New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-08-20
DO THE ENGLISH NATE TIE IkISHy
BEWILDERMENT THEIR REAL FEELING
From The LOudOp SOecf0tor

la
describes ~ An Amen' IN View Of lTeland.n But
we confess we very much doubt the accuracy of
thls description; Ar. GOdian American though he
be, Is undoubtedly Irish too and there seems to bs
plenty oil evidence in this article that Irish Drepos-
sessions have tincturod American mDartiality. OF
ilat' hoMcSer' our readers VIII Judge better when
tLey near what Dir q Idkn has to say LIS view
then. l. that Engishmen hate Irishinen 80 much
thai, at last, lrshncn have begun to hate Engllsh
men IN return aud that nothing but increase and
eXacerbalon OF the feeling IL to be expected, until
he n@Td remedy Of total SEPARATION and
that when lIlshmen are treated decently m English
society at ALL II Is because they have the estIna-
non OF Their COMPANIONS ceased TO b. irisnmen
lie accuses us, too, of adopting a cOndesccudug
manner toward Americans, also, which appears To
have been great crime IN his eyes. Wen, there "a
no doubt mat certain profound dissatisfaction
IN the English aud Scotch peOplcs-csDacIally uer-
haps IN the ScOtcii-is one OF the certain marks of
British Limitation, and, perhaps, also OF rhs eff
cheney III a small eld which Is apt 10 result from
that limit alton. But If the proof of or hatred ~
the Irish IL TO consist IN conduct which has also rem
dercd us ntOerable to the Americans the proof
does not 90 very far for II is certatn tAat we have
never ShOwnany lndOmlta Dis to our cousins
across the Atlantic, Tor whose great qualities
few peoples probably have eylnced higher ap-
probation than ourselves. Bnt the truth Is that Nh
'osAlh lngehiously lnlers the Eng lsh
hatred for lrishmen from what he has
recently observed OF the Irish hatred of E1g,I,h-
men and III the latter matter. no doubt. he %
standing on firnler ground Only must he per
United W say, that 10 argue 10 tie deOth Of Dayds
hatred of Saul from the knowledge only oil sauPl
hatred or DAVID Is not surely a logical process, and
yet 50 lar ~ We can see this Is positively the whole
sum OF 4lr Godkm's evidence. " confess have
until recently underestlmat ted the strength and
pernanence of irish hatred of England which tho
English hatred OI lrlsnmen has at last produced
says Mr. Godkn, and produces 40 witness al ali 10
testify TO that lluputed cause oil this effect. mat
the hatred oi England Is cultivated US the AmerI-
can btancn OF the Irish race rs a sort OF rel gOnV
can well believe The history OF the last TWO or
three years shows II to be 90. Dut TO what branch
OF the English race can Alr GOdkIn point a. Cult-
yatn5 Tie reciprocal form OF TINS sort OF Religion
lie himself gives us no hint, and appears to :
be quito content with the assertion, which hc does
not pretend To JUSTLY, thai when We make much OF
an lrisaan W. drop his irish character, anu TRANS
form HIM Tor the nOuce INTO an Lugllshunau and
with the bold assumption that i absurd TO COM
pare even Or. JOhnsOu's feeling toward the Scotch
man with the ordinary EEgilshuans teeiing toward
what he considers the typical uSninan." Certainly,
1t Is absurd Tor Dr. Johnson feeling TOW ard tho
ScOGclmdn was one OF real dislike anu contempt;
while the typical English foeuug Tor the lrIshman
Is ore rdluci Oh OcNdcfmcnJ LAdu OF either ndtltu
or c0ntempt-genulne inability to understand MN,
genuine desire TO 10 him Justice, genuine admiration
his hyelIness. genuine tear for his ntfuIncss and
genuine despair ut his lneradleaDle hostility.
Alr. GOdIn relies much tOT his evidence
PdHcRS carlcal uTeS Of ITIsImeD. But iIrst Of all
yOG never Judge OF tho true feeling oil 4 nation
from the comic organ OF any class, mnch less per-
haps Its mludie-caSs ana next, there Is nothing at
all 10 prove that even Tie readers 0t IaHc approve
The sort of caIcatUres OF lTLsuncn they nud there
Ii is almost hard lines 10 assume he general con-
cuIrence OF the readers OF any paper enc vi ItS
smaller and least important characteristics, it
would Dk 10 assume on the Strength OF general
respect for the United STAGES that We approve aud
admire the policy OF the United Staees AID the
unfortunate Indian tribes whom they have dealt
with ruthleSSly.
Now, let lis consider q little seriously what the
evidence OF Mr. GOdkns unargued axiom that
most Englishmen hate and &c, pIsc lTLhmen, really
j.. Mr.. GOdkin admits that We are qule wiling
and even eager to avail ourselves OF lI1shmehs
great qualities wheaeTer we can. " They are often
iayOTItes IL society" he says. They attain high
rank ut the Bar and Oh the Bench, and III the CIVIL
Service and III the Army. la tact, Idoubt whether
Ii may not DO SAID That they get more than Their
fair snare of such rewards English society be-
slows social ana professional talent. IAls Is all
true, but il does not conflict with my story IRISH
men succeed IN England, not a. Irlslmen. but
EngliShmcn That ls TO say, an lrishman who shows
the KIND Of qualities which Engisamen
love and honor undergOes an unconscious trans-
formation In their minds That Is very calm
assumption, and one that Is not easy 10 prove.
Moreover, when We come 10 later part vi Dir.
GodkIm's essay, find him making Assumption
almost tie very converse OF tins ia order 10 enforce
another accusation. There Is no part OF the world
to-day be says, in which an freshman, 10 mat
ter how well affected ne may be TO the English Gov
eminent OF how English lie may be by blood and
education, does not mud that his calling thinking
of himself an EngIshnan is treated a sort of
uSurpalOn that he Is regarded - belonging u al
inferior class OF BRUSH s01Jcct, like the Maltese,
and though entitled TO the protection of the flag
having no right 10 be proud OF IT, Surely arc
very hardly treated by Sir Godkin-much, indeed,
as We by Irlshmen III general Here
we are first reprOached with making much OF able
lrlshnen. only forgetting or ignoring that hey
lrlsnmen, aud assuming Them to be English and
then are told THAT If any able lrshuin assumed
10 be an EnglIshInan, he l. Immediately sluDbed
aud put down, by being told lie Is only an lrlsimdn.
Are the Two statements consistent with edCh other
Is IT not obvious that IN tie neat OF Ills dSpicasuc
with Enghsnmcn. Nj. GOdkln has got hold % t;O
opposite accusations winch neutra.lLe each other!
II we represent aD.c IrshInen 40 LnglIshIen, we
/ cannot BlOit.alIy hnd fault with great iTSlIu. u
tor aiming TO be exactly what we always uescIIDe
them as beng. And IN point vi fact, UT. GOGAln
seems 10 speak chiefly from prejudice anu not
OH the evidence OF iac's ataL Whoever hearu oior
claiming Burke or GraUan OrO Onnell, 81 chIel.
! Goldsmith, or Moore OF even Lord Duieul. az IN
| Euglishman Do We not haOltualy dwell and
dwen with admiration, on tnc nOtes OF tleu IRISH
genius aud NlYacitl III S't-ils 10 us equally fd,o
10 say That try 10 merge sredt lrisi qualities IN
English qualities, aud % say that wnon Irish
man clal i'm, the traditional glOrcs OF the Eupre "a
his own We the least uis posed To grudg. them
10 mini We know TOO We'll how much We have owed
10 our Nel,esleys and Lawences 10 have My
doubt. about the genuinely IRISH origin of great
portion OF our National time But this Is the sor5
OF accusation which lr!shmen seem 10 think sell
temonstIGtiye, while to.us II appears 20 have aDoO-
mtciy 10 foundation whatever.
But now ~ to tle great mass of the English pcO-
nin / there Is there not The slightest evidence
If a WldcIy-diiluscd dislike of tie irish people
amongst the English and Scotch c0ast.tu ucIe, :
We appeal TO tne evidence OF facts. Mr. GOdkln -
moi ashamed to echo the idle Tory leseAd thIt
Irish arguments and appeals produc, lOI practical
purposes. effect on The English mln' uhiu th,y
als enforced Oy that dreadful tom OF social Wax
known IN English legislation as IiSh crime AID
outrace'r What Is Mr.. GOdkin's reason lOr THIS
,yIld and utterly baselcs5 asscrtlon-whIcA il
or l. ~ tue up 10 the time OF the IRISH famine, W1.h
none of the greater statesmen had gwen theIl minds
earnestly to the popular side of the Irish problem
hos not mad even a shadow OF ruth ia IL for ca .ast
twenty ycars Why, course, that tie Tlsl OlaI.J
was abolished becaus. OI the CleThenWcu Outrage.
and nat the l,i,ll Land acts were due panty 10
th. same outbreak, partly To the outbreak OF 1870.
fuglsnmcn vino know ANY hing OF the master
kUow that Mr.. Gladstone t0ON up the lIl,n thmel
ouesfiOn before the CleckeuNcll outrage That nc
had lost his election for the University II Oxford
IN 1850, because II was known that he recognized
the g.Arng Injustice OF the illsh Eslab ,Lr,eni,
and tnat 1t Nj. GadstOnc's profession % idilh
and DOT any number ot OutI@gcs, which carried no
English Liberals with him. Nhen he turned tnc AZ