The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1898-12-10
A Publication Which Has ELECTED
Adverse Criticism.
ITS POLITICAL REVELATIONS.
Far From Satisfactory to Friends
of the Late Leader.
WRITTEN BY r. BARRY O'BRlEN
A Reviewer Says That the Book
Is Unreliable in Detail.

Is Unreliable in Detail.
The Dublin Freeman's Journal gives
the following review of "The Life Of
Charles Stewart Parnell' by Mr. r. Barry
OBrien:
We hesitate to apply that title to it:
for interesting as it is from some points
of view, it is so meager in intimate and
authentic information bearing upon the
real views and purposes Of the Irish
leader, especially at the close of his ca
reer, that unless largely supplemented as
years roll on by the fuller "reminiscences
of comrades and opponents alike, and
by the revelation of documents, the per-
sonality and craftsmanship of Parnell
as displayed in Mr.. O'Brien's volumes
will puzzle the historian. For example,
there is one question which every close
observer of Irish politics In 1S90-91
would wish to havu answered and which
a biographer of Parnell with the ade-
quate materials before him might be ex-
pected to throw light upon-why was
Parnell practically deserted by his lieu
tenants and supporters on the eve Of his
death? "He was accompanied by Mr..
Quinn of the National League" we read
in the melancholy account of his last
public appearance in Ireland. The troops
of friends who surrounded him at the
opening of his campaign, when they
thought that it promised success, had
gone. Why? Mr.. O'Brien does not tell
us, does not even comment upon the
most striking development of those his
toric days. 1t is believed that corre-
spondence exists that would explain this
significant phenomenon.
But apparently Mr.. O'Brien had not
the correspondence at his disposal. In
deed Mr. Parnell's representative, it has
been announced, refused his biographer
assistance. And there we touch the de-
feet of this life. AS an account Of MI.
Parnell's public career and professions it
is, perhaps, adequate. But behind all
these there is always character and a
man. We find them in his letters, in the
memory of his confidential helpers and
attached friends, in the self-revelation Of
the man when policy is laid aside and
publicity unfeared. For this Mr.. O'Brien
has to depend upon his few conversa-
tions with Mr.. Parnell, upon Mr.. Pat
rick O'Briens "reminiscences of an even
ing at the Gaiety and at Morrisons, up
on few published fragments of Mr..
Healy's, and upon the fragmentary rec
objections of one or two of Mr.. Parnells
relatives But correspondence there is
practically none that has not already
seen the light in magazines or news
papers. Mr.. Parnell, it is true, did not
love letter writing. But except letter
support of two Liberal resolutions nav
ing no reference to Ireland in 1888, and
another to Mr.. Justin Mccarthy sug-
gesting that he should succeed Mr. Ed
mund (not Edward by the way) Dwyer
Gray as managing director Of the Free
mans Journal, there Is scarcely new
letter of Mr.. Parnell's to be found in
the volume.
The lieutenants of Mr.. Parnell have
also apparently failed as sources of in
formation. The comrades of the earlier
days were, perhaps, not to be sought by
Mr.. O'Brien. But curiously and sig"
nifcantly enough Mr.. John Redmond's
name never occurs in the biography
after the story of the Australian mis-
sion in 1883. And though Mr.. O'Kcliy
is described as "thc one personal friend
whom Parnell had in the whole party
the one man to whom he freely opened
his mind" Mr.. O'Kelly has seemingly
kept the record of the friendship for his
own memoirs. This absence Of new
light leaves the mysteries Of Mr.. Par
nell's career mysteries still. AS regards
the earlier years the new biography adds
scarcely anything to she information
contained in MI. T. P. O'Connor's Par
nell Movement" and Mr.. Sherlock's lit
tic personal sketch. There is one school
day story that has smacl. of novelty:
con one occasion he was constituting a
Greek play, and mstransatcd word
Wishaw corrected him, but Parnell
argued the point. Wishaw said, We'll
look the word up in The lexicon pas
sing the book to him. Parnell looked
into the lexicon and saw that it bore out
Wishaw's views. but coolly answered:
We'll, the lexicon says what you say
but expect the lexicon is wrong!' He
cared only for two things, cricket and
mathematics and was proficient in the
game and the sclence'
This and the true story Of how Par
nell came to be sent down" from
Cambridge is the new life's contribution
to our knowledge of the boy and the
mar in the making. That sending down