The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1914-06-06

with strong loves and strong hates
with great hopes and great fears.
They are minstrels to incite ad-
vancing warriors; they are bards
to stir the fighters to battle; they
are songsters to rouse the mircath
in the hearts of the soldiers.
They would be immediate and
practical says "Ethna Carberry:"
But Shiela in Cara. why raise the
stony dead,
Since at your call a living host will
circle you instead?
Long is our hunger for your voice,
the hour is drawing near
Oh, Dark Rose Of our Passion-call.
and our hearts shall hear!
But the question will Immediately
arise. why II these men are such ar
dent patriots, ready to wage blody
war and to oppose the might Of
Britain's empire. why do they not
forge a pike and take to the hill
sides. why do they not go out and
throw up barbados in the streets?
The ready answer is that to-day sucn
a course would be folly; at future
day, for which intense forces are
slowly but surely preparing-at a
future day Ireland shall be ready for
freedom. pixies glinting on the
hillside, guns roaring, and blood
flowing. are but incidents of a re-
bellion. and may. or may not. &C.
company its final phase" At pres
ent, seriously and steadfastly, in
visable powers are affecting the life
and the soul Of Irish life. Political
must follow social and economic in
dependence. The blow for liberty
must come at the end of consist
ent development, not as the result
of spasmodic outburst which would
rack but not cure. AS one Of the
writer's has said:
live my life to help to work
when at length the time comes
that my country calls, saying,
"Now is the time when it is need
full that you should give your life
for me-. then I go forth, joyfully
and give it-joyfully, because I
know that. in then giving it, l am
advancing my country's cause and
attaining my hearts desire. If in
my day the great hour should
not come, then l must heroically
live my life for my country, work.
ing to keep alive the traditions
and the spirit of my race, and
passing on to those who relieve
me in the noiseless battle, a heri-
tage of resolve and of noble pur-
, pose which will brace them for the
crisis should it come in their day;
and in that case my silent strug-
gle, though it do not make a show
in this worlds eyes, will, in the
next, be as richly rewarded as my
successors glorious sacrifice. ~.
In order that there may be "re-
vival" something must of course
have existed that can be revived.
We have but to turn to our histor-
ians to learn of the Importance of
Irish learning in the Middle Ages
how the scholars at the Irish schools
numbered into the thousands; how
the Renaissance began in Ireland
seven centuries earlier than in Italy;
how the Irish teachers and preachers
carried the torch of faith and the
light Of learning through the dark
ened countries of Europe; how
Frederick Barbarossa. returning
from holy Crusade, found a little
monastery in the Balkan mountains
presided over by an Irish bishop;
how the dark ages" Of Europe were
ages of effluence in Ireland. But
these things all passed. There came
the raging Danes; there came the
invading Saxons; there came Eliza
beth of England, "civilizing with
fire and sword" then Cromwell and
the cruel and unjust Penal Laws.
BY these laws it was forbidden the
Irish to own, inherit, buy or sell
property; to live within a wallew
town. to enter any of the professions.
or to engage in trade. Education
was stopped, and price of five
pounds was put on the head of every
wolf, priest and schoolmaster.
Finally. the ban was removed-it is
to be remembered that Catholic
emancipation was accomplished in
England only in 1814-and step by
step Ireland has been progressing
toward a nationality of her own
again.
The Gaelic League is doing a great
work. BY its country festivals, at
which prizes are given for Irish
songs. tales. poems. airs. and dances.