Year: 1875

Zen to the centre OF the hosts around;


And. as thought. rose the sonOr0us swell,


As from some church tower swings the siyery bell.


il rded easy, S a bird may glide


To The last verge Of that vast audience sent;


II played with each wild passion as IL


Now stirred the gProar-now the humor stled,


Then did | Si, know what spells Of infinite choice


S Sa ro9ss S 9 san @ has ae Tse, ,s g voice


To- Dds the era gsqS 5SSgS; o m snGasm'O view


Unstable Athens heaye her noisy seas


QUARTER CENTURY OF IRELAND's DARKSEss-ALMosr


TO DESPAIR


Pitt unable to fuldl his promises to Ireland
abandoned at the King's bidding the scheme which
might have given her happier future and ultimately
renounced all effort to remove her religious disabilities
The period which followed was very drcarv for her II
gave prospect of relief But for hyeand- twenty
years hoping against hope, she still pressed onward
maintaining her bootess struggle-now in associations
again in committees, often in popular assemblies some
times in the law courts-hcr modes Of action always
varying, her objects always the same It was not
tnual movement, but little advance Tho multi.
tude were mado familiar with the story of
their wrongs, and encouraged TO seek redress by
hopes which were often batiied but always revived
OConne had not yet attained that leadership which
was unquestioned in after days. But he mounting
toward IT, He was building up his legal reDutation and
commanding moro and more the public confidence
wherever work was to be DONE or counsel given, or
opposition oYerbornc in assertion of the Catholic claims
there was he ready to speak act eager TO sustain
their friends, audacious la outrdnce in defiance of
their adversaries Associated with able and trusted
men, he already the animating spirit Of the move
mont But for him, also, only time of prepare
ton He nerving his strength and training his
erges for the supreme effort which win for him
the of "Liberator"


PLUNKErT GRATTAN.
Time went on but the OF the Catholics did not
prosper much. IL had in the Imperial Parliament the
advocacy of Punkett and Grattanhe first astonishing
the House by masculine vigor and n trenchan logic to
which it had parallel and the second displaying
in his latest years the unbroken power of that electric
eloquence which in his youth had stirred q nations
heart passionate enthusiasm and high endeayor and
given him claim to Byron cuogy-
With all that Demosthenes wanted endued,
And his rival or victor in all he possessed.


The advocacy of such men was providentia agency,
informing the mind of England and disspating the pref
udices on which sectarian asccndency was based
And they sustained by great party, of
which may now say without offence to any
one, that to its immortal honor it refused to
succumb to the intolerance of royalty purchase
office at the expense of principle. For many long
year the place of the friends of the Catholics in
opposition, and they held that place with seabnegat
ing hithfulness beyond all praise In island


THE LIBERAL PROTESTANT
ostracized by the government and systematically
denied cmolunen distinction. Yet men like Robert
Holmes and Louis Perrin and Nazere Brady-dear
friends of mine, whose memory hold in reverence
were always found mindful of their duty and careless of
themselves They held aolt the banner of religious
liberty round which all profess TO rally now in evil
days when to be its bearer TO defy authority and
court exclusion and Catholic Ireland will be, indeed,
disgraced if the time shall ever como when she shall
TO be deeply grateful for tho and sacr
fees of those who did not share her faith or bow before
her aars but stood by her in her weakness to their
own gricvous injury because they believed in the JUS
tice of her claims.


THE ROYAL VISIT.
Much had been accomplished by speech in Parliament
and writing in the press and much by the example of
StcadiasneSs displayed honest the of all
dscouragement Its opponents led, at least, to
consider the reasonablencss of the Catholic demand
But its concession seemed indefinitely postponed; and
the people, antazed and dsgusted by the alienation
of fair hopes and bitter disappontments sunk into
miserable apathy The visit Of George IY.-an event
of evil mcmory-galyanizcd them into feverish expec-
taton for a time But they learned that the King
before whom they had humbled themselves so sav-
shy loved them as little as his royal father and they
fell the abject condition described by the
best and most accomplished of them ALL Sir Thomas
Wyse:-"rhe Catholic spirit had totally passed away.



only was left behndn But


'Ts always the darkest hour nearest the dawn:
and OConnc seized the moment Of her despair
toreca the spirit of his country and sound tho trumpet
of her resurrection.


THE CATHOLIC ASSOCIATION
Whilst the moral prostration described by Sir Thomas
Wyse was most complete he formed the Catholic Asso
citation of 1924 You need not be told its hisory-how
hard to procure the attendance of ten persons
its early meetings, but how it grew in numbers and
power, whilst day by day, 0Connels voice resounded
through the land, rousing the "heredtary bondsmen
from their despairing nactlon and teaching them reI
themselves You need not be told how Ireland
rallied to the assocation-how the Catholic ars-
tocracy around its chef-how the Catholic
was 6anisbed spahy passed away and the catholic mil
lions were banded as one man, to do the work of men,
in the Ian struggle for their freedom The organiza
made perfect from the centre Of the island
the sea- and its unbought and unorced obedience to its
chief absolute than was given by trem-
bling sers to Roman Emperor or Eastern Caliph,


THE CENTRAL FIGURE OF THE ORGANIZATION,
and the essential figure in this great drama, which
soon grew absorb the wondering attention Of
kind, was the figure of Daniel 0ConnelL He
lowered above his compeers, and ultimately led
them, by the Spontaneous consent Of all He acted
in the open day within the limits of the law and by
methods known to the constitution He was in
tensely loyal combining the personal devotion of
cavalier to his sovereign with devotion earnest to
popular rights. He taught the masses to honor the
Queen and be obedlent to authority not for fear only
but for conscience sake, and he proclaimed that by
moral force, and moral force alone, all they could
legitimately wish might be accomplished. He had seen
the horrors of the French Revolution. He had
mourned the miseres Of the rebellion of 179S He
had learned to hate anarchy and shrink from civil
is made worthless by the deflemcnt of bloody pur-
chase. 1t was new gospel, preached with strong
faith and endless iteration, and i'll the might of 1t tho
Catholic preople trlumphcdl


TRIUNPHs.


They triumphed with the weapon which the legisla
ton of 1898 had put into their hands. They learned to
use for their religion and their country the franchise
which they had heretofore prostituted to their
dcbasement at the bidding of their masters They re-
fused to be any longer dumb driven cattle - lashed
the poll to vote they ordered. The serfs,
was said by great Minister of the time 'assumed the
attitude of freemen; stormed at all hazards in Louh
and Waterford the ciadels Of the Ascendency and
gave the first assurance of its downfall


CLARE ELECTION.


1t Ottered when the Clare election struck the de
grace and the conqueror OF Waterloo succumbed to
OiConnel That election was unique event in the
history of the world. 1t was prophecy of the vener
able John Keogh that emancipation would be carried
when Catholic would be elected and sent to Parlia-
mont The chef of the Catholics attempted It's fulfill
ment great encounter came on between the lords of
the soil and the people The issue found be
momentous and decisive All possible efforts made
in order to insure victory for the British govern
ment But 1t was in vain. The prestige OF the
English dominion in Ireland had departed The fctters
of interest and of custom had been wrenched away.
The voters Of Clare listened to the voice of their priests
and dened the commands of their landlords, and thus
demonstrating their fitness for liberty by their OBJ
scrvance OF order and temperance they elected 0Con
nell to Parliament and emancipation. He went to
the House of Commons the representative not of Clare
only but of Catholic Ireland He repudated, haughtly
and in memorable words, the qualifying OATH OF
he was denied place in Parliament, but tho whole
world saw the fight over


PEEL AND WELLINGTON HUMBLED TO JUSTICE
Bitterly conessng


"The sharp convulsed pangs Of agonizing priden
Sir Robert Peel and the Duke Wellington accepted
the inevitable and gave the justice they could
more withhold The great heart Of Ireland throbbed
with exultation. The incense of n peoples thanks
giving went up the Throne of the Almighty Being
who had permitted them to be raised from their low
estate and led a pure and bloodloss victory Coun-
tries which had strained from aiar with eager eyes to
thn chi M