Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-04-04
FATHER Shelby.


= AA-AoH anu uaA1k-t auo srA1H 1-@-~>''
Our people last night demonstrated their
appreciation of genius and efoqnence by
thronging the Opera House, the occasion
being the second lecture by Father Eugene
Sheehy, the eloquent young patri0t-priest
of Rathkeale. county Of Limerick, Ireland,
and well repaid were they, for q more en-
pertaining disc ouise has not been delivered
in this city for many years. s 81
The lecturer was happily introduced to
the audience by Mayor Kercheval, AFTER
those present had been pleasantly enter
tanned with several appropriate airs by the
military band. -alH ags'-s 9
Father Shelby said: Ladies and gentle
men, beautifully and truthfully has the
poet said: "The MODEST study of mankind.
is man." and in our day, tits study has be-
come science. My subject tonight is
/ g The HutDcr and Vaior of the Irish Race"
The humor of the Irish race is proven
bal. It is only by 8 fresk Of nature, as il
were, that an Irishman lacks this universal
attribute of his nation. Under the most
cherries influences, will it grow in an
Irishman's heart. BY no misfortune is it
cast down-by no sorrow depressed. In
ali our griefs-and God has given us our
share, we are the most cheerful
of men. It is the oil and wine Of
our nature, and it wells up in every
trial. Take my eountryman in this city OF
Nashville; he may rise some of these fine
mornings with what you call SIT of the
blues.o Trade Is dull with him, his pros
pec,s generally do not look bright. Per-
haps his affairs are not that morning az
bright as they should be, because OF the nice
way he came home the night before Qsugh-
ter) but the humor of his nature will break
through all clouds; indeed, my American
friends, by your leave, will say that q
member of our race has never los66is tenn
per, even by the loss of bis dinner. Oaugh-
ter)
reeollect an aneciote related TO me since
| came to this country, which illustrates
that point: A countryman of mine, fresh
from the old land, found himself working
for a close old Connecticut farmer. After a
sharp mornings work be was seated at the
breakfast table, where there was nothing
forthcoming but seine blackberry pies. He
went out to bis days work, and returned
to dinner expecting to find an abundant
meal. Disappointment met him. He was
seated at the table, the boss' opposite him,
and the members of the family ranged
around. In the center of the table stood a
large SOUP tureen, with a small 'morsel of
meat floating around. He started
from bis chair, took off bis coat,
removed his vest, and was proceeding
with other demonstrations of that charac-
Ter, when the master of the house arrested
him, thinking he was mad, and inquired
the meaning of all these antics. "Why,"
he said, "do you not expect me to swim for
a morsel Of ma e?" tLaughterl The
next day the place of the soup tureen was
supplied with solid food. This time a
nugget OF meat was placed on hls plate.
Looking across the table he said to his boss:
| "Why do yee's wear them spectacles?"
81 use ray spectacies to make things look
larger" was the reply. swell, thin" says
Pat, ssyou list take 'em off fur five minutes
andlook at my plate" Laughter
Sheridan and Curran represent types OF
the Irish race in their wit. The latter was
once riding with an English friend in Hyde
Park, London, when the Englishman d.
rected CGrran's attention 10 young man,
evidently just landed from Ireland, who was
taking his first view of the Queen city,
with both eyes and mouth open. said the
Epglishman to Curran, IL dare say this is
one of your countrymen. wonder why
he keeps his mouth open?' "Ask him."
says Curran, SAND my word for it, he'll tell
you" The Englishmaa says, .'Pray, will
you tell US why it is that you are looking
about you with not only both eyes wide
open, but with your mouth open
also?" ais my mouth open?" inquired tue
young fellow. "Yes," said the other.
"Well, yer Honor, Pm trying to
CATCH THE ENGLISH ACCENT"
There was a poor man sitting by the
roadside when young couple cane trip
ping along. The poor fellow appealed to
them for aims. "May heavens choicest
blessings pursue yees," said he--the young
people passed him by nnotieed-9snd
never oYertake yees," added the beggar.
Iaughter.) r
A gentleman in Nashville told NE few
days since that he once asked an Irishman
whether a certain railroad had reached the
town he lived in. "Well, MOI" be says,
''only one end of it," Oaughter.)
Not only is wit and humor characteristic
of the Irish race, but claim that valor is
Slso. The EDglishman has written US
down in this country as IS race OF cow
ards" What hishman is there but hopes
and prays that the time will come, and
soon, when we shall be afforded an oppor-
tunity TO give him and his whole nation one
proof, and that striking proof, that the
truth Is no. in him. Immense applause.)
TOM MOORE
in his immortal ballad on the shamrock"
made its triple leaf emblemstic of the love,
the humor and the yAlor of the Irish ma
tiCn, Tommy was something of philoso-
pher, and IN ibis instance he gave a fine
definition of the Irish character.
AS an illustration that fight and fun,
humor and valor are the compound attri-
buteS of our race, have only to say that
In those days when Guelling vas the fash
ion, it was, in Ireland, not only the Slash
ion," but "pastime." . Laughter). The
Irish people never adopted that motto:
"He who fights and runs away,
WillliVe to fight another day."
This much for the humor and yalor of
the Irish race, blended.
The Danes conquered Gaul and Briton
easily, but il taok them three hundred
years to get the idea fixed hrIhly IL lis
mind that the Irishman was the better man,
(applause). Sidney Smith, | think it was,
said that il requires surgical operation to
get a Joke into a SSotchman's head, but
here The Irish people we're trying Tor three
hundred years to get an ides into the beads
of the Danes. Brian finally succeeded,
when he dug wide grave for $4,000 Of
their men, slain on one battle field. Gap
plause.)
Five hundred years were required by
England TO achieve our conquest, and then
she occupied portion of Irish territory
only about ss large as a Tennessee farm,
and during that time We were fighting
against ourselves,
STRIKING OUR BROTHER A BLOW
with one hand, and striking our enemy
with the other. 1t took the NormaDs one
year to conquer England; it took the Eng
lish five hundred years to even lay claim
to having subjected Ireland. (Applause).
Henry was the first man wh) claimed to
be the sovereign of reland, but, my friends,
Henry was fond OF titles=-almost as fond
Of titles as he was of playing hangnan to
his poor wives. (Laughter) Elizabeth
was compelled to pay largely out of her
treasury on account of Ireland, and as she
was IS great miser as ever broke bread,
Of course she had no amiable feeling to-
wards our race-but there was no love lost
over the waters.
The lecturer closed with a graphic re-
view of the history of tie wars which
have devastated his native country, result
. l. -, ol,1