The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-08-06

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and endeared by many ties to this
country. Daniel O'Connell first saw the
light and found himself an freshman near
the small town of Cahirciveen, where his
father, a remarkable man in his little sphere,
carried on business and played upon the pas
sions of village as his son did afterward on
those Of race on whatever land they rested.
His uncle, called ''O'Connell of the Hunting
Cap" was a neighboring squire from whom
he inherited Derrynane, and several OF the
family won title and distinction in the armies
of France.
Brought up among imaginative people,
dwelling alongside the melancholy ocean and
among a wild and picturesque scenery of
shaggy wood and lonely moor and bold bald
mountain, where nature sends the cloud and
the flash and the wind and the children of
the air to sport with strange fantastic joy
unknown in tanner regions, it is not strange
that o. Cornell derived from such external aid
a strong inward superstition, which colored
considerably ali his actions and thoughts, and
often even darkened his judgment through
life. From poor, old hedge schoolmaster,
named David Mahoney, he received his child
ish education, but was sent at an early age
abroad by his uncle to the ecclesiastical col
leges, first, of Louvain, in Belgium, and SUBJ
sequently to st. Omer and the English col
lege of Douay, in France. Dr. Kupylton, the
President of this last, in writing to his uncle,
made the following almost prophetic re-
mark: with respect to the elder, Daniel,
I'have but one remark to make of him, that
I was never so much mistaken in my life as l
shall be unless he be destined to make re-
markable figure in society,"" 1t would seem
that O'Connell was first intended for the
Church; but that idea was, for some time
before his leaving Douay, abandoned. He
returned to Ireland as the storm of the
French Revolution was sweeping over Europe.
But the trumpet tones which then stirred
every nation OF Europe found no echo in Ire
land and did not reach his young heart
Then, as ever in after life, religion dominated
every other sentiment. OConnell was almost
q tory at this time.
1t was not until 1898, another memorable
year, that O'Connell was called to the Bar.
Fame does not tell of how his consummate
! talents first became known. But the reminis-
cences of this period, which have been pre-
served, present the image of young and
ardent spirit luxuriating in the exercise of it's
powers and unwilling to confine itself within
the prescribed limits enacted by the profess
sion of the law. With OConnen law and
politics touched each other at every point.
Some are strong in thought and weak in
action. Others are mediocre in the closet
but strong among moving men. OConneu
was of the latter class Everything was di-
rected without much consideration of the
means to the one end-the carrying of Cath
| ole emancipation. 1t was he alone who did
| it. No other can wear a leaf of that laurel
| In attaining this end there is no question
that he had recourse to many i'm
moral weapons when it suited his
views or passions. His representations
were shaped to suit the purposes of the
moment, and as purposes changed so they
varied, and men were black or white and
white or black, or "base, bloody and brutal
or very angels of goodness over and over
again. He dealt profusely in national vanity
and laid it on with ladle. But these are
the vices Of all such leaders, born of such
time and compelled to combat with such cir
cumstances and none of the same giant pro-
portions had ever less of them. He was, es-
sentially, the representative man of his race.
O'Connells intellect, his nature, his counte-
nance, his manner were all Milesian, on a
giant scale. lie was large in person, of i'm
mense physical strength and untiring indus
try, which belonged to most Of the men who
have influenced their kind
Thus sturdy cromwell pushed broad-snouldersd
on;
Thus burly Luther breasted Babylon;
Thus brawny Cleon bawled the AgOra down,
And brOad-llmbed Mohammed clutcned prophets
crown.
He possessed all the humor, the cunning,
the ingenious scheming and the double
edged satire OF his people. He fortified a real
grievance with humbug, and rounded off gen.
uine eloquence with cajolery. He appealed
to traditions Of greatness and supremacy in
the mythic periods OF history, and gathered
multitudes, turning on those traditions, to
giorify in historic dreams Of victory at "the
Rath of Mulla mast, and was crowned with
the ancient Irish cap at clara of the Kings"
In me, ne WAS III all InlngS On lflSnman,
splendid specimen Of his people. Even his
overlooking warmth of heart, to which his
friends testify, went to make up the character.
He felt their feelings, suffered their griev-
ances. He was great in giving voice and en-
bodiment to their wrongs. In this was his
/ true greatness
AS an orator O'Connel was Of unsurpassed
power, tested in the three great fields of elo-
! quence-before the Bar, the House of Com
mons, the multitude. He realized fully the
ideal of Cicero. The listening people was
charmed and captivated by the force of his
eloquence, and felt pleasure which could
not be resisted Audiences we're flushed with