The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-06
THE IRISH JOAN OF ARC
MISS MAUD GONNE'S STORY OF HOW
SHE BECAME A NATIONALIST.
Struggle for independence Now Being
WaEed Along New Lines, and
England Fears the Result.
Gaud Gonne. in New York Herald.

so very natural for an Irish woman to do,
serving my country to the best of my abil-
ity-there is nothing worthy of note in that
and, second, 1 think that the personality
should always become absorbed in the cause
when that cause is great and noble.
1t is fault we Celtic people are apt to
fall into, of identifying the cause with the
workers in it so much that we at last see
it only through them. This is a great mis-
take for an ideal can never fail or disap-
point one, while a human being, no matter
how great or how strong. may always fail.
No man can be absolutely sure of himself;
physical infirmities may come, and the
greatest brain, the strongest heart the
most iron nerves may weaken and then if
we have worshiped a great cause in his
person the glory of the spiritual ideal be-
comes hidden and obscured for a time by
an earth cloud.
But l am wandering away from the sub
ject, and as speaking of my work and why
took it up gives me an opportunity of
speaking of Ireland through the pages of
your great and influential journal to the
people of America, L am very happy indeed
to do so.
1 was educated a good deal abroad and on
going home to Ireland 1 could not help
being terribly struck and panied by the Bit
ter, cruel class hatred which existed and
which was manifested SO plainly by the
landlord classes, among
whom lived. This was some ten or eleven
years ago, at a moment when the success
of the Land League had terrified the prop
erty classes and made their feelings very
bitter.
IT.
shortly after my return to Ireland 1 was
stopping at the house of q large land own
er in one of the center counties. had
heard vaguely that there had been some
evictions, but hardly realized what it
meant.
So few people do really realize what
human suffering and misery really is. There
was large and brilliant dinner party. l
sat near my host, who suddenly raised his
voice, and addressing himself to the table
generally, said:
What fools those tenants are. They think
they can fight me. Such a tenant (naming
couldn't. l warned him what would happen
when [ evicted him and destroyed his cabin.
Tonight as l was riding home passed by
where he and his family are living, in a
ditch his wife is dying; / don't think she
will live till morning, and all she has to
shelter her are a few branches. Served them
right"
1 looked around that gayly lighted table,
at all those bright faces. No one looked
shocked or even surprised. At one end of
the table some gentlemen began speaking
violently against the Land League, and
then the conversation turned to other sub
jects. 1t was incidents such as this that
first made me think. L then began to read
Irish history for, strange as it may seem
to Americans, l had, like so many others in
my position, only been taught Irish history
in English history books, which means that
in a certain and so-called educated class in
Ireland there are no people in the world
more utterly ignorant of the history of
their country.
If they would only study the Irish history
more carefully, and especially Englands
dealings with Ireland during the record
reign of Queen Victoria, l think the Irish
'unionist' ranks would grow very thin.
They would feel ashamed of continuing to
allow themselves to be used by England as
the instruments for carrying out her policy
of determination of the Irish people,
Some of them to-day are beginning to
realize that their policy has been. short
sighted as well as wicked, and that the
ruin and determination of the Irish people
will necessarily also bring about their own
complete ruin. Some of them are begin
ming to understand that it would be wiser
as well as nobler to cast in their lot with
the National party and Iielp in building up
q united Ireland and defending her from
English robbery and plumber.
The question of the financial relations be-
tween England and Ireland. which has been
brought so much to the fore of late by the
finding of the royal commission of inquiry
that Ireland is. in proportion to England,
being overtaXed 10 the extent of 92. $50, 600
per annum, has had certain effect on the
Irish Conservatives, and this year we have
seen the principal land owners throughout
the country, north as well as south. de-
handing in no measured terms fiscal re-
form, and we have the unusual spectacle
of Nationalist and Conservative members
of Parliament speaking from the same plat
form and demanding that England should
cease to rob Ireland.
At meeting at Cork early this year. pre-
sided over by Lord Bandon, Lord Castle
town said that England would have to
grant reforms of taxation in Ireland or Eu-
rope would soon hear of an Irish question
as they hear to-day of an Armenian ques-
ton, and he went on to remind England
that she had lost America and that she
might yet lose Ireland.
But the majority of these Irish landlords
have still much to learn of political wisdom,
national honesty and honor. The financial
relations agitation was going along Splen-
didlv. and the English government was be-
ginning to be seriously preoccupied and
anxious over this united action taken by the
classes 1t had SO long succeeded IN playing
off against one another, when suddenly,
without any apparent cause, the movement
on the Conservative side began to flag and
many of the landlords ceased attending the
meetings Then we learned that some of
them were contemplating as diSgracefui
piece of treachery as could be imagined.
terms for themselves with the government,
in the hope of being able to raise their
rents. The Land Commission inquiry just
held in Dublin was the result.
l believe, however, that the greater part
of the Irish Conservatives condemn this
treacherous action, and the financial rela-
lions agitation is being continued with vigor
am very hopeful of the future The ma
tional spirit throughout Ireland is stronger
and healthier than ever. There is a great
spiritual and literary movement growing up.
The genius of the past which once made
Ireland the great center of learning and
art of the world seems again awakening in
the Celtic race. Next year the century of
our great struggle for freedom will give up
q grand opportunity of asserting our ma
tiOnal rights before the world and of dis
proving the calumnies and falsehoods which
England is ever seeking to spread abroad
about us. She assures the world that the
Irish people are incapable of self-govern-
ment and that they are really content with
her rule. The delegations from all liberty
loving countries VINO will come next year
to take part with us in the great national
pilgrimage which we are organizing to visit
all the battlefields of 1898, where the loyal
Irish peasants, armed only with their cOur-
age and their love of our native land fought
against the regular troops of England and
were not subdued until England had con-
centrated 10000 soldiers in Ireland-these
foreigners will see in the thousands and
thousands of exiled Irish who will return
to do honor to the heroes and martyrs of
liberty that the Irish race, no matter what
the political discussions of their leaders, are
united and that the whole race is de-
termined to be free and are only waiting
a favorable opportunity of becoming so in
fact.