New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-03-27
IRELAND REVISITED.

fFROM An OCCASIONAL CORRfSPONDbhI Or lbE iibhhh~J
| DUBLIN, March Ill have come back fora while
to the dear old country" just to see how 1T is pros.
pering to see whether il be true, as have heard,
that old things passing away, and all things
are becoming new ITO whether progress Is in-
provement and TO what goal the progress is tending.
Will il end in a more consolidated Imperialism, in a
Federal union OF an Irish Republic What are the
fruits of Mr.. Gadstones pOlicyf If its fruits are
not ripe yet, and if the tender shoots are exposed
to bitter wind. what are the prospects of the
harvestf Is religious equality at all praet
cable in this country Will the Church OF
Rome assume the position of ascendency and
overwhelm her disestablished rya by weight OF
numbers, and the pretension of Divine Right, IN
virtue of the dogma Of Papsl hfalhbility, or VIII
Catholic society rise here against Ultramontanism'
AZ 1t has done IN Italy and other countries whero
religious education of the orthodox type has been in
the hands Of the clergy for ages, and, according 70
the Pope has produced Atheism Are the people
of all races and creeds likely to blend into ono
homogeneous nation, united in itself and fitted Ia
be free and independent What are the agencies
tending that wayi Will Imperialism OF Nationality,
Professionalism Catholicism, exert the greater
similating influenced With fresh eye. impartial
and not unfriendIy, and with much experience and
vivid recollection of the old regime the old parties
and the old features will take note of the facts
readers to form correct opinions these subjects
There is always more or less difficulty in coming
at the truth. We must collect facts carefully on
every side. We pust winnow and sift, and compare
and weigh. We must bay the truth. and when we
have got it we must prize it above gold All is not
gold that gtters, and here, elsewhere, there il
plenty of the glittering semblance. Self-mtercst,
prejudice, wounded feeling the spirit Of contention.
and taking different points of view, will present the
clear perception of truth even where upright men
contendng individually for their rights. All tho
influences tending to give wrong bias TO the mind
will be stronger In party, or corporation, than liz
an individual, and, strongest of all, IN a nation.
1t has been said that corporation has conscience
that it has skin 50 thick and callous that
weapon can pierce it; and although it is customary
to speak of the national conscience" and of ma
tional repentance" fear shall search history in
vain for genuine proofs Of national remorse.
tional restitution The utmost we expect is that
the men Of this generation will try to act more justly
than their fathers-that they will cease to 90 evil
and learn to do well" Meantime their advocates
will be busy collecting black-letter and old MANI
script proofs that the fathers did no harm that could
be wen avoided, and that their sons would have
acted just as badly if placed in the same similar
circumstances and what is more, that their accuser3
would have acted much worse.
us take familiar illustrations-one personal and
the other national Look first at the amazing mass
of contradictory evidence in the carloads of atida-
Wits produced in the Tichborne case. There arc
scores Of respectable and intelligent witnesses the
side of the claimant II the true heir is dead they
are supporting the cause Of one of the mOst auda
cious impOsters to be found In all the records of
fraud If the claimant is the man." he il the vic
tim of an enormous amount of false swearing.
though none of the witnesses NAV be guilty Of wful
perjury. Look next at the Alabama ease. Even
there, what strong differences what coneienG ale
cations as to matters of factl That case war sub
mittsd by England TO fair international tribunal
But would England submit the claims Of Ireland to
such tribunals In the Alabama case, w0nld the
predispOsiton to an amicable settlement have been
the same if the United States had been vilnquisbed
in the war of Independence or if America had
NAMED still colony or dependency of the British
CrownY And would the reconciliation have been
made easier by the fact that the conquered province
had made several subsequent attempts 10 its
RICH to sef-government, and had each time been
ruthlessly crushed
A recent author has remarked that the study of
Dogma, in spirit of submission TO authority. will,
in the course of time SO affect the mind that it will
be incapable of looking truth in the face Docs not
party spirit and above all, does not national an
one side plead for Ireland with Englisbmen and on
the other plead for England with Irishmen en-
counter an impatience, an irritabiGty excitement
which demonstrates that / am not dealing with
reason but with instinct. On the side of the ruling
Power, now, there is certainly much more modera-
ton and calmness in the treatment Of questions in
dispute English statesmen and the chief organs If
the press especially The Times and The Daity kecs,
show admirable self-restraint and candor IN their
illusions TO the violent illusions of the national
journals But these are exceptions, and there
corresponding exceptions in Ireland As gem
eral rule, political partisans dodge" stub
born facts here, as case-hardened dsbiOr
lodges his numerous creditors in the streets. And
let us not suppose thow can we, after reading
Froude . that this habit of bidding the go.by to
unpleasant facts is fault peculiar TO the Irish. IL
has indeed been truly said that subject nations. and
enslaved people generally, prone TO ialschoOd. H.
is the refuge of the weak and defenseess against the
strong and the violently unjust. 1t is often the
bending of virtue herself before the storm TIL the
fury of the tyrant be overpassed Ruling nations
are said TO be great lovers of truth We should
rather say that they do Mt generally stand ia need
of falsehood if they did, may be sure that they
would use it without scruple. Goldsmith, III his
Survey of the Nations, struck with the majesty
of the English breed of men:
Pride in their port, defiance In their eve
see the lords OF human KIND pass by
Yet these lords Of human Kind have, by their laws,
encouraged falsehood TO an extent worthy Of tho
modern Greeks. Mr. Buckle says: "All are agreed
that the perjury habituaIly practiced in England
and of which Government is the immediate ere
ator-is general that it has become source Of ma
tional corruption, has diminished the value of hui
man testimony, and shaken the confidence which
men naturally place in their fellow men, The two
great universities the eyes of England OF these
luminaries Sir William Hamilton spea ~ TINS Z" Rut