concerned now to point
out the underlying fallacy of this pas
sage, very similar to the well known
address Of the wolf to the lamb A
people that has been deprived for five
centuries and more, of all self gov
crning power and subjected to n code
of laws which Burke described as tho
! most infamous the world had ever
1 known, cannot reasonably be expect
cd to display all the characteristics
! Of great imperial races the very mo-
mcnt that tyranny is withdrawn
! Some reasonable time must be allow
| ed for the growth OF tolcration and
! independence of character; some mis-
| takes made under great pressure, Of
adverse circumstances and bitter
memories Of the past, must be ignored
for Il while. But the passage quoted
from above is useful, because it i'm
plies that the ideals OF the Irish race
are very different from those of the
people to which 1t has been subjected,
and that the misgovernmcnt inflicted
! on the weaker nation is mainly due
to the clash between opposing ideals.
I'VE arc now on Il plane of thought
! above mere politics. for politics how
ever noble ana clcvating, are but the
temporary realization and expression
OF the great underlying ideals.
AS men OF intellect and high pur-
pose differ from the clash one with
the other by reason Of different stand
points, modes OF thought, aptitude for
success, varying views of honor. duty
and eXpediency so nations take their
! different lines of thought and action
according to the different character
and ideals cnvolved during the life
time OF centuries. Gods providence
1, watches over all, for the ultimate
triumph Of right and good, for the
:, glory of the church, for the varying
needs of humanity, for the establish
ment of the Kingdom of Christ on
earth. But human forces are allowed
free play in their determined place
and time. Thus, given the knowledge
of that character and its historic en-
vironmcnt, we can safely assert that
the ideals of the English race are i'm
perial and commercial; of the French
and other Latin peoples, artistic and
autocratic; of that strange m"lln !,
pot Of races. which we call the United
States democratic and eXpansivc; of
the German, probably the greatest
race Of all in the future. intellectual
artistic. imperial and commercial in
,, one. Where are we to place the CeIt,
the oldest Of all. and the first COM
plctcly converted to Christianity and
} harmOniZed with the new Law OF
| Christ and His Church?
"a sarcastic preSsman remarked
some time ago that the Irish race
comparatively small and poor, seems
e capable Of providing bishops and po
lcemen for the whole world. W.