What should be thought of a school where English history was not taught?
and is Irish history of less importance?
I have had very serious letters complaining of this deficiency from the heads of several colleges, where our history has been introduced as a class-book.[A] There are some few Irish Catholics who appear to think that Irishmen should not study their history--some because they imagine that our history is a painful subject; others, because they imagine that its record of wrongs cannot fail to excite violent feelings, which may lead to violent deeds.

I cannot for one moment admit that our history is either so very sorrowful, or that we have cause to do anything but rejoice in it.

If we consider temporal prosperity to be the _summum bonum_ of our existence, no doubt we may say with truth, like the Apostle, that of all peoples we are "most miserable;" but we have again and again renounced temporal advantages, and discarded temporal prosperity, to secure eternal gain; and we have the promise of the Eternal Truth that we shall attain all that we have desired.

Our history, then, far from being a history of failures, has been a history of the most triumphant success--of the most brilliant victories.

I believe the Irish are the only nation on earth of whom it can be truly said that they have never apostatized nationally.