The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1894-12-22
WRITERS OF NOTE
=.
The Religion of Many Of Them Gan
not Be Detected In Their
Novels.
IN RE THE IRISH NOVELISTS
Justin MCCARTHY, William O'Brten
and Others Carefully Conceal
Their Feelings.

On the occasion of one of Mr.. Justin
McC Carthy's visits to America the stu:
dents of certain Catholic college were
very anxious to discover whether he was
a Catholic, says David Creedon in the
Western Watchman. It happened that
he paid a visit to the college, war
conducted through it's halls, and also tt
the chapel. As he entered the chapel il
was noticed that he crossed himself with
holy water in quite natural manner
and thus the anxious students doubt was
dispelled. These students we're quite
familiar with Mr.. McCarthy's speeches,
with his novels, with his history; yet
mono of these had given them the slight
est clew to his religious belief. HE name
was not decisive, for is not the real lead
or of p. P. A. in Canada an Irishman
named Dalton McCArthy? Now, at any
rate, the, could say with certainty, that
justin was Catholic, but they were
obliged to add that he carefully conceals
the fact in his writings.
Mr.. Justin Nc Carthy is novelist, and
fairly successful one. He has frankly
admitted that he takes more pride in
this fact than in having written IA His
tory Of Our Own Tnes,,'' or in being the
leader of the Irish Parliamentary party.
Every novelist is either realist or a
romanticist, or combination of both.
Mr.. McCarthy's work may be said to be
of the school of quiet realism, slightly
tlpged with romanoe-unfriendly critics
call it the school Of mandy -pamby." It
might have been expected that some
of his characters and scenes would be
drawn from the real life or bis co.religion-
lists, yet they are not. Again, it might
have been expected that some of his ideal
men and women would be influenced by
the most powerful of all factors which 20
to shape human character, but they
are not.
His compatriots have been almost &c
cruelty neglected as his co-rellgionists.
Yet now an6 then we discover faint
trace of what he might have done had
his pen been as devoted to the service OF
Ireland as the pen of his friend and col
league, William O'Brien. Maurice Ty-
rome has great possibilities in him and
Captain Felix Macon is a much more
natural being than Captain Mike Nc
Donough.
OF all the novelists writing in the Eng
lish tongue the Irish have been the best
fitted to write the ideal Catholic novel,
But Lever and Lover were Protestants
and Carleton rather worse, and all three
belittled and belied the national religion,
as they did the national character. Gen.
tie Gerald Griffin threw down the pen
greatly to his souls advantage, no doubt,
but greatly to the disadvantage of his
country's literature. Justin MCCARTHY,
so far as can be learned from his books,
might be an English Protestant, who
had never set foot in Ireland. Kathleen
O'Meara was to all interests and purposes
Frenchwoman writing in the English
language. Aud William O'Brien had
to be thrown into Jail to make him write
q novel at all.
1t would, of course, be very presump-
tuous to differ with so distinguished q
critic as Sir Aubrey de We're, who
claims for Gerald Grihin's "Collegians''
the first place among Irish novels. But
il this be granted, William OBrlen'e
"When We We're Boys" certainly ought
to have second place. Not that it is an
ideal Catholic novel-its background of
Fenianism, its harsh delineation of Car
dinal Cullen as Monsignor McGrudder,
effectually preclude it from being ideal
by any means. But Monsignor
McGrudder's curate is the, finest
specimen of the soggarth to be found in
Irish fiction, and the sick call on the
mountains one of the most touching
scenes in any literature.
Among the most fascinating pages OF
q novel which is brimful of fascination
are those which describe the visit to
Ireland of 'sthe General stated to have
been one Of the most dashlng Union
off "ers in the civil war. Those who
have some acquaintance with the inner
history Of Irish revolutionary move
ments, Eugene Davis, perhaps, could
tell us whether this interesting episode
is historical fact. The object Of the
Generals" visit is to learn whether
there is q chance Of successful rising.
Having made careful inspection Of the.
country. he unhesitatingly declares that
. rising at .that time would be suicidal