The Irish standard., 1894-01-27
THE LATE LEADER
"Reminiscences Of the Irish Chief:
tain's Early Days as. Related
by Standish O'Grady.
|PARN.ELL'S PERSONALITY

4 "A II N. + l. l. > FEHoUNALlIs1 X,
The Dramatic Figure He Gut Dur
ing the Period of fParliamen-
| tary Obstruction.
]. Mr.. Standish O'Grady has rendered
another service to the Irish people BY
the publication of new book under the
title of ''The Story Of Ireland He has
furnished the public with clear and
graphic account of the men whose deeds,
acts and words constitute the landmarks
OF the Irish race. Beginning with Mile
siue, he ends with sympathetic notice
of Parnel], from which we quote at length.
He says:
"Parnell died so recently that no at
tempt to estimate his powers can possi-
| bly, be successful. When first I saw him
he was in the chair at one of Butts
| meetings in the rotunda. He was then q
fashionable and elegant, but very shy
and dlfident young man. All that I no.
ticed was that Butt, who relied mainly
on the democracy, had apparently SO"
cured young aristocrat, or exquisite
Of some sort, as recruit. I saw him
next in the same room. He and Joe
Biggar had just returned from their first
obstructive session. and we're, of course,
the patriot lions of the hour. had read
somewhere in a newspaper how Parnell,
having been expelled from the house,
had walked down the floor, leaving the
members to draw what conclusion they
pleased from the aplomb of his manner
and the rigidity Of his back. Speaker
after speaker got up. At last a young
man arose, the rigidity of whose back
and the sternness of whose front left me
no longer in doubt. It was Parnell-.
! the man who had defed the opinion of
the House Of Commons and the public
opinion of England, the man who had
regarded Ill the great newspapers as
mud under his feet, worse than the
mud, for the mud could not help being
| there"
Dealing with Parnell's personality he
says:
"rhere are some highly characteristic
anecdotes told of ParnelI in his youth.
Someone presented the child and his
sister, Fanny Parnell, the poetess, with
boxes of tin soldiers and artillery. A
battle ensued. The artillery on Char
leys side did great execution, while his
own men, though often struck, stood
stif1y on their feet. Charley, the astute
and unecrupulous, had glued his mel to
the table. He won greater victories by
glueing his men to a certain position on
the floor of st. Stephens, aud was over
thrown in the end because his glue was
not strong enough. AS boy and young
man he was an ardent cricketer, and was
elected captain of his own county eleven.
Once he brought his own men to Dublin
for match. BE and the captain of the
opposing team had dispute about some
triae Parnell would not give in, though
his men urged him to do SO. He marched
them grumb]ing off the field. and con-
ducted them back to Wicklow. The boy
was father of the man then. #
'.The first public allusion to Parnell
that I remember was published letter
written by the priest of his parish re-
commencing him to q constituency. The
priest wrote: Though he is the young
est of our bench Of magistrates the 9TH
ers defer to his opinion, and when a
knotty poiut ARISES postpone it till he
can be present There was nothing
disproportionate in his genins. In the
world Of action he would have been at
home any ywhere---a man who could on
demand concentrate all the powers Of
his mind on things little as well as great.
In him there was no faculty which be-
came strong at the expense Of the others.
His faculty Of speech was considerable,
but one never forgot the man behind the
words. His words had something of the
hardness and solidity Of facts His
speech was action.
sIn 1880, owing to 9 succession Of bad
seasons, the Indebtedness OF the farmers
brought on popular movement for the
reduction OF rent. Parnell, who had
hitherto been only Nationalist, per-
ceived as Lalor did, that the land ques-
ton was something which was strong
enough to carry, not only itself. but the
national question too. He at once put
himself at the head Of the. nasosnt agita:
tion, End stimulated il to the point ef
revolutionary frenzy. Lalor was right.
There was possible wolf hound in every
cabin. Parne1l unmuzzled him that win
ter. There was blood On his jaws whom
the same hand that let him loose whipped
him homo again But, tho work which
xl II. 1An r = 11.s