The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-03-18


 tory and learn to rule the state.'
 Instances were cited by the eminent speaker who said that men of the classics went there to learn the lore, men who, wished for mathematics went there and men who wished to learn scripture went there. Four thousand persons at Bangor were taught the sciences known only to the monks. Thus from Rome and from Ireland civilization came to England. Not only to England but through the saints who travelled up the Rhine, in. to Italy, Spain and every country was civilization carried to the utterrnost parts of the earth.' Illustrations of Co1umbanus, who destroyed the oaks and idols of England, St. Dunga1 as well as others were given in detail by the speaker.
 It was recalled that of the calendar of saints a larger part came. from Ire land, Germany having 130, France 145, Belgium 40 and Switzerland and Italy many more. Three hundred out of the 800 on the calendar are Irish. It was these men who brought faith and civilization to all of the North of Germany.
 ..If you read of the lives of the saints Of those days you will see that they were sent to Ireland to be edu-s cated so we should take great pleas ure in being here together and should take greater pleasure if we only knew what our ancestors did in the way of edueation. Schools in Ireland, how ever, did not give you a degree in those days after one or two years study. Those Ir1shmen had to put in 12 years-eight years in philosophy and four years in sciences before they were allowed to go out and teach the language which was then the Gaelic and with all the praise given today to a great many languages of the past, Gaelic was known and written in books because the printing press did not exist From the necessity of writ ing the Irish became good penmen and some of the finest examples of penmanship in the world today are in the museums in the Gaelic language
 ssWe think we are educated today but we have not produced anyone who could produce the work these monks could in their little colleges and mon asteries through Ireland and for that we are thankful and because we came from that race.
 Though we have not government of our oy yvn we soon shall have it, and 1t was probably in the providence of God it Is well we did not have one as yet, because the IrishTnan has gone throughout the world ands instead of ruling at home he has ruled wherever he has gone. The sun has not tksetstc- day upon IrishTnen gathered together all over the world celebrating thefeast of the Irish patron Saint z
 With a forcefu1 hope that all might sustain the reputation which had been made by their forefathers the speaker sat down to prolonged applause.
 WILLIAM J. A1IJLEIGAN.
 william J. Mulligan, state deputy of the K of C. from Tho1npsonvf1le, Conn, spoke upon Irish Influence. =
 Conp1imenting Father McGivney up- on the speech which had greatly inn pressed him the orator said:
 s.Te influence of the Irish Tn all gov- Eernments has been So great and has figured so prominently in almost ev- cry century that we can today cele-5 brate not merely the conversion of Ireland to Christianity but the jnitail movement which for I4 centuries nov ed upward until it cuITninated in this republic of liberty and law
 esAs the great Oak is the product |of the little acorn which may be held in the hand, as the waving field Of wheat ripening in the golden sp1en- dorsof the summer sky may have been Saved by the fugitive ray Of sun shine escaping from the clouds on a winters day-so as we contempIate the greatness achieved by this repub-