ST. PATRICK'S DAY AT THE CAPE.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 59, 13 June 1874, Page 9

ST. PATRICK'S DAY AT THE CAPE.

The following eloquent, address, which we regret our space compels ut to abridge, was delivered by the Lord Bishop of Grahamstown, on the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone of St. Patrick's HalL Port Elizabeth, on the lost anniversary of Ireland's patron Saint After the ceremony had concluded, and the stone laid with square, level, and plumb, the Right Rev. Dr Ricards stepped up to the elevation in the rear of the proposed building, where a canopy had been constructed, and from this position he addressed f c large asembly fa a clear, audible voice as follows :—

It w with no ordinary feelings of gratification that I see around me so large a concourse of ladies and gentlemen on this auspicious occasion. I take their presence hero, and especially the presence of the kindred societies of Port Elizabeth, as a proof of the lively interest they feel in this beginning of a suitable hall for St, Patrick's Society. I believe that everyone here present, capable of estimating tbe importance of the work commenced, is really gratified— nay, J will cay heartily rejoices— that an effort is being made at last to provide the working classes of this important town with the means of relaxation worthy of the dignity and claims of honest labor. I suppose you are all aware that it is intended by the society t9 build on this foundation large and loffy room*, well lighted and well ventilated and comfortable, where, amid books and papers and innocent amusements of every kind, the members may meet in friendly intercourse. And lam sure you will agr*e with me in thinking that this is eminently a great and good work, and likely to be productive of the best results ns well to the members individually as to the whole community. Habits of self-respect and order, and that mutual forbearance and quietness of demeanour which marks the gentleman wherever his lot is cast, cannot fail to be acquired in such an institution as the one proposed.

It has been my privilege to have been invited years ago to lend a helping hand in a work of this tendency ; and it is certai-ly one of my happiest recollections that, with the beat of my ability, I labored hard, in the sphere allotted to me, to carry out the noble design of the promoters. The view I took of the matter was this : I pictured to myself a society of young men, by the use of reading rooms and a well furnished library— stimulated and encouraged thereto by popular lectures— soon ncquiring an amount of genentl information and tastes which would not fail to raise them nbove the mists and darkness of debasing vice. I imagined the body thus becoming, in time a nucleus, attracting around it the hopes and aspirations of untainted youth, and gradually gaining a healthy vigour and activity till it scattered blessings on every side in the formation of new societies, animated and glowing with the same spirit— itself the parent sun— the soul and centre of a humanizing influence that might be widely felt, and last for generations.

The idea was a grand one, and worth struggling for ; and so, I said before, we worked hard towards its accomplishment. We found, however, before many years had elapsed, that our resources were inadequate to anything like solid development. We felt the absolute want of material appliances to bind the mass together, and ere so lone saw the elements sca'tered in all direction by the very energy and spirit to which the association had given birth. Experience has convinced me that, if we mean really and in earnest to save the sons of labor from debasing tendencies, and knit them together in firm bonds ot ennobling friendship, we must approach the great work in the snirit of large-hearted generosity ; we must banish from our minds all notions of parsimonious calculation, and, wit.h a courage equal to the grandeur of the undertaking, nerve ourselves to every sacrifice within the bounda of prudence. I rejoice tbnt the leading men of St. Patrick's Society prove by the magnitude c f this work began to-day that they share n my conviction They have felt as I have, that working men are not o be treated a* children. Men of this class are not to be coaxed and wheedled into pursmts foreign to their ordinary habits by any a-nounr of petting or putrona^ They may be carried away by the excitement of Bomethm f ,new wh-eh strikes the imagination, anJ lia.l with entlm, l-sm projects set on fjot for tlieir improvement, but (litre will bo no laving co-operation unless the proposed g>od i-> s.mrthir,* really tangible and enduring. You may d-seourse eloquently of the luxury of intellectual pursuits, and dr.iw in chinning colours the beauty Li elevating tendencies of the fine arts, but men will find it hid)! r»al.;eto themselves these visions of blissful enjoyment in cold »n° furnished, dim and dingy apartments, where erery sonso protects against he ruth of the picture. Call the place of nieetin* what Tou will-hall, club-room, or institute-if it bo noL c;!cuhted, in its whoU construction and in all its fittings, to impart a foel.n? of solf-resJofc to those who froquent it, it will, you may be well assured, never forma centre of attraction powerful enough to resist the fore of tomptSn? from without, and to establish that sound moral influence TlS", the real human power for good in societies like St. Patrick's- > The building about to be erected will, with the blessing of God give the needful stability to the work of the society, and do more to infuse into it »al life and vigor, ani to raise its tone and clnraato •

and extend its healthful influence, than whole yean of spasmodic efforts in catering for the entertainment of (he public. Plays, lectures and concerts are no doubt very good in their way. They afford innocent amusement ; they call out latent powers too often doomed "to blush unseen ; " they inspire elevatiLg tastes and sentiments ; and last, not lenst, they add something to the funds of the society. But these efforts, though often characterised by what is called a " great success," are not by any means certain indications of healthy aud enduring vigor. Necessarily ephemeral in their nature, depending for their enpport on the ever-changing and capricious popular taste, they are a strain upon the steady, regular work of the society, and they net unfrequnently call into being those elements of discord — heartburning jealousies nnd angry irritation — which are sometimes fatal to the very existence of the body which looks to these adventitious aieU as its chief sources of subsistence. Believe me, the neat, orderly, well furnished room, ever leady for the reception of members disposed to chat over the news of the day, or to indulge in tome quiet game— the spacious library carpeted throughout, with its broad table covered ■with popular literature, and easy, comfortable chairs, gently inviting to intellectual repofe — the grand hall, on which ro pains or expense have been spared to render it worthy of the hospitality of the society and respect to its honored guests, nnd the appliances for comfort and convenience on evpry side— in a word, a club-house, worthy of the aim and objects of the society, will prove the bone and sinew which will give it character, influence, and stability. The members cannot enter a building of this kii.d withcut a sensible pleasure that it is their own. and the work ef their hands. The very sight of it as they pass by will exercise a salutary and elevating influence. It will be a positive delight to them to introduce their friends from a distance, and to witness their glad surprise. They will think of it, sprak of it, write of it, til it is ever before them — a monument to their enterprising, devoted, and peisevering energy — their better genius as it were — reminding them of tlie triumphs of firm purpose, and crushing beneatli its giant foot every paltry, petty, and ignoble aim of variance with the grand object of its existence.

It is all very well to extol the humanising influence of schools. No doubt they are the starting point in the formation of character, and without (hem it, would be vain to think of anything like superior culture. One who has not had school training, or been schooled into religious habits of thought nnd notion, is ordinarily, whatever his exterior may be, a sort of savnge in reality. " Scratch the surface," as they say of the Euss, " and you will find the Tarrar." But school is, after all, at tlie very best, only a place of training to enabl« us to profit by the lessons of life. Experience, under favourable circumstances of place and association, is the great humanizer. The character of the man mainly depends on 'hose with whom he associates when lie is for the first time free to act for himself. This is, you all know, the j danger point in the life of every young man. Here he needs guidance most of all— a guidance and help not such as rigid theory and stern, I'ncompromising virtue would enforce, but practical help, suited to his disposition and most likely to influence his heart. You must win i him to the side of what is good and honourable by positive attrac- ' tions Of what use is it to say to him, You ought to read," "You ought to employ your spare time profitably," "You ought to avoid ! these low places of amusement," " You ought to consort with better company," if there is no inducement or practical means pointed out for the accomplishment of those lessons of wisdom ? You expect a young man, after a day's woik, to sit down in a wretched make-shift ' of a library, amid foul air and noise and crowding and confusion, or ' you compel hire, pining foi recreation and amusement and fun with ' companions as lively as himself, to mope over the borrowed books in | hie solitary room. You are aggrieved because after a time he looks i discontented and unhappy! and are amazed when wayward nature at last rebels, and will have its nay! Theorize as you will, reason as yo-i may, upon wliut ought to he,— Contra factum non licet argumen- \ lari,—« There is no getting over a fact." And it is, I believe, a stubborn fact that tiie majority of our youth are sent headlong to destruction because, at the dangerous outset of life, (hey are ! not helped, as they ought to be, to the formation of steady and elevating habits. Give them, then, I say, a chance, a fair chance of a good start in the struggle against evil ; supply them with the aids suitable to their dispositions ; muke those pursuits to which you would have them turn their leisure hours pleasant and attractive ; give them '■ a home that they can look up to with respect, surround them with its [ comforts and amenities, and you will do more to train them in the way in which they ought to go, and iruke them real men, than if you had I them for ever under your eye and guarded them with the most jealous ! care from every appearance of evil. Hence I say with all my heart to ' St. Patrick's Society, " Go on and prosper " in the work you have j begun. Carry out you pL\n with no niggard hand. Let everything m and about your club-rooms be first-rate of its kind— furniture, deco^ rations, and all. May it be said of them in the words of the poet— ' Xiithinj,' uselo^-, ii or low ; Each tiling in its place is best ; And what seems l>ut idle show falieiigtbens amiauppoits the rest— . bo may you hope to leaven Ihe whole mass with a n|jp spirit— the weakest elements must rise with the body, till uven the victims of intemperance, and the worst exces=es roused from the besotting sleep of sensuality, nnd the dream of sin, by the freshening atmosphere of the place, awaken to shame and repentance, and turn away with loathin" and disgust from what, in their Mild delirium, they once fanieed us the pole enjoyment "f hfo. Those who have ability to profit by the advantages offered them, and yield to the gentle attractions inviting them to do so, will certainly bo greatly benefitted. "But who amount the very best of oar members," I seem to hoar them say, "can hope to aspire to those high positions or win those tr-'uuiphs you h >vc spoken of?" "A. fair field and lie favor? ' No ; there is a prejudice against us, for we are Irishnv n and Koman Caihoiu-s. Si.llbr m, tor a moment to touch on this delicate ground. 1 will not detain you long, and will bo careful to u\oid snjmg a word to cflend the religious sensibilities of any one

present. This is a practical point of much interest to every member of St. Patrick's Society, and I cannot well avoid alluding to it on the present occasion, and particularly on St. Patrick's Pay. I have you see, put the two names together — Irishmen and Roman Catholics. Once they were identical almost in many parts of the colony • and as far as my own feelings are concerned, I wieh from my h art they were jo in reality. Some forty or fifty years ago. in the Eastern Province, they had queer notions about the animal called Irishman. Even those who are anything but friendly to the being in his two-fold capacity at the present day, would smile at what was currently believed in the olden tiroes, and at the trnditions regarding the race still preserved in some rtooks and corners of Lower Albany. Ido not find fault with the " Pilgrim Fathers," as they are sometimes called. They and their families, knew little or nothing of us before they landed here, and what they knew afterward" of the many wild, reckless, harum-scarum deserters and runaways from the arcr.v was not calculated to impress them favorably. These notions, thank (3-od, are now, we may say, " past and pone." From'Algoa Bay to the Gold Fields I question'if you will meet an intelligent, humnn being of any nationality who will think the less of a*iy s^ber, well-conducted man, simply because lie is an Irishman. There are Eood specimens of the Celt everywhere throughout the land — men that we may be proud of in all ranks and in all professions — and the better they nre known, I can safely say, the more they esteemed. The genial qualities o' the Celtic heart, when duly controlled, make feiends everywhere. So far, then, nationality is nn 0 * barrier to succes". But then comes the religious question, and here I must confess there is a prejudice. But it is cot a prejudice which, should discourage anyone amongst you from doing his beat to win fame nnd honor in the battle of life. It is now not a blind, invincible prejudice. Even nmongst the Boers in the wilderness, who were once taught to curse and loathe the very name of Catholic, there is a widespread and rapidly growing belief that Catholics can be honest men and true. You can live down a prejudice like this. Be men in the. n»al signification of the word ; shrink from everything 1 hat is low, mean, and contemptable ; be honest and truthful in all your dealings ;have self-respect, and then your natural good qualities, your warm-hearted-ness in friendship, your fervent gratitude for kindness, your wellknown generosity, will balance anything disagreeable eveu in the name of Papist, The day is gone by when the mere cry of an odious name can evoke the rage nnd indignation even of a mob. We can afford to treat these cries of passion with indifference and contempt. They do us no real harm : rather, I should say from experience, help us, and certainly react on those who ore so low and cowardly as to attempt by this means to hound on the public against their Christian brethren.

A word more and I have done ; nnd what I have to say, in conclusion, is suggested by what lins been jw>t now before mv mind, as well as the festival of St. Patrick. We have to suffer nt times from prejudice against our religion. The great remedy which not only averts evil, but converts evil into good, is patient endurance. If you study the life of the great missionary who christianized Ireland, nnd whose memory we venerate to-day, you will find that this virtue of patient suffering was an eminent trait in his character. In him, through grace, it rose to heroism. And if you read the history of your country you will see that he stumped this character on the soiil of the nation he had begotten in Christ. Impatient of constraint, highly sensitive to wrong, impulsive to the highest degree of any people on the face of the earth, brave nnd dauntless to a fault, the Celts of Ireland, asa'people, learned from St. Patrick's teaching and example to be " meek and humble of heart;" and they practised this sublime virtue, first taught by Christ, through whole centuries of cruel wrong. Thi" a lowly virtue in the eyes of worldly-minded men , rather, I might say, it is contemned nnd despised by them as our Divine. Redeemer in the fool's garb and silent before the tribunal of Herod was despised nnd scorned by the proud monarch and his courtiers, but it is in truth a sublime virtue — heaven-born in its origin — and requiring the examplelof a God-mnde-Man to render it conceivable and practicable to proud human nature. It in a manner defies this nature. Talk of the bravery of the battle-field, and physical courage in all it? forms, these are but mere instincts of man's better nature compared with the heroism of endurance ! For this involves the determined trampling down of self in every shape and form, nnd the constant, unwearyiner, patient watchfulness tokeep down this most powerful passion of the hnman heart. Learn to be patient and silent for conscience' sake. Let this be the crowninjj virtue of the habits of self-respect ami mutual forbearance and gentle manners, which I firmly believe will be fostered in this new St. Patrick's hnll and club-room ; and there is no doubt but that the name of Irishman will rise every day in the public estimation of Port Elizabeth, and that your countrymen throughout the colony will look to you and your works with honest pride and gratification.