The New York herald., 1872-10-27
The Ireland or T0-Day-Mr. Froude's
Views OF the Future,

The Ireland OF To-Day-Mr. Froude's
Views or the Future.
Mr.. Froude has finished his series Of dis
courses on Ireland, his last lecture summing
up the lesson he came to teach. II is terri
BILE picture which he paints of the Ireland Of
to-day, and he does not attempt to conceal the
fact that it is not the fault of the Irish that it
is truthful. His story, as well as the most i'm
passioned appeals Of Celtic orators, points to
q sad history Of bad legislation and petty, but
grinding tyranny. English landowners and
the priests Of the Established Church have
been the oppressors Of Ireland. Mr.. Glad
stone has swept one of these evils into oblivion
If Mr.. Froude's mission has the significance
we are disposed to attach to it, the great Pre-
mier meditates the ameliomtion Of the other
The land laws in Ireland are criminal even
now, and they have been still more unjust and
obnoxious. This champion of England not
even attempts to apologize for them, and the
acts of many landlords under them he char
acterizes as robbery. In all that he has to say
on this subject he is worthy of honor as well
as respectful consideration But he fails to go
far enough, and, judging from the policy he
foreshadows, Mr.. Gladstone is not prepared to
go further. Nothing short of home rule can
satisfy q country anxiously looking toward
independence; and this, quite as much as the
independence of Ireland, Mr.. Froude stren-
uously opposes.
Home rule must follow the rectifcation of
kbo kovo ~ rto os,,1x 1ov1l
law will follow the disestablishment of the
Irish Church; but we have no quarrel with
Mr.. Froude for not seeing q necessity that in
the end will become SO patent, especially when
an American like DR.. Hitchcock fails to see
any other than the English view of the ques-
ton. No answer could have been more illog-
ical or less in harmony with the American
feeling than the answer which he chooses to
make-"Britons, stand by your fag." It
is an answer which justifes the Stamp
Act and the American War-an answer made
in disregard of the fact that the union of the
States is central authority with home rule for
thirty-seven distinct Commonwealths. Eng
land recognized the theory in establishing the
Dominion Of Canada, and she is ready to re-
cognize it still further by federating her West
India and tropical possessions; and Mr..
Froude's opposition to home rule is based on
grounds quite as illogical as the position as
sumed by Dr. Hitchcock. II the American
Republic has taught any lesson to mankind it
is that Protestant ascendancy or Catholic
ascendancy may be made alike impossible.
6oc
stones upas tree of poisons and never can
suffer from it. This much at least Mr. Froude
might have learned from his American expert
ences; and we are all the more astonished
at this in lecturer who could supplement the
remark Of radical writer to the effect
that the best way of infusing sound practical
atheism is by an education by priests, with a
sarcasm such as his in calling it "a beautiful
result" Home rule for Ireland necessarily
means that neither the English nor the Irish
Parliament shall legislate about religious diff
ferences. When men are free to worship God
as their consciences dictate and there is no
Legislative authority to compel particular
worship q mans religion is not longer mat
ter for anybody but himself, and ceases to be
disturbing element in public affairs. In re-
fusing to recognize this and in his failure to
see that the Irishman may become something
better than, according to his own showing, the
English have made him, are the sources of all
that is erroneous and illogical in Mr.. Froude's
views. His errors are pardonable, but on &C
count of them his mission will have little effect
in shaping American opinion.
1t is noteworthy that Mr. Froude feels en-
couraged by his success in this city. When he
came here, like Falstaff, he was disposed to
wish il were evening and all was well. Now he