The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-01-07
Irtsh udels.

! Irish Iders.
, We are Indebted to LonGmane. Green 4 Co
for reprintlng in book form under the TIL,
. Irish idrds. number OF addresses delivered h,
WILLIAM o'BmEN. NJ. T.. during n period rang
Ing from 1895 to 1S0A II is not the purpose
OF the papers hero published to cot forth for
the thousandth time the material argument.
for home rule. These may DO all summed ur
in one principle that II you set ruling caste
to be aliens by profession in their own coun.
try. the Inevitable consequences Of their as
cendancy will be loss OF sel'-respect and
energy followed by disaerection and decay. on
the part Of the subiuRNted nation. What is
called tho sentimental sldc Of Irish patriotism
Is not so easily understood and the purpose OF
reprin;ing these papers Is to help outsld-
ers to recognize that the passion for
Irish nationality Is at lenst so genuine
that IL IL OF more importance than all
the other elements Of the Irish problem
put together. The special merit OF these
| lectures II that they admit strangers to the
inner sanctuary OF the Irish cause and afford
| them some glimpse OF the ideals which capti-
vate youth and age alike In Ireland. and to
| which so much generous feeling and self sac
| riflce are consccrated. There was another rea-
| con for publishing theec rapers II Ia one OF the
stock taunss ofthe Unionists that irish repre-
sentativos have addressed IN settings In ireland
! in language which they dare not bring under
| the eyes Of Englishmen. Now. the first OF these
| lectures was delivered before q com plete I'M
Outstanding with any English party on the
| question Of home rule seemed possible, and
they were all prepared for audiences OF hot
| blooded young Nationalists. incapable OF lis
tening without protest to doctrines which they
| did not fully share. As they are republished
here without any alteration. even verbal the
reader con judge for himself how far the
| Cniopist taunt IL deseryed
or these eleven lectures that which has had
for us especial interest deals with the lost op-
portunities OF the Irish gentry. The subject 10
discussed In an address delivered in Dublin in
September. 1887. on the night before the Mitch
elstown massacre and the prosecution OF the
lecturer. Mr.. OBrien says that tbere was m UGH
foundation for tho notion which runs through
Charles Levers novels that Irishmen used to be
nothing II not admirers OF tho old aristocracy
and that o man who was OF ancient lineage
might, without detriment to his popularity,
teggar his tenants and mortgage his property
up to the eyes. get drunk every night OF his
life and put bullet through an unfortunate
tradesmnn II he asked for payment OF his bill
According to tho author OF those papers It IL
unausstona ably true that the people did not
like the Irish gentry tho less because OF their
contempt for the law and their way OF deal
ing with baillffs. and. moreover. that In
the case OF men like Grattan. Lord Edward
Fitzgerald. Davis and Parnell, they never
asked what was their religious faith or In
what century their ancestors came over. IL
was one OF the foibes OF the Irish people. their
fondness and yearning for leaders Of birth
and station. The arstocrats who led the
volunteers OF 80. with the exception OF GRAFT
tan and half a dozen Others were bigots and
rack renters who had very little to recommend
them except their volunteer uniform yet their
popularity knew no bounds. O'Connell tried
TO kesp the Catholic lords and aristocrats in
the van OF the eman cpation movement and
the Young Ireland movement also was very
largely one with aristocratic aspirations Yet
as Mr. O'Brlen points out the Irish aristocracy
repaid their popularity In tho volunteer times
by their murderings and burninGs and fog
gings In '9S. So. too their answers to all tho
melting appeals OF the orators and singers
OF Young ireland was to seize the crops
for the rent while two millions OF people were
dying OF famine. and then to exterminate q
million more OF them between 1S4S and 1883
when all national spirit was extinguishsd and
when the country lay gasping and helpless at
their feet Even in our own day the Irish gen.
try have had and have rejected opportunities
OF harmonizing their interests with those OF
the country OF their birth and tho people from
whom they have derived their living. Mr..
OBrien recalls. for example. with what shrieks |
oflaughter the landlords received the first pro- |
posal OF the Land League made under Mr..
Parnell's hand to buy out the landowners at |
twenty years purchase OF Grif1th's valuation. |
Mr. O'Brten wonders what they would have |
given for Mr.. Parnell's signature to such an |
ofer some seven or eight years later.
What lie the cause OF tho divorce which has |
now unquestionably taken place between the |
Irish gentry and the Irish people? Mr., |
O'Brien has no doubt that. next to the mis-
takes made by the Irish Aristocracy. American
influence has been the most effective agency
Every letter sent from the United States to
Ireland has carried q lesson In dem ocrAcy and
from the time that American principles took
root in the Irish soil. II was all over with the
ascendancy OF the Irish gentry. The Irish
people began to ask themselves who were
these gods that looked down on those whose
industry gave them rents to squAndeE. They
discovered that the gods were. in fact a squad
OF Cromwellan troopers, a few generations re-
moved: that tho Irish gentry for the most
part. have nothing ancient about them but
their preIudices. and nothing modern except
their pediGrees. To exemplify the change
in public opinion. Mr.. o'Brien recalls
the expression OF q little old western peas
ant at one OF the Land League meetings
when some speaker was describing the op-
preston and the haughtiness OF the Irish land
agents In the past" Begob." said the old fell
low. well mako them put their hands to
their hats for us vet" That only described in
an exaggerated way the change that has come
over the face OF the country. Nevertheless.
according to the author OF these lectures. the
Irish democracy OF to-day is almost free from
the features OF bloodthirstiness aud rAbid
class hatred which have sometimes made
revolution name OF dread and horror In other
lands, The Irish people have not we are as
sured the slightest dislike to a man merely
because he has good coat to his back or be-
cause he comes OF an ancient family. But the
objection to Mr. Parnelrs class Is that IL has
produced one Parnell to ten thousand aliens
and enemies or oppressors Of the people.
The IastInet OF ssIEprsssryauoa.