The Irish standard., 1899-11-25

VIZ liz 10 lSllluC Otl enlightenment,
on the open Bible, on freedom and lib
crty. He can describe as no one else
can describe all the dread horrors OF
the Spanish inquisition. You get the
dark dungeons and the clanking chains,
but he will stand forward as the mod
crn hero in defense Of freedom OF re-
ligion and OF the church as by law
established. Iaughtcr.) To hear him
talk you would imagine that the inqui-
sition had branch establishment Just
round the corner, but that he has got
his eye on it. (Laughtcr.) He talks so
iamiliarly OF the Scarlet Woman, of her
thoughts and OF her doings, that some
times l have suspected she was once an
old flame OF his-Qoud laughter)-and
that now he is so fierccly talking against
her because she Tilted him. Iaughter.)
For such an one we can only pray that
the Scarlet Woman may not catch hold
Of him at last. Uaughtcr)
"The next portrait have taken
them up casually without very much
thought-that comes before us is that
very common specimen which l may
call the harmless lunatic Laughter)
He is generally created by the fiery
dcnunciation OF the hali-pay officer. He
has heard this respectable member oi
society laundering so much about the
horrors OF the Church of Rome that it
has seized the poor mans brain and
nerves, and he goes about in constant
state OF fancics, fears and alarms Be
fore he goes 10 bed at night he is half
afraid that he will find the Pope lurking
in some dark corner waiting to throttle
him when he is asleep. (Laugltcr) II
he secs Il priest coming along the road
he slips around 4 corner Immediately
ior fear OF being bcwitchcd. Every
morning he is hall afraid that some
secret hand has been pouring holy water
into his coffee. Laughter.) Not only
is lie iull OF alarms himself, but he tries
to fill everybody else with the same
fears that have taken possession OF him.
The image OF 'Popish asccndancy' is
always lowering round him, and he is
hall afraid that any morning he may
awake to find that Ills hair has been
cropped close, and that for the rest OF
his days he must so about i'll wide trou-
scrs and wooden shoes. (Laughtcr.)
II we could get really at the back OF his
brain | think we should find constan,
impression there is a modern Guy
Fawkcs with barrel OF gunpowdcr, and
that every policeman--tlc harmless nee
cssary policcman--is Jesuit in dis
guisc. G.aughtcr.) He is very fond OF
asking darkly significant, blood -curdlinG
questions. What does it all mean? |
am told, he says, that the Queen goes
to France every year. What docs she
do it for? Why docs she go to France
Is it to make her annual confession and
to perform her Easter duty? Iaugh-
tcr.) He is quite convinced that Her
Majesty has been converted, and sncaks
off to France for fear the British public
should notice what she is doing. This
man is quite persuaded that good ma
jority OF the House OF Commons is in
the pay of the Vatican, and he tells how
Home Rule means Rome rule and that
the Home Rule members were bought
with Vatican gold. (Laughtcr.) He
knows-hc has been told on the most
respectable authority-tlat at the pres
cnt moment Roman Cardinal in dis
guise is acting as cook to Lord Sails
bury-Qaughter) )-and that they arc ar
ranging the terms and the price for
which Lord Salisbury is going to sell
England to Rome. loud laughter)
"The next specimen OF the non-Cath-
olic looking glass or mirror is the man
who knows thing or two. Laughter }
He has read six-pcnny book on SCI
cnce or six-penny book on history.
To him the creation OF the universe is as
plain and simple as the making OF an
apple dumpling. (Laughtcr.) You can
not take him in He knows what is
what, and when his gigantic intellect
has been we'll fed with its six-penny
stock OF scientific oil it throws out that
vast, that piercing, that Overwhelming
electric light on the Romish system,
and you see all its errors melting away.
He is the man who talks very largely
about 'cffctc superstitions' Hc talks
very loudly about the progress OF sci
cncc, and he talks about clearing people
out OF the way, and not standing in the
way OF progress, but has his advice TO
offer us, and it is thus that we were
convinced that we were completely
played out, and he thinks we ought to
turn our attention seriously to how to
die dcccntly. Oaughtcr)
"1'hc fifth specimen is sad one He
is what | may call the paid rogue He
is the man who drops letters from a
balloon down the chimney OF convent
-Qaughtcr)-and some poor unhappy
nun inside finds it and reads it, and by
some way not explained or accounted
for, she manages to send him letter
back in reply. And then there comes
the glorious scene of the rescucr. All
the penny drcadiuls rolled into one are
plain prose compared with the deeds