The Irish standard., 1894-01-27

as in, one day the Irish land system fel
with q crash. In 1890 Ireland was ownee
by the tenants. The cabinet yielded be
fore the cabin. :S s
II The figure of Parnell during the agita
Ition in the winter was exceedingly dra
matte. His movements were so swift
there seemed to be not one but half q
dozen Parnells IN the field. His speeches
we're short, clear, incisive, passionate
admirably calculated to foment and
maintain the agrsrian rebellion. He
nsver|used the vulgar exordium Gentle
men, but Men of Meath Men of Ros-
oommon,' etc. In fact, he spoke, not
like modern politician, but like man
who had work to do, and meant to do it.
| The whole situation was grandly dra-
matte. Many OF us fully expected that
the landlords on their side of that crisis
of their fortunes would have exhibited a
spirit resembling that in which they
we're assailed, and on their side would
have brought out man to match Par
nell. But, somehow, all their spirit had
evaporated since '98 They ran, as it
were, to England for shelter, and, Of
course, England--I mean the statesmen
1of England-betrayed them as Lalor in
|5l848 predicted that they would. You
lie helpless on the highway before the
great English parties and they will
trample you to DEATH wrote Lalor.
| The agrarian legislation which sue.
ceeded, aud in which both parties, the
Conservatives as we'll as the Liberals
had hand, was weak, ill judged, and in
raany ways unjust. It was in many re-
spects illogical, even absurd-halting,
inadequate,a thing of shreds and patches,
unjust to owners of property, yet not un-
just to the tenants. Our agrarian legis'
lation will supply beautiful precedents
to be improved upon when some hand
like Parnell'e unite the English mastif
and sets him upon the land owners of
England. When the first black day
comes round some student of Lalor's doc
trine, as expounded in Progress and
Poverty will unmnzzle the English mas
tiff too, and there will bs hunt o! the
gods. .
"Parnell was no out -an-ao,lt. revolu-
Zionist. Born and bred an aristocrat he
knew that his class were the possessors
of certain moral and intellectual quali-
ties without which Ireland, as a nation,
would be the poorer: j think he had
planned ont ways and means for pre-
serving the Irish gentry, not at the cost
of the Irish peasant, but at the cost OF
the Imperial treasury; also that he in
tended to man@nvre SO as to have Ulster
on his side, not on his flank, The man was
many, sided oounselled and deep coun-
selled, with as fine head on his shoul-
ders as was ever grown in ireland. Ty-
rome was another Irishman of that type.
In both mon I perceive the ice-clear, ice~
cold intellect working as if in the midst
of fire Both had hovering apprecia-
ton Of facts, both a kingly courtesy, both
peculiar faculty of luminous and most
simple speech. Tyrone, too, was never
beaten.
This, too-it is not a little-may be
said about Parnell. Those who were
nearest to him liked him best. His
brothers and sisters seemed to have loved
him much. Even the gentry OF Lein-
ster, his neighbors, liked him and watched
his strange career as their. enemy with q
certain amused and affectionate interest
The offense which led to his overthrow
and then to his death will not initiate
against his reputation in history. The
Muse of History loves best her imperfect
heroes. That is curious, but fact, and
the imperfection found in Parnell is Just
that which, instead of showing q blot,
becomes, when seen through the soften
ing mists Of time and memory, some
thing that radiates pathetic beauty.
This, too, is curious, but fact. Poster
ity will easily forgive Parnell, and ike
him probably all the better tor his weak
ness.
"Again state fact-it was witnessed
by thousands. While his followers were
committing Charles Parnell's remains to
the earth, the sky was bright with
strange lights end flames. Only q coin
cidence possibly; and yet persons not su-
perstltious have maintained that there IS
some mysterious sympathy between the
human soul and the elements. and that
storms and other elemental disturbances
have too often succeeded or accompanied
great battles to be regarded as only for
tnltous. Truly the souls OF men were
widely and deeply troubled that night;
electrical and highly wrought in the
extreme. Those strange flames recalled
to my memory what is told Of similar
phenomena, said to have been Witnessed
when tidings Of death Of the great Chris
tian. St. Coiumba, overran the northwest