The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-11-15
By HAROLD REGBIE.


encountered In Ireland itself Is compar-
able with tnls transatlantic fury of UNI
forglvins hate.
An freshman who had held very high
office In America, well educated, %
kindly and q jud cious man. told me that
when war with Germany was in the air
he could not prevent himself from hail
ing this opportunity for declaring his
hatred. his undying hatred. OF England
His father had suffered frightfuily In
the great famine. every story he ever
heard at his mothers knee was story
Of Engl sn tyranny, English brutality.
English rapacity; England. for him.
stood as the rack centre. the lustful and
bostlal slave driver. the cruel and merci-
less eNtortiorer
This mans GOOD Judgment. however.
would not suffer him to approve OF
German m'liarism. and as events moved
forward he gave his support more and
more to tho cause Of the Allies
"But I want you to know" he told me,
striking the table with his hand and
watching mo carefully. that was dead
against ! rr Redmond for saying that
ireland must go to the aid Of England
Irelinds call was to go to the aid of
civilization. II Germany had stood for
civilization I should have been on Cor
many's side and dead against England.
II tell you, at the beginning OF this
bushes / longed to sec England defeated,
Inundated. broken to the dust But OWL
lizatIou j. OF such enormous consequence
that I put my natural hatred OF England
on one side. The violation or Belgium
made me an anti-German. And with the
vast majority ~ Irishmcn In America II
was the same thing The menace OF Ger
man militarisn forced US into your camp.
Il am perfectly certain that bur Tor the
violation OF G..gum there would have
been In this country among irish Amer
leans an open movement publicly pro
claimed in favor OF Germany. That -
my ixcd opinion And | happen TO know
what | am talking about"
gathered ~ the course OF his con-
vors,iiou tha. Irish frendllness toward
England Is tlnhl manifestation OF a
.naugc ,u the feeling Of all America
toward England II wa, not very long
ago that presdru. Cleveland wanted
Vlr with England Hatred OF English
Was a. one time as hercely handed down
from generation TO generation by Am y
leans as by Irish Americans We have To
.nunE our English stars that America
lu. 1utgVuWn this historic hat and that
I,sh Americans 0bw show the new and
happier feeling Of their compatrOts.
I asked this freshman, no one better
able throughout America to express Il
Just opinion on he subject. what diff
ference had been made IA the feeling
toward England by the passing OF the
home rule hill.
1T was The passing OF that bill" he
replied. which finished the work begun
by German militRrism, Home rule mas
soft, tened our feelings toward England,
particularly among the thousands of
Irish Americans who are born over here
and whose fathers have become too Amer
icanlzed to remember the sufferings OF
their ancestors.
There IL stlll some hatred OF England.
but not very much. 1t is a sentimental,
a poetic hatred, no. a political hatred.
one finds 1t among few individuals.
What agitation Is now going on is secret
and underground, q sure proof that il Is
unrepresentatlve. We ignore Il. II means
nothing. No; the passing OF the home
rule bill has given balance to the Irish
mind
1T has helped Irish Americans to
realize that the dreadful sins of England
are sins OF dead and gone England. and
II has helped them To see that [ present
England, so far as it's democracy is con-
cerned sincerely desires to make repara-
ton for the past. In fact. the war and
the home rule bill together have produced
such a transformation IN the Irish Ameri-
can nature as !. for one, never expected
lie then wasIGHxO that this rr..,
change might suffer a dangerous reaction
II England allows the religious bigotry Of
Ulster TO split Ireland into two camps. To
the Irish American Ireland Is a country
a home and shrine, one and lndIvlsible
such sur ender." said my friend,
"wouh not only be- fatal to Ireland but
fatal to something even greater than Ire-
land, and that Is the cause If religion IN
an age OF increasing paganism. For the
world can only be saved from the ruin
OF paganism, AZ we are beginning to sec
very clearly In America. By union OF re-
lgious forces.
81 am a Catholic, but ! say that any
man who says only through my door can
you enter into heaven Is a bad Christian
There are many doors into heay-n. What
we have all got to do. Catholics and non
Catholics, is To Insist together that there
Is n heaven, that there IN a life after death
that there IL u God The more doors the
better No one has monopoly OF
heaven .,
"And to ireland is offered the oppor-
tunity, greater than politicians appear Z.
perceive, Of presenting 10 the world an
example of tolerance and compromise in
the supreme interests OF religion which
may have Iucaculablr results TO- the
whole world. But what will happen IL
England bows before the worst aud the
stWidest hiEntry the modern world can
show Not only viii you strike blow at
Ireland and a blow at Irish American
NNIUIdlHNJ nut dow AT the NtalS or re-.
liElOn
''l'1r It is only ny sinking religious
differences and making a common ad-
vance against this universal paganIsm
that religion can save the soul Of civl,za-
ton, II YOU do not see the truth OF
thai fact in England ! think YOU mus.
be blind. The fulness OF eivillzai ion
- nss upon religious union religious dis
senson Is the enemy"
Another Irish American who was pros
en' on this occasion an accomplished
man OF letters and n traveller. asked me
what England felt about listers share in
me responsibility for the present war
u myself have seen two letters from
Ulster" he said, I'm which the phrase
occurs, Rather the Kaiser than the Pope
Those letters were written before the war
Ulster, no doubt, has now changed her
tune But It was that spirit surely, and
the reports sent TO Berlin by German Off
GERS who visited Ulster and inquired into
IN" military character OF Carsonisn,,
which persuaded Germany that England
would not fight" o.
lflsh Americans are persuaded that Cir
Fhward Carson IL in very great measure
responsible for all the ruin and death