CHAPTER 1 
Introduction 
IVE peoples in the world’s history have made 
supreme contributions to civilization as we 
- have it at the present time. They are the 
Hebrews, the Greeks, the Romans, the Irish and the 
Italians.® Still it is true, to reecho Gladstone, that 
all of the spiritual heritage of our race we owe to 
the Hebrews, while to quote Sir Henry Maine, 
“whatever lives and moves in the intellectual order 
is Greek in origin.” The discount from the sweep- 
ingness of these expressions that some might deem 
necessary would not at its highest diminish mater- 
ially the value of these claims. The Romans car- 
ried on the Greek contributions to civilization for 
“captive Greece took her captor captive,” and while 
the Romans added only their own great gift of law 
and justice to the current of civilization, they saved 
Greek influences from disappearing and they pro- 
vided the framework on which Hebrew influences 
erected the enduring structure of Christianity. 
When the Roman life of the spirit was waning and 
the torch of civilization was nearly out, the Irish in 
the distant west of Europe converted as a whole na- 
tion to Christianity, picked it up and carried it on 
adding their own magnificent contribution of great 
literature, melodious music, rhyme in poetry and fine