The Irish standard., 1901-12-21
bRlr1sH BAlpERDAsH.

'If the English-speaking races
should be compelled to meet COM
mon foe, the world would soon see
how quickly these same English
speaking races would close up the
ranks and march shoulder to shoulder
for the advancement of civilization"
So said Conan Doyle at a Thanks
giving dinner Of the American Society
in London. Doyle is a well-known
writer of fiction. While he kept to
romances he attracted attention, af-
forded entertainment and acquired a
reputation as the author of Sherlock
Holmes. an ingenious detective.
But the qualities or faculties that
constitute man an entertaining ro-
mancer, mislead him when he comes
down into the world Of fact. Facts
are hard, less buoyant than fictions,
and do not respond so readily to the
imaginative faculty. Hence, in deal
ing with facts the romancer is apt to
become tedious, fiat, and improbable.
That is what has happened to Doyle,
says Rev. DIR. Lambert in the New
York Freeman's Journal.
Take his statement above as an H.
lustration, and see if there is anything
valuable or instructive in it. Is it not
fact, provided by human nature as
manifested in history, that any two or
more races, whether speaking one Ian
guage or not, will stand shoulder to
shoulder when Compelled to meet a
common foe?" Have we not an illus
tration of this in recent history? The
American people and the French peo-
pie have no bond of common language,
and yet they march shoulder to Shout
der to meet the common enemy-Eng-
land. And would they not do the
same again If compelled to meet a
common enemy? What information,
then, does he give us when he tells
us that the English-speaking races, if
compelled, would stand together
against a common foe? OF course
they would. 1t is just as true to say
that the Irish and English would, if
compelled, march shoulder to shoulder
against common enemy-but this
condition, common enemy, is essen
tfal. Where will you find this common
enemy? Is he not like Sherlock
Holmes, an uncommon fiction? An
enemy? Is he not, like Sherlock
friend of Ireland, and vice versa.
This common enemy is as neces-
sary to us as to Ireland. Where is he?
Where does he Turk; where conspire?
Suppose several continental nations
should demand arbitration to settle
the South African war, would they be
on that account common enemy,
compelling us to march shoulder to
shoulder with Englarh7 We think the
romancer in his highest fight of i'm
agination would not answer in the at
firmative. Suppose, again, that the
nations of continental Europe should
demand that we relinquish the Philip
pine Islands. Would England on that
account consider them common foe.
against whom she would be COM
PEELED to march shoulder to shoulder
with us? Again the romancer will
hesitate to affirm.
What interests have the United
States and England so in common that
an attack on either would be an at
tack on the other and the attacking
party would be the common foe of
both? There are no stich interests.
But our common language? We
know Of no common enemy of our Ian
guage but the Americans and English
themselves, who murder it in the first
degree. not one in ten ever speaking
or writing it correctly.
But the advancement of civilization?
That is not a common interest; It is
only hypocritical pretext, common
to modern nations, to murder and
plumber weaker. peoples. No nation