Show V bew wew W CT THE SHAMROCK AJ RACE by JAMES fitzgerald justice of the supreme court of flew york arf the recurrence of irelan 1 s national anniversary suggests tho gats wh cb fand express on in emblems ly better than in words especially when we consider the s of the shamro ci aich for so many cen teries has been interwoven with the history and trad eions the ch idren the green isle st patrick s day is celebrated and his shamrock ci is acin and d splayed the wide horld over in many a land on amny a sea and by many a so ind ing shore the boat of britain is that the s n never sets upon her do minions iab 1 also perpetually shiles the flag of the united states france 1 as been reaching out for african and asiatic possessions in aery quarter of tte earth to which the hags of those mighty na eions are carried are there not irish soldiers in the danl s of tl e advancing hosts of con mercial vil z tona in ind a in south amer ca in aar ca in the far phil pp ces regimental bands will usher in the dawn of the of march with the stirring melody of st patr cl s day in the coining and by camp and field in thase far distant lands the grand old air will be a welcome nd in the ears of thou sands and to many a heart and mem ory will it br ng back scenes by the shannon the cliffey liffey and the nore wl ere the exiles and the world wan darers of erin were cradled and on whose velvet banks in ci lid hood s da s they gathered the em ble matic crefo 1 and listened with mute awe and bejger interest to the many stories bf their kindred intertwined with the traditions and the loie of the shamrock ci f wherever ships in the peaceful pur suit of trade or bristling anth biown ing threatening guns prepared for the fierce shock of hostile attack are nav the far waters of the deeper seas or resting quietly in distant ports the strains of the dear old song will make the hearts of irish blue jaci ets and marines v brate and thrill vath sacred and holy emot ons it is the grandest tab ite that can be paid to ireland to say that poor and im shed as she is without tern tor or possession of any kind herself enslaved el her sons whenever and wherever tho cond t ons faor s access anstead of ng and hindering it are to be to all over the world s holding eions of trust wealth yet never hoarding t taking part in the ingils of nat ons gai ing excel lent account of themselves no matter how heavy and how exacting the re spon sibil ty placed upon hem per forming ditl honor their duties as good citizens as capable officials faithful to every fiust and never for a moment 1 of the dear old isle which than god is still so 1 loudly throbbing to the music of the wearing of tae the shamrock ci is more 1 evidence on this st patrick s day than ever and its significance Is if possible more marked all irishmen as well as many other cultured and intelligent people 1 now that the 1 atle plant was first immortalized by having been used by saint patrick to illustrate to the pagan chiefs by means of its triple leaves the sacred doctrines of the christian faith the divine mystery of the holy trinity and in this regard let me remind mv readers of a tact lecul ar t ireland and that is tl at her conversion was shed ditl out ani of the attendant honors or tort lies i h ch elsewhere character iced aaion ione of tie earl ir sh confessors and professors of the faith were subjected to mar trdoe in this respect land is unia e among the nations W at ever can be said of it 11 oti er con sections in iab rel g is the shair rock is not stains 1 wit i 1 iced icod fhe eaily irish were a spiritual and rel glo s I 1 eople and tor i fety ai i learn ng the artry I 1 became faired in v ry ren ote times immediately alter the converson tl ey set out upon the miss on of preaching the gospel of the cros to tl e i aoi ie of britain and tie european countries their first great mis on was that calabi sl ed by saint col mba or co l he ed a monas deiy at loaid lalai d on the west coast of scotland wh ch for ages was tl e ahnne of devo t p Ign mages and from ath ch the light ct religion ladi abed throughout the entire hebrides many famous schools ot theology an 1 science were estabi shed in ireland peace flourished for cent ries u ider those rel g is and scholastic influx ances law reigned 1 he r gats of life 1 berty and property were re specter and a civil government was dainta ned i ader which art litera ture and bong were cultivated and arts ai d science flo inched the first breal in this peaceful s in shine nas the invasion of ireland by the danes for over a century alter her valleys armed camps in wh ch her soldier ions were gath ered for the purpose pt nat onal de bense and war w th its attendant con sequences preva led until the final v ot the ir semen at the bat tie of Clon tart by brian the greatest fig ire among ancient irish 1 ings after fter the ei Is on of the danes ireland was comparatively 1 until the norn ans under strongbox taking advantage of a quarrel among her chiefs made a descent upon the island in the latter half of the twelfth centar from that period down to the present time england has attempt ed to govern irelan 1 as a province to the ru n of the irish people and not always with advantage to the empire after the reformation england not satisfied satis fiel with striving to eng lish pol opinions and views on ireland made the till more serious e of endeavoring to compel her people by force to change their re legious princ pies and abandon their conic envious convict ons and thus to the b tt erness of attempted civil suba igat on were added the horrors and savagery of is persecution ireland embraced the cause of the stuarts and upon her soil the last armed stands were made on behalf of that unfortunate dynasty aughrim tl e boyne limerick tell the story of irish fidelity to the dethroned british monarch erin s armed sons became the victims of incapacity and ery and as the sole means of preserve ing their honor were forced into exile to the number of tens of thousands they took service under various euro flags and from among the ranks of their commanding officers sprang the nugents of austria the 0 don nelas and the 0 reillys of spain the 01 and others ti u r i or u ai 0 t mined with 1 I r ia acl leven ants pon a hun red fields wile theae embattled heibe i were im as ato les and a ot thorn the soldiers of the en 1 on far fore agn fields tran 1 iri to beirad e their un arifaj ai 1 leti ael kinared at home belna u ejected to all of the horr is of the infamous penal laws coic ened 11 intolerance carried out rth brutal ty b it 11 for any other p than to intensify the race and ous hatreds which dur ing arev s english deigns had been sed bously cultivated when t is borne in mind that rob ert emmet most dollied and belo ed of all ir sh martyrs witnessed as a mere io ith it is true the fielce 1 of the men of N nety eight that the mer bers of his family suffered iman and exile on account of the i coi i act i with that movement that P tt took advantage of the extra ord nar powers vested in the prime M nister tor the purpose of que ling te disturbances in ire lan 1 to force thi ough the act of union by wh ch it was hoped the last sem blance of nat would be lost to the irish people it is moie than re that so oung a man should take upon himself within five short years thereafter the task of over throwing by armed force all that had been accomplished and establishing apon the r i ns of try ranny a 1 can form of government t me and accident thwarted his plans but the sublime manner of his death achieved tor him fame and immor tal ty irishmen and women love his memory with an intensity of demotion increases as the years roll by free lorn battle once begun beau at ed from bleed ng s re to son I 1 ho h often lost is eer won rec ring to tl e thought with which vie started this brief st patricks day reiel the s agn finance of the cannot ve say that al tho oh that apar 1 atle plant is small it la Indestructible 9 it may be tram pled upon b it it cannot be crushed the mo st ay Is kindly to it and the evening dew it through the dart ness of the night so that each succeeding morning finds it fresh and soft with its pristine verdure re stored its three leaves symbolize many virtues faith hope and char ity one may say fraternity friend ship and fatherland another ob serves wit love and beauty sings the poet breedom law and duty proclaims the patriot the virtues that it typifies are as numerous as its t ny petals are en 1 irig in a thou sand was its mute language ad dresses the soul it speaks to him of his race of his land of the land beyor d toward which the finger ot religion points of the glories of his people of their sufferings of their persecutions of their triumphs of past memories of present op ties of f iture hopes it must flourish perennially and while it flourishes the irish cause cannot fall the day of restored liberty cannot be post boned forever well indeed hath it earnel for itself the distinction of being called what it was termed by the sweetest of erin s singers the gifted booie the chosen leaf of bard and chief old er n s native shamrock |