The Irish standard., 1888-02-25
VIM. O'BRlEN AT MALLOW.
The Undaunted Irish Patriot Makes
s Few Cutting Remarks
at Banquet.

at a Banquet.
BALFOUR'S BLOODY BUSINESS.
'Brisn Refers to the Unspoken Language
| Of the Irish Heart and IRISH
Suferings.
A banquet was given to Mr.. William
O'Brien at Mallowon Thursday. Feb. 2.
In response to the toast of Mir. y ,Brien's
health that gentleman spoke as follows:
I am not sufficiently master Of my
own emotion to conceal from you, even
il wished--even il desired to conceal
from you--that my heart is filed with
JOY in this scene here tonight. The
eloquent praises, sir, that you have just
uttered would be almost toe much for
any one man to bear, only that in my
case they are subdued, am sorry to
say, by sad and almost depressing
consciousness of the extent to which
the kind hearts OF my fellow-country-
men have run away with their judg-
ments in their extraordinary praises
cloud cries of "No.') I shall not at
tempt to argue that matter with you.
Fur my own part do 5nfess that the
very widest ambition that ever flashed
through my boyish dreams here long
ago in Mallow was more than satisfied
and more than realized here Tonight
(cheers). Here above all places in the
world, in Mallow, where / have lived
the best and purest years of my life, and
among friends, some of whose faces
thank God, still brighten this bo rd.
and some of whose faces we will never
see again except in better lanu-(here
MIR. O'Briea's voice was broken with
emotion}-I can fancy, can even be-
lieve, and I love to believe that their
spirits are lowering, are lingering fondly
oyer this scene here tonight cloud ap-
plausel. Like every other man who has
ende4voured to do his part, be it great
or small Cor Ireland, I have had to bear
my share Of calumny and Of bitter
enmity; tut I confess l have always
found it easy to bear cheerfully the
vili6catian OF men who do not know us
or do not cara to know us (applause).
remember, and remember it most
gratefully, to my opponents as we'll as
to my friends in Mallow-I remember
| that, thank God, to this hour, wherever
else calumny has assailed me, the voice
of calumny has never sounded against
me in Mallow Cloud cheers). 1t is the
proudest thought 0f my life that those
who to the English public and for their
own base purpose arraign me and many
like me with every calumny have never
| ventured to cali a witness from among
tne people to whom my whole life is an
open book iapplause), and who, would
fondly hope, nave not altogether for
gotten those who are near and dear to
me, who have gone forever (applause).
/ will only say on that subject that if
| some of the politicians who vitify and
traduce us, if they can go back with as
trustful hearts tu their own homes, to
the homes Of their OWE youth, and
abide the judgment of the people who
have known them and their fathers, I
congratulate them if they can; bat
standing here tonight, thank God, l
have no need to envy item lloud cheers);
and God knows it i, not in vanity / say
1t, it would bea happy thing for the two
peoples il the English people would only
study for themselves Mr.. Balfour s sue.
cess (hisses) in sinking N to the level
OF criminal in the estimation of my
fellow-coantrymen (laughter), and the
more Insignificant q person / am the
more significant is the lesson to be
studied. For my part there is great
deal in public life even at the best th 1T
is abhurrent to all my tastes and long
1ngs, and ayow it freely there is only
one man living / beiieye who could have
Induced me ever to have exposed N.Y.
self to the rude and rough glare of pub
/ licity, aud that man is our leader-the
leader OF the united Irish race cloud
cheers) the man to whose courage aud
Ito whose foresight we owe tbs inspira-
tion Of this movement. and to whose
wisdom under Provideace, I believe we
will yet owe the deliverance of this
country (cheers). 1t was Charles Stew
art Parnell, it wa, he alone, who couid
have induced me to. enter into public
life or could induce me ia the morning
to remain in it; but when / speak OF
public life--well, there is something in
the circumstances of our strurz there
is something, I think. In the nature Of
our. people, sr'at all events in the rela-
tions Of the Irish people with their re.
presentatives-thsre is something-I
| don't know how, to put it-something
pathetic. something romantic, some.
thing, would almost say, sacred. tits
widely different from the false and the
hollow and the heartless politics Of more