The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-08-29

I Z a = .S9JC =
He was member of the old aristocraey
which had fought for the existence CT
the old Parliament House on College
Green. He had not wealth, but suffe-
iency, and he was earnest, and even EN- :
thusiastc, in the cause 1t is true tnaL
at the time the Young recruit was consld-
cred one of the most hopeless speakers
that had ever appeared before an audi
erce. His first speech before a public
audience had been elH aDject failure, and
the general impression was that he Was
to be numbered among the many sad eN-
aMples Of the decafleDce that comes i'll
time on historic and. brilliant families.
Butt took a somewhat low view ct the
Young mans powers and possibilities;
and when Parnell began the policy of
obstruction Butt angrily denounced it.
But there was q shreWd, witty man at
that time who foresaw the future a good
deal better than Butt. This was the late
John a. Blake-a once familiar figure liz
the house Of Commons, but dead for:
many years. One might, sitting in one
of the galiieries-le was not a member
of the House for the lno1nent-Blake saw
ParneIl for the FIRST time speaking to
somebody lie noted and understood all
! that lay behind the stern; eyes and the
Goi1ltM CSsSta 1iJtssA1n S'jiLS VI llic yUu.t!--
fulneSs and inDffensiveness of the young
mans looks. And when Blake spoke o!,
Parnelll to Butt, and Butt declared an
grily and conta,nptuorsay that he would
crush Parnell with word, Blake replied
in the prophetic though perhaps, some,
what cruel words. THAT young man viii
kill you yet
And i'll sense Parnell did kill Butt
The struggle between the two men was
enoed before Butt died. Butts power had
already disappeared during the last two
years OF his life; for when he Went to a
public meeting there was 10 longer the
cld reception; he was deposed from his
high position as president OF the Irish
organization i'll Great Britain in favor
OF Parnell; whenever he encountered
the young rival On Irish platforms the
popular. verdict was given against him
overwhelmingly And when the end
came Butt disappeared. like nearly
every other Irish leader. i'll every circum-
stance of tragic gIoom--in financial
ruin, il bankruptcy, in the night of his
hopes and of his reason. Pleading in a
great and scandalous will case. he was
taken one day from the law courts;
when he went home the mind was game
He fingered for a month III the twilight
and then sank 20 rest after all the
storm: stress, and unhappiness of his
life. remember still the shock with
which heard Parnell speak of his
death. had loved the old man: every
body did love him except those who
were in active opposition to him in his
own ranks, and with them there was
that strange coidness of heart which
fanatical difference of views so fre-
auenly produces in the inner conflicts
OF political parties. Parnell had this
feeling to an intense degree at this
period OF his exisence. Time. and his
own faults, had not yet taught him
charity. He had then but one passion
y lMe-the cold, .:stesns.nassion 8 L.. OF polftiS
cal sfanaticis1n II still remember the
shudder athwart the many years which
separate me from the moment when
listened to Parnel, as with cold, even.
Unconditional voice he spoke of Butts
last illness, with the impartiality Of a.
surgeon describing an operation. :sThe
action of the heart he said "waS
weak; it could no longer send the blood
to the head: and so his mind went.
Those were his words. A short time
before he had said to me, when 1 was
speaking kindly Of Butt, that he was
perhaps entitled to all I had said !:
"but," he added, "he will do no good for
Ireland and that fin Parnells mouth
was sentence and an epilah.
Finally. I shall mention two or three
occasions on which I saw ParnelI be-
fore | entered the House of Commons.
One night passing through the Strand
in those early years when he was COM
ing into notice. [ was astounded to see
the. great obstructive, whose name was
then beginning to be on everybody's
| lips, in quiet little restaurant in the
Strand--one of those italian restau-
! rants where people drink coffee and
chocolate He was in very curious
Set-up. He had a very short coat; he
carried a great big blaclthorn: he had
very loW-crowned hat; and his hair
was cropped as close as though he had
left prison. In short, he looked very
like robust young farmer on a visit
| to the great metropolis The close
cropped hair was almost q disguise.
Parnell was constantly making unex-
pected changes Of this kind in either
his hair CT his beard. He was threat
ened with badness from an early age,
and it was a point OH which he was
seriously concerned. He was told con-
stantly-I assume, by barbers-hflat if
he did this Or that, the badness would
be arrested. Once he had evidently
been told tha! if he shaved Of. his
beard the hair Oh the head would crow
better. He had worn a beard for years.
! had appeared i'll beard in hundreds Of
newspapers and on scores of banners.
Accordingly when he turned UP at a
meeting without his beard few people
recognized him; and still remember
the curious impression this change III
his appearance made upon me OH the oc-
casion to which I am about to a.lude. Il.
was the first time I visited him at Az
ondale. This change in his beard
struck me immediately; and I suppose
one must be an Irishmln to understand
what l mean when 1 say that il gave
him what [ call a Protestant look. The
beard had softened the face, and Had
hidden the strong, relentless mouth,
But when the chin was sl,aven the un-
derlip came out prominently and
there was on the face something OF that
naughty, strong, and perhaps, crt1el,
look which, in the imagination and OBJ
ssryation Of Irishmen born. in my
epoch, and associated with the race and
creed which had the power Of he
foreigner and conlueror over the native
people Of the old faith. Parnell on this
occasion was dressed somewhat after
the same fashion as when I saw him in
the restaurant in the Strand. He wore
short jacket; he carried a big stick;
altogether, he had the air OF an athlete
in severe training. And there was a
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