The Irish standard., 1899-03-18

die OF the twentieth century unless he
produces something superior to anything
that has already appeared from his pro-
life pen. He is undoubtedly very popular
in the literary world, and during his ILL
ness, from which he is slowly but surely
convalescing, he was the object of solicit
tude by even royalty itself.
A Quebec contemporary, the Saturday
Budget, in an editorial on Kipling, says
that it will, no doubt, strike most people
as the very irony of fate that the melodies
which are dearest to the hearts of the
Irish race and which have served more
than anything else to keep alive among
them the spirit of patriotism and of re-
sistance to the persecution and oppression
Of their native land, should furnish the
inspiration for the promotion of British
Imperialism.
The Irish, it says, will feel aggrieved
when they hear that Rudyard Kipling,
the great poet and apostle Of British I'm
perialism, has acknowledged that he has
gotten the inspiration for most of his
remarkable illusions from "The Wearing
of the Green" and other Irish national
melodies. Here is what Strang, one OF
the foremost etchers of the world, which
owes to him the most striking likeness
that it actually possesses Of Kipling, has
to say on the subject:-"I could not help
noticing that Kipling as he worked was
continually humming Irish melodies
most of the time that famous national air,
The Wearing Of the Greenland l asked
him why he did so.
"'Well,' replied Kipling, do you know,
l cannot write unless hum tune. I
get inspiration from these fine old melo-
dies. Tom Moore, you know, hunted up
all the old Irish melodies he could and
then wrote lines to fit them. I do not do
that, but I take up, for example, The
Wearing of the Green and hum it over
and over, and the spirit moves me to
write. I do not depend entirely upon
Irish melodies, but I must say they are
my favorites.
Take my 'Shillin' Day. if you
please. How could ever have written it
but for the fine old Irish melody that I
hummed as a prelude?
My name is O'Kelly;
I've heard the reveilly
From Birr to Bareilly,
From Leeds to Lahore,
Hong Kong and Peshawur,
Lucknow and Etawah,
And fifty-fve more all ending in "Pore."
Black Death and his quickness,
The depth and the thickness,
OF sorrow and sickness
I've known on the way;
But I'm old and I'm nerviss,
I'm cast from the service,
And all I deserve is
A shillin' a day.
A shillin' day.
Chorus
Shillin' day,
Bloomin' good pay;
Lucky to touch it
A shillin' a day.
ooh, tell you, continued Kipling,
after he had recited these lines of his pop
ular poem, I've turned off many stanza
with the help of an Irish melody, and
The Wearing of the Green is one OF my
preferred creditors.
This O'Kelly in Kipling's military song
was an 1rishman, Of course. After serv-
ing the queen until he got "old and
nervous" he was honorably discharged in
the munifcent pension Of twenty-five
cents day! 1t was certainly "bloomin'
good pay" for any Irishman who had
fought the battles of his country's op-
nressors, and we have no sympathy for
the fellow. Oh course. he found his way
to an Irish poor house and died there.
The poem reminds us Of the ballad by
Charles ]. Kickhatn, on "Michaeal Shee-
ham," which was composed by the Irish
patriot to keep his young countrymen
from enlisting in the British army. The
ballad was sung at pattern and fair in all
parts of Ireland where the recruiting
sergeant was abroad to tempt the unwary
with his British shilling If the gentle
poet and novelist OF Mullinabone had
written nothing else than this simple bal
lad he would have deserved the gratitude
OF his race. At the present day there are
only some $4,000 Irishmen in the British
army and the number is gradually de-
creasng year by year.
THE HISTORY OF THE A. 0. H.
1t will be matter OF intense interest to
the patriotic members of the Ancient Or
der of Hibernians in the Northwest to
learn that the story of the organization
from authentic sources has at last been
published for their instruction. The pub
LEGATION OF sucl, work has been long
felt want, and the thanks OF the order are
due to Thomas Francis McGrath, presi-
dent of Division No. 10, A. o. H., Of
Cleveland, O., for his laborious research