The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-02-23
THE MAGAZINES.
msORIBNKR,s.v

The contents Of the March number Of
lScrt6ners Monthly are as follows-
"weather-Telegrams and Storm Fore
casts" second article, illustrated, by Pro-
fessor T. B. Maury; "King Gambrinus and
his Sabiects, illustrated, by William Wells;
'will She Ride or Walk by Miss Trafton;
'Tn a Garrett" by Elizabeth Akers Allen;
Lucky Peer, ;" by Hans Christian Andersen;
"Homeward,'" by Lois Brooke 'The Ancient
Fenians," by L. Clark Seelye; Victor EN-
manuels Queen" by Elizabeth Q: Kinney;
"Life in the Cannibal Islands, illustrated,
by j. G. Bates; ''Wilfrid Cumbermede, Illus
trated. by George Macdonald; "The Celes-
tials in Sunday-school" by James L. Bowen;
''Topics of the Time;" 1.-The Old Cabinet"
'sBeyond the Seas" ''Home and Society;"
"Books and Authors at Home;" 'Etchings,"
Musical Party, with seven humorous designs,
by G. G. Bush.
From Professor L. Clark Seelye's paper on
"The Ancient Fenians" we make this quota
tom
THE ANCIENT FENIANS.
In the early history of Scotland and Ireland
q tribe of Celtic warriors stand forth pre-
eminent by their bold adventures and warlike
deeds. The scenes of their exploits received
names still perpetuated in the topography of
both coEntries, and the exploits themselves
became the theme of many poems and ro-
mances. Finn Mac Cumhail pronounced
Coole) was one of these warriors and their
most famous commander. According to Irish
annals, he lived and died in the third century
of the Christian era. So great was his renown
that these Gaelic warriors, who had pre-
viously been designated by various names,
barbarous to our English ears, were hence
forth known as Feinne, Fiana, or Fenians,
and as such were celebrated in the legendary
history of Scotland and Ireland. They seem
eventually to have constituted a kind of esta-
blished militia, whose duty it was in the
words of an old historian, ''to defend the
country against foreign or domestic enemies,
to support the right and succession of their
kings, and to be ready upon the shortest
notice for any surprise or emergency of the
State"
These meagre historical details give one
little idea of the amount of Fenian literature
which still exists in ancient Gaelic manu-
scripts. One of its most accurate and learned
students has computed that, we're all the
Fenian poems and legends published, they
would fill three thousand closely printed
large quarto pages.
To enter the ancient Fenian order, ''every
soldier must swear that without regard to for
tune he would choose wife for her virtue,
her courtesy and her good manners; that he
would never offer violence to woman; that
and that he would not refuse to fight nine
men of any other nation. Every soldier must
be well acquainted with twelve books of
poetry, and be able to compose verses. He
must also run we'll, and defend himself when
in flight. To try his activity, he was made
to run through a wood, having a trees
breadth, and the whole of the Fenians pur-
suing him; if he was overtaken or wounded
in the wood he was refused as too sluggish
and unskillful to fight with honor among such
valiant troops.
''He must be SO swift and light of foot as
not to break a rotten stick by standing on it;
able also to leap over tree as high as his
forehead, and to stoop under tree that was
lower than his knees. Without stopping or
lessening his speed, he must be able to draw
q thorn out Of his foot. Finally, he must
take an oath of fidelity
These are some of the qualifications given
to us by an ancient historian, who naively
adds:-''So long as these forms of admission
were exactly insisted upon, the militia of Ire
land were an invincible defense to their coun-
try, and terror to rebels at home and enc
mics abroad