The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1914-07-11
THREE GREAT CARDINALS AND THE
IRISH QUESTION

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It is interesting to note that 'The
Tablet" that sterling English Cath
Ollie publication, which has been q
reactionary in the matter of Home
Rule for years. If not since its es-
tablishment, has come to have more
kindly feelings toward the question
of self-government for Ireland. The
present Irish situation has called
forth from the writer of its eft Get
era" department these striking tes-
timonies of three great Cardinals,
who were personal observers of that
which gave them their impressions of
the people Of the sister isle.
In the strife of politics (Which
disturbs not this otherwise occupied
page) we seem to hear just now of
only one ireland, the Ireland that
has a vile and wanton insult to the
Pope for its watchword, the Ireland
that sees in it's Catholic brother one
who. because he is Catholic, cannot
be consorted with in the governing
of their common country. The great
er Ireland. that Catholic Ireland.
which has not striven or cried nor
let its voice be heard in the streets
during all this din and dust, has had
from Catholic Englishmen tributes of
brotherly affection which some may
care to recall to-day. We will quote
the dead rather than the living, and
cite the sayings of three English
Cardinals, themselves the personal
observers of that which went to the
making of their personal impress
sions.
Cardinal Wiseman was cosmo-
politan in his judgment. A Spain
lard by early impression, a Roman by
long residence, an Englishman by
duty, he had also that Irish blood in
his veins which cements, and not in
his case only. the union between
Westminster and Dublin. The
Cardinal, after an Irish tour, gave in
1858 a lecture in the Hanover Square
rooms, from which we make our ex-
tract: "And now, if may use my
own experience, will say that moth
ing struck me more in Ireland than
the characteristic resemblance which
I found every where among the
people. You can find in different
parts of ireland what you may call
different national families. In some
parts you will find more robust
growth. great physical develop
ment; while in other parts you may
observe a race as it is called. not
SO strong, nor possessing such power
full physical characteristics. Now,
these varieties are to be traced in
every part of England, and in every
country of the world. But in the
character of the people it seems to
me that everywhere there was re-
semblance which was a stamp of the
most strict complete nationality: and
that nationality seemed all to be one
in its great principles, as we'll as in
all that it was doing, or trying to
do" The record of this solidarity
of the people reads perhaps rather
ironically at this moment of passion;
but the words are not altogether
without hope or even promise of fu-
ture union.
The Cardinal continues: 1.-THE man
ners of the people, their looks, the
countenances may be different, but
one expression pervades them; there
is in every man of them, wherever
you go, a warmth and expansion of
heart which is totally different from
what you find-from what I have
found-in any other country. There
is spontaneity of expression; there
is facility of giving utterance to
their thoughts; there is a brilliancy,
even a poetry about them which. ami
mates the whole of the peasantry.
They have a smile upon their coun-
tenance which is bright and cheer
ing; the light of their eye is not only
brilliant, but most tender, and I was
surprised, in the multitude of per-
sons, whom saw congregated, to
the amount of thousands, to observe
the sort of natural gentleness of
bearing which belongs most marked
ly to a moral people. never in the
whole of my tour, and I have said
that my observation extends to tens