The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1875-09-26
Danisl in the Lioas' Dsn.
lLondon Universe.

be at it's bar proudly epurped blasphe-
nous oath. down to that sad moment in
February, 1sl7, when in his last Pariiamen
tary address he beseechingly implored
food for a starving nation he stood in the
House as admittedly the "member for Ire
land" His was difficult task, and it could
only have been accomplished by wonder
fnl talents, and a rooted feeling that he
was the representative of a noble cause.
Sneers, jeers and insults were poured upon
him every night in every Session, bat he
| needed them not Hic mighty mind scared
far above and beyond all such puny
attempts to defeat him His orstory was
| peculiar ; it was his own ard no imitation.
1t approached nearest to the stern vigOur
and massive strength of Demostbeues, but
contained elements more suited to his
hearers than an Grafton by the great Greek.
1t had not the stately march of Cicero,
the glittering wit of Sheridan, the solemn
teachings of Burke, the learned statelness
of Pitt, the straining after effect of Can
ming, or the dazzling rhetoric of Shiel but
| OConnell surpassed them all in that happy
blending of argument and ornament, pathos
and mirth, which made him for eighteen
years the central figure $50 far as Ireland
was ccncerned) of the House of Commons.
Let any who doubt our words take up
| the two splendid volumes which have
lately been issued Dublin McGlas!ian
and glib. by the gifted and indefatisab!e
Nun OF kenmare," containing the best OF
I ~ SOuuelI sptGCncS mo" lOE tue LISt ll"C
collected), and many of his most import
ant letters, including the memorable reply
to the Ear! of Shrewsbury in defence OF
Repeal, of which that nobleman had been
at one time an advocate. 10 these volumes
we rst meet with O'Connelrs assertions of
the principles OF the Reform Bill. He
went further, for he stood forth for the bal
lot, abolition OF the property qualification
of members of parliament and extension
of the suffrage; all of which were then
pronounced to be- revolutionary, and yet
all of which are now the Law of the land.
We now come to the great aud memorable
battle over tithes, '.cursed impost" that
cost poor Ireland much blood and pro-
tracted suffering. The contest for good and
fair Reform Bill for Ireland (Which was not
| given) drew forth many of the most telling
speeches of the Liberator, and the same
remark applies to the refusal TO Iceland OF
as good Corporation Bill as England and
Scotland obtaiued. The speeches IN cdu
cation are most valuable at the present
time, W hen Catholics are refused educa-
tional equality with Protestants. Some
may not know and yet it is the truth, that
| even now in 1875 (forty six years after
Emancipation) there is not in these Coun-
tries containing at least six millions of
Cathoiics) even one chartered university
where a Catholic can, consistently with
| the teachings of the Church, receive his
| education. Even the so called "NatiOnan
system in Ireland -is an anomaly; for by
| its rules, thessacred symbol of redemption
dare not be placed in the school room, even
though all the scholars were Catholic, nor
| dare the "Hail, Mary" Or the beautiful
"Angelus" be recited. This iscruel perse-
cution of Catholic nation.
These most valuable volumes (Which
ought to be in the library of every one,
no matter what his creed or country, who
wishes to understand Ireland contains SO
much matter, that we can only glance to day
at r small part of their important contents.
! O'Connell's speeches on foreign affairs
were numerous and powerful. His untir-
! ing advocacy of wronged Poland was
noble, and proved that he felt that between
an Irishman and a Pole there ought to be
a strong sympathy. His resistance to CO
ercion bills was incessant and unrelenting.
In the whole history OF Parliament,
there is no grander character represented
than that of the great lrishman, almost
sing g1e- handed, battling against powerful
foes all through the session of 1888, in op
position to the severest coercion bill ever
proposed, the atrocious Whig "Aigerine"
bill of that year. O'Conneli had to fight
against such able men as Stanley, Peel,
Graham, RHssell and host of clever de-
baters, but he was able for them all. He
was always victorious in argument al
though defeated in the division. The grand
Repeal speech of 1894 is given complete in
the first of these volumes, and is of itself
good value for their price, for it is in itself
Nobly did Irelaud's great tribune repre-
sent
A nations right 10 speak nations voice
And own power but of the nations CHOICE
Night after night O'Connell strove each
session manfully for Ireland. A jest upon
himself he took in good -humor. and he was
always ready with a witty repaTtee that set
the house in roar and made his oppon-
ents wish they had not been SO quick with
their little bit of poor feeble fun.
1t is altogether grand picture, the par
liamentary career of O'Conpell, and it has
not, we think, received sufficient attention
during the Centenary celebration. No
matter who was injured his voice was
lifted to redress the wrong. His glorious,
indefatigahle advocacy of negro rights
cost him many thousands of pounds each
year, as it, to o great extent, stopped the
collection in the United States of that
yearly offering which he received (and was
justly proud to receive) for those iuceRSant
Iabours which required the abandonment
of the largest bar practice ever known in