The Irish standard., 1919-03-15
WHAT Sim
fem means
(By the Hon. Albinia Broderick)

u.
Since the death of her father she has
lived and worked amongst the Irish
peasants in Co. Kerry
Sim Fein should properly be render
ed by Love of country" England is
Sim Fem, France is Sim Fien, America
is Sim Fein. Ireland also is Sim Fem
all PATRIOTS, all lovers of their own
country first. England at the last cleo
ton went rabidly Sim Fein. In Ire
land Sim Fein has one object, and
one only--the freedom of Ireland and
her rebuilding as nation worthy to
stand in line with the nations of the
morally, and physic-
ally. Spiritually she has long led the
way. The policy is as constructive all
along the line as it is frankly demo-
cratic, policy of building up of sex
equality one demanding from its dis
ciples their best whether in work, in
endeavor, in self-sacrifice, or in devo-
ton. Discipline, order, love of the
brotherhood are it's watchwords-not
mere phrases, but the irreducible min
imum, wanting which you must stand
outside Sim Fein.
Sane, progressive and democratic
that policy is dominating three-quar-
tiers OF the Irish nation today. We
hold it capable of dominating the
world. England's idea of Sim Fein
is "a wave of madness at it's height
whose ebb may be confidently expect
ed "a rabble of boys and girls. -
GA few able leaders; the rest riff-raff -
We, in Ireland, smile at the ignorance
which fails through blindness, often
Wilful, to recognize the onward march
of the nation, which can treat the
steady growth of a quarter of Gen.
fury as thing of yesterday. And that
growth the outcome of seven hundred
years of nurture.
Who and what are these boys and
girls-this riff-raff? Men of influential
positions in the world of commerce,
successful business men, lawyers, doc
tors, engineers, electricians, university
professors of languages, history and
theology, mathematicians, archaelog-
lists, writer's renowned for their liter
airy work, both Irish and English, men
and women of all professions and all
trades, practical agriculturists, the
heads of Labour, and those of the
rank and file.
There is your riff-raff. Do you
wonder that we smile? We, the ma
ton builders. For we know our men
and women--we have proved them
Honest, temperate, upright, manly,
Thoughtful, capable, both intellectually
and physically, self-disciplined, they
are our pride. They will fail neither
themselves nor Ireland. Judge us by
our deeds. The road to Freedom is
paved with deeds alone. We awoke
the slumbering soul of Ireland. We
followed up by winning by-elections
for Sim Fem. With hundreds of our
men in prison we still won these by
elections. Later we killed the so-called
German Plot" Matched in Dublin Cas-
tie with our mockery, and taught Eu-
rope and the other Continents to laugh
at it with us.
Later, again, despite the Martial
Law that lay heavy on the land; de-
spite the continued deportation and
failing of our men; the 25O,OOO troops
with tanks, machine guns, bombs and
poison gas, to overawe us: the COM
polling Act on the Statute Book, and
the military despot, disappearing
Government, we peacefully combined
and defeated CONSUMPTION, thereby
safeguarding not only ourselves, but
the future of the whole British nation.
We defeated alike the scheme for the
partition Of Ireland. Then the Gov
eminent destroyed Sim Fein. The
President, Vice-president, the whole
Council, two Secretaries, and, in sue
cession, four Directors of Elections
were swept away to gaol. together
with many of the rank and file. Our
answer was to sweep the polls and
teach the Government that Sim Fein
cannot be destroyed. For one man or
woman who goes from us to an Eng
lish prison. two others will step into
the breach. And in those prisons of
your Government still we hold our
own. Thomas Ashe killed in prison,
as the coroner's inquest found by forci-
BILE feeding. remains the victor. By
death he won for the rest of us when
our turn comes the status of political,
not criminal, prisoners.
When our turn comes. 1t seems
strange to those of us who know that