The sun., 1890-09-14
BOxEB O,nRrrEY,s rrnsr PoE1.
WrtsssA la ArSsr nm Prison saa Gee.
eesiea Thsre FOR YeaFa


eesiea Thsre FOR Teara
AZ the Sohn Boyle o'Reilly memorial s1sr-
eises IN the Metropolitan Opera House lsnt
Monday nirht little Group Of intimate friends
of the dead poet exchanged maay reminlse
eencBs Of him. The story OF how be wrote HE
nTst poem wns, perhaps, the most interesting
In the sprinE of 1866 O'Reilly, then young
fellow OF twenty-five was q prisonet
In Arbor Hin military prison. Dublin.
Another enthusiastic youna Irishman, James
Murphy, occupied the cell adjoining
OReilly'A Murphy is still alive aud an
American citizen. He was Captain in the
twentieth Massachusetts Infantry. In the
prison o'Rofily wrote unoompllmontary verses
about Ireland's persecution. Every daV the
prison offlcials were confronted with satlrlcal
rhymes signed "SnigRins-" They were found
on the walks, doors pavemsnts, and many
other plAceA Bits Of stone aud chalk. and
sometimes pencil, were used to do the writ
Ing. Everything possible was done to de
cover "Sniggihs." but he wns never found out.
All this time Murphy was being amused hy
OReilly'b work. and the two young follows be-
came fast friends.
One day toward the end Of August, 1865.
o'Reilly showed Murrhy his first poem. 1t
was entitled The Old School Clock" and was
written on Dfeeo OF common brown paper.
He gave ft 70 Murphy as keepsake. and asked
him TO take It to the United states with him
when his torn would have expired. At that
time O'Reilly had not the least idea that he.
too. would 20 10 America. He told Murphy n
little history connected with tho poem. While
he was stationed in Dublin as hussar his
regiment was cent to the town Of DroghedA,
In county Louth, TO attend the election.
During the time that the regiment was
stationed IN that town 0Reilly received
short leave OF absence to visit the village OF
Dowth- two miles away. whore he went TO
school. In the old school time everything was
oio. a. Il had Seea ip his school days except the
the toaoh9re dssk, was Q brand new. American
SorrowfpI One Similar to 70 that s vbIch ' ha BEEN sS
remoyed {Eom the school stood in the corridor
81 @ RrsG sad Il PHs b daR "a
II insplEee him to write the poem on the piece
Of brown payer which he gave to his fellow
Murphy had been arrested on foise charge
cpd he sxpscted that ne would be acquitted on
to ho asa sS would sSS
O,Rsillfs poem published. 10 October he was
tried. bue. Instead q the expected acoylttal, he
5aa'as 6slnE ,ason iFS@ al okiSos hs hi$ ths dS5
lister q hi: cell. he did this to prevent The s6-
f5SS tpsns the Of tue
ordered 70 strip naked. He was then taken to
ssn,S'ther cell and bus cI9theg, after being care
sion Of 10 manuscrips 9i 9Rslllys poem -
fast. Who had authority as a. hilantRsopist to
@ @yisis the 9 prisons Inspected Arbor Hll. He
tns NJ, Eo.,srr Of The 9d school
The s INatio9al 1 Board 81 Educatlop II ireland;
I Printed on tho cover Of Paw edition Of -fiss
ssS4d sSS9Ed picture Of the two eoe5s
tfo9 ySSa it found that the Poem Was VT wSltten ten
6y John Boyle o'Rsilly fp Arbqr Hin military
conoIa ysFe Poster cane tG
hin that he had presented the manuscript OF
The Old School Clock" to tho author in Bos-
ton. Here lie the poem:
THE OLD SCHOOL CLOCK.
olS <, ,TSmoriss T. ,u.a Ger ny mind tuus now
SsppS S S" %hen Sf III dream as all era.
unu round
And SraSely wl,hs,ood Tines rude shock;
II d
TTSs vSa 9 quaint old clock with quaint old face
nstopped vfsn i iifOd and Ssioro it struck
:;
he 9Ss sRs
How many tirne hare labored 10 sketch
That yellow aud time honorod face
with it's basket OF flowers IT'S figures and hAndh
And the Weights and tho chains IN their place
How Oft have Enzsd with admirinK eye
A sat on the wooden block
A4S I'D SS An
What terrible frown did the old clock wear
To the truhht who timidly
An an Kiou9 eyo on those metcilesa hands
That for him had been moving roo fast
Dut its frown coon changed torlt loved to smile
Op the thoughtlesS, noisy dock.
And tt oreShed and whinsd and struck with gl0o-
DID that genial good humored clock.
we'll yeArs had passed and my mind was all0d
with the world It's cares and wayG
Whom AgAin stood IN that little school
Whpfe passed my ooyhoodB DAYS.
ny old friend was gone! and there hung thing
That my 0qFIov seemed to mock,
AZ RASod vim tear aud q So!tened heart
Twas Raudy thing with bright painted sidea
And IL looked with insuIent STARE
on the desks and the seab and IN everything old,
And thought Of the friendly dir
or the face that tsDod with is Weights and chains
All RPne to the auetioneeFS block:
ia thing OF me paet-novef more shall sec
But in memory that old school clock.
'TiS the way OF the world; old friepds pass away.
And fresh faces arise In thO stead:
Bot stin mid the din and the bustle of life
We ohsIt1h fond thoughts of the dead
Yea denIly thoSe memories cling round my heart
And brAyOly Withstand Times 1naO shock;
Than the fAeS OF that old school clock