The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-03-18

'aS lnt IflSn race CeleDTaIc the ltaI day of him to whom, under God. Ire | land owes the most Today is St. Pat rick's Day and the virtues are record cd and the praises are sung uf that man of God who nigh 1900 years ago l brought the light of the gospel to the Irish. Today the descendants of those who heard Patrick preach in that ior 2. ago, holding the same true faith re- call his wonderful work in the evan gelization of Ireland and recall, too. with pride the wonderful story of all the days since then. With pride they recall the glorious memories of the days immediately succeeding PatriclS's preaching when Ireland was the light Of Europe. the island of saints and scholars and missionaries Sad memor- ies. too. arise of the bitter parsecu- tton In later days by Dane and saxon Proud memories also there be of the | loyalty and steadfastness of our sath. CTS in dark and evil days when amidst prosecutions unparalleled in tho his tory of any nation, they kept pure and unsullied and untarnished Irish honor and the Catholic faith Patrick preached at Tara on the Eastern morning of the year of our Lord, 433.
 ''Yes. today, all over the earth is told the story, that told each year on this our saints day, Is ever ancient, ever new, the story of St. Patriclx's won dcrful mission. How sent from i1ome by Celestine. the reigning pontiff, lie came and won for Christ the island in the western sea. How he travelled the land north, south and east and west. and everNwhere destroyed druid ical worship and replaced false tenn ples with churches, monasteries and eonvents. How he found the land pagan and left it universally Catholic
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 And then succeeded the wonderful days when the island was one vast school of sanctity and learning. land where when the old Roman emrire was being dismembered by the northern tribes that swept over her borders and seized her provinces and even thun cered at the walls of Rome, kept alght the lamp of faith and science and then brought the faith and learning 10 all the newly formed nations from the sunny shores of south Italy to the bleak Scandinavian fiords, from the Hebrides of west Scotland to the banks of the Danube. That history you know. If is written in the annals of Ireland in the annals of Europe, in the annals of civilization, in the annals of the Catholic faith.
 "Ah, then succeeded the days of trial and storm. Sea rovers came from Scan- dinavia and plundered the peaceful sanctuaries of Irelands scholars and saints and brought havoc to the fairest portion of the land even till Brian Boru. in the battle of Contarf on Good Friday of 1914. defeated and expelled them from the land forever
 The danes were expelled. but soon after came a craftier foe. In an evil hour the English crossed the Irish sea and Ire lands long crucifixion began. We will nat dwell on unpleasant topics today, on the sgd blood-stained history of the land rom 1172 to this present time. Suffice 1t to say that the treatment of Ireland is the blodiest picture on the book of time
 England, having bartered it's faith for mass of pottage at the bidding of tyrant who saw the gospel light flash first from Boleyn's eyes used art, force, torture, bribery and flattery to destroy Irish nationality and Irish faith. That na- ton, that today in hypocritical horror is bewailing the violation by Germany of a treaty, broke again and again treaties with the Irish. That nation, that today Is proclaiming a brave and cultured foe a nation of barbarians and Huns be- cause some towns and churches came within range of their cannon, ruthlessly and wantonly and without military neces- sity destroyed and sacked and plundered our monasteries and convents and schools, expelled the priest and school master from the land, made the mass a crime and the profession of Catholicity cause for death. Ohl the horrors of penal days! When goddess persecution reigned-when They bribed the flock and bribed the son,
 To sell the priest and rob the sire And dogs were taught alike to run Upon the scent of wolf and friar But vain all the persecution and brib- Ina 1atr hetr cad and we hold still pure and untarnished our Irish honor and our Catholic faith Greece fought, at length her great heart
 burst,
 Her spirit quailed before the foe.
 Poland, the mightiest and the first,
 Surrendered at the triple blow.
 But Ireland ten times dared the worst,
 And England never laid her low.
 ''The scoffer may say, But why if the Catholic faith be the true faith, why this long crucifixion of the Irish people? We may answer in the words of Holy Writ, .Wlio hath known the mind of the Lord. or who hath been His councillor or yet again, God chastiseth whom He loveth. But, indeed, a great Irish writer lately Eassed away, Canon Sheehan, gives a reason and who will gainsay it? He says that the reason why when England g power was spreading all over the earth and the beat of the British drum was hoard in every land, the Irish people oppressed and downstroGden by unjust laws were forced to seek liberty and free dom denied at home in newly formed colonies, the reason was because they hold in these days of the new dispensa- tcn the place held by the Jewish people of Old Testament times, they are now the chosen people of God, destined to bring the knowledge of faith to foreign | shores. Is it not plausible-that reason- | ing of Father Sheehans? Cardinal Man ming, after the Council of the Vatican in 1870, remarked that of all the bishops present no saint had so many mitred sors at that great gathering as St. Pat rick, the apostle of Ireland
 1 And what of the future? Who can | say? God has not revealed. Shall the crucifixion still continue, or shall we see as a result of the present Titanic
 struggle in the old world, England's power and might wane and fade
 ''- her navies melt away On dune and headland sink, her fire ] And all her pomp of yesterday
 Be one with Nineveh and Tyre.
 And the old land prosperous, independ- ant, free. We know not, but this we