The Irish standard., 1895-06-22
A noble SCOTCH LADY
The Countess of Aberdeen Lee
lures in Toronto on the Irish
Literary Revival.
Her Ladyship Is Listened to With
Delight by a Large Number
s of Leading Citizens.

The Patriotic Archbishop Walsh
Thanks Her for Her Labors in
Behalf of Ireland.
An interesting address on ''The Pres
ent Irish Literary Revival" was recent
ly delivered in Canada by Lady Aberdeen
and reported by the Toronto Globe as
follows: a
The chair was taken by his grace,
Archbishop Walsh, and among those who
accompanied Lord and Lady Aberdeen to
the platform were Sir Frank and Lady
Smith, Lady Thompson, Hon. T. w. An
glin, Thos. Long, Hugh Ryan, J. j.. Foy,
O. c., B. Hughes, Eugene O'Keefe, Vicar
General McCann. His Honor, the Lieut.
Governor, occupied box. On the plat
form was Mrs. W.. Kavanagh, Hon. Pres
ident: Miss Annie Lane, President; Miss
Eleanor Kelly, Vice President; Miss Min
nile Ryan and Miss Minnie Lawler, Secre-
taries Of the Catholic Young Ladies Lit
erary Association, under whose auspices
the lecture was held. The first part
/. the program consisted OF vocal and in
strumentaA Emusic. While Lady Aber-
deem rested a few moments in the midst
of her lecture His Excellency read Sc
lection from the book "A Cluster OF
Nuts, and the ric! brogue with which
he gave, the dialogue endeared him to his
audience and called forth great applause.
Nor was the trubute less hearty when the
Governor General, referring to Lady
Aberdeen's advocacy of Irish industries,
kn& no. Paa %1aof he ri nh
red gown which she wore Lady Aberdeen
had real Irish Limerick lace, with the
rose. the thistle and shamrock worked
in pattern with ivy, the badge of the
Gordons. M
His Grace, Archbishop Walsh, in intro
ducing the lecturer, referred in terms Of
the highest praise to the labors on behalf
Of the poor, distressed and fallen that had
made her name household word
throughout the empire and beyond it's
borders, The Irish race were Under a
lasting debt Of gratitude for her services
in ireland, and il they could not repay
1t they could at least tender her their love
and affection. Lady Aberdeen thanked
the venerable chairman for his praise.
and in excuse of its warmth laughingly
eaid, Gle is an Irishman.' Then she en-
tered upon the subject of the evening,
the following extracts, giving the main
points Of the address:
ttI make no apology for the subject /
have chosen for the address which you
have done me the honor to ask ME TO de-
liver under the auspices Of your society
tonight, and i wish at the outset to re-
lieye any apprehensions as to amy even
distant allusions to controversial matters
whether religious Ior political. Happily
a., oh
their country can meet, however much
divided they may be in their opinions,
and and it is subject which has special
claim on many of us here who can claim
connection either by birth or by parent
age with that green isle whose royal and
magic sway over her children even to a
remote generation only once more proves
that the grandest thing in the world is
love. y
"But even outside that charmed circle,
are there not many who in their heart of
hearts feel thrill OF tenderness for
those old, far away times of heroic deeds
chronicled for US by the wandering bards
who upheld amongst those wild warrior
tribes the ideals OF justice and honor and
purity ana love so well that a prepared
and fruitful soil was found by the great
Apostle for His divine message which
was to make Ireland the Isle of Saints,
and which would enable her to win
truer laurels than those to be gained In
warfare in the fields OF learning and art
and music and architecture and mis-
sionary laDors?
Does our tenderness for these tra.-
ditions proceed from "a half-acknoWl-
edged belief that these tales. are but
traditions, surrounded with merely the
II, 3ofn
the fairy tales Of the nursery? IF
''If that be indeed the attitude of any
here towards this lore of the early cen
they lose much, much, for the spirit
which is revealed in these tales, of ro-
nance and schivalry and heroism largely
moulded the character OF the people not
only then btk for future times. The es-
timation inkEhich music and literature
and art VERT held, and the justice and
mercy which distinguished the Breton
laws of those old pagans, should be a
source of veritabie pride to all who can
boast OF Celtic blood; and the instinct
for constitutional government ruling
through the will of the people expressed
at these tribal and national gatherings
which were so central feature in the
life Of the times, is one which may well
claim attention and admiration OF the
present generation who are sometimes
tempted to believe that to them belongs
the discovery of political freedom.
There could be little scope for tyran-
ny where twas a deep seated custom
that no action could ne taken BY family
or tribe or people without an assembly
Ii the Lord wanted any special work
done by his tenants he called a militia
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