The Timaru Herald MONDAY, MARCH 19, 1923. THE TRAGEDY OF IRELAND

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 18069, 19 March 1923, Page 8

The Timaru Herald MONDAY, MARCH 19, 1923. THE TRAGEDY OF IRELAND

To-day, Mr Cosgrave’s St. Patrick’s Day message of hope enciroles the British. Empire; yet, as he has scaroe finished speaking, fools drunk with blood lust and insane, intemperate hatred of anything that savours of law, order, and rationalism, are turning Ireland into a shambles of murder and rapine. While Cosgrave hopes, meekly, reverently that the future may be bright for his glorious Ireland, these misguided criminals, led by one who is not even their blood brother, are carrying on their war against anything that may give the sad woman of Erin respite from her grievous weeping; and are planning fresh foments for a mother who could smile joyously, granted that all her children show her filial devotion. For Ireland to-day, more than ever before, is as a devoted mother. The wounds of the past, be they ever so deeply graven; and the agonies of the last few months; be their scars ever so terribly new, can be healed almost of a sudden, if only strife between children of a family could cease; to give place to happy times where that shamrock spoken of to-day by Cosgrave, grows proudly for Erin. The saddest park of Cosgrove’s message is that it is a parados. To-day we find that . the rebel activities are increasing l a hundredfold. Shooting* at pointblank range—surely there is no more cowardly murder —is the most fresh of‘the rebel outrages; Irishmen who call themselves men perform the acts of beasts when they deliberately attempt to derail a train on which ore men wounded in the defence of Ireland; that Ireland to whom selfdetermination was given almost gladly so that, Peace—a lasting peace would be the result. But up to now, Ireland, not England, has been Ireland’s worst enemy. One by one the; ill advised men who followed deYalera are being brought to hook by the Free State Government; to-day we learn that the rebel director of : chemical services has been captured; tomorrow, the Empire hopes,, some other criminal may be brought to book. It has been the .saddest St. Patrick’s Day for mnnv years. One realises that from the tone, of Mr Cosgrove's message, one is able to imagine bow much Mr Cosgyave dreams of the new St. Patrick’s Dav that will 1 he without what Gorlvle eaPed. "That latter day domestic Irfsli riant. Despair.” The Irish Free State has a glorious future ’when - peace 'becomes her lot. Swinburne, inspired bv the Union, wrote, many rears ag-o: \ >

Glorious Ireland, sword and son;; Gird and crown thee; nono may wrong Savo thy so.is alone. The son. that laughs around us. Hath sundered not, but bound us, The mail's first ris »g found us Throned on its equal throne. It has long been the grief of the Irish' patriot: —the true patriot, not the gunman —that the cup of Ireland's miseries has l,ong been overflowing and yet is not nm. Before the sun rises on'another St. Patrick’s Day, with Mr Cosgrave the whole of the civilised world hopes that that cup. emptied of the dregs of a hitler past, may become a loving cup, tilled with‘the nectar of a great future.