The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1916-02-19
BY Rev. P. s. Dineen, NJ. A.

BY Rev. P. s. Dineen, NJ. A.
1t is difficult to forecast the political
future of this island. speak not
as politician, but as student Of
] history when say that the conglom-
Grafton of countries and islands that
are marked red OH our present maps,
and called the British Empire, will not
always cling together. The Roman
Empire had far stronger bonds of
union than the British, and yet that
great Empire, even in the zenith of
its power had clay mingled with it's
feet Of iron and nurtured the seeds of
disruption, which grew strong in time
and shattered it to thousand frag-
ments. The British Empire will burst
up as the Roman did. Nay. the bonds
of constitutional government that
unite this island to the larger island
across the Channel have no perpetuity
in the nature of things. These two
islands have been united under the
same monarchy for three hundred
years. But what are three hundred
years in the life of nation. The day
may come, it may not be far distant.
when this island may have to lead a
separate political life, or enter into
some new combination and form part
of new Empire.
Prestige Of English Fast Waning.
The day may come when the pres
tige and importance Of the English
language will not be what it is now.
Even now, as literary language, Eng
lish is fast waning. The past fifty
! years have witnessed a deterioration
in the quality of English literature
which has no parallel since the age
of Chaucer, and which seems on the
increase as years go by. There seems
10 chance of an aftermath of English
literature, till youthful nations infuse
their vigor into dialects of that Ian
guage. Imagine the state of things
that may exist hundred years or
two hundred years hence. The Brit
ish Empire shorn of most of its terri.
tory. Ireland and England no longer
under the same government. New
Empires, new dynasties sharing be.
tween them the sovereignty of the ci.
vilized world. The English language
melting down in the crucible and new
dialects springing up. Imagine. If you
can. the loss, the incalculable loss
to this country il every vestige of liv-
ing Irish shall have been wiped out.
Three or four hundred years spent
under the shadow of the British con.
stitution, and we emerge bearing the
most unmistakable of all badges of
slavery, the badge of a slavery that
not only enslaved the body, but that
also corroded the mind-the very &C.
cents, the tone, the speech of our
masters. When we have lost our Ian.
guage-then, and not till then, shall
we be veritable slaves.
Evidences Of Pedigree Among the Ma.
tions Of the Earth.
Try to imagine the loss to our coun-
try If. in these no very distant days,
perhaps. all she can point to as men,
orials Of her antiquity, as evidences
of her pedigree among the nations Of
the earth, as proofs of her past great
ness, be few old manuscripts in a
disused character. few old ruins, a
few inscriptions on stone, while that
living voice of Irish speech that re-
echoed amid her hills for three thon-
sand years Is hushed into silence for.
ever. That voice might have been
preserved cas- a living witness to the
high antiquity of our people, to their
ancient lineage among the nations,
as the living nurse and fosterer of
immemorial traditions and dreams of
glorious past. Consider the advan.
tages of living witness over wit.
ness that is dead and gone. The evi.
dence of dead witness may be mis-.
represented. You cannot cross.exam-
inc him. You cannot piece together
his story with all the coloring of time
and place. You may question living
witness. Each new question may re-
veal truths long hidden. may drag to
light evidence of the utmost moment.
The Living Tongue An Eneroizing
Power.
The living tongue, even though the
area over which it is vernacular be
circumscribed, is an energizing power
in the land. 1t is a compendium of
our history, it is our fierce war-cry in
the conflict of nationalities. it is our