The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-05-27
WAS THE IRISH UPRISING
JUSTIFIED?

ed letter from Father Cremin of
the st. Paul Seminary, iii which
he took exception to our comments
on the recent uprising in Ireland:
We return to the subject merely
for the purpose of emphasizing
one phase of the sad affair.
We do not question the lofty
motives of those who took part in
the uprising nor the ''purest
idealism :" of their leaders. We
set aside, as foreign to the case,
any discussion Of the provocation,
traditional or immediate, which
they may have had, as well as of
| the wisdom of England in punish
ing as severely as she did all who
participated in the uprising We
confide ourselves exclusively to
the question as to whether or not
the act of rebellion, or the up-
rising as it is called in Ireland,
was justifabIe, or such as to be
commended or participated in.
Father Cremin is theologian
and, therefore, familiar with the
theological bearing of the case.
From this viewpoint we most EN-
phatically maintain that the up
rising in Ireland was unjustifable.
War at all times is terrible
thing; recourse to it is never law
full unless one supreme condition
be fulfilled, namely, that there be
some hope or probability of a
successful outcome. No one has
a right, before God, to throw away
his life i'll an utterly futile effort
which must be barren of results.
TO do SO is nothing short of sui
eide.
Under the circumstances, it was
evident as MONDAY that the Irish
uprising could not be successful,
could not accomplish it's purpose
which was to liberate Ireland
from the yoke of English rule.
Those who took part i'll it were a
mere handful representing no one
but themselves. They had not
the support of one per cent of the
Irish people and many of their
countrymen opposed them. There
was no chance Of success for a
single moment.
That the ideal they had in mind
the freedom of Ireland from
alien domination-was a noble
one and most praiseworthy, is not
the question. No one has the
right to do wrong In order to eff
feet good. The martyrs who,
during the ages, have given their
lives for the faith were inspired
by the noblest ideals; but they
were not permitted to THROW
themselves unnecessarily into the
arms of the prosecutor in order
that they might wear the martyr S
crown. The Church has always
held that it is criminal to do so.
III the case Of St. Apollonia who
cast herself into the burning
braziers that she might die a
martyrs death, theologians main
tain that what she did was wrong
and they excuse her only on the
ground that her act was the re
suit of momentary exaltation or,
Of a special inspiration.
Then again, whatever right
those who took part in the upris-
ing may have thought they had
to dispose of their own lives, they
had no right whatsoever to dispose
Of the lives of the others who we're
killed. How many soldiers were
killed, no one knows; and no
official figures have been issued on
the deaths Of civilians in the up
rising. Already one hundred and
eighty have been accounted for;
but the list is still incomplete.
The number of wounded civilians
is placed at six hundred and four
teen. The Very Rev. John
Waters, President of Holy Cross
College, Dublin, while standing in
the door Of the College, received
gunshot wound from which he
died. What justification can the
leaders OF, the revolt allege for
thus jeopardizing the lives of
non-combatants?
Moreover, not only did the
direct participators in the upris-
Ing do wrong, but also those who,
from a safe distance, encouraged
them in their revolt against con-
stituted authority.
Were it no for the action of the
priests of Dublin under the leader
ship Of the Hierarchy, the upris-
ing would probably have spread
further than it did. 1t was due
largely to priestly counsels that
many of the Nationalist volunteers
went to the assistance of the
authorities in restoring order.
Again, we repeat, we do not
challenge the motives, idealism, or
patriotic impulses which prompt
ed the devoted sacrifice" Of
those whom Father Cremin calls
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