The Irish standard., 1914-02-21


master could be seen with his pupils
as of yore. The churches were once
more thrown open, and many who had
heard Mass in the solitudes pushed in
and filled them, making their walls
re-echo with thanksgiving and fervent
prayers.
Persecution had only chastened and
perfected the Irish people. The gold
had been tried in the furnace and had
proved pure. Faith and piety went on
together increasing. Ireland became
in time the evangelizer of the nations.
Her sons have carried the faith into
foreign lands. The Church in Australia
is a splendid record of their labors.
Canada is spiritually enriched by the
sacrifices they have made. The United
States have been civilized and moral
lied by the Gael. Her work, too, may
be seen in South America among the
lineal children of Portugal and Spain.
Nor is her influence unfelt in the Dark
Continent, chiefly ruled by Briton and
Boer. In England she has done much
to raise up the dropping spirits of the
faithful few who escaped the sword of
persecution in the sad and stormy
days. Out of their scant earnings the
Irish emigrants have built schools and
churches in every town in this island.
Their generosity gives ready re-
spouse to every call of religion and
charity. The Importance which the
Catholic Church has assumed in this
Protestant nation is mainly due to
them.
Let us now turn to the Sister Island
and see how she Jared in those dismal
times. The sight we behold there is
indeed picture of sorrow and sur
prise. 1t seems incredible that a peo-
pie so brave and, in the past, so re-
ligious, should have yielded up their
God-given treasure without a fierce
struggle. And yet no deep traces of
fierce struggle can be found. The
old faith was lost in England for want
OF cooperation among it's members.
There was, it is true, some resistance
offered to the tyranny of Henry VIII.
There was a revival of this spirit in
the reign of Queen Bess. But it was
not the resistance of the nation. It
was the work >of small minority of
ardent and militant spirits. The peo-
pie as whole took no part in defend
ing their glorious Inheritance. Some
were cowed into acquiesence by the
ferocity of the persecution. Some were
apathetic and poorly instructed. And
some hoped that the storm would blow
over, and that the ship of Peter would
be seen once more riding stately
upon the spiritual waters of old Eng
land. 1t was sad miscalculation. In
that violent tempest the ship of the
Fisherman was wrecked beyond re.
pair. It was broken in pieces and
buried in the turbulent waters upon
whose surface it had floated for we'll
nigh thousand years. When the
storm of persecution had spent it's
force the old religion of England had
disappeared, and its. place was taken
by hypocrisy. A few lonely believers
in the creed of their fathers could still
be found moving about with their
heads down as if they were criminals
A wandering priest might be met pay
ing stealthy visits to a few surviving
members of his once large and devot-
ed flock.
Such was the ruin of the old faith
which lust and greed had wrought in
the land called "Mary's Dowry." Had
the majority been as the minority,
England would not now be reeking
with heresy from shore to shore. The
old religion would still hold the field.
Our ears would not hear the din of a
Babel of creeds. One fold and one
shepherd would be acknowledged in
every home in England. Minds now
agitated by doubts would be resting in
peace. The nations morality would be
standing at a height no man living
hopes to see. It needed but zeal for
Gods honor and union among the
faithful to make an early end Of the
so.called reformation.
The military forces were too small
to resist combined civilian uprising.
The King had nothing in those days
that could be called an army. The
weapons of warfare were crude con.
trivances, and discipline was little bet
ter than name. Union and vigor
would have made an end of the perse-
cution.
The opportunity was lost, never to
be found again. Have we no lesson
to learn from the loss of our holy re.
ligion in Great Britain and its preser-
walton in the Green Isle? There are
stirring times in front of us.