The Irish standard., 1899-08-26
His Death an Irreparable Loss
To Freedoms Cause.
lib HAD THE SOUL OF A CRUSADER
AS an Orator He Had Few Equals
In This Republic.

The following fitting tribute to the
memory OF the late DR.. Geo. w. Pep
per, the eloquent and patriotic Meth
odist minister of Cleveland, Ohio, is
from the pen of his Catholic friend,
Hon. John F. Finerty, in the Chicago
Citizen:
He was gentleman whose services
to America and ireland have "chan-
neled deep" the hearts of both nations
by "constancy and worth" DR.. Pepper
was born of an old Methodist family of
Ulster and continued, in his own per-
son, that long line of Irish Protestant
patriots which began with William
Molyneaux, in the reign of William
ILL.,, and through good and i'll, fought
for Irish rights "by work or word, by
voice or sword" from his time to the
brilliant days of Swift and Lucas; from
their day to the glorious epoch of Flood
and Grattan; mounted the scaffold
with William Orr; fought beside Mon
roe and McCracken in Down and An
trim; bled in the dungeon with Lord
Edward and Wolfe Tone; wept for the
early doom OF Emmet; thrilled with
Davis; labored with Mitchell; trod the
plank of the felon ship with him and
Smith O'Brien, and rallied round Par
nell in his tremendous parliamentary
battle for "the roofing of the Irish peo-
pie to their SOIL"
George w. Pepper had in him the
heart OF hero and the soul of a cru
sader. He was the friend of human lib
erty in all lands and under all circum-
stances His love for humanity was not
bounded by cline, color, condition or
creed. The death of such a broad,
grand character is an irreparable loss to
the cause of freedom everywhere. AS
soldier, clergyman, patriot, citizen, hus-
band, father he won the admiration Of
all who were acquainted with his fine
career, and their name is legion in the
new world and the old. As an orator
he had few equals. He was not alone
soaringly eloquent but also ininlitably
humorous and pungently witty. And
he carried these charming Characters
ties into his writings and conversations.
AS youth OF fourteen he heard
Thomas Francis Meagher's incompar-
able address to the Protestants of Ul-
ster in Belfast in 1847, and he once de-
scribed to us how the Orange young
sters of the university which he attended
and who crowded one portion of the
great hall rose and cheered till the raft
ers cracked when the youthful Meagher,
having brilliantly apostrophized the
states of Europe that had risen against
their oppressors and became free and
independent, exclaimed toward the close
of that most splendid OF all his superb
speeches: "How say you, yeomen of
the North Has the Red Hand with
ered?" Hats were thrown to the cell
ing, orange and green hankerchiefs
were waved, the ladies in the galleries
went wild and rained flowers on the
young Irish Cicero, whose features
flashing with heroic light, and blue eyes
dilating with the passion of patriotism,
seemed illumined by the sacred fire of
the Holy Ghost. Meagher carried
everything before him after that. The
grim old Orangemen who muttered OF
"Papists" and "the Bine" hung their
heads. Even the "pious, glorious and
immortal memory" Of their royal Dutch
idol could not blind them to the fact that
they had, at last, seen and heard an Irish
"Papist" who could advocate the liberty
of ireland without giving offense to the
followers of King William. The "Old
Ireland" faction, which had been bois-
ferrous on account of Young Ireland's
quarrel with O'Connell, was shamed
into silence. Never before, or probably
since, did the voice of "an inspired
boy" or man for that matter, produce
such an effect on hostile audience.
Recently he published an interesting
memoir OF his stirring life, entitled
Under Three Flags" which has had
wide circulation. 1t is written in his
own magnetic, matchless style, and in
every page reveals the goodness and
glorious simplicity of the man.
DR.. Pepper was born in Ballinagar-
rick, County Tyrone, Ireland, July II,
1883, and was carefully educated, al
though he had the misfortune to lose
good father and loving mother early in