The Irish standard., 1899-06-10
and rather disdained book lore. Mr..
Mccarthy writes of him:

Mccarthy writes OF him:
II do not think I have ever known
another man OF the educated classes who
knew so little of literature as Parnell.
Except for works which dealt with ap-
piled science and for parliamentary re-
ports, / do not know that Parnell ever
read book in his life. About the poets
art and the literature OF fiction he knew
absolutely nothing; all that side of life
was but blank to him! Twice only.
SO far as know, did he indulge in po-
etic citation, and in both cases he went
wrong. In the first instance he wanted
to quote Thomas Moore's somewhat
hackneyed description OF Ireland as
First flower of the earth and first CLEAN
OF the sea- and he converted it into
First flower of the earth and first Jewel
OF the ocean, In the second instance he
had another scrap of Moore floating
vaguely in his memory, but he thus gave
it out: AS Lord Byron has said, "On
our side is virtue and Erin, on theirs is
the Saxon and guilt. ~"
But bad spelling enraged Mr. Parnell:
AN error in spelling was as offensive
to him as the sight of black beetle
is to many man. I once handed him
letter which I had received from a
constituent of mine asking me to call
ParnelTs attention to some improve
ment which he thought might be made
i'll bill then before the House dealing
with the subject of agricultural occupa-
ton in Ireland. Unluckily the poor man
who wrote the letter had spelt agricul-
tural with two 'gs.' Parnell looked at
the letter, smiled sadly, and handed it
back to me. DO forgive me-, he said,
and tell me all about it. l couldn't read
through mans letter who spells agri-
cultural with two "gs."' 1t was indeed
curious stroke of fate which led the
unhappy author of the Parncll forgeries
to ornament his letters with fragrant ex-
amples of bad spelling"
The impression made by Matthew Ar
mold in the American lecture room was
minin1ized by his entire lack OF elocu-
ton. Splendid material was wasted
from want OF skill in his delivery. Be-
fore Mr.. Matthew Arnold left England
his friends had warned him of his de-
fects.
"He was, therefore, Arongly advised
to take few lessons in c,ocution, or,
perhaps, I should rather say, in the
physical art which enables man to
make the best use of his voice and his
lungs, and to let each word carry its
meaning to the ears and the minds of a
great audience. A smaller man, more
conceited or less earnest man, than
Matthew Arnold might have resented
this piece of advice and turned in
disdain from the public who found any
difficulty in understanding what he had
to say. Matthew Arnold, however, was
no such man; he thanked his friends for
their advice, declared that he had come
to America to be heard and understood
and would neglect no means of carry
ing out his purpose; and he set himself
to master, under suitable instruction, the
art of making his voice carry all over a
great hail. Being thoroughly in earnest
about his task, he soon acquired the
physical art that was needed, and Ameri
can audiences were able TO follow, with
ease and with intellectual profit, every
word he had to say. l have always
thought that this fact alone was one
other proof, if any other proof were
needed, of the genuine manhood tha,
was in Matthew Arnold's character"
Mr.. John Bright, practical man as he
was, MIR. Mccarthy tells us, had nc
taste for fiction. Even Shakespeare he
found no enjoyment in reading.
We are fast losing sight of very
remarkable parsonage, and that wa:
Lord Brougham, whose ways attracted
so much attention forty years ago. Lore
Brougham was the man who supposedly
knew about and wrote about everything
from metaphysics to Chinese musica
instruments. Mr. Mccarthy met him
once at refrcshment bar in Guildlall
The young Irishman had made capita
speech.
II was inclined to draw back and wal,
for a more favorable moment, wher
Lord Brougham suddenly turned or
me and he put his glass on the counter
and, still holding the change in ono
hand, he rushed up to me. clutched my
arm with that fussiness and fury of gcst.
ure which were peculiar to him, and he
uttered the words: I say, you made
a devilish clever speech; didn't agree
with all OF tin fact, some of it was
nonsense-but it was damned clever
speech. Who the devil are you?'"
"And," writes Mr.. Mccarthy, II doub,
whether any praise ever given to morta
could have made that mortal more
pleased and proud than Lord Brough-
ans words made me that day. And !
have sometimes thought in reflective
moments that If my audiences now and
then grew tired Of me, they might, il
they had only known. put part of the
blame on Lord Brougham.'
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