Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1865-10-25
The Shan Van Vocht,


what deplorable straits newspaper men are
reduced in their earnest desire to print
readable journals The cholera was some
thing of a Godsend-the cattle plague gave
us some cheap spelling book science but
the cholera did not leave the Mediterranean,
and the cattle continue to die. The last SEN
sation is what they call Fenianism. To those
who want definition of this word we will
quote the authority of a dictionary maker
who wrote one hundred years ago, Fe
niaght, s., pt. Fence, champion, hero,
giant. The general aeceptation of the
meaning is that the Fenians or Fence are
foreign invaders or spoilers, and wise men
who write communications to the newspa-
pers suppose that they were the ancient Fe-
nj of Ulster or the PeDi or Phencians of
Carthage These Carthagenians were
giants-men of wonderful prowess-who
went about Ireland eating up unruly men and
maidens instead of going down into the
| bogs and earning an honest living. We
| particularize this definition, as it seems to
be the only sensible fact taught by the Fe-
nian discussion.
The activity of Lord Wodehouse has cul-
minated in the arrest of number of enthu-
siastic night walkers, and the suppression of
| newspaper which will most probably be at
once reestablished with an immense circula-
| ton. A number OF these night walkers have
| also been charged with singing songs about
wearing the green and the Shan Van Nocht.
To relieve the minds of anxious readers we
will state that the Shan Van Vocht is sim
| rly the Green Old Woman, and a rude way
of expressing the devotion of the Irish mas
ses to her unfortunate destiny when palmer
phrases would have been seditious. We
know what song singing amo':nts to in our
country. When the Rebels found that
Dixie's Land and the Bonnie Blue Flag were
| certain to wake up provost marshals, they
| quietly perverted our own good tunes to the
basest treason.
If the praises Of the Green Old Woman,
in tunefu! numbers, are to he followed by
the examination of Murphy and Teddy at
forms, and our next tidings may be that nu-
merous Fenians had seized upon ''God Save
the Queen" and Rule Britannia for the
purpose OF expressing their irrepressible en-
| thusiasm Ii our experience is worth any
| thing, and we know that we may speak by
the card on rebellion, the more singing the
Eenians indulge in, the less danger of war
When men have real muskets IN their keep
ing, and intend to shoot, they keep quiet
Fenianisn will serve its purpose as the
| theme for slashing editorials Lord Woda-
house will receive his additional star and
ribbon for faithful devotion to the Crown in
repressing the Fenian rebellion in Ire
| land, and the tavern-keepers of Southern
Ireland again welcome the liberal tourists
who at this time allow their fears to prevent
them from visiting the Lakes of Killarney
| or the wilds OF GlengariF Irish freedom
is as yeta dream. The Saxon rules with
sterner hand than ever. For centuries his
| rough, gnared. and long fingers have been
encifcing the throat of the Green Old Wo-
man, and not even her tears, nor her neces-
| sites, nor her fanaines, nor the ever increas-
| ing selt, ex ratriatinn of her sons to the new
| tyrones, LiWericss, and LoRdonderrys, in
| the West-not even the devo:o: of her sol
diers on every field where the rel flag fly
| ing, can release the grip
| As Mr.. Dighy Seymour so aptly said in
recent speech in Ireland - 'Religious ami
mostly is the hereditary curse of Ireland.
Where is the chemist that can annalyze for
me the difference between Protestant or a
| Catholic stalk of fax Does not the same
| blue flower adorn all fields?
Shall i ask the brave soldier who fgths by my side
In the cause of mankind if our churches agree2
Shall give up that friend have valued and tried
| If he kBeels not before the same altar me?
| ireland will never be happy till every Irish
man acknowledges that the foundation of
every creed is brotherly love, and that
| bright as hope is and beautiful as faith, the
greatest of these is charity
| When the spirit Of Mr.. Digby Seymour is
accented by Ireland in its truest sense, we
may look forward with some hope to the
| deliverarce OF the Green Old Woman So
| long as the green flag is the hated emblem
| Of one faction and the orange flag the de-
spised banner of another, We can never
| look for harmony While one portion of
| Ireland goes back with fondness to the days
/ OF kings and giants, and thi3ks with sadness
that by the streams and valleys princes
once walked, and the Fence came all the
way from Carthage, another portion has
no memory but the Boyne, and no glory so
dear as the defense of London derry
ireland is as house divided against her
| SELF, and the Englishman finds no more earn
| est enemy of Irish freedom than men of Irish
blood. The tine may come when a good
manly blow will be struck tor the Green Old
| Woman-but now, when the French are en-
emies instead of allies, and all Europe is
willing to aid in repressing revolution that
would be dangerous example to Hungary
and the Germans, any such attempt would
be madness.
Among the Unionists elected to the new
Legislature OF Ohio, we note the names of
Gen. Willard Warner delaware, Col. A. l.
Harris Montgomery Col John f. Cam
Minis Miami, Capt Silas Irioa tMuskin
gum all Senator's Gen H Rannino