The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1888-05-26
as that of Waterloo. The bate ragged

from eleven in the morning to four in
The evening. cit was battle Of giants, u
said Wellington afterwards. There
we're e, COO men, OF whom $4,000 were
British, and 1856 pieces Of cannon under
Wellington. Napoleon had 0.000 men
and 252 pieces Of artillery. The Allies
lost $4,000 men, the Prusseans 7,00o,
and the French 10000, many OF whom
wsre nlassacred in pursuit by the Prus-
SLAMS.
When the news Of the victory OF
Waterloo reached England the nation
very naturally went wild with JOY, and
on the return home OF the hero OF the
battle honors and dignities and rewards
were showered upon him with muniticent
liberality. The Duke got 100000 IN
prize money and 943 900 from other
sources. Parliament purchased Tor him,
ct a cost of e263. 600, the estate OF
5trathfeldsaye, free from all rent or
service except the presentation by hlm'
or lis successors, to the Sovereign OF a
small flag on each recurring anniversary
of Waterloo.'' The city OF London
presented him with shield made Ct
pure gold, at cost Of $4,000, and the
nation purchased Apsley House, at the
conner of Hyde Park and Picadil}y, and
settled 1t on him as al heirloom. Mon
unsentg and memorials Of every descrip-
ton were erected to him before and after
death; but public opinion nowadays, tar
removed as it is from the contaglon OF
':the Wellington fever,' and examining
events with cold, cruel, and critical
analysis, is slowly but surely turning
round to the belief that Wellington,
solely regarded as soldier Gcr outside
that capacity many regard him SIS al al
together unheroic character) WAS a too
much lauded man.
Fifteen years after the battle of Water
loo the Duke CT Wellington was one OF
the most unpopular lnen III England.
The opposition he gave to the first Re-
form Bill in 1881 nearly cost hinl 'eis life
at the hands Of the mob, who a few years
before would have fallen PROSTATE be-
fore him and offered him alteration. He
WAS exposed to considerable personal
Danger whenever he appeared in the
streets. The windows Of Aps.ey House,
the gift Of the nation. were broken by
the mob. Mr.. s. c. Hall, writing on
this subject, says-"We had an irish
cook, and so intense was her hatred OF
her illustrious cortntryman that she
changed q shilling into penny pieces
wl1erewith TO pelt the windows OF ApsleY
House. She YRS not long with us. y
The Duke was certainly hated ia Ire
land; but in England he was regarded
with a dislike just as strong, and the
smashing of the windows OF bis house
and the nobbing Of himself III the street
were some of the means with which the
feelings OF the people in his regard
found y>ub. he got the windows OF his
house protected by bullet-proof shutters,
and when his popularity returned he
steadily refused to allow them to be
moved. II have no confidence in the
smiles Of popular favor" he said,
s'These shutters are standing proof Of
the vanity Of the worlds applause. :" He
took care too to let the people know al
what value he estimated their acclama-
items. A large crowd followed his car
riage home one day. cheering loudly for
s'the dook,'' as he Das Familiarity called.
On ahghting from his carriage he paused
on the steps Of his door: and, turning
round to the hu.saying mob, pointed
with an eloquent gesture 20 the bullet
proof shutters, and then, without a
word, walked into the house.
Here is another instance, which con-
Germs us more closely. of the fckleness
of popularity, We find Moore, in 1914,
then writing to Power, his publisher
81 want good air to write dashing
song in praise of Lord Wellington. Our
Irish hero ought not to SO unsung.'
the poet found the air he required III
est. Patrick's Day." and the first of the
three verses he wrote for the music is as
follows:-
While hstory's Muse the memorial was keeping
OF all the dark hand Of Destiny weaves.
Beside her the Genius Of Erin stood weeping,
For hers was the story that blotted the leaves
But oh how the tear in her eyelds grew bright
When, after whole pages Of sorrow and shame
She saw History write
With pencil of light
That Humid the whole volume, her Wellington 8
name.
In 1920 Moore, again writing to Power,
says-ttAs to anything about the King
for the oratorio, my heart would not go
along with it. Such things always do
me more harm than good; and I have
never ceased 10 regret the song I threw
away on the Duke Of Wellington. -