The Irish standard., 1919-11-01
What Has Ireland
Done For Us?
BY Benjamin Francis Musser.

BY BENJAMIN Francis Musser
There will always be found in this
world, made up as it is of both sell
fish and generous souls, certain ele-
ment which, while magnanimous in
the trifles of life and in those things
not demanding any sort of sacrifice,
in the things that really matter are
chary to give save where the returns
presage a good bargain; of those who
seek to acquire virture, not for the
sake of pleasing God, but solely for
future reward; of those who give in
charity only that their names may
appear as those who, to narrow the
picture to the phase would here ask
you to view, will give nothing and do
nothing for subjugated peoples ex-
cept it be made manifest that those
peoples had previously paid to the
farthing in kind-unless it be proved
that the proposed recipient of aid
had formerly slaved and fought and
died to make the proposed donor the
envied power he has since become.
1t is this class which asks, What
has Ireland done for us? Has she
placed us SO deeply in debt to her
that we should not risk offending her
strongest militaristic empire in the
world by giving help to, or even sim
ply approving whole-heartedly, that
people now crying for justice before
the free nations of the earth? Is not
England our friend? Hence, Ireland
declaring herself the enemy of Eng
land, is not Ireland also our enemy
and we hers? What has Ireland
ever done for us, that this De Valera
fugitive from justice asks us to help
his country to take her ancient place
among the free peoples as self-gov-
erning and Independent nation?
1t is chiefly for those Americans
who thus question, that this article
is written as an Introductory to the
answer; though, to be sure, it is re-
assuring and heartening to those of
us, loyal Americans, who would glad
ly give our lives to make Ireland
what Ireland made the United States,
to know that our belief in this coun-
try's Indebtedness to Ireland is the
most veracious of facts; that what. is
best and finest and noblest and purest
in American ideals, she owes to that
little Emerald Isle.
England our friend? When? Was
she our friend in the colonial days?-
in our War of Independence?-in our
War of 1872? Did she, or did she not,
help the South in it's attempt to dis
rupt the Union by Civil War? Ito
mention but few instances of Bit
terest enmity that has existed these
hundred years and more). Is Eng
land our friend at this moment? Is
she the friend" of any nation ex-
cept those she hopes eventually to
acquire by her customory method of
piracy as Mistress of the Seize?"
Ireland, on the other hand-has she
ever been our enemy? Has there
been single big movement in our
history in which the Irish did not take
prominent part on the side of those
nation-builders who had the dearest
interests of the nation ever before
their eyes-many of those, greatest of
Americas sons, themselves the de-
scendants of Irishmen.
say unequivocally that to no peo-
pie on the face of the earth are we,
United States citizens, more complete
ly indebted than we are or shall for
ever be to the Irish. Every sphere of
American enterprise; every move
ment toward social, ethical, political,
every field of culture. of education, of
the arts, of the sciences, of business
enterprise, has been hugely represent
ed by the children of Ireland; every
battle we have fought has been fought
for us mainly By Jrishmen or men of
Irish descent; the blood of the Irish
was the seed of the United States.
Without demanding reward they
have from the beginning toiled and
sweated and fought and died for us, to
such an extent that it can without
exaggeration be said that the United
States of America are practically
lreland's creation. And you ask, What
has Ireland done for us? What do
we owe to Ireland? Well might you
ask, because our debt is beyond cal
culation. No man can figure the to-
tai.
Ireland, more generous, refuses to
count up the columns to ascertain
what we owe her. She asks US, sim
ply, as her friend for more than four
centuries Ian 1rishman, you probably
know, was fellow navigator with
Columbus on the memorable voyage
etOf 1892: his name was William Har.