The Irish standard., 1918-11-23
The Irish Cause And Its
Appeal To Race Pride
Irish National Culture.

Irish National Culture.
"The answer, to my mind" said Mr..
O'Connor, "is very plain. From the
time of my boyhood upwards I was
filed with the idea that my little
mission in life was to raise my race
to the position among the races of
the world to which it was entitled by
its natural gifts, by its virtues or by
the great place. the great part that 1t
has occupied in the history of the
world-in spite Of all these things, the
fact people were deprived Of even the
most elementary education and the
free practice of their religion and in
spite Of centuries in which there was
the struggle for the possession of the
land BY our people in oppression to
the Norman baron who, there as here,
sought to annex the land of the peo-
ple-in spite Of all these things, the
fact remains that there was . period
in the history OF Europe. in tho his
tory Of European culture and In the
history Of European morals In which
the men Of our race were the torch
and the lamp-bearers Of the civiliza-
ton, the culture and the Christianity
Of the world (applause). always try
to avoid anything which appears to
me to approach the 1amboyance Of
national egotism or national braggado-
clio; but state nothing but cold, we'll
proved. universally admitted fact
when say that every seat Of learn
ing and every court in Europe had
among its teachers, its professors, and
afterwards its saints, men who came
from Clonmacross and the abbeys and
monasteries of Ireland (hear, hear).
Our National self.consciousne
"That is a fact which is sometimes
forgotten by people here who wonder
that we do not consider ireland, like
Lancashire or Yorkshire, as a part of
England. Our national selfconscious-
ness antedates the national self-con-
seriousness of England even; and at
the back of all the demand of Ireland,
sometimes carried to an exaggerated
extent, or certainly to an extent i'm
possible Of attainment-beh all
this lies the historic fact that we were
one of the earliest nations in Europe
to have attained to something like
nationhood, and to have attained it
largely by the eminence of our Gull
tured civilization and religious posi-
ton (hear, hear). And to my mind,
therefore, as regards any man of Irish
blood who is to be regarded as a gen.
uine man and a broad-minded man,
there is no necessity for any argument
with him in demanding that he shall
take an interest in the progress and
the elevation of his race.
Ire!and's Debt to Wilson.
The Irish influence in America was
incalculable. Every second or third
man one met would. say: "Well you
know am bit Irish, my grandfather
was 1rish," or my grandmother was
Irish," or "My stepfather was Irish"
The President of the United States
was the grandson Of a man and wom-
an born in the County Down.
A Voice-May the Lord spare him.
Mr.. O'Connor-May the Lord spare
him to give liberation to the world
(applause). And as my friend has
made that very appropriate interjec-
ton, I may add this, that I don't
think that we in these countries have
ever owed him deeper debt of graf
itude than we do today, when he has
dealt with this last crafty, but dis
honest trick of Germany by his prompt
and splendid answer to their in
sidious appeal. We of Irish blood
know what we owe to President Will
son. I am inclined to think that the
English people know as we'll as we do
what they owe to President Wilson.
But it appears to me that whenever
there is doubt or hesitation, or any
inclination to depart from the straight
path of principle and of reason and
of the right conception of the aims
and ideals as to this war, and the
means by which we are to attain them,
We are all relieved to find that our
doubts and hesitations and our self
communings are brought to an imme-
date end by some great terse and
prompt utterance on the part of this
great man." (Applause)
Future Of the Race.
Mr. Q'Cnnnor nroceadad To saw that