New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-07-08
A LAY SERMON.
WITH AN ENCOMIUM UPON MR. GODKIN AND
A SHORT APPEAL TO SOMEBODY ELSE

SHORT APPEAL TO SOMEBODY ELSE
iYRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or rHE rprU ~
London June -.
MY friend NJ Godin was at the pains to
point out some little time ago 70 his few readers
why it was that in the present condition OF Eng
lish politics. ferocty should be necessary element
of them. l am not sure that agree with him, nut
| willingly give him the benefit OF the WIDER
publicity to which in your columns his theory
will attain. lie will serve, his little dogma
will serve, not for the first time, as text; quite
as good q text as the sermon | am going to preach
requires ] wish also, in passing, 10 bear my
testimony 10 the gradual amelioration OF Mr.
Godllin's methods whether in political matters, or
in social matters He proposed ms ut
remedy for Irish troubles that the Irish should
be allowed TO kill each other off-to murder each
other as much as they liked without interference
by the English From this rather appalling form
Of Home Rule to his present defence of ferocity
in mere language, what change for the milder!
So, if I may compare trivial things with things
essential, he once said by way of expressing his
disapproval of my views about diplomatic rank,
that was sometimes allowed TO feed in great
houses" But the other day, being again called
upon, by his inner conscience, 10 pronounce
censure upon me-alas that his censure upon me
should have to be so frequentl- softened his
previous rather crude remark into a suggestion
that Was too much occupied with social duties
Now let me, again only in passing make an
appeal to you. When man shows signs of mend
ing do you think his past ought to be brought
up against him? Ought a nickname apphcaDie
to him only in his unrcgenerate period, to be
peIsevered with? Ought he, ought anybody so
superior as he is to the rest of mankind to be
caleI Larry" 4? l appeal if l may, not only TO
you, bat TO your neighbour Mr.. Dana, my earliest
friend-if lie will not mind my saying so III all
sncCrity-in journalism. Is Mr. Dana aware how
perousy near Larry comes TO being an offensive
word? Between the South Pacific and lndlan
Oceans lies a great sland-cOntinent Australia
where there is in common use the word, arrikln.'
Mr. Dana is an accomplished scholar, but does he
know what, in the dialect of Victoria ana oil New
South Wales this word larrildn" really means?
II means very nearly what the American word
rowdy means; what the Host of the Garter Inn
meant when he called Fastatf his bully-rook
II is heard in the dock at Melbourne 1t occurs
in Gordons poems. with a significance that Is
unmlstakabIe And yet il is but the dimlnutlve
Of Larry / hope that you and Mr.. Dana
will reflect on these facts, which must be, repeat
new TO you, and that neither of you Will continue
to apply such term to ritter, himself so careful
in speech so reserved, so elegant strict in avoid
ing niclSnames and personalities Of all kinds, as
Mr. GodllE.
/ perceive that my friendly zeal in behalf OF
one whom | so much respect has carried me well
nigh hal. down the column; so far indeed, that
there is hardly room left for that social sermon
! which began by saying meant 70 preach But
the social sermon shall keep another day in no
event could ii be Of more interest than the httle
sermon which has superseded it; relating as TINS
last does TO one of the most distinguished ana
admirable of your adopted citizens. | grieved to
see that Arnold, in his last reference to MI Ood-
/ kin spoke Of him as foreigner. We all KNOW
that this NAV be technically justified. since IL
| happened to Mr.. Godldn. at n period of his eX-
istence when he had not yet begun TO take charge
! of his own fortunes, or OF the universe III gen
eral. 10 be born in County Wicklow, Ireland. but
we know also that there is, in one sense, no more
ardent American than this Wicklow County HI
! bernian none who has shown himself more ready
to play the part of guide, philosopher, and over
/ ruling Providonce to the American people. 1t is
pleasure to me TO make this explanation in behalf
/ of so eminent "a man. / like to feel that am
/ accommodating claims to his gratitude.
There is. however, one other point. Mr. Cod
kin has in his employment young man Of many
aniablc traits of character who is also in the en-
ployn,ent of The Daily News" a London paper
! devoted TO Mr. Gladstone and to the cause Of
Home Rule for Ireland He sends. from time TO
time dispatches TO this London paper, and these
DISPATCHES or some of them seem TO bear the
stamp not Of the GodlIn in whose progress toward
virtue we are now rejoicing, but of that elder God
kin. on whom grace had not yet begun its healing
work | suppose the explanation Is that when
our young friend began nstructing the heather on
this side the Atlantic, his New-York chief gave
him the heads of his disc lrses. and has since for
gotten TO alter them. | cannot for example, I'M
agine the Godln Of to-day reviling whole classes
of his adopted fellow-cOuntrymen as dynamiters.
I cannot imagine him in the act of coming such
a phrase as the Blaine Dynamite Irish Alliance
Mr. Godl,in's abilities are, TO say the least, re-
spectacle and do not think he would be so dull
as not 70 see the effect Of such things IN England
| lie is addressing n Home Rule audience, and he
tries to make Mr. Blaine odous by connecting his
name with Mr. Patrick Ford. He forgets that this
is precisely the line which English Conservatives
took They sought to make Mr.. Parncll odious by
connecting his name with that of Mr. Patrick
Ford. The attempt is in both cases invidious,
but there is q curious dulncss of perception in re-
heating il as AGAINST Mr. Blaine in the columns of
a paper which rcsents il against Mr.. Parncl
The dulness Of the editor who prints such dis
patches is also considerable. but for that our
amable young friend is not responsible, nor yet
his editorial Mentor IN New-lork.
The number OF these offences has been large. and
/ the end of them is not yet. The amable young
man who commits them is not, like his chief and
counsellor, foreigner by BIRTH but an American.
Ills position is that Of an American who for British
pay calumnates his own cCuntrymen IN British
Journal Such position must be so painful that
one led ask under what stress Of hard necessity
can an American be driven TO accept II. lie does
not shrink from imputing very base motives TO the
Republicans. who are, as | think, majority Of the
American Nation; or. he thinks, perhaps,
minority, but in either case, very large proper
ton of the whole population of the
United States His estimate OF their
! bascneSs may or may not be cor
rect, but what l am trying to explain to him is
that whether incorrect it is ont OF place
in "A foreign above all in a British. newspaper.