The Irish standard., 1886-05-29

!
Association in Dublin. Writing after
wards OF the meeting Gayan Duffy says
of Davis: at first sight he seemed TO
me somewhat arrogant and doglnatic,
but the beaming eagerness of his face,
the depth and piercing timbre Of his
conversation, mitigated my first i'm
preston. Itwas long afterwards that
| knew him for what he truly was. The
most modest and most.anseliish Of men,
as well as the greatest and best of his
generation" Gavan Duffy was
| 4 NATIVE OF MONAGHAN.
and had been sub-editor of an ultra
Catholic Journal, the Belfast Indicator.
John Blake Dillon, father Of the pre-
sent member Of Parliament for East
Mayo, was from Baliaghaderreen, and
WAS, like Davis, Il larrister. Similarity
ct pursuits and community Of tastes
brought these young ,aen very often
together. Their conversation generally
| turned On the political questions Of the
| day, and On the possible means Of int
proving the moral and intellectual con-
ilition oil the country. They deplored
what a.. M. Sullivan called this ''iow.
tone Of political morality then pre-
vaQing and were fred with the anabit-
tioNof giving to the National move
mentN'a bolder direction and nobler
aim They SAW the people struggle
with the monster Of ignorance, which
ages OF cruel wrong had nurtured in
their midst, and they said, We must
educate them that they may be free"
For the advancement OF these designs
it was determined to commence by
starting weekly journal winch should
serve the two-fold purpose ct political
organ and popular educator. Gayan
Duffy, as the most experienced III jour-
nalism, was appointed editor. The
name Of the paper suggested by Davis;
the prospectus was written by him land
all arrangements having Deen at length
completed, the iirst number OF the Ma
tion was issued on Oct. Is, 1872. 10
form just idea OF the literary merit OF
the Nation in it's first years one should
read the programme for 1913, as given
in Gayar DEtfy's book, ~ oung Ire
land" It embraced all tile Influences
which genius and patriotism could
bring together for the service of The
Irish people. IJs success was u1lpre-
cedentet. The whole Of
THE FIRST IMPRESSION WAS SOLD oET
before o'clock i'll the afternoon on the
day Of publication. In a few weeks its
circulation exceeded that of the most
popular paper then published in Ire
land. The liberal, independent and en-
l1ghtened tone of the new journal soon
attracted TO its ranks crowd Of youth
iul poets, essayists and political writ
ers. who formed the nucleus of q party
known in the history Of the country as
the tx oung Irelanders.' They were
disting nguishen from the Old Irelanders. -
or O'Connellite party, chiefly by preach
inc the doctrine of religious tolerance,
and seeking to make education one of
the means by which national independ-
ance might ultimately be attained.
With them q new era dawned in the
political history Of Ireland. Hitherto
the Irish people had been taught to move
in political action solely from motive
of material interest; they had been led
to look upon themselves as slaves, and
had never yet been appealed to in their
imagination and intelligence. Hence
forth they were to speak and act as q
free people demanding their just rights,
and they were to beimpelled i'll political
action, not by the hope Of material ad-
vantage alone, but rather by the ennob-
ling spirit Of patriotism and national
ity. ''Na1ionality," said Davis in the
prospectus Of the Nation, lis our first
great object-a nationality which shall
not only raise our people from their
poverty by securing to them the bless
ings of domestic legislature, but in
11uence and purify them .
w IIH A LOEIl ANU lICN
Of country-a nationality of the spirit
as we'll as of the letter-a nationality
which may come to be stamped upon
our manners. our literature and our
deeds-a nationality which would be re-
cognized by the world. and sanctifed by
wisdom, virtue and prudence These
ideas are partly embodied in a poem on
Nationality which Davis wrote
shortly after the appearance Of the Ma
tion. OF all the young men in thatgal-
axy Of genius that thronged around
the Nation in the days of it's first glory,
none took SO prominent part, none
proved Of such incalculable value to
the popular cause as Thomas Davis.
''He was,'' says Duffy, "the chief whom
we cheerfully received and acknow-
| la1pn1 in that character Not OnlV