The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-02-17

that crossing the Atlantic for the frs
time he desired the steward to be sur
to awaken him in the early mornin,
on which they were due to sight tn,
Irish coast in passing. Though tn,
morning was both wet and wild, anC
comfortless and cold. the poor old fel
low gathered hl= garments about hin
am went out on dech and leaned ovel
the bulwarks and took a good look a
the green isle. And as ne shuffied bach
over the deck again he said: Thanh
God that I've lived TO see one country
the Irish don't rum"
And it is not only once, nor only
fifty times that it has been said of us
The Irishman is the best soldier thai
goes into a attlefield-anywhere out
of Ireland"
In America, anyhow, the Irishmar
has been a marvellous success as &
tighter, as worked and as al was
going to say ruler, but shall content
myself with-politician. / have a Rus
sian friend who says he was only q
short time in America till he concluded
that in this country every Chinaman
was a washerwoman and every Italian
an organ grinder. but the Irish puzzled
him TO classify. At one time he thought
every Irishman kept a saloon. then
that he was public prize fighter, next
that he was a lawyer; in quick sue
Cessi0n after that he was d policeman,
a municipal officer, a NAVY, soldier,
a ward boss, a judge, a servant girl,
city mayor. an orator. a criminal, a
clergyman and man pulling the wires
Of the universe. In his dilemma. he
says. he appealed to an Irish friend
for guidance. "Hagh," said his friend.
why, at home we're every mothers
son a king" And that" said my Rus
sian friend. lis the only blessed thing
not one of you is in America" Never
mind" said he. Perhaps we'll rem
edy that yet"
After looking about me in America.
/ saw conclusive proof that my coun-
trymen were not, by Providence, in
tended for merely one or for merely
thirty-One vocations. All arts, all
trades, and all tricks, from California
TO Connecticut. have their large and
faithful following Of Irishmen; yet
modestly admit that he seems to fit
best into his niche where he is dom
mating the crowd. and has yoked to his
car the German, the Scandinavian, the
Hun, the DagO and the American. You
may see a fresh Irishman. as green as
they grow them. one day granted a
job with the pick for Gods sake; pass
that way a twelve-month later and the
odds are that you find him not only
managing his former comrades. but
bossing the man that employed him.
There is a strong and assertive indi-
viduality about the Celt. and it is in
tolerance of restraint more than am
bition of advancement that makes him
push for the top.
A flashlight on his character in this
respect is the story of the Irishman
who landed in strange country when
a political fight was raging, and who,
on being surrounded by both parties
and questioned, What side are you
on?' replied without any hesitation,
I'm agin' the COVER ment." For there
is only one rule under which he will
cease to chafe-his own rule. This
chatting, then supplements and some
times supplies the place of abstract
ambition. The German, the DagO, and
the American are all right. he ac-
knOWledges. in the spheres for which
their Creator meant them. Than he !
there is no man more heartily pleased |
to see them prosper in their proper /
sphere. But my cOuntryman in Amer !
lea feels an uneasinesS in his conscience /
until he has depressed them into that |
sphere. The Dago is a tolerable hand
at the pick and the German and
American, with the Jew. were born for
the drudgery of commerce No Irish !
man is so narrow as to deny them /
their privileges here. and none 80 un- !
generous as not to acknowledge their |
brilliant abilities But then. he can |
not let his generosity run away with !
justice and permit them to try their |
bands at a thing they |
know nothing about and are not |
adapted fOr-tO-Wit, ruling a city or a |
state. In Milwaukee. the most Ger /
man city in America. there is a ward |
that boasts only one Irishman. yet he /
Is boss" Of the ward Yet he is far
e.,4 ,,11s
here. He viii permit the German and
the American to clamor against him
and against the laws he has framed
for their benefit and protection; he
Will let them curse him, if it does them
any good, and fill their papers with
rank abuse Of him. Knowing that
abuse Of a benefactor is one of the
surest geological signs that mark the
genus man, he magnanimously smiles
and keeps straight on benefactoring.
Your Irish political leader is the Gin
'fnnatus who has been, by Providence,
allied from the spade to lift the reins
# power in America, to guard you and
o look after your destinies. There are
n the new island (as we call America
n our Gaelic) at the present day some
housande of influential politicians who.
f they had by accident remained in
Ireland. would now be daily plying a
urf spare or swinging a fir Ratchet
nd nightly philosophizing to eager
reside circles, and whose names for
wisdom and knowledge would be IA
nous for half the length of their own |
len. ! call TO mind three men who as
Dung fellows in tears quilted the same
Hillside in Ireland on the same day.
he landlord, the pinch Of poverty and {
he paternal rule of England sent them ]
orth. They were truculent villains.
aid the landlord. and would not raise !
heir caps TO him; they were seditious I
and a burden to the earth, !
aid the British officials; Ireland had !
Othing to offer them, poor fellows, said {
overly. Today one of them is a high {
7 respected judge. another an infiuen- !
al congressman and the third returned
ONE a rich man ten years ago and '
larried his CdeCeased) landlords !
aughter. And this is not a strikingly V
incident a
The Irishman in America, while he q
as acquired new, seldom loses many i
{ the old qualities which distinguished ?
i'm at home. An Irishman is nothing II
not fluent and eloquent I have seen o
nd heard. unlettered old men in the II
fountains Of Donegal who could put a
, blush professed orators; but in the 7
merican climate they grow Grom !
reater practice, 1 SUPPOSED yet more a
oquent If you want an impromptu
)eech at any time on any subject
nder the sun, a speech that viii de- e
live the listener into the idea that il q
a really fine one and that the speak s
knows what he is talking about. call a
pom an Irishman. some one has said "
me, adding. and the less he knows G
Dout the subject the more eloquent e,
2 VIII be- That, despite the hard IL
cts of life which he is continually h
rocking against in America. he never o.
se-s the poetry Of nature. which is in h
m in Ireland. is seen at once when e.
he touches the reminiscent chord in a
e breast Of the Irish American. Il
He has. ] think. ne less wit than his a
other in Ireland; the simpler and u