The Irish standard., 1897-11-13

tract from one of his letters, addressed
in 1884 to the Duke of Wellington, after
the Rathcormack massacre by the tithe
proctors: "All the united authorities can
never annex the conscientious obliga-
tions of law to enactments that are
contrary to right, reason and justice.
And hence the resistance of the people
of Ireland to those odious acts-I will
not call them laws-which have forced
them to pay tribute to the teachers Of
an adverse creed shall freely declare
my own resolve. l have leased a small
farm, just sufficient to qualify me for
the exercise of the franchise. After pay
ing the landlord his rent, neither to
parson, proctor or agent shall consent
to pay in the shape Of 1.-THE or any
other tax penny which shall go to the
support of the greatest nuisance in this
or any other country" This manly and
defiant letter produced tremendous
effect throughout Ireland, coming as it
did from one who was then acknowl-
edged to be champion in the triple
cause of religion, liberty and nationality.
When the proposition for appropriat-
ing from the public funds to pension
the Catholic clergy Of Ireland, provid-
ing they would allow the king to have
the power of appointing bishops, was
put forward by the Peel ministry in 1S43
and advocated by the English press,
DR.. MacHale was out in the press of
Ireland, with denunciations of this
measure. He called upon the Catholic
bishops of Ireland to meet and condemn
the scheme. At a meeting held in Dub
lin, Dr. MacHale in the chair, the fol-
lowing resolution was adopted:
THAT we unanimously pledge our
selves to oppose by every influence we
possess every attempt that may be made
to any state provision for us or for our
clergy in whatever shape"
That resolution was drawn up by John
MacHale, and must go to the latest pos
terity an evidence of the transcendent
virtue Of the man that conceived, urged
and made it law to the Catholic clergy
of ireland.
When O'Connell revived the Repeal
agitation in 1910. Archbishop MacHalc
was among the first Of the clergy of
Ireland to join his ranks. The Liberator
found in DR.. MacHale (whom he styled
the Lion of the West') a most power
full and able friend. for his letters on
Catholic emancipation and the ether
topics that agitated Ireland at that pc
riod, he set before the world, In Ian
guage scathing, fierce ard defiant, the
numerous wrongs from which Ireland
was suffering. All through O'Connell's
long agitation for repeal of the Union
there was no more firm friend, no more
earnest advocate than John, Archbishop
of Tuam. From the time he stood by
the Liberator's side at the great mon
ster meeting in Clifden, until he fol-
lowed his remains to Gasnevin in AZ,
the warmest friendship and closet at
tachment existed between them.
During the dreadful famine years
DR.. MacHale's labors were almost super
human. There was scarcely a day dur
ing all that narrowing period that, be-
sides his other occupations he did not
devote hours to his flock. His touching
appeals for his people were heard and
answered from every part of the globe.
1t has been estimated that during the
year AZ alone he distributed 300 pounds
tn re o,;ch I, to. II
ccse and an equal sum to most of the
parishes in the diocese Of killala.
In 1875 the fiftieth anniversary of his
episcopate was celebrated in the cathe-
dral of Tuam. Father Tom Burke the
distinguished Dominican and who was
intimately associated with DR.. Mac
Hale, having been a priest of his diocese
for a number Of years, preached the
sermon. On the same occasion a mar
BILE statue of him was unveiled and an
Illuminated address was presented to
him by the Catholic members of Paria-
ment. In the same year he was pres
ent at the O'Connell ceremonies in Dub
lin, upon which occasion he responded
to the memory of the great liberator.
That was his last great appearance in
public, though to the end he continued
to take the keenest interest in public
affairs.
In his diocese his life was one Of pa
triarchal simplicity. He loved the poor
with the love of father and saint
He loved his native Irish tongue above
all tongues, and was enthusiastic in his
efforts to propagate and perpctuatc it.
He translated many Of the books of
Homer and all of Moores melodies into
Irish, together with portions of the
Bible and many litanies and prayers
He always kept harp upon his table,
and would accompany himself to his
own rendering of one or other of the
melodies. His annual visitatiOns to his
diocese were gala days to all the people
wherever he appeared and were eagerly
looked forward to by all. Though bet
ter known in the last generation as
"The Lion Of the Fold of JUDAH" it
was as "the great Archbishop of the
West 4lthat he was known in this gen.
Grafton. He passed away quietly with
in nine years of cOmpletinp a century