The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1920-01-31

n ~IONS AMI I'm tMAl & ENfEHl-
ENcE WITH ULsTERlsM-zEAL
FOR ENGLAND A pEVoURiNG
ELEMENT OF THE ULSTER
SoUL-GETs OUT OF ULSTER
AND BECOMES AN INTELLIGENT
HUMAN BEING-LooKs BACK
UPON THE RoeIEs OF EARLY
LIFE.
The great organ of public opinion
in northern England, is The North
ern Echo" In its columns DR.. Alex
ander Irvine, a successful author, un-
dertakes to describe the condition
when informed and vitaliZed by the
Ulster mind. His analysis is of spe-
cial value now, because revered u
Sterites are coming to st. Paul next
week to take hand in the Irish de-
bate. The Catholic Bulletin bespeaks
a careful reading of the article
Dr Irvine writes:
An fisherman Speaks.
Ulster mind-and an fisherman is
not always sure that he knows him.
self. In attempting to describe it
am only describing the mind that pos
sessed me until | was about twenty
five years of age. | was born and
brought up in hopeless poverty, but
it never occurred to me that there
irI,t No tplx
tion between poverty and politics.
Wealth and poverty, to me. were the
arrangements of God, and were never
questioned.
| can think of no greater paradox
in my rather paradoXical career than
the fact that with scarcely enough
clothing On me to dust a violin, was
shouting for Queen and Constitu-
ton" Living on the edge of pauper
ism all my youth, my supreme earth
ly concern was the Protestant sue
cession on the throne of England,
something apparently of no concern
to the youth of England, but of first
and primary Importance to the youth
of Ulster.
Our religion, our politics, our social
life, our very existence, all, eN 2ry-
thing, was used to express our hatred
of Rome and our devotion to the Eng
lish throne. | was theologian before
l could read my own name. Nothing
that was Irish was of any moment
except as it glorifed England. AS
the Church is the organized express
sion of religion, so the Orange insti-
tuition was the organized expression
of the Ulster mind.
World Saved from Popery.
Stupidly ignorant OF history, l was
acquainted with one date, one fact.
The year 1890 was the most sacred of
all dates, and July Il the most holy
OF all holy days. On that date the
world was saved from Popery. I was
sure of that had the Ulster mind.
With the alacrity of wild Indian
my being quivered with martial fervor
every time l heard the beat Of drum
or the sound of fife.
When | could string a bass drum
on my neck and thump it with stick
| had covered the foothills of my way
to the mountain of lifes success.
When | could don an orange sash |
was we'll up the sides of the noun
tain. And sash was OF infinitely
greater Importance than a clean shirt
or pair of boots.
AS a matter OF fact | owned sash
before | had acquired a decent suit
OF clothes. To the Ulster mind there
are but two musical Instruments
the fife and drum We did not know
that our music was the music of saw
ages, We pounded that drum until
the blood oozed out of our lacerated
wrists and blew that shrill ear-split-
ting fife until we were black in the
face. The bagpipes are comprehensi-
Bile. The fife and drum are utterly in
ilized intelligence-saVe the mind OF
Ulster.
In common with my kind, was pos
sessed with an implacable hatred OF
the Roman Catholic religion. | feared
as | feared nothing else its spread OF
progress. MY dearest CHuH was
Catholic boy, but ] could never fully
trust him. He probably felt the same
about me. Distrust between the sects
was quite the normal thing.
We were neighbors and acquaint
ances, but always and forever stood
that tall stone wall of distrust be
tween u.s.
Professions and Blows.
We hated the Catholic professions
They hated ours, and on st. Patrick''