The Irish standard., 1896-10-17
CHARLES GAVlN DUFFY.
His First Introduction to Dublin
Journalism and Journal
lists. =
.O'ConneIl's Policy Had Little SYM
pathy From Supporting
Papers.

When Too Stupid for Good Re-
porter They flake Them
Editors.
In his biographical sketches now being
published in the Dublin Weekly Freeman,
Sir Charles Gavan Duffy tells of mis- first
introduction to the newspaper men of that
city. He says:
The Dublin journalists, when came to
know them, were marvel to me. They
resembled nothing I had associated in day
dreams with the profession was about to
embrace. Hazlitt and Goblet and their
ccmpeers I knew by their work, and I
thought of a publ:cist as a man somewhat
combatative and self-willed, perhaps, but
abundantly informed and with settled con-
victions, for which he was willing to face
all odds. The young editors of the North
ern Herald were at least familiar with the
whole cyclopedia of Irish affairs, and had
the enthusiasm of missionaries and soldiers.
But the society into which was now intro
duced swarmed with gypsies of literature,
men who lived careless, driftless lives,
without thought of tomorrow. The stan
of the journals which supported O'Connell
had slight sympathy with his policy, and
few settled opinions or purposes OF any
SORT The editors of the three peculiarly
Catholic papers at that time were all Prot
estants, and the co-editors of .pre-em.-
nently Protestant organ had been born and
bred Catholics. To the reporters, for the
most part, public life was stage play,
where a man gesticulated and perforated
accordingly as his role was cast by his
stage manager. Most of them had lived
through the first repeal movement; and
whatever public spirit they possessed prob
ably evaporated with its collapse.
For time I chum1ned with Henry Nc
Manus, and he brought me to see the treas.
,lres of art, like the Hogarths in Charlie
mont House, the historic portraits IN Trim
ity College, Grinding Gibbons carved CELL
ings at K.lmainham, and the noble palaces
which Gandon had erected on the Llney-
In Sunday rambles with r. B. Mcdanus
and r. M. Hughes visited the sites where
the Volunteers had been reviewed, where
Emmet was tried, where OConnell defend-
ed his life against D'Esterre, where the
SjdIIOllC ASSOCldllOu AACI, Ouu va VIVA
days freshened my impressions Of the
Irish parliament by looking again and
again at Punket and Bltshe, who had been
eminent members OF that assembly, and
were now sitting at the Four Courts. AS
was an unpaid volunteer, had nearly as
much leisure as I chose, and occupied it
in various studies In company with James
Coffey. afterwards successful lawyer,
organized debating society, which met in
a vacant house in Sackville street, a class to
study French, which, unhappily, had for
teacher a German, who had published
French grammar, but understood imper-
fectly the art of teaching, and little later
social club, which met occasionally over
bro.led bone and a moderate jorum OF
punch But, above all, reve.led in Irish
history and biography. The panorama OF
Irish history, rarely slackened, never
abandoned from St. Lorcan to O'Connell,
passed before my imagination, and !
burned to strike blow IN that hereditary
conflict. Among my new experiences,
OConnell proved the great disillusionist.
I had formed romantic ideal of the Ma
tional leader, the successor of Owen Roe,
Sarsfield and Grattan, which he did not at
all answer. left the country ready to
venerate and obey him; but he belonged
altogether to the Nineteenth century, and
not at all to the region Of romance in which
had placed him. A practical man OF al
fairs, .caustic, humorous commentator on
the business of today, rising at times INTO
flashes of fire, or settling down into cold
logical analysis in which he caught aadi
crushed the case of an adversary like
casse-noix closing on a walnut. Ills attacks
on opponents surprised me by their tlerce-
ness and vulgarity as much as by their ln-
exhaustible humor. At a Dublin election.
where he had laid about him, 1nercilessly
assa:ling Mr.. West, one Of the candidates,
as Sow-West, and Recorder Shaw, a re-
markably handsome and dignified man, as
fellow whose visage would fr1ghten
horse from his oats the lord mayor Of the
day. Mr.. Morrison, Of the famous hotel, IN.
proposing candidate referred to these
amenities, and observed that stranger
might suppose such critic, like Hamlet's
father. was endowed with Hyperion curls
and the front of Jove himself, instead OF a
wr:nkled brow and scratch wig. tor
himself he would not be unwilling to
compete with the denaagogue before
inry OF ladies # they could only see;
him as nature made him without the aid
of the barber. This sally was received
with roars Of applause. but before they
concludeu O'Connell strobe to the front
of the platform, snatcheu off his wig, and,
pointing to his naked head covered with
a stubble Of gray hair, cried: Ladies.
demand your instant judgment" The
laughter was universal, and he had the
hest Of the encounter at. a price j
thought the national leader ought not to
have paid for it.
Coffey, who was a handsome. gentle
manly young fellow, vey careful OF his
dress and appearance, was the cadet OF
the reporters; the doyen was Chr.sty
Hughes. a cheerful, friendly old man, al
ways shabbily dressed, and Of almost re-
rulsive ugliness, his mouth being dis
figured by projecting teeth and his
cheeks the color Of beetroot. One OF his
colleagues, ia the frank simplicity of Bo-
hen1ian Intercourse, describes his head as
g Beotian temple with a 'Tusk-an ped1-
ment.' There were pleasant stories OF
his adventures folting about among his
comrades In the parliamentary recess
O'Connell used to attend dinners and
make speech on philanthropy and
brotherly love. which did service repeat
edly in the same cause. One year Chris
tv Hughes, having relished the good,
things at dinner too keenly, lost his note
hoax containing the report Of q 'Connell's s.
sreeci1. but. after a. little bewfsdermenI,
fe made good uhe deficiency by turning
lSaek to the speech Of the previous year,
n1itfinx ftS out sof the file of the Teemal,. {.
ana raDubl Il; nd 1ohpdy it SYAa,
Sa sS