The Irish standard., 1915-02-20
|H|R[RNAN|SM HOLDS THEIR SACRED HERITAGE
and Genius of the Celtic Heritage Order
IL cder of Hibernians Holds This Heritage
l*ov stp~+ World Eloquent Appeal of State Secre-
taa. O'Dea to Officers in Pennsylvania

between the state officers and the
membership. Still another purpose is
the stimulation of new movements
such as the membership compaign.
These monthly communications also
afford the opportunity of bringing be-
fore the membership, from time to
time, in concrete form, the activities
and achievements Of the men of our
race in the higher walks of life. Our
enemies admit that we have produced
many impressive political speakers;
but how many of them know-how
many of ourselves know-that when,
in 1876, those masters of oratory, Ed
mund Burke and Richard Brinsley
Sheridan, were laundering justice to
the world in the British House of Com.
mons, English peers and peeresses,
statesmen and actors, jostled one an
other in the galleries to learn from
these Irish immortals the secrets of
style and defamation? How many
OF us know that Burke, in the opinion
of DR.. Samuel johnson, Macaulay,
Webster, Calhoun, Clay and Cavour,
was the greatest statesman and pub
licist of modern times-"the most De-
mosthenic speaker since Demos
thenes?" His fame is the heritage of
all mankind. How many of lis know
that no less an authority than Lord
Byron declared that Sheridan wrote
the best comedy ("The School for
Scandal') and made the best speech
(1mpeachment of Warren Hastings")
in the English language? How many
of us know that the most gifted of
American writer's 1rving) is praised
by calling him the American Gold.
smith? How many of us know that an
1rishman, John Scotus Erigena, found
ed the system of medieval scolastic.
ism in which such men as st. Thomas
Aquinas and Lord Bacon were intel
lectually trained? How many of us
know of the literary and scientific
achievements of the Irish monastic or.
ders during the dark ages, when such
intellectual centers as Rome, Alexan-
dria and Constantinople were in the
grasp of barbaric hordes-achieve-
ments described at great length by
the English historian Gibbon in his
| Decline and Fall of the Roman EN-
pire"?
We have had few communications
calling for some expression of opinion
on the war in European expression
of opinion with respect to Ireland's
interests in that war; We hesitate to
give an opinion, not wishing to add to
the bitterness of the strife even one
harsh sentence. Still we do not be-
lieve that Irish men and Irish women
have changed much in their attitude
on the question of service in England's
army since the lamented and we'll
beloved Kickham wrote Patrick Shee.
ham," or since that Tipperary mother
keened for her gallant boy-her own
bouchal dhas-who fell fighting on the
English side in the Crimea:
"Had he died as my own brave broth
| ers died,
With the green flag waving DER him,
A bright ray would cheer cen the
darkened soul,
Of the childless one who bore him.
Had l closed his eyes in his own old
| home,
Did heaven that blessing grant me;
All! the widow would grieve for her
| only son,
| But no fears for his soul would
haunt me.
But he fell far away from nome and
friends,
In the cause of his country's foe.
i men;
Oh! l cursed the day that he joined
i their ranks,
For l thought of the ruthless yoe-
| men.
And my eyes are dry while tell his
fate,-
And no prayer my lips have spoken;
Yet he was my boy-my gallant boy.
And his mothers heart is broken" !"
British thanks for Irish valor have
always found expression in adding to
her always cruel and systematic legal
extermination-systems which have
resulted in the ruthless depopulation
; of our fair Motherland Until now, all
Irish 1rishmen declared that whenever
England's legions were victorious Ire.
lands chains were frightened, and that
when defeat and disaster overlook her
: forces she was less tyrannical. How.
ever, we are told that something
which recently happened calls for
"burying the hatchet." OF the sound
I ness of this argument-of the imror
, tance of that still underlined happening
= (concession) you are to Judge fol
, yourselves. ...