The Irish standard., 1898-04-09
HIS BRAVERY ON BATTLEFIELDs
The Most Famous Statesman of
South America,
A VERY PICTURESQUE CAREER.
Assisted by Col. O'Brien With His
Troops of Cavalry.

Should the United States purchase the
chilean cruiser OIlisgins there would
ho no need to change its name. For the
snip was SO called in honor of the Chill
can Washington, the father of his coun-
try, Bernardo O'lliggns His statue
stands i'll nearly every city of the great
Southern republic; there is a province
| and city named in his honor Tho shin
'of which Unclo sam is negotiating is
the second TO bear the name Tho first
WIS the Maria Isabella of IS guns after
Its capture from tho Spanish in 1878
No name in Chilean history is as ia
NOUS MS that of O'IIiggins. the man
whose military genius made possible
freedom from the Spanish. Like WASH
inGton, he WAS first in peace" as we'll
as first In war" He was Il statesman
wh" for 10 years after independence
moulded the dcstlnics of the young rcpub-
lie. Equal to Bolivar or San Martin as
soldier says the Chicago Times Herald,
III all South America there has boon no
ono to rank With O'Higgins in states
manship and wise direction of affairs of
nation during most critical period.
TO the average man who knows no
moro OF Chilean history than of the his
tory OF Japan under its first emperor
OliIEgins seems Il strange name for a
| Chilean. But O'Iliegns was IL Chilean.
| born IN the country for which he fought
| t,n ,r,,ll
name betrnEs his Irish ancestry. His fa-
thcr. Ambrosio OlIggins, was one of
! the race of adventurous soldiers of for
| tuno who have furnished all Europe with
| generals. ireland gave Mac Mahou and
Snrscld to France O'Dnnnrll and ODon-
| nlna to Spain and O'IIiggns To South
America.
Ambrosio O'Iliggns was the humblcst
in birth OF all these adventurous, and the
only ono sprung from the Iaboring class.
| Yet ut his death he was Marquis do
OSomo. grandee OF Spain and viccrOy Of
Peru, over the whole of the Western
coast OF South America.
| No one today knows even the name Of
Ambrosio's mother. He himself was ig-
norant OF his parcntagc. nor did he
know the year OF his birth, although he
believed himself to have been born about
1920 in the County Of Meath. HIS name
was really Higgins and he adopted the
20" ms the title Of nobility like the "y"
In Spain or the I'd" before French patro-
nymics. His uncle was a Jesuit priest,
| and pHr1y % n w. t,,C C,nJ;
| to study for the priesthood But the
| quiet life was Gistastcfu, and when old
| enough to escape from the monastery, he
shipped on II vessel bound to tho Edo.
| RADIO OF South America. There was no
| gold for him in the land and he became
a pc'ltilcr, trading over Venezuela and
Peru. Finally he went to Chile. While
thcro he proposed to open Il road across
the Andes between Chile and Mendoza.
| His plan was accepted, and he was APP
pointed to take charge of the work.
| While thus engaged he and his men
were attacked by the Indians, and tho
military skill he displayed led TO his an
pointmcnt as Il captain in the cavalry.
BY humanity and bcnevOlcnco he gained
the good will OF tho Indians, and re-
covered tho territory that had been taken
from the Spaniards. These services led
to his appointment as colonel. Then
his rise went rapid. He became a major
general and later captain general of
Chile, and in 1895 was made viceroy Of
Peru, which post he held until his
death in 1901.
Bernardo his natural son, saw little
OF his father in his boyhood. He was
born in the year that the United States
Of America declared their independence
OF England. His childhood was passed
in the hacienda OF Juan Jacobo Albano,
confidential servant Of Ambrosio, in tho
vicinity Of Talco. His first studies were
with tho missionary Francisco Javier
Ramirez; at tho early age of nine he WAS
sent by his father to Lima and enrolled
in tho Collcgio del Principe, the best
school Of South America. When he was
Is years of age his father sent him to
Spain and he made the long journey and
landed at Cadiz, where he was under
tho tutelage Of the Chilean, Nicholas de
Ia Cruz His tutor sent him to England,
whero he was apprenticed to firm Of
watchmakers at Richmond. For three
years he lived in absolute obscurity,
being forced to work hard, by order Of
his father, who had determined that he
should mako his own way in the world.
So in October, 1893, when at Margate, he
had squandered his earnings and asked
support of his employers, they refused it
and disowned him. In vain he appealed