The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1872-01-20
ComMuNICATIOx.
JoHssrowN, Jan. 18th, 1872.

JoHNsTOwN, Jan. I5th4 49,.
To the Editor Of the Cambria Freeman:
| / regret to be again compelled to ask the
/ privilege of occupying a portion or your Safa-
| able space to reply to your correspondent a
regard to my reading or ''Shamns O'Brien."
! afI7. and was aware that the performance was
| pect that criticism of 1t would be fair and i'm
! partial. and if your correspondent: IN ms re-
| and deeency; should have said nothing in re
| ply. His criticism, instead OF being made IN
10 tGiIdS some eexteht false Under these circun-
stances could not remain silent. 1 replied to
him In order to correct hlS i @
sons for readng the piece with the bTogue.
could not at first understand why your cores
ing to the skies, should so severely condemn
mine but thanks to his is last enIns1on ,nI1o nave
In the first place, he insinueted that Ilimicke ed
the Irish mode Of speech. This was probably
something that would be offensive TO our rish
fellowcitizens In this h9weyer ,s ne is dise P
make the Irish people belieYes that they have
been insulted by mo, aud he ia evidently very,
anxious TO be considered their champion. Al
this he does for q purpose
The learned gentleman quotes four. lines Of
the, pOen-or, rather, Tnfsquotes them, for he
introduces glarinE grammatical blunder IN
the first line, which does not occur in the orf-
ginal-and asks why did not add these to my
Qtotation. The point that he makes is that the
word priest" is properly spelled in these lines
many words of the poem that its author meant
it to be read with the hrogue, that We are jus
peasantEfot such the original relator Of the
story is supposed to have been-would have
pronounced il, regardless of the spelling.
He still persists in stultifying"himsef by as
serting that neither me nor ANY other ,nau'
over heard an Irishman pronounclnE priest
ordste / venture to assert that he cannot find
another man in Cambria county who Will en-
dorse such u statement. Nine men out OF every
ten in this community will testify that they
have heard Irishmeu pronounce in that way
often. The assertion is astounding that he
gardlcss of truth, or else so careless in his OBJ
servation of the pectiiarties of speech as to be
totally unreliable as critic. L am inclined to
take the most charitable view of the matter, by
presuming that he has not paid very close at
tention to his own speech. 4 .mttn whose ears
are so utterly, unreliable as his seem TO be,
could hardly be expected to know what ma
He challenges me to produce an Irishman
who pronounces priest praste. ''street strdte.
etc. 1 accept the challenge, and, with the gem
tlemans permission, will produce himself as
l regret TO make personal references. but he
has compelled me to do so. Mr.. NJ. p VI. called
h3f tba he Mod e to- & fhe fe Of G
Justice aTaney. Here is tho word ''chfef" pro-
class as ''priest'1 L could show other Instances
Of his pronunciation of like character, but it is
i.It can be reoited aud retlted well, without
the brogue," says NJ. p M. May ask how he
would Eecite the following lines without the
An his danGin' was sich that the mon used to
An the women turn crazy, ne done IT so quare; I;
An be gorra the whole world geV it into him
there.
AM they read big writin', a yard long at laste.
An Jim didn't understand it nor mind it a
taste,
An tho Judge took big pinch iv enur and he
says,
Are you guilty or not, Jim O'Brien, If yo,i
plasef
NJ p. n says that Samuel Lover was not the
author of ''Shamus O'BrIen." He also says l
ought To know "of my own knowledge" the
tfsAr. f,fsa Hhfa oh TO rnNIfa
and not depend on second hand information:
Does he know "dt his own knowledge that LIE
his information from q little ten cent pamphlet
published by the American News Co. Whether
for the astute critic to inform the public; re-
marking, however, that there seems TO be some
orally been ascribed to Lover. If he can show
that LIE Fauu was the author, he will enlighten
/ on matters pertaining to authorship than lay
claim to being. In such matter, however, the
/ tfan tho mere dictum of III p NJ, or the Amor
/ lean News Co. either. Can he produce {? Even
been for am not entirely satisfied that he was
| uot-it does not affect the argument which
! founded on the authorship, for was not he
/ man thoroughly versed in Irish idoms and pc
/ culiarities, and does not the author Ill many
I places recognize the brogue in the rhymer
| Towards the close OF his letter he wakes eio-
/ uuent. Great occasions afs often productive
/ His tongue and his pen are pledged to the de-
! fense of his jeopardised dfellow-countrymen. "A
/ reader who didn I know the cause that drew Olil
! this magnanimous sentiment would infer from
/ his words that had proposed to turn Ireland
upside down, annihilate her people, and spll'
Gems" Or that Hibernia, like Andromeda OF
| the ancients, was chained TO rock, there TO be
! tortured. TO insensibility by having Shamus
! O'Rrien," lCith q bTegue, "spouted" at her by e
hideous monster, who would afterwards havt
! devoured her had not this modern Perseus; wItt
"a tongue and pen" more formidable than &
score Of Medusas' heads, arrived just in the nicE
OF time to petrity her enemies and save hel
l from utter annihilatiOn. Surely 81. p NJ, fol
! his magnanimous bravery, his generous use oi
/ his ton cue and pen'' in the service of his en-
/ daugefed country and his insulted countrymen
deserves to be crowned with potato leaves anC
| placed among the consultations.
| Very Truly Yours, j. FRANK CONDOR.