The Irish standard., 1919-05-24
CHURCH CALENDAR.
A GREAT AMERICAN MEETING.


the metropolis of the Northwest was the great mass
meeting held at the Minneapolis Auditorium ON Fri
day evening of last week. The largest assembly
room in the city filled to its capacity with an
audience representative of and women of all
races and creeds of the community. Every person
in the audience held in hand an American flag, and
when these were waved as successive currents of
enthusiasm swept over the meeting, the effect was
at once picturesque and impressive.
These flags typifed the spirit of the demonstra-
tion 1t was American from beginning to end-of
that old-fashioned kind that had to great extent
passed into desuetude until reawakened by the toe
sin of the war. 1t was revival of the Amercanism
of 1876 and the several speeches had in them the
ring of the struggle for liberty of that critical period
of the new republic.
The central theme of the evenings discourses be-
ing ireland a Republic comparisons were natur-
ally instituted between the early experiences of the
infant American nation and those through which
Erin is now passing. Help.was needed for America
then, even as Ireland needs it and is appealing
to the world and particularly to America for it. "A
friend in need is friend indeed" says the old le
gend, and Ireland by that test has surely earned
American friendship in the present hour. Her sons,
both in the old land and in the new, left nothing
undone within their power to set the republic
on her feet.
and the Constitution were cited the original
sources Of that right of choice of sovereignty by
nations, which has now come to be called sefdeter
mination But essentially it is the foundation on
WHICH IHe american OF democracy is
that government derives it's authority from the
consent of the governed. The arguments for the
freedom of Ireland today all have their counterparts
in the intellectual arsenals of own Revolution
ary period; and this fact fully sensed in the
several dscourses of Friday evening from the open
ing remarks of Mr.. Lynch to the peroration of Rev.
Mr.. Mythen
1t was truly cosmopolitan affair." the principal
speaker, Rev. James Grattan Mythen, being an
esteemed Episcopal minister while Jewish rabbi,
DR.. S. M. Deinard, also made excellent address.
Hon. Frank M Nye who presided, is former COM
gresham and typical American in all respects,
broad dminded, alert and sympathetic with the spirit
OF freedom wherever found among mankind. Mr..
Lynch, chairman of the committee in charge, who
made the opening remarks, is an American business
man of national repute being the executive head of
one of the most important trade associations of the
country. Thus it will be how closely the senti
ments expressed at the meeting and formulated in
the resolutions reflect the trend of American public
opinion, and are not to be adudged as of those of
any one element of the community. 1t is in this
trend that America has voiced it's opinion in
hundreds of similar meetings throughout the coun-
try In these gatherings it is the real America that
is speaking, not the puppets of propaganda the
manikns of money power. 1t is the America that is
going to have the last word in the matter of national
policies, despite the temporary adjustments of the
politicians And happily there is nothing ambigu-
indefinite in their judgments and conclusions
in respect to Erin.