The Irish standard., 1915-09-01

QarQ, especially tllOSC VIII dlS
members of the Ancient Order of Hi
bernians and the Ladies Auxiliary,
on subject now uppermost in my
mind and closely connected with the
interest of the people. The subject is
a delicate one, but my thoughts are
sincere and I am voicing my own
opinions with the same liberty that
is granted to others to express them
selves on an important question. The
dreadful war is at present devastating
the continent of Europe. AS logical
sequence the various races in America
represented on the battle fields OF
Europe are conscious of the sympathy
that goes out to all those engaged,
but particularly to those of their own
race
The newly coined phrase "hyphen-
ated American has been coined as a
term of ridicule which a prejudiced
public has been pleased to apply in a
general way to the descendants of the
Irish race now living in America be-
cause of their continual whole-hearted,
sincere and patriotic endeavors to do
something to tighten the burden of
those whom they left behind in the
old land. By using the term "hyphen-
ated Americans" those who attempt
to apply it seek to belittle the Irish
people. Being a 'hyphenated Ameri-
can" myself, thing of which | am
exceedingly proud, l resent this with
every beat of my Irish heart.
l do not wish to be set down as one
who is unwilling to forgive past in
iuries, nor do | wish to be known
as one who likes to preserve legacy
of hate. Rather would I wish to be
known as one who desires her people
to forgive, but forget! Never! For
there is danger in forgetting.
Taken in connection with the his
tory of the old world countries, the
history of America is very new. The
Irish have come from country whose
history can be traced back in an I'M
broken line 1000 years before the
dawn of Christianity. America with
its history of a little over three hum
dred years, less than that, if meas
ured by the standard of most of us,
which is that the real history COM
menced with the driving out of the
English redcoats in 1876 1t must be
plain then to the dullest mind, that all
Americans of today, excepting the
Redman, must have hyphen of some
sort.
1t is only natural that the hyphen-
ated American who has loved the land
of his birth, or his ancestors, and is
proud of that country's place in his
tory, should sympathize with the
death struggle in which that land
may be engaged. This in no way in
terferes with his loyalty to his adopt
ed country But his critic, though
processing like the Pharisee that he
is, his strict neutrality in the present
conflict, is doing everything in his
power to embarrass or influence his
government and force this country
into the dreadful conflict. In all this
talk about hyphens, which has be-
come so bitter that it is endangering
the future peace of our country, and
which is preventing in great many
cases good, honest, American citizens
from earning living for their famil-
les, there is not word about the
most dangerous of all hyphens, that
of "Anglo-American." l know I am
treading now on dangerous ground.
There are those of our own blood who
are advocating that we forget the
past, we must forgive our enemies, we
must do this, and that, which our
Irish blood rebels against We are
told today that Ireland's best inter-
ests are with England. wish 1 could
have this faith in English promises
which some of our people seem to
have A glance over the history past
will prove that English promises are
made to be broken, be those promises
made by Tory or Liberal. At this time
last year the Irish press was teaming