The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-08-27


pie ideas expressed have a rare perfume
| about them.
Sir Samuel Ferguson at the time cf his
death was the president OF the Roval
Irish Academy and he was one OF class
of Protestant Irishmen whose devotion
to Ireland equalled that of their Catholic
brethren. lie was jealous Of their devo-
tion, jealous in the noble way, for he In
his young days pleaded in eloquent
terms for a real union of the two divisions
on the common principle OF nationality.
His path was a different one from many
of his fellow countrymen, the noise OF
battle ne did not like but his deep tender
love for the beauties Of his own Ireland
no one that reads these two volums by
his scollarly anddeeply sympathetic wife
can doubt.
Perhaps, anu there is some reason to
think so, he saw ana estimated the linii-
tations OF the party that Parnell led. At
any rate, he did not sympathize with 1t.
lie was not q home ruler but no noisy
debater on the hustliDg loved MS home
land better than he did. His love was as
deep, unaffected and natural as the mother
for the infant on her breast. 1t may be
that after his entbusiasm for the young
Ireland movement OF 1s4S he made up
bis mind, as did q noted American, that
there would always be men willing
enough to enter the forensic and parlia-
mentary field put too few that would
otn nAxxo and stx,a hat ,trxy h.a hnn naHf
of their hard toll without the punctua-
tion Of public applause.
The best part of these two volum es is
not that they tell the story again OF Ire
land, but that they increase our faith in
men. This is why the story Is an inspir-
disputes and tells us how man of rich
and cultivated intellect lived and the
things In this life that are really worth
living for. No story of ability, of earnest
ness, Of love of nature can, be a dry or
narrow one that gives to US a true pic
ture Of man or tends to bring out the
noble portrait of one who neld the re-
spect and love OF his contemporaries.
While there Is proper place for national
feeling, and no one insisted on this
more firmly than did the man who had for
his friends our own Whittier and Viii
iiams and the most notaD Die men of Eng
land, Scotland and France; still all the
goodness OF a race is but part of the
nobility of mankind, among whose men,
bers must be noted the Saviour. No
man, while his heart is atune to the
voices of the angels of peace to men OF
good will, will thinx a moment OF limit
ing the word goo6 to any one race.
Sir Samuel Ferguson left the Irish pec-
pie richer at his death than they were
when be was born and no ono who takes
the trouble to read his life story will fail
for a minute TO acknowledge that all
intelligent and good men shared and
will continue to share for many genera
ii ,ns to come in his faithful aud earnest
work. Ferguson came of Scotch ances-
try, that is, a long time before his birth,
his progen Itors came to make their home
10 Ireland. lie has told in some fne
verses of the devotion OF the new comcrs
to the land OF sorrow and be and his
ancestors are the best indictment OF the
policy of England toward the weaker
nation. Aliens came to the shores OF
Ireland and they became as devoted to
this new land as those who traced their
ancestry back to her kings
Such men grated strong qalities on
the Irish people, which like a vine, were
apt to grow too richly exhuberant. And
even In this Irish poet there was the fire
OF Burns and ever a true estimate OF
the qualities OF barren Scotia.
Had one the space or time to figure out
this mans life and the relation of his an
cestry 10 his deeds there were deep
lessons to be found in 1t. One cannot
forget, however, that he did not in the
great contest that went on In the ripper
years OF his manhood, while as devoted
as ever 10 the keeping up OF the irish
spirit 10 giving all the strength of body
and OF keen intellect to its service, ever
ADJ the leveling and separiIist policy
tha, some of his contemporaries Tor a
tine disguised under the terms OF home
rule. Ireland could only lind, according
TO his ideas, her test place ns an integral
part OF the United Kingdom.
With the heart and music OF a poet he
followed the ways OF tho scholar and
kept time TO the principle that a coun-
iry's glory lies not in the political passion
OF the hour nor in the apparent best tenn
porary remedy but rather in the fullness
of what nation in the long years OF its
history has done. rurgsson found
enough In the story of Ireland to jus ify
his work to himself ana few VINO read the
volumes referred TO and consider that bis
friends and assistants in this work were
men of such varied ideas rs Thomas
Darcy McGce, Charlie GavaD Duffy,
Petrie, Martin, the poet and author OF
tina life OF the prince consort, Dr. Stokes,
SIR fredosiek Burton, tho Vte Da La
viilemarque and a host OF others can fail
A a. q -.