The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-05-30
4 CRITICISM R OF THE irish
nr. MerWin Tells What He Think S
He Knows i'm the Atlantic
aa Monthly.
Describes the Irish in American
Life and Draws Strange
Conclusions.
An Irishman Likes to Be a Lawyer
Because He Has Glib
Tongue.

&!
There is an article in the March number
OF the Atlantic Monthly which is calculated
to bring flush to the cheek of any man
with Irish blood in his veins. It is en-
titled ''The Irish in American Life and
its author, Mr.. Merwin, is evidently very
refined and impartial gentlman, who writes
with consummate art and writes for the ex-
quisite readers of the Atlantic, says the
Providence Visitor.
He has many plain truths to tell about
the Irish in American life. While he does
mot think much of the Irish now, he is hope
full that the time will come when the Irish
American will be lost in the American
when, as he would doubtless put it, the
IRISH will have learned to initiate the Anglo
Saxon virtues of the simon pure American
and also to discard the top heaviness of
Celtic virtues. 49,.
He looks forth upon the Irish in Ameri-
cen life with keen, searching glance, in
the manner of those recent critical studies
which have been rather irreyerently called
'tbird s-eye views from the throne Of God.''
He discovers that the Irish who emigrated
to this country were Irish indeed-Kelts
with q big X, and Kelts with all that the
Kettle nature implies-ssentiment and inn
possible men. But these were Kelts so
often and so cruelty beaten that they had
at ti"nes the savage instincts Of a vicious
!. A" ;7or more frequently, the cringing
\. :. OF whipped cur This last feature
....44ade them desperately anxious to be not
themselves, bur others, or rather, not Kelts
but Anglo Saxons Another handicap Of
the IRISH in this country was their Catholic
faith, on which, however, Mr.. Merwin does
not even remotely reflect ..,
These ignorant Kettle Catholics were
pllcked from the thraldom of servitude and
dropped in a few days into the lap of free
dom. They were confronted with the
Anglo Saxon, not as before, their lords, but
now their equals. The Anglo Saxon left
the ignorant Kelt to himself and to his in
etincts.
Now the Kelt is a social being-social
and sociable, SO he took to employments
where he could have the handling of horses,
as horses conduce to sociability. The Kelt
is therefore blacksmith, or stable keeper
or contractor. He is also a saloon keeper,
because saloons are places for soc:ability.
A Kelt hates to be doctor, because the po-
sition is too gruesone for his nature, and
also because he hates severe work. He
likes to be a lawyer, because he has a glib
tongue and the profession Mr.. Merwin i'm
plies, lends itself to bluff" which is a
strong weakness of the Kelt. Mr.. Merwin
also brings out the very interesting fact
that the Irish furnish the most criminals to
the jails of the country, because coming to
this country at time when they belonged
to lower grade Of society they have been
attempting to Jump up to the American
level. and the numerous Irish criminals are
those who have lost their footing and slip
lad down into the criminal class which is
the drainage system of civilization.
The Kelt is naturally a good follower
MIR. Merwin Is too polite to even hint at the
word t'heeler." The Ket needs some one
ahead of him to show him the way-some
one above him to look up to, and this ne
cess:ty of loyalty. as it were, makes the
"Ir;sh'' VOTE which has so many times been
welded against the ant;-lrish vote.
Mr.. Merwin thinks that the sons of Irish
men degenerate in this country. What
little instructive virtue their fathers had.
they have less. He rather insinuates that
they would have more if they couldn't vote.
But Mr.. Merwin mixes his contempt with
just little spice of admiration. "lf we
wanted an example of generosity, where
should we look for it if not among the Irish
in Amer.ca! If illustrations were sought
OF the essential qualities of womanhood-
gent.eness, self devotion and chastity-the
latest emigran ship from Ireland would
supply them in abundance. When we want
men with stout hearts and cheerful tempers,
tempers which make light of danger and
\ discomfort, we are apt to look for them
4 among the Irish"
1t may be just as well as not for Irishmen
and Irish Americans to know how they are
q j06dluou Wy tNS AuSAV SAXON SOCIETY," luLO
whose ranks they are often so ludicrously
anxious to enter. There is floating around
IN the halls Of colleges and universities
theory. Of racial characteristics as the de-
term.ning element in history This theory
postulates that after the angels, the Anglo
Saxons are the elect race; and Of course, as
4 the Irish have been for centuries the vic
sltlms OF the Anglo Saxons. the Irish are of
all men and races the most reprobate. The
Anglo Saxon IS the scholar Of all scholars,
the most profound-he is the strong, broad
\ sEhouldered, firm footed man whose face Is
= aet upwards towards the eternal truth, and
whose mind dares everything but dishon-
4 eat thought. His bull dog pluck and dar-
1 I'M. have driven him to success over OBJ
Stacses before which all other nations more
faint hearted, have failed. This theory,
thus stated, IS the merest fudge. and nom
5sens even though it has 80 many devoted
Suph0iders. 8 a
Irish In this country are not retro
but progressing naarvelously, al,
& nv one who he's his eyes open ean see..s
\ ind gence a1dl norancs