The Irish standard., 1899-03-11
CENSORIOUs CRITICISM.

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A few weeks ago we reproduced re-
view OF MIR. Dooley in Peace and in
War;" from the pen of German priest
who thought the author was holding UP
the Irish to ridicule and contempt by
making the Chicago saloonkeepers dis
cuss the events Of the day in the uncouth
and outlandish Irish brogue "He chooses
to make the man dealer in Intoxicating
liquor and an Irishman," said the Teu-
tonic critic, land unthinking readers in
general, and haters of Irishmen in par
tlcular, choose to regard these utterances
as the opinions of Irishmen." We thought
the censure OF the German priest so ex-
ceedingly funny that we sent copy OF
the Irish Standard containing it to Mr..
Dunno, OF the Chicago Journal, the gen.
tleman who is responsible for the phlo-
sophical utterances of Martin Dooey. We
are sure his eyes twinkled when reading
such serious criticism OF his humorous
productions from the pen of the phleg-
matte clergyman who halls from the
banks OF the Rhine. Undoubtedly, when
he considered the source from which it
cmanated he must have pitied the critic
for being born into the world without
any sense of the humorous and ludicrous,
and he generously forgave him for his
unnecessary vindication OF the race to
which "Mr. Dooley" and his creator be-
long. But what must he think of an
Irish Canadian critic of the journalistic
profession for hauling him over the
Goals? The following scathing critique
appears in the Montreal True Witness
of last Saturday:
There is some fellow-evidently an
American OF Irish descent and of the class
referred to by Rev. Father Campbell in
his interview with the Gazette, when he
said: L find that after the second gen.
Grafton they have little or no desire to
be known as Irish who has been perpe-
trating in the Chicago Journal a series
OF absurd, low, false, insinuating, carica-
turing articles, under the title of 'Dooleys
Meditations' These idiotic productions
are taken up by the daily press of Can
ada, as we'll as OF the United States, and
reprinted as samples of wit and l,umor.
To say nothing of the writer, or Of the
journal that originally gives them to the
public, we must state that those who
copy them, and in SO doing see merit even
OF the basest order in them, give evidence
OF lack Of that refinement sensibility,
and common education which should
characterize every journalist in the coun-
try"
He then proceeds to point out the
"barbaric English" spoken by Dooley and
Hcnnessy and says that the very efforts
made in the broken spelling OF the words
indicate beyond doubt that the writer
knows absolutely nothing OF the char
acteristics of Irish pronunciation, either
in the native Gaelic or the foreign Eng
lish. "You might traverse Ireland" con-
tinues the critic, from the Hill OF Howth
to the Giants Causcway, and from Tough
Foylc to Tramorc, without finding
single original for such trash. On the
other hand, it has long been universally
admitted that the best and purest Eng
fish i'll the world is spoken in Dublin"
He calls the writer OF "Dooley's Medita-
tons" an "omadaun," and declares that
the fictitious interviews with Father Kel-
ly' are insulting to Irish Catholics. He
pays a glowing tribute to the Irish for
their literary attainmcnts and concludes
his TRADE by saying that this is the race
that these uneducated, unrcfncd, witlcss,
soulless, heartlcss, miserable pagiarists of
caricature dare to gnaw and worry with
their idiotic productions"
When Mr.. Dunno reads this severe
castigation from the pen OF Celt he
will admit that the structures OF the Teu
ton were mild in comparison and more
deserving OF his commiscration.
There is no necessity for this Irish
Canadian critic to lash himself into such
fury over the harmless carnations OF
the Chicago journalist The author of
"Dooley's Meditations" has not the re-
hottest intention OF insulting any one. He
is an 1rish-American and Catholic, and