The spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1840-1844, 1842-11-25

$50 and eNpec'oIates sigh Of regret No doub.
he woald;he would be splendid i'll any rank which
il iuried rnom for action. Had he taken orders,
ho wol'd have been, without doubt, at this mo-
mcnt Archbishop of Dublin, and seal, cely less pow
crlus Than he is Il membe: for Dublm. But II was
not SO destined. In 1894 he became mch'ber oil
Iincons inn; in the books of which society his
name is still seen written ''Daniel O'Connel!. -
During the lhur years which followed, aud while
no was keeping the terms necessary to qualify him
for pralce in the Hall of the Courls, it is probable
that his uncle died This may have been the rca-
why, in 1893, he WAS called 10 the Bar by
that society AS Daniel OConnell. Whatever the
reasnn, The books testify to the fact, and Daniel
returned to ireland qualified II. all points to wear
wi. and gown and spend his money ir posting
after the Judges.
Notwithstanding the established reputation and
undoubirl talent of many Of his competitors, he
s,on acquired namG,as Nis Prlus lawyer which
opened TO him II vista Of ambition which was ter
minated only by the Irish Woosack Oae Thing
only kept him from this religion. Tlia, was an
impeachment which O'Connal was not inclined 10
avoid by means of conversion, he Immediately
applied himself to the task Of !nling it out of his
path,
Now commenced the great labor Of his life; that
mighty labor which, now accomplished, has con-
ferred upon him an Immortality. It was II vast
thing for young lawyer, without arstocratc con-
neXions, with no party to back him, with all the
wealth and noble Of his country, and the whole of
England violently hoslile-even To think Of II
was an attempt which the common herd of men
would, and did, term madness.
The ardent, sangnne, Jealous spirit Of O'Con-
nell saw nothing to despair Of He had, indeed,
no parlY--no supporters. Iln was, as since de-
clared, Qne alone--let to gesicu!ate to the air
md hnr Ia. nj al !
as an empty -pateI fellow, and lit had been pos.
sibe that he could be put down, he would have
been eYtinguisheG in his first campaign, He only
changed his operations, His reputation upon the
circuit was supreme-he made use Of it To COM
mence his agitation. In every ,ircult town he
could gather crowd and O'Conncl took care that
the crowd should never dispense without implanting
in every individuals breas, a conviction which
should spread far and wlde-,ha. the one soul re-
source for all the evils under which Ireland Ia
bored was the wan. of Catholic Emancipation.
With O'Connell TO laranguc, and an ignorant
audience TO listen, who can wonder that the ef-
fects soon became apparent: The Catholic gem
lemcn had sl,iven for themselves, but they Ind
never thought of ensling The people IN their cause.
O'Connc first appealed 10 them ,and they answer
ed him with shouts Of wecom and confidence -
Thus was the ground broken
It is not in my province toinauate how the snow
ball, thus Sc, in motloa, gathered as it rolled \
history of the struggle which ended in Catholic
Emancipation would be, indeed, a most interesting
Wofh' out Is not one 'nal can DC composed within
me 'i'hls whicn am con'inen TO- The hand
which created the engine never for Il moment lost
the guldence o! IT, Other men have called pow |
CT mo being' rs great as that winch O'ConnaiI
evoked, and then, terrified ut what they had done,
suffered to depart unquestioncd or else resisno the
once OF co'nna"!lns II to ilrmer hands Con
nell looked upon It unanashed and with familiar
gaze; and no sooner iad obtained power over ii
'han he used II TO 10 MS bidding.
Now shone forth his extraordinary practical
genius his great and ready resources, his inper-
'uran'e presence OF NINA ms nn'nnber''s ACTIVITY,
ana his wonderful Capabilities Tor action. Now
dld he orsavIze his associations, which he employ
ed as the inglemen of agilation; and when these
were assembled, chosen as they were from all
Catholic Ireland, from their talent, zeal, and i'm
pnhence OF all ireland was compelled to how 10
o'Connel rs the master spirit, This was II dan
gerous crisis OF his career. Many shrcwd men
would have avoided l',nnny able men would have
sunk beneath it. Nothing but thorough con-
seriousness of his own intrinsic superiority could
have tempted him To risk lt--nolhins bat the COM
p'ee possession of that superiority could have sus.
perlorly could have sustained bin through the cx-
pertinent, II, among the whole multitude which
formed the Catholic association, greater than o.
"',,, ,''a '""" 'na,'' 'l. 9rea'G, 'n'n "'V'I
"aJ w." NV m'e'," ,,''' N"rn'" o'o"' an"
,,''',",, Wv P,'ou VI wv ''''n o' 'ne
J." "'','N Iu', as ','','Su'ccS' 's.he F"'
'o'' u s''"''''' ''' 'e'o'' IS "c mas
", ''''"'' ,, I
O"e '''c''eht mere II when occurred about TINS
,ne' maj may ho' DC pissed over unno'lced' since
II II n'l' n'nN P'wofii' cnen' on l'' career, NJ
'nisn 10 MS uaH WIN i.''eFre' IN Tie The year
'' nst,., 60. |
" conner was ihGn hln'ns one Of his early .
na,'.cS WIN me h"D'Ih corporation; ana, nj
P'p' ,''o''h9 III och''' OF ch'hn.'n emancipation,
(,,nnr,,;o, ,, n,r,,r,r.r, i - WV Vt
rosro.,,h,o co,noy,in,, snt,,.nI i,;,r5 '''' W
al ,h,, y" W p'r-