New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-08-26
IRISH-AMERICAN VIEWS.
AIR GoDKlN IN THE NINETEENTH GEN
TURY.

A., article in The Ninetoenth CeRtary for August
.nti,l.a AN American View of Ireland" ana
sioned f. L. Godkin, has elected comment OF TWO
from the English papers. The contradiction DC
tween the title and the signature has been promptly
pointed out The Spectator devotes q couple OF col
umns to answering the question, DO the EhgIlsn
hate the Irish 7" as Mr.. Godkin says they DO no
Spectator is Que of the journals which DOUBTS 'no
accuracy of calling Mr. GOdkin's view an American
view observing that Mr.. Godkln, Aihe'lo'"
.honeh he be. is undoubtedly Irish too, and there
seems to be plenty of evidence in TINS ar'ico 'n"'
Irish preposscssions have tincsured American I'M
r,;oIit, ~ Nr Godkin NAV not have chosen the title
for his manor hut whoever chose it did misleading
..Da miscellaneous thing MI GOdktn has perhaps
q r,cht IN call himself an American. lie mas earned
:. h. indnstriously crIiciSing most things Ameri-
sap during his residence IN his adopted country -
undoubtedly a useful function But wheh ne au-
dresses an English audience on the Irish question:
he ought in fairness to allow them to know that his
/. NOT an American but an sh-Amerlcan view OF
Ireland.
The answer which The Spectator gives to the queS-
finn Do the English hate the lrlSh is % pump
negative. | will not quote from the answer which
r nresnme Won may al. eady have noticed, anything
buI fins one sentence: The great majority oi 'no
Enplish people. far from entertaining that haTeu
aes the source and origin OF the Irish hatred Tor
Fnylisbmen wish with all their hearts to MAKE
amends for the sins OF their fathers, ana 10 Sho"
the Irish people that there is no compensation III
the world consistent With the unity ana prosperity
of the United Kingdom. which they are not eagerly
DESTROYS TO make them"
You viii find the reasons for that answer worked
ont with conspicuous fairness, but for the moment
am content to quote it merely rs piece oil tesii-
nouv In the same way, without much arguing
The matter. Twill add my own testimony. | read
Mr.. Godkin's article with that KIND OF pleasure
which sorinps from entire novelty. 1t Is one secret
of attracting attention to begin with starving
uropostion. MI Godkiu has little need to resort
70 ar1lnces of that SORT but he certainly does open
his discussion by a surprise The most potent fact
in the controversy about Ireland, he tells us Is the
Foclisb dislike OF Ireland and lrIshmen. By-lni-
by. As ne proceeds warming, suppose with MS
subject dislike deepens into hatred. Inc Eh9Ish'
We find not only hate the Irish but despise them
and of this hate aud contempt they MAKE no secret
IN literature in conversation
Well # that be so, Mr. Godkin ought surely to be
able to produce some evidence OF IT. lie does cue
the Irish engravings in Punch a. one proof oi MS
astonishing proposition, and these he describes as
body of brutal SATIRE such "a no community mas
ovay heen EXPOSED to. That indicates, as well IS
into which Mr. Godkin has fallen. He IS entirely
wrong IN saying tnat Ispoh has satrized the Irish
community. What Punch. or to give the artist his
dine Mr. Tenn:el has DONE is to depict IN brutal and
bidenus liueamentS. not the Irish community, Dut
the curses and scourges of the Irish community the
IRISH rough the Irish Whiteboy, the IRISH assassin
/ have not fie of Iaach at hand. but VIII VEN
tlrp To say that if Won tuIn over the volumes You
will lind that the satire of which Mr.. Godkin COM
pains is all hut inv ariaby directed against those
classes o. the Irish people which have brought tue
deepest Teproach upon the Irish name. More th'n
4bat Won will find Ireland herself over end over
again represented IN the gnise OF comey and we'll
shupen Young woman i'll classical robes or other
Incoming draperv. The Hibernia of MI Tennic Is
inst as nice n Young woman his Britannia OF
Galia. ncrhaps more so. Mr.. GOdklns glances al
Punch in the leisure allowed him 10y bis economics
and critical studies nave been too hasty lis IIlsh
blood took fire. He resented the satire upon IrIsh
assassin, because they we're Irish forgetting thai
fine Irish assassin was made oGious not because &c
was Irish but because he was an assassin
The rest of Mr. Godkln's evidence Is oil an equally
film soit Such as it is | am not gong to deal
with !: because Nh GoIkin has saved ne the
tronble. lie admits first that English hatred and
contempt of Irishmen has been kept odt oil sight
il all the recent English writing and Speaking on
The existing lrish crisis -; and secondly. that 1t
has h.eo kent IRON influencing legislation" may
perbaps suppose that | see anG read as many Ing
iish paper as Mr.. t-lkiu; probably good many
.nore arl probably Of which he knows niue
lie has appar ntly IN mind wholly or manly the
London press. Int the provincial press l. hardly
loss important than the London press. For some
nurp,ses II is more important. 1t is as whole not
less but more OutspOHcn, and 1t Is Quite as zee 'S
its metropolitan rivals from expresSlons of hat
Irela I.
kin himself: Is il credible, is ii conceivable that
.nch 7 hatred and contempt IS he imaglnes did IN
fact exist Il should not find frequent constant ex-
presson IN English pspersT Is 1t conceiVabie That
soue thousands of En2hshmen should he Nrlung
every day and week Of their lives about ireland
and printing what they write. and this IN q period
Of the most exciting controversy and under the
most irritating provoo alton, and yet ecep ont OF
sight their hatred and contempt for ITelaudf II
Mir Godkin VIII put OH the IrIshn'an io' the
moment and put on the American. he will see that
ii Is not conceivable, not possible aud that lis
admission Is ia;al to the theory Oh which the
whole fabric Of his argument Is built
Mr GolkIn is diaiy conscious of this difficulty.
and observe; that " ia the English press every now
and then ihere appears m article winch gives
startling glimpse of tho bitter scorn toward Ire ma
which inc writers manage most OF the time TO
sInother" But that account of the matter is
hardly more credible than the other. On Dir.
Godkins first page we find that the hatred and
scorn are kept out OF slght in al recent English
writing On his second, they break out every
now and then" His theory would not allow ham
10 conaedo more But, repeat, there IS assurcdiy
no OTHER question than the Irish on which he would
assert or believe that it possible for the prevail
inc feeling and opinion OF perfectly free ana
perfectly independent press 10 be smothered most
OF the time. Such ALI effort of prOtracted and
preconcerted hypocrisy is more than human nature
is capable OF.
Rut the hatred and coutcmpt Of the English for