The Northwestern standard., 1886-03-27
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTORY.

5iOn run down without III TO the east
ernmost promontorY Of the County
Donegal; you shall then have trans
ported Yourself without trouble or ex-
pense, stnd III a manner suitable enough
for our purpose, to the spot where our
story commences.
1t may happen, howeyor, III this
rambling age, that one day or other
you would grow tired Of travelling by
the map and hand book, and make up
your mind to quit the tireside and see
the world for yourself-preferring your
own eyes 10 your neighbor's s spectacles.
After a tong tour through Europe you
may yet, some fine evening in August
or September, find yourself standing
on the pier of Leith or Dunbrton
heights, looking across the channel,
and wishing you were III Ireland. Don't
resist the temptation, we pray, but
leaving your national prejudices behind
YOU with your Scotch landlord, BOOK
yourself for Dublin, in the first PACKET,
and with a good conscience and an hon-
est heart take a trip over the water,
and visit were it only for q week, the
land OF poverty, gallantry, and song.
If, however, you happen to be one OF
those very respectable young gentle
men who go over to make pictures OF
irish Iite, with the view of being stared
at and uon1zed in village drawing
rooms on their return-One or tn0So eX-
tremefy talented and promising young
men, who voyage in crowds every year.
for q supply Of Irish barbari~ ms and
Bomish superstitions,-if you happen,
we say, TO be Of that class, let US re-
mind you, dear reader, that the Null Of
antyre is dangerous sea, worse by
odds than the Bay Of Biscay. Don't
venture through it by any means, but
like q prudent young man, finish your
tour with Ben Lomond and the Iro-
sachs, aud return iome to the States
with as little delay as possible. AS Tor
the Irish pecularities you would go IN
quest Of, they are now very scarce and
ones. OF course, for the old sets are
bruised so much in the handling as to
be entirely yalueless; even the manu-
facturers of the article, who made so
jolly q living on the simplicity OF strip
lin /, tourists twenty years ago, are no
longer III existence, They have passed
away as an effete race, and are now
dead gone, and forgotten. Pictures OF
Irish life are indeed very difficult to
dispose of at present, either to the pui-
pit, the Sunday newspapers, or even
the Foreign Benevolent Societies, un-
less they happen to oe drawn b master
hands Such pictures, tor instance, as
the Priest and the Bottle, the Fid-
dler and the Beggars, the "Confessor
and the Nun, have all lost point, since
Mr.. Thackeray's visit to that country,
and are now grown as stale and tat as
small beer drippings off a pot-house
counter. Twenty years ago, however,
the case was very different. An Irish
man then, Ia certain sections Of the
United States. was as great q wonder
as Bengal tiger, or All Abyssinian ell
ephant, and he felt SO far below the
ordinary standard Of humanity in those
days, as 10 be considered unaccounta-
BILE to human laws. We have ourselves
been assured, on most excellent author
lily, that certain ladies Of Maine, even
within the time mentioned, actually
went as q delegation to an unfortunate
Irishman, Who strayed into their neigh
borhood, and set about manipulating
his head all over, IN order 10 ascertain,
by personal inspection, whether his
horns grew on the fore or hind part of
his Uranium The manner Of their re-
ception. by the courteous and gallant
barbarian, is still related by some Of |
tina actors In the little melo-drama, and |
though quite characteristic of his race,
would hardly be accounted edifytng IN !
this simple narrative. This much, |
however, we may venture TO affirm That /
since the event took place, there has |
been but one opinion on the subject III |
that lacality-tnat the Irish wear no /
horns Of any description whatever, I
either behind or before-are endowed |
with the ordinary feelings and senses /
peculiar to the human tamllyand eX-
hibit arms and legs, hands aud hair, [
like their Norman and Anglo t
saSon neighbors.
But whilst they assimilate thus in all
their physical developments, there are
still certain national peeuliarties
which distinguish them from the peo-
pleao all Other nations. In the first
place the bregue is very peculiar. 1t
differs from that of the Scotch High
lander, the VermonteT, and the Ger
man. in what is called intensity of ae-
it IS very remarkable
hat this peculiar intensity of accentu- /,
alton is most striking when they speak
IN subjects In any way connected with L
broad sound Of the VOW Il
SIS, which they have still retained since
heir old classic days, exhibiting /,
striking contrast with the reformed
method Of pTpnunciation. The cpsI0ea-