El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-05-30
DEFENCE MADE
Of THE irish
English Priest Asserts the
Trouble Is Fruits of
English Misrule.
By FATHER BERNARD VAUGHAN.
CThe Noted Roman Catholic English
I'reIuteD.

By FATHER BERNARD VAUGHAN.
I (The Noted Roman Catholic English
PreIate).
London. Ems May 3O.-Nothing
ever could uproot my love Of Ireland
and the Irish. If anyone tells me
they have bad points, I can also tell
you that they have good ones. and it
is their fine characteristics in which
I am myself interested
I Now. more than ever. it behooves
us 10 realize the present situation OF
I affairs from their point OF view. What
I I say TO those who are prejudiced
/ against Ireland is; try. for a moment.
F 90 look at the Irish situation from the
I Irish point Of view.
This if is which seems to be the i'm
/ possibility We. as a nation. are so
deadly dull. and the Irish so quick and
lively, that we can no more under
stand them than jug of flat ale can
understand bottle Of champagne
Fight for a Living Gospel.
Take. for example, the Irish situa-
+ ti0n actually before US today.
The average Euglishman cant for
the life Of him make out how the
whole nation Of ireland has not raj
lied TO the great Crusade, fighting
the triple alliance Of might. kultur
and frightfulness. The average Eng
lish Catholic. recognizing that in the
present war we are fighting. not like
cur forefathers, for the dead sepulcher
Of Christ only. but for His living Cos
pei can't understand why the whole
Of Ireland has not risen like one man
to swing his sword against the AFRO
CANT and aggressive foe of humanity.
civilization and Christianity.
Truth to tell the reason why the
Irish Catholic does not in certain in
aHr - ian
is that his vision is so blurred and be-
fogEed by centuries. Of English mis-
rule in Ireland that he has persuaded
himself that the war in which Eng
land is engaged is not a war Of right
against might, humanity against kul-
tUr and civilization against friGhtful-
ness-in other words not a war OF
ideals in contrast and conflict-but
that il is a war purely and simply for
the ElcrificatiOn Of England
Ireland regards itself as a nation
as member, that IS. Of the common
wealth-and it argues that its al
leEiance is due TO the commonwealth
and not to the English people. Other
wise the Irish would be subject TO the
English. which they are not They are
partners in the same commonwealth .
Citizenship First.
What they claim IS that the call OF
conscriptiOn is a call 10 the highest 4
form of citizen service duty which 4
Involves heroism. How can you eX-
act this duty OF 4 citizen If you deny f.
him the rights Of citizenship, namely. I
government
Give us first of all, they say. the Z
rights of citizenship. before expect /
ing US TO rise to the heroic duties in I
vclved in cOnscriptiOn-
This Is not an organized Catholic ;
opposition to conscription. but a ma
tional one. including men Of all colors +
OF politics and all shades OF belief
As regards bishops in politics. they
argue that it was bishops who won
EnEland's Magma Carta- and that to-
day bishops legislate and are repre-
sented as a church in the house Of
lcrds.
Anti-COnscription Move.
No doubt the anti-conscription
movement in Ireland has gained great
pate But yet no one can deny that IL
the episcOpate had held aloof from the
2nrl-couscrlptIon movement we might
now be plunged into civil war.
Be sure that the bishops have no in
tentlcn OF preventing any Of their
flock enlisting If he so chooses
But their contention Is that rs
the British government recOE-
nizes the liberty Of the South
African, Canadian, and Australian
governments to define their own
position in the war. so they de-
mand the same liberty for Ireland.
Dr. Cults. a nOn-CathOlic writer. re-
minds us that the medieval church
= as always the champion Of the peO-
pie, ana that, in politics, the church !
vas always on the side of the uber- Z
les Of the people.
listers Example.
re must not forget that OrauEed ]
Ulster stood armed to resist any home {
Ule bill which. against their liking.
night be passed by the British par
lament
I grant you we seem to have come
% a cui-de-sac, and apparently there
s no way out Of this maze Of diff
.ulues that has risen up. Yet I hope
mo pray that the day is not immeas-
lrably distant when England and Ire {
and may get together as closely as {
England and France. who but yester- {
Jay were irreconcilable foes. Z
Nay il be given to our ingenious s
.nd interchangeable prime minister 10 q
orEe the magic key to fit into the {
wards OF this lock which has so de-
lantly shut out home rulei
mis- contamination cannot. I admit
le achieved until some measure salts
Used.
Plea For Sympathy. ,
BUT Tor Gods sake let US be human (
WITH an aching TO show sympathy. and z {
lot like ice blocks. fresh from old 4 I
forage 10 treat with perfervid pa /
Above all things it is the duty OF I
very Englishman to make IL clear as II
.oonday that this warfare in which I !
he allies are engaged is a warfare to n
ring about the peace of God upon \
he earth, that so the nations upon il Z
nay live their own lives. develop their I !
Wn interests. and mutually under
tand one another as brothers under m
he fatherhOod Of God. N,
When my friends. the people Of Ire !
and, grip this tremendous truth and { I
3 OK u into the very fibers Of their &
eing, they. like their splendid com
atriots who have already covered q
themselves with glory. viii spring for Il
yard 10 fiji up the gaps that are made
p the great army Of the sllies-even =
hough England may be fighting bv
heir sidel God grant IL be sol n
-here are passing continually most s
the states leading Democrats. r
loeur appears 10 have herded a con- 7
iderable number Of them around his Z