The Irish standard., 1920-01-24
The Message of
Father Ma6ennis
Ireland's Cause Universal.

Ireland's Cause Universal.
The first lesson for US to learn from
the foregoing is at once apparent. II
our cause is really q just cause it must
have unity. Without unity there is no
hope of success no matter how fervent
our actions, no matter how disinterest-
ed our motives. This the first lesson;
and now the second is of no less i'm
portance, namely, this unity admits Of
variety and this variety depends on
the different natures that are engaged
in the cause.
Such is the cause Of Ireland that
men of any nation or of all nations can
without injury to their own nation.
ality work in its behalf, in fact that
history of the Irish cause shows that
even ordinary gratitude obliges the
men of certain nations to give what
lies within them to the freedom Of the
nation that has been in the vanguard
of every fight for. oppressed nations
and righteous causes.
Make Cause Always Foremost.
The moment man, or q machine,
or an organization, or clique, gets
bigger than the cause, get away from
any or all of them, because they
have ceased to be Of any good and
have begun to do harm, no matter
what the past record of any or all of
them be. It is not an easy matter to
part from the men with whom we
have labored in the years gone by; it
is not easy to desert the machine that
one has so often helped to keep going;
it is not easy to turn from the organi-
zation that has monopolized the best
years of our life, but if we are real,
wholehearted men or women for the
cause and for it above all else, the
pain we experience in leaving the
means for the end will in the near
future be turned into joy.
The man or woman who can die fofa
cause can steel the heart to do
everything on this side of death for
the cause. Any slave can walk with
the man, or stand by the machine, or
stick to the organization, or obey the
clique, but it is the act of manhood or
womanhood to spurn one and all, II
the necessity arises and follow the
cause
Notwithstanding all the militarism
and brutality in the Old Land, not
withstanding the pre-eminent position
into which England has climbed on
the slaughtered children Of Europe,
our cause was never so flourishing,
our hopes were never so high, our as.
piration so near the realization. At
such periods, not of course, so promis-
ing as at present, great catastrophies
occurred, usually owing to the errors
l have heard mentioned. May the good
God grant that no power can arise to
dash the cup once more from the lips
Of our striving suffering motherland.
True, our hopes for a successful con-
tinuance Of the present happy posi-
tion of leaders and people could not
be roster. Great men are in the cause,
great men of every condition and
class, great men of every creed, and
they are all, one heart and one soul.
Never before was there such unity in
the workers for the cause, never be.
fore was there such guarantee of sue.
cess. Only one power can stop the
onward march of the mighty battalion
of the Friends of Irish Freedom, only
one power can throw back this age.
long struggle, only one power can tear
down the Tricolor and then raise the
English red over the mangled bodies
of Ireland's best and bravest -
Note it we'll, weigh it we'll
that power is ourselves!