The Irish standard., 1919-04-19

II
world say? And IL the world silent be
cause these prisoners are sons Of
Erin? Is 1t silent because 1t ID
poor. oppressed. down-trodden Ire
land? 1rishmen. ponder on this; II
will arouse your righteous indigna,
ton; 1t will show you more clearly
than anything else the hypocrisy of
murderous, treacherous England. The
insurrection effected various other
parts Of the country, notably Wexford,
Enniscorthy, Kerry, Galway, Ash
bourne in Meath-the lanckted Thorn
as Ashe was the hero here-Dundalk.
To enter into details of the fighting
in each of these places would be
wearying; the noble deeds of the
brave boys are written in the hearts
of their countrymen and will go down
in golden letters on the pages of his
tory. Suffice it to say that these local
uprisings were squelched in blood
From all parts of the country men and
boys were deported to the different
prisons of His Majesty in the British
1sles-numbers of these deportees
were men who had absolutely nothing
to do with the Insurrection. Oh, the
depth of the stupidity and cruelty Of
British rule in Ireland! Some of these
men are still in prison, and this after
the best blood of the world has been
split freely for four long years, for the
freedom Of the world and safe de-
mocracy!
Here, I can imagine the questions
running the lips of my reader: What
types of men were these Sim Fem
ers? After all, was the whole affair
not silly outburst? What good did
it do? These questions would be i'm
possible were it not for the poison of
British propaganda that has almost
eaten up the vitals of our race. What
types of men were these Sim Fem
ers? We can Judge them by their
fruits. English propagandists have
told US they were the rabble of Ire.
land! They were all well-educated,
cultured, chivalrous sons of Erin. The
leaders were for the most part univer-
sity professors, teachers, leaders of
thought-and, as they proved leaders
of action they were the men who knew
1reland's History best, and therefore
could no longer bear the gall of op-
preston and wrong. Most of them
were poets and playwrights of high
order; question this, because when
men of this type, who are always gen.
tie and mild, break out in the red
flare of war. there is something des-
perately wrong. They were home-lov-
ing, peace-loving, God-loving mer.
They sacrificed their homes, their
wives, their families, their all, even
their very lives, that Ireland might
live. Their names are held in high
honor, and will be cherished as long
as an 1rishman breathes the breath
Of life. l heard, from the lips of FIR
Augustine and FIR. Aloysius, who at
tended them in their last moments
the story of their deaths. l can only
mention some of them. They had
done their part bravely and in the end
they thought only of the world to
come, leaving this one and the coun
/ try, the loved to death, in the hands
of God. Patrick Pearse, few hours
before his death, wrote to his mother:
my dearest mother, grieve that
am not able to see you again, but God
will comfort you. Don't mind what
men say Of us; we have done what is
best. They may blame us now, but
after while they will praise us. This
morning I received Holy Communion.
and am intensely happy am now
prepared to die. gladly give my life
for Ireland There are some other
points in the letter which need not
mention. This excerpt is sufficient to
show what type of man this was. He
was the leader and his loyal followers
I'were cast in the Roman mould. Faith
t'ful sons Of the Catholic Church, they
died as much for religion as for Ire
land. They we're Catholics first, Irish,
men next. II Ireland had given her
soul to the devil the same time that
England gave hers, England would not
be prosecuting poor Ireland today
However, it is better to be prosecuted
in this world than in the next. When
men like these, pure in soul, giant in
intellect and noble in sacrifice, have
I given their lives for their country, we
ought to be arousedsto do our share
Have they died in vain? l think
not. Ireland, before Easter, 1915. was
an Ireland almost drugged and besot
ted by English materialism; she was
selling her soul for miserable mess
of potage. The sacrifice Of the mar
tyrs of Easter Week, its purity. It's
nobility shocked the materialistie