The Irish standard., 1893-02-25

wisely!" And when some fus y com NIT
tee5ma would ask: ''What shall VS.
say when asked about the Forthcoming
land bill and the education bill?' NJ
Gladstone would answer with manifest
irnpatience, ''Tell your friends that it il
impossible to redress the wrongs o1
seven centuries in one session of Parlia
ment."
Mr.. Stead has spoken OF Mr. Gl d
stone as having "Qnixotic conscience -
Lam not sure that he impressed that
aspect Of his character on bis toll 'wers.
And by his followers, in the House CT
Commons, but the rank and file If the
Liberal party, among he sturdy sork-
mem and middle class OF the North OF
observation-disclosures by thousands, who
believed in the perfect integrity. the po
litical sagacity and the :lncorruptible
honor OF the man who was then ''the
Peoples William" pot yet the "Grand
Old Man"
OF course, there was humor as we'll as
earne> tness in this campaign. Soldiers
in that war for religious equality will re-
member Tom Grlmshaw's logic. Tom
Grimshawswas Bolton man with clear
head end witty tongue, rough OF
speech, but very earnest in purpose. He
reduced the whole Irish church question
to single sen ence. There were 5000
people in Bolton Market place, a large
wagon served as a platform. had Ia
bored somewhat painfully with most
lhdulgent audience for the space of halt
an hour. I had tried to argue for the
voluntary maintenance ef the churches
of every name. Then came Tom Grim
shaw, as burly as Longfellow's black
smith, and this is what he said:
Men o. Bowton, there's a sight too
much talk. The whole business lies q a
nutshell, Some folks likes pigs, and
some folks likes parsons! What say is,
let them as likes pigs and parsons feed
'em!'i This br: eff settlement Of the Irish
Chnfch question was afterwards known
as "Glimshaw's log;c.'
No story of this great battle would be
cymplete that lost sight of the hard
fighting that took place between Mr..
Disraeli and John Bright. Mr.. Disraeli
recognized in Mr.. Bright & foeman
worthy of his steel. No man in the House
OF Commons had more respect for an able
and honorable antagonist than the then
leader of her majesty's opposition. AS
the conflict deepened these doughty war
riers measured swords. Ihe question of
the appropriation of the vast surplus
had especial charms for Mr.. Bright, and
in answering Disraeli he had opportunity
to deal with this matter, and he dealt
with it in words that deserve to be held
in long and proud remembrance. Mr.,
Disraeli had been contending that this
church Of the minority, this church that
had assumed to regard itself as "The'
Church of Ireland, this venerable estab-
lishment had always been the protector
Of freedom of religion and of federation:
and that therefore, being on the side oi
the angels, he was on the side of the
establishment. Mr.. Bright denied that
the establishment had been the protecto,
of freedom, or religion, or liberation, and
in his own quiet, incisive manner re-
marked that his right honorable friend
seemed to read different history from
anybody else, or possibly he made hif
own history, and. like Voltaire, made il
better without facts than with them
This, of course, br ught down the house
All along the ranks Of the Liberal party
the laughter was long and loud.
'sAnd even the ranks .oiRuscapy
Could scarce fcrbear to cheer
But ia all that grand battle for re-
ligious equality in Ireland there was
hardly more brilliant passage than the
closing sentences of John Bright's speech
on the uses to be made of the surplut
that would surely follow disendownent
.Do you think" be said, ut will be {
misrepresentation OF the surplus funds d
this great establishment to apply them te
some objects such as those described II
this bill? Do you not think that from
the charitable dealing with these matters
even sweeter incense may arise thar
whom these vast funds are applied te
maintain three times the number q
clergy that can be of the slightest use tt
the church with which they are con
nected? We can do but little, it is true
We can nnt relume the extinguisbe6
lamp Of reason We can not make tllt
deaf to hear. We can not make tht
dumb to speak. Il is not given to us .
:. From the thick film TO purge the visual ray
And on the sightless eyeballs pour the day.
But ct least we can lessen the load b
safhictlon, and we can make life more tol
5erable to vast NUM- bers who arc now euf
sfering. see this meagure giving tran
s1ui1lity II n1P nf,(1nIa 1reat1Sr strength, II