The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1915-10-16
Columbus Memory Aonored
Continued From Page y


of st. Paul, and also with the gallant 1
young governor of Minnesota, who has
already won his laurels in the congress
of the United States, it makes me
tremble for the comparison.
To add to my trouble, the Mime.
apolis Tribune of last Sunday, in its |
splendid notice of this gathering
spread such a vista of world thought |
which the name of Columbus, 1.-The SOL |
itary figure standing above ALL in the
history of his time, that the unfor.
tunate orator, forgetting self, fears for
his audience. With your permission
will read what the Tribune has so
truthfully and beautifully said. (Read-
ing extract from paper.)
While we have not the time and it
would try your kindness to give even
a faint tracing of the history here al
luded to. the very mention of these
facts show what mighty things Column
bus made possible when he opened the
secret of the seas.
Great men grow greater with the
lapse of time:
We know those least who we have seen
the latest;
And they, 'mongst those whose names
have grown sublime,
Who worked for human liberty, are
greatest
So sang one of the sweet singers
Of my race. His voice for this earth
has been stilled in the grave, but the
truth and beauty of the sentiment new
err dies.
Four centuries had passed by before
the people began to render any just
mead of praise to the great world navi-
gator, and it was in 1913 these United
States, which owed so much to his
genius and will, placed in our National
Capital its tribute in marble to his
memory.
We are here as citizens of the great
republic to render our tribute of honor
to the name of Columbus because we
cannot forget that idealist and dream.
er as he was, his dreaming blossomed
into glorious act, which opened the
gateways of the mighty west to the
onward march of freedom.
Remember that in the providence of
God hundred years is but mo-
ment, a thousand years but yesterday.
have always believed this, our
government and land, are providential,
land in which the several races of
men should become one, and all free
under the law.
Zone love, one hope, one duty theirs,
No matter the time or ken,
There never was separate heartbeat
In all the races Of men,"
| Every crisis in the affairs Of men
demands leader. And when the cri.
sis is Of supreme moment the leader
seemingly comes of God. Moses, Ger.
tainly inspired of heaven, led the chill.
dren of Israel out of the land of bond.
age, across the Red Sea and the des.
ert, to the Promised Land.
When population threatened to
tread upon the heels of subsistence in
the older world, the call for leader
came and Columbus answered.
After the lapse Of the centuries, the
thirteen colonies of Great Britain
dreamed dreams of enlarged freedom
before unknown, and out of the strug
gle of ideas and clash of arms came
our deathless hero Washington, and
with him the great republic.
Many others might be mentioned to
illustrate the idea I have advanced
will mention now but one. When
these states in 1S60-1s65 engaged in
our civil struggle, there came man
patriot and leader-whose deathless
name needs only to be mentioned
Lincoln. He, under God, led this peo'
pie through the Red Sea of revolution
| into peace and union.
And SO pray, there soon may come
out of the terrible strife in Europe
an evangel of peace to heal the ma.
lions.
Among my papers have found, writ.
ten about four years ago, two pages of
thought appropriate to this occasion
| and use them now.
from Mexico. This was shortly after
President Wilson's personal envoy was
sent there. Nelson O'Ohaughnessy was