The Irish standard., 1888-06-16

anOthef DOCK on the doctrine or the
Church-New York Sun.
PIERCE MAH0NY, NJ. P.
Another Portrait from the Series Li1nned by
the young Parliamentary Hand"
Among the many Irish members who
have distinguished themselves in what
may be called the Hlberna-English CAM
paign, Mr.. Pierce Mahony takes dis
tinguished place. Comparatively new
to the House Of Commons and to the
Nationalist party, he has already made
himself reputation as skilful parlia-
mentary tactician, as an excellent public
speaker and as q staunch Nationalist.
He has played an unwearied part in the
agitation which has been carried on for
the last couple Of years in all the great
towns Of England. MIR. Pierce AIalony
has done exceedingly we'll in the House
Of Commons, but he has done even bet
ter out OF it. At all the meetings he has
attended, and their name is legion, he
has been great success, and his name
is almost as familiar and almost as &C
ceptab]e to the British workingman in
every part of England as it is 70 his own
countrymen in every part Of Ireland.
Mr.. Pierce Mahony is one Of those fort
innate persons whose appearance is at
once impressive and attractive at the first
blush. He is still a young man. In the
parliamentary sense which regards Lord
Harrington as rising young man and
Mr.. Chamberlain just beginning a career,
MIR. Mahony might almost be regarded
as still abiding in the political nursery.
He is only 50 years OF age, and though
the standard Of years has been reduceda
little of late at Westminster, still to be
only 50 and to have earned distinction IS
to be something Of remarkable figure
at St. Stephens. And Mr.. Mahony is
fortunate in another sense. He will
probably carry his youth with him for
long period. His tall, slight, well-pro-
portloned form has about it that alert
air OF youth which stands deal OF hard
work. His face, which ie characterized
by kind Of Castillian gravity and
sweetness, which recalls some Of The
stateliest of co,nely and courtly gentle
men who lock out Of the canvasses Of
Valasquez on the walls Of the museum
at Madrid, will wear the same attractive
air of dignifed manhood for many year
to come. Even the slight tinge Of gray
which hecks here aud there the dark
hair has only the effect, as is generally
the case when q young man is prema-
turely gray, Of lending an increased air
Of youthfulness to the face and bearing.
Mr.. Pierce Mahony, like the O'Gorman
Mahon in old days, is an attractive indi-
vidual to look at upon platform; he
has already done something to charm his
audience, to render them supple and
plastic, even before he has opened his
mouth to argue and to convince. Mr..
Mahony has gone in his time through
the mill of official routine, and the ex-
perience has stood him in good stead.
He is member Of the piers and roads
commission under the relief of distress
act of 1886, and he was at one time an
assistant land commissioner. These ex-
periences have given him practical and
technical knowledge Of the workings Of
official affairs in Ireland which has proved
on more than one occasion Of much serv-
ice to his party. Ofdcialism of any kind
has usually somewhat dusty effect
upon the human intellect, imparting to
it kind of aridity highly disagreeable
to come in contact with. But in MIR.
Pierce Mahony's case his official life has
had no such regrettable results. He has
gained all the knowledge, all tue ex-
perience that are to be gained from such
work without sacrificing III return any of
his own individuality or any of his own
freshness of nature. There is no one in
the House of Commons who is less 'sof-
ficial'' in the narrow routine sense of the
term than Mr.. Mahony. Red tape of
any kind has no charms for him, aud mas
never succeeded IN acting as the fetter to
bis logic or his will. Personally Mr..
Nahony is universally popular. An
ardent politician, an enthusiastic Nation
alist, a man of the world, scholar,
good speaker, a close reasoner, a clever
exponent, he has many qualities which