The Irish standard., 1893-09-16
THE BOSTON IRISH
Men and Women of the Celtic Race
Who Are Literary Lights
in the "Hub."
AN INTERESTING ARTICLE.


More Than Half of Boston's Pop
ulation is of Irish Birth and
Parentage.
Sixty or seventy years ago, says Eugene
Davis in the Western Watchman, the
Irish colony in Boston numbered scarcely
i've hundred. The men, women, and
children of Irish birth or blood in that
city to day may be counted by the hun
dred thousand. New England was for a
long timeiaf the landing of the Ply
mouth colony terra .ncogni,a SO far as
Catholics are concerned. The Puri. an
would no more tolerate "Papist' in his
pious preserves than he would wolf or
I: Hottentot. tie treated the Quakers
and other Christians who had sought his
hospitality to series OF prosecutions, the
spirit of which was quite out of harmony
with that of the Sermon on the Mount.
This over-starched, stiff necked, narrow
minded oddity was most peculiar dis
ciple OF merciful Christ. 1t is evident
that no Catholic seems to have happened
to reside in the district at present occu
pied by the "Hub'' till the reign Of re-
ligious persecution was practically over
towards the close of the colonial period
: in American history. Some one hundred
and thirty years ago an Irish priest, name
unknown, is reported to have come to
Boston to look after the spiritual welfare
of his compatriots. In the early annals
of Woburp, q prosperous town in the
vicinity of Boston, We find the fact rec
orded that an Irish Catholic had settled
down some two hundred years ago in
that locality. When, however, the au-
thorities came to know that he belonged
to what they called the ''Church of
Rome," they expelled him from their
- miast--hie pestiferous presence having
been considered dangerous to the safety
Of Church and State! Time, however,
makes all things even, and effects some
very strange changes indeed, for when
Woburn was recently celebrating the BIZ
centennial of it's existence, it had to ap-
peal to an Irishman and Catholic, Mr..
/ James jeffrey Roche, to write an ode or
that eventful occasion! In Boston proper
the Puritan hatred of Catholicity had
not wholly died out till two generations
ago. The last dying spaen of 5igotry oc-
Cured in the sacking and burning Of a
Catholic convent by an infuriated mob
With the exception Of the period Of the
Knownothing craze the Irish since then
have made considerable progress in city
where from being hewers of wood and
drawers ot water they have become con-
trolling factors professionally, CONNER
cially and politically. The people of Irish
birth and parentage to-day number more
than half of Boston's population. There
are three reasons for the present numer-
ical strength of the Colt in the Hub, "
the constant immigration from ireland,
the proverbially prolific propensities of
Irish mothers, and the growing tendency
among Puritan parents to limit them
selves to small number Of children.
The literary reputation of the Boston
Irish first came to light when G. G. Hal
pine, "Myles O'Relly," that rol]icking
Hibernian, astonished. the cultured ma
tives by his sparkling wit and excellent
poetry. Halpine was succeeded by the
late DR.. Robert Dwyer Joyce, and John
Boyle O'Reilly, both Of whom were
splendid representatives 1.-THE genius OF
the Celt. Joyce, who in his younger days
wrote stirring ballads, won his fame
among the intellectual classes of Boston
by his epic poems "Deirdre" and "Blanid'
the scenes of both OF which effusions are
laid in ancient Ireland. @O'Reilly, OK
Fenian and felon, became the popular idol
of the Club" thanks to the broad, genial
philosophy of his Incompatible poems,
as we'll az to his winning personality. He
even succeeded in striking a sympathetic
chord in the hearts of the Puritans them
selves, most OF whom we're among his
most enthusiastic admirers. Joyce and
O'Rielly made the name OF an Irishman
respected where it was formerly more OF
less despised or ignored.
AS this article purposes dealing exclu-
eively with Boston's literary Irish
Americans Of to-day, I shall in duty
bound give first place to the ladies. The
Hub" can boast Of q trinity Of poetical
graces in the persons Of Miss Katherine ~
Eleanor Conway, Miss Lonise Imogen
Quincy, and. Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Blake,
i two Of whom are Of Irish blood, and one
81 irish BIZ ld1 Miss Conway i native
cf Rechester, n q, j. in which city she re- re-
csYedsa prof ffound and complete eduoa- '.d
'ion which fitted her dmirably ll for the the
work 81 her Having made @ her