The Irish standard., 1916-08-05

constitution was framed and append
ed thereto, called the Olaster of Tara,
which was received for more than
| 1000 years as a guide by the subse-
; quent kings and jurists of Ireland.
The laws made by those ancient legis-
latures were very wise and very hui
name. They provided for the national
hospitality, for the diffusion of knowl-
edge and wealth, for the subdivision of
land, and for the punishment of crime.
The trial of disputes by IL men, and
the law of gavel, were prominent
among them. Their language, which
is very ancient and identified with
the earliest developments of human
science, is spoken by the people to this
day. Chivalry, honor, music, poetry
and martial courage were promoted
by their social customs. Their reli-
gion of the Fourth century was Pagan;
they sacrificed to the sun, like most
of the Pagan nations of antiquity.
Though the nations which surround
ed them were many times conquered
and reconquered and even sold as
slaves by Roman, Saxon, Dane and
Norman, Ireland maintained an uncon-
querable integrity all through. During
the western wars of the Romans, the
Irish opposed their legions in Britain,
and finally drove them back after a
contest which lasted 400 years.
Theirs was the only nation that re-
ceived Christianity without shedding
blood, which they did in the year 1872
from the lips of St. Patrick who was
a Gaulish captive brought into Ireland
with many others as trophies of war
by their conquering legions.
After their conversion to Christian
ity, they turned their whole strength
to the cultivation of letters and NOR
ais. They were an enlightened ma
ton, and the doctrines of Christianity
stimulated them to become mission
aries and teachers of the west of Eu-
rope, in morals, languages, literature,
astronomy, architecture, poetry and
music. They opened extensive COL
leges at home to which the youths of
Gaul, Britain and Scotland repaired to
be educated. And they sent forth
swarms of missionaries over Europe
who undertook to instruct and refine
the barbarous hordes which overran
that continent at the breaking I'D of
the Roman Empire.
There is hardly any celebrated part
OF Europe where evidences may not
be found at this day of their piety, in.
dustry or knowledge. During the long
night of ruffianism and ignorance
which hung over Europe from the
Fourth to Sixth Century, when the
Goths were seated on the thrones of
the Caesars, the enlightened sons of
Ireland were the only cultivators of
letters, preservers of ancient docu-
ments and dispensers of knowledge
that remained in Europe. They pre-
served the ancient Latin and Phoeni-
clan languages which they speak in
the purest style at the present hour.
1t was from them that the Anglo.
Saxons received their knowledge of
letters and their ideas of legislative
government; and though the entire
legislation of England, from the Nor
man conquest to the days of Castle
reaugh is fraudulent, bloody and op-
pressive, the laws which emanated
from the ancient Irish legislative as
semblies were calculated to diffuse
wealth and knowledge, to dispense
justice, to punish crime and to su-
perinduce morality-results diametri-
cally opposed to those which flow
from the legislation and laws of Eng
land. Ireland for several centuries
presented these attributes and won
from the admiring nations which
she taught the distinctive title Gin
sulam sanctorum ct Doctorum" U.s.
land of Saints and Doctors).
In the Ninth Century her people
were harassed by war with the
Danes, which continued 200 years;
and though that powerful race gave
a new line of kings to England, and
founded a new kingdom in the heart of
Gaul, they were subdued by the per-
severing bravery of the Irish who de-
feated and extinguished their power
in Ireland in the beginning of the
Eleventh Century. From the first
settlement of the country to this, a
period of 2,400 years, the Irish main
tanned their independence as repub-
lie nation.
In the Twelfth Century through the
quarrels of their native princes, they
were invaded by new enemies in the
Anglo Normans, which proved disas-
trous to their independence. These
invaders were crafty and treacherous,
arrayed prince against prince, assist
ing one side or the other according to
circumstances, until the power of all
was considerably diminished. For the
first 400 years of this invasion the An
glo-Roman power contented itself with
a small semi-circle on the eastern
coast of Ireland, known as the English
n~1- 49, S-y-Af