The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1872-11-24


mighty, vigorous young arm of, Am erica
nave heard 0thers say that the gentle
man came over on the invitation of q little
clique of sectarian bigots in this country.
Men, who, feeling that the night of reli.
glous bigotry and sectarian bitterness is
fast coming to q ciose before the increasing
light of American intelligence aud educn-
tion-and who would fain prolong the
darkness by an hour or two by whatever
help MIR. Froude could lend them. But I
protest to you, gentlemen, tonight that
have heard all these motives assigned to !
this learned man without giving them tue |
least attention. l believe Mr.. Ff0ude's mo-
tives to be simple, straight forward, honor
able, and patriotic. l am willing to give
him credit for the highest motives. And l
consider him perfectly incapable of lend
ing himself 70 any base or sordid pursuit
from base or sordid motive. But as the
learned gentleman's motives have been SO
freely canyassed and criticised, / believe,
indeed, in many cases misinterpreted. SO
my own motive in coming here to night
| to answer him may be misinterpreted and
misun derstOOd, unless l state it clerly and
plainly. AS he ia stated to come as an
emiseary of the English Government, I
may be eaid to appear here as an otnissary
of rebellion or revolution. AS he is said
by some to have the motive IF alternating
the American mind from the Irish citizen
| ship of the States, 80 l may be suspected
| of endeavoring to excite religious or po
! litical hatred. I protest these are not my
motives. I came here tonight simply to
vindicate the honor Of ireland in her his.
! tory. l came here to night lest no man
should think that in this our day, or in any
day, Ireland is to be left without a son
who will speak for the mother that bore
him. And first of all, I hold that Mr..
Froude is unfit for the task which he has
undertaken for three great reasons. First
OF all, because find in the writings of
this learned gentleman that he solemnly
and emphaticalIy declares that he despairs
of ever finding a remedy for Ireland, and
that he gives it up as bad job. Here are
his words, written ia one of his essays a
few years ago: The present hope" he
says, is that by assiduous justice-that
is to say, by conceding every thing that the
Irish please to asl1--we shall dispel that
1t may be SO. There are persons sanguine
enough to hope that tho Irish will be 50
moderate in what they demand, and the
English 80 liberal 10 what they grant, that
at least we shall fling ourselves into each
others bosoms in tears of mutual forgive
ness. do not share that expectation. 1t
is more likely that they will push their
opportunities until at last we turn upon
them and refuse to yield further. There
will be struggle once more, and either
the emigration to America will increase In
volume until it has carried the entire race
other they will again have to be coerced
, into sabmisssion." Punish them or cosrce
them there the truo Englishman speaks.
"My OILY remedy" he emphaticaly says,
my only hope for the prosperity and fu-
tare of Ireland is to let them all go to
America. Give US Ireland atlast, as we have
!, , labored to make it for 700 years-a desert
and solitude; or if they will remain at
home they will have to be coerced into sub
mission" l hold that that man has no
;; right to come to America to describe the
! horoscope of Ireland's future-and ought
to be ashamed to do it after uttering such
i words. The second reason why say be il
" unfit for the task of describing Irish his
tory, is because of his contempt for the
4 Irish people. The original sin of the Eng
i glishman has been his contempt for the
+ irish. 1t lies deep though dormant in the
'. erage Englishman despises an Irishman
u looks down upon him as being almost infe
o rior in nature. speak not from speculation
e but from intercourse of years for have livet
9 amongst it. have known English of ami
p able, religious, charming character, wht
" would not for the whole world nourlsh o.
u employ feeling of contempt towards any
d one; yet it is seen even in them. It seems Il
T. be their very nature. 1 am sorry to ga.
\ that can make no exception of Catholic
IL or Protestants amongst the English IN thi
feeling, mention this not to excite animos
ity, not to create Dau DloOO OF oltter IeeIihb
3 but mention this becauSe / am convince
l. that it lies at the very root Of that antipa
es thy and hatred between the English and th
OF Irish. 1t seems to be inexorable, and
% believe that until the feeling is destroye
L YOU never can have o cordial unio
. between these two countries, and th
o. only way to destroy it is to raise Ire
no land by home legislation to attain sue
n a position as to command the respect I
% tour English fellowship bjects. NJ
he Fro1de himself, who, I am sure, is IL
D. capable Of any uugenerous sentimei
n towards any man or any people, is an O.
re ample Of that feeling of contempt of whis
no I speak. Father Burke qaoted from &
w address by Mr.. Froude to Scottish asseu
u. u. blage in Edinburgh, the subject beiI
ot " The Effect of the Protestant Reformatit
on the Scottish Character" in which
II II said he considered himself a bold person
lld come and speak on that subject; that gre
Use national movements could only be unde
to stood properly by the people whom tn
an represent. Did the learned gentleman ev
no offer any apology for entering 80 boldly
ecs the discussion of Irish affairsf Oh,
apology was necessary he was only goi
IAN tn speak of the irish. The third re as