The Irish standard., 1913-08-02

Reading the lives OF irish mission
aries in Europe. one fact stands forth
from the pages with striking prom
inence, and 1t is that q central virtue
of the missionary, Of the apostle. IL
n gift of great daring. Courage or
daring is, indeed, a quality necessary
for greatness Of achievement in any
sphere of human thought or action.
This is SO true that one writer at
tributes the decline of Napoleon's
military star to the loss of his former
tremendous courage.
For some time before the battle of
Waterloo, Napoleon hestated In his
plans; the man, who was impatient
of counscllors as dallying idealists.
sought advice from his interiors. His
| brother placed great political sci
ence before him towards the end of
his career, and. when he hesitated
the brother said:
only darc!" and Napoleon sadly
answered.: II have dared too much
already"
The spring of that great will was
broken: when Wellington conquered
at Waterloo, according to this writer
he conquered the shadow Of Napo-
leon. . .
The same virtue is necessary fol
the missionary in advancing the
greater cause of Christ. Jeremiah
the prophet OF the old dispensntion
and type of apostolic zeal, was bid.
den not to fear the face of man. Ir
wall of BRASS" and "a pillar of iron.
and "a fortified city," against him
men would fight but they would not
prevail.
"If Any Man Darcs, I Dare Also"
| He was to be sent to kings and
princes and priests to tear up and pull
down and scatter and annihilate
iniquity, and to build up and plant
Justice. The first Christians. too
were characterized by their boldnest
and confidence in preaching the mes
sage Of Christ. And st. Paul-tht
greatest of the Apostles-gives one o
the secrets OF his success when he
says: "If any man dares, l dare
also.''
! Saint COLUMBIA.
The first, and one of the greatest
Irish missionaries and exiles. was st
COLUMBIA, who belonged to the sixth
century. Imaginative. warm hearted
impetuous, fiery even TO occasiona
rashness, his was a temperament en-.
inently suited to his poetical and ora.
torical gifts. Love of Nature, Love
OF Land and Love Of God were thu
three great impulses Of his life; nay
rather, with him they were contained
in the one primal impulse Of Love o.
God. There are those who believe
that the Love of Nature was q dis.
| coVery OF recent times.
1t must be emphasized to those
over-confident moderns that the He.
brew shepherd, who was to be after.
wards the royal psalmist, could have
in the plains of Palestine grand Wis
ions of Natures glories. He car
learn, also, that the early Irish schol
ars were open-eyed to the subtles
beauties of nature. Nature was u
them legible script, and they could
! interpret the anger Of the tempest
the signing of the wind, and th'
laughing Of the sunlit waters. In al
ancient poem about Durrow, Columbs
i draws attention to the wind sing!1i
through the elms. the blackbird's note
and the cuckoo's chant in the angeli,
land of Tire.
j In poem translated by Dr. Healy
the substance of which is probabl!
the genuine work of COLUMBIA, his low,
}, Of fatherland is beautifully expressed
II stand on the deck Of my bark.
u And gaze on the southern sea,
j But alas! and alas! my Fri
Il Forever is hidden from me.
How bright are the eyes Of my Fri
= Like the CLEAN Of angels wings
And sweet is the breath Of my Err