The herald., 1893-09-04

to the rest; not from want of fruitful
ness, for there was no richer soil in
Europe; not from want of facilities for
trade, for the coasts of this unhappy
region were ndented by bays and estu-
aries capable of holding all the navies
of the world; net because the people
were too dull to improve their sd-
vantages or too pusillanimous to defend
them-ior in natural quickness OF wit
and gallantry of epirit they ranked high
among the nations. But all the bounty
OF nature had been made unavailing by
the crimes and errors OF man. In the
twelfth century that island was
conquered province. The nine
teenth century found it a con-
quered province still. During
that long interval many changes have
taken place which had conduced to the
general welfare of the empire; but
those changes had only aggravated the
misery of Ireland. The reformation
came, bringing to England and Scotland
divine truth and intellectual liberty.
To Ireland it brought only fresh calam-
tiles. Two new war cr.eq. Protestant
and Catholic, animated the old feud be-
tween the Englishry and the Iriehry.
The revolution came. bringing to Eng
land and Scotland civil and spiritual
freedom, to Ireland subjugation, degra-
dation, persecution. The union came !;
but, though it joined Legislatures. it left
hearts as widely diejoined IS ever.
Catholic emancipation came, but it
came too late; it came as concession
made to fear, and having excited un-
reasonable hopes, was naturally fol-
lowed by unreasonable disappointment.
Then came violent irritation and
numerous errors on both sides.
Agitation produced coercion and
coercion produced fresh agitation.
Difficulties and dangers went on in
creasing, till a government arose which,
all other means having failed, deter
mined to employ the only means that
had not yet been fairly tried, justice and
mercy. The state, long the step pmother
of the many and the mother only of the
few. became for the first time the only
parent OF all the great family. The body
of the people began to look on their
rulers as friends. Battalion after battal-
ion, squadron after squadron, was with
drawn from districts which, as it had
till then been thought, could be gov
erned by the sword alone. Yet the Sc
curity OF property and the authority of
law became every day more complete.
symptoms of amendment, symptoms
such as cannot either be concealed or
counterfeited, began to appear; and
those who once despsired of the destin-
les OF Ireland began to entertain con-
fident hope that she would at length
take among European nations that high
place to which her natural resources and
the intelligence of her children entitle
her to aspire."
These prophetic words have been
made the actual delineations of fact by
the statesmanship and eloquence of the
great premier of England. Although he
sat, perhaps stolid and Indifferent, in
that same house of commons when
Macaulay's inspired words were ringing
through it's halls, it is not too much to
suppose that they fell, unconsciously to
himself, on fertile places in his own
heart; and that through the process OF
time and the growth OF true knowledge
he became the instrument in the hands
of the Guider OF all Nations to work out
the salvation for Ireland which the
great historian looked so confidently
forward to,