The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-04-14
THE IRISH GENTLEMAN.
THE ERRONEOUS OPINION ENTER
TANNED In THIS COUNTRY con-
CERNING THE IRISH.
Especial Correspondence Of the Democrat


Especial Correspondence OF the Democrat
DUBLIN, March Fl, 1873.
I think there exists among untraveled
Americans an erroneous and unfavorable
opinion Of
THE IRISH AS NATION.
AS I once shared In this belief hasten to cor
rect it, and most heartily do I acknowledge
my mistake since / have visited and known
the people in their own country. The nom
Americanized Irishman who has made up his
mind to adopt the "land of the brave and the
| home OF the free" as his own recognizes this
prejudice In the frequent little jibes he has to
bear during the initial process Of his mental
acclimatization.
| No doubt Paddy" is a very witty fellow,
but the jokes too often put in his mouth owe
their point rather to a lack Of judgment than
to that faculty "to advantage dressed The
picture which generally presents itself to the
American mind oil an Irishman Of the better
class is something after this fashion:
| A great, tall, broad shouldered, red-faced
fellow, arrayed in the newest OF broad cloth,
the b eaviest Of watch chains the glossiest OF
beavers-a fellow who wears no gloves, car
ries his hat on the back Of his head and his
hands in his pockets-argues with oaths. en-
phasizes his arguments, IL necessary, with a
"kick OF his fist and scatters his money
with lavish profusion, equalled only by the
liberal manner in which he does away with
Irish whisky, or the audacty with which he
sacrifices good taste to the display oil his
mother wit. man who rolls his re-, flattens
his as, and sets at defiance every rule Of
grammar. In short, q witty, good-natured,
hOt-tempered, vulgar, drunken sort OF fell
low, vastly amusing, no Doubt His faults
Inr trIo utnlk national
his virtues admired for themselves.
How different from this Is
TRUE IRISH GENTLEMAN,
SO rarely encountered on American soil, but
numerous enough on his native island
The shrewdness which has filled the pockets
Of his Transatlantic brother with dollars Is
changed by education into discriminating,
clear sighted wisdom. The crude uncultured
wit for which pat has become 50 famous is
the delight and envy OF every other national
ity for it's keenness It's delicacy, its briliancy.
The pompous and reckless extravaganza is
transformed to q judicious liberality that
well sustains the Irish character for spon-
taneous, generous good nature and hospital-
ty. The rash imputsive temper" to which,
alas too many American coffee houses and
street brawIs are due, is replaced by @ high
and chivalrous spirit akin to that which
prompted the Crusades In the days when
each true knight sought by mightiest deed to
uphold noblest worth.
The Americans have vague idea that
THE NATIONAL IRISH TONGUE
Is something Of this kind: ."ArrahW "Begor-
RAJ "Bedad" "Begone wild ye now ~ Cant
ye lave off wild yer nonsense etc.
4 Well, this bears about the same resemblance
to the mode Of speech fthe educated class in
Ireland as their own Yankee tongue to Lon
don English, Or the patois OF Bretagne to Pa
risian French,
The Dublin people have the reputation, and
not without justice, OF speaking
THE PUEEsT ENGLISH IN THE WORLD.
Whether they speak the purest English or
not, they certainly speak it with brilliancy
Of intelligence verve that gives charm to
their conversation not surpassed by the bub-
bling grace and the effervescent wit OF the
Frenchman, whose language is "par excel
lacks none Of that ponderous force Of intellect
80 much vaunted by his English brother.
Nay, he leavens and beautifies 1t with q sparkle
and polish peculiarly his own, II he is dig
nified, it Is rather with the quiet gravity Of
the Andalusan than the touch-me-not reserve
Of his Channel neighbor-whle that indigo
nous warm heartedness, without which an
, Irish gentleman is but blot on the reputa-
ton OF his country, shows tselfin thousand
happy, graceful natural acts, that in the
, Frenchman are but the results of q diligent
, study OF les arts ddDrem,ent.
Why we do not oftener see this type Of a
, noble class in our land is very easy OF expla-
. nation.
Born on a soil that In its varied beauty and
, fertility might be the habitation Of fairies as
well as men, and under government which,
however he may decry It, sways the most
PHOSPHORUS, widely extended and happy en-
pire in the world what can drive an Irfshman
, from these inestimable blessings? Only pow
When this lovely little island, with its eme-
raid, dalsy.covered fields, its hawthorne
its fairy-haunted valleys, its furze-covered
hillocks with all its fertility, could no longer
furnish food for her too numerous children,
she banished them. Like the mother-brd who
hedge1 Buildings from the downy but food
empty nest ireland scourged her offspring
with the thongs Of
and pointed them across the tAckless expanse
of ocean to America-America, with it's grand
sweeping rivers, it's game filled forests, us
rich prairie lands, its scantily peeopled shores
who had every want supplied at home. NO
Iandlord-oppressed, ignorant, hunger
stricken company, endowed with only insou,,
} Giant good nature, quick comprehension and
isle-gifts that bore in them the seeds Of a
! great nations prosperity Two generations
having passed away, who would recognize in
the graceful, sprightly, refined women, the
! ants of those rugged progenitors2 But these
are Americans, who laugh at every " green
3 horn they meet, and indulge in the same
9 raillery thier forefathers provoked, until tt
have the reputation Of being Irish is equiva
. lent to being thought barbarous.
Let US be Just. Because we see only tbs
8 peasantry Of nation-let us not put all it,
inhabitants on the same level OF gaucheri'
g and ignorance
3 That there are Irish ladies let US taxi
Thackeray to witness.
81 must say they not only seem to excel thu
: English ladies in wit and vivacity, but in TIN
r still more important article Of the toilette
They are as we'll dressed as French Preme,
t and incomparably handsome; and If ever th
i book reaches thirtieth edition, ard can flint
8 out better words to express admiration, the.
q shall be inserted here. Among the accom-
g plishments Of the ladies. may mention tina
have heard in two or three private familie
8 such fine music as is rarelysta met witt
s out Of q capital" This is from his Iris