The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1913-09-27

mo nation has suffered 80 much
from the Conspiracy against truth"
the Irish nation. For centuries every
writer has taken his shy at Ireland,
reading into her history his own preju
dices. presuming that because of ad-
verse political conditions and loyalty
to . prescribed religion the Irish ma
ton of today and yesterday has been
the supply for the 'hewers of wood and
the drawers Of water'-that this ma
tion and the great ethnic family that
it represents, the Celtic, has in it no
greatness and has always occupied the
inferior position it today is just emerg-
ing from.
Learned college professors, in learn
ed books, overladen with pseudo
learning, will tell you that the Celt
has not the power to build politically
an enduring national life. that he can
but serve others. he cannot, because
of certain lack in his national char
acter, be leader Yet history tells
US in the golden period of Ireland's
life that she was n leader, and that
for centuries she preserved and dis
seminated the learning that she res
cued from the cataclysm Of the totter-
ing Roman domination. School hts
tories will dilate upon the great work
for civilization that England and
Scotland have done. but ireland. If
mentioned at all. is spoken Of only as
place for exploitation by Cromwell
who 80 kindly brought to Ireland the
blessings and benefits of civilization.
or a field in which the robber Saxon
king might stop the clamor Of his hum
cry camp followers by awarding them
lands he never owned or conquered.
"But our task tonight is to speak of
the ancient pagan Ireland. so long
neglected, and to try and reconstruct
her ancient pagan life, so that we may
see from what modern Ireland sprung
and find in her ancient pagan life an
explanation of much of her Christian
and modern development, and also
lack of development.
1--WE have plenty Of data for our in
! quiry which of late years have been
4 made the subject of close scrutiny.
The manuscript remains of Ireland,
more numerous than of any other Eu-
ropean country. have given us not only
true picture of ancient Ireland, but
also Of the great Celtic family of
which Ireland is the most distinguish
ed moderp development. To be sure
these manuscripts are not earlier than
the eighth century of our era. but they
record events and customs of pre-
Christian times and although, like all
| documents Of their kind, they need the
discriminating critic who can separ-
ate the truth from the chaff Of myth
ical fancy yet when this work has been
| done we have historical documents
| that merit and have received the at
| tention and credence of the scholar
world. This work has been done and
is being done today not only by that
race to whom it is labor of love, but
by the German and French scholars
as we'll.
Eugene O'Curry, in those epoch
making lectures, which he delivered
before the student body of the short
lived Irish university, presided over by
the great English churchman, has CIV
en- us ample historical data upon
which to reconstruct the ancient Irish
life, and the work he SO brilliantly be-
gan has been carried on till today and
the A. O. H. chair Of Celtics, in the
4 Catholic university Of Washington
| will soon contribute to this great worl,
by the publication Of a critical edi-
ton of the Tain-Bo- -Cualnge, the
great Irish illiad. It will be upon such
i sources, properly weighed and crit.
1 ically appreciated, as they are the only
! original and authentic sources. that
we will base our remarks tonight.
ITO be sure to try and tell the story
Of a nation within the compass of g
single hours talk would be futile. All
that can be hoped is to give sketch
J, the merest outline of the home, polit.
y ical, religious and intellectual life o.
a people. ireland has had many names