Excerpt from Rome-Rule in Ireland: A Lecture Delivered Before the Independent Religious Society, Orchestra Hall, Chicago, Sunday at 11 A. M One proof that the Irishman's resources are on an ampler scale and that his energies hold out longer is that his country's Ntwo masters, both foreigners, England and Rome together have utterly failed to exhaust the vitality or to completely crush the spirit of the Irish people. I went to Ireland with the expectations of a man on his way to a house of mourning. But I was agreeably disap pointed - not that the country is not still prostrate and bleed ing from many wounds - but she is not dead, and she is strug gling to her feet. I was a very interested observer of the signs of her rejuvenation. It pleased me immensely to see the new Ireland in the making. I whispered into her ears, so to speak, words of cheer and hope. I pressed her hand affectionately. The tale of her past woes, and the sight of her present struggle against the ravages of political and religious riot, moved me.' I wished I could take up my abode in Ireland' for I remem bered the wonderful words of Thomas Paine: Where liberty is not, there is my country. While in Dublin, which is the headquarters of Catholic Ireland, I made sincere efforts to understand Ireland and her problem. What is holding Ireland back? What keeps her down? Why is this lovely land the home of so much misery? Why do these bright and genial people carry chains - chains which would dishonor even a black slave? I talked with all classes of men, and the way I approached some people - without any introduction, warning, or excuse, must have appeared a little strange to them; but I longed' for information, and I wanted it at first hand. If there was a priest in a railway car, I invariably managed to sit next to him, and it was not long before we were chatting away, appar ently the best of friends. He put on his pleasantest smile, and I tried to be in as docile and receptive a mood as I could command. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.