The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-01-05

which, he said, was the most detest-
able mode of persecution. To a gen.
tleman who limited such policy might
be unnecessary to support the author
ity Of the English government he re-
piled by saying: Let the authority Of
| the British government perish rather
than be maintained by iniquity.'"
When Boswell asked johnson what he
thought of DR.. Leland's "History of
Ireland" he replied, bursting forth
with a generous indignation, ''The IT.
ish are in most unnatural state, for
we see there the minority prevailing
over the majority. There is no in
stance, even in the ten prosecutions.
of such severity as that which the
| Protestants of Ireland exercised
against the Catholics!' There is, per-
haps, a touch of satire in his answer
to DR.. Barnard, bishop of Killaloe, who
expressed fear that if he visited Ire
Land he might deal more harshly with
the people than he had done with the
Scotch. "Sir," said Johnson, "you have
no reason to be afraid of me. The
irish are not in conspiracy to cheat
the world by false representations OF
the merit of their countrymen. No.
sir, the Irish are fair people-thcy
never speak we'll of one another" lie
had keen appreciation of the reputa-
tion of Ireland for learning. and
thought it well deserved, especially
when, as he put it, ireland was the
school of the West; the quiet habita-
tion of sanctity and literature" But,
like other notable Englishmen, he was
in full political sympathy with the
Irish people. Boswell records we'll
known expression of his. which shows
how thoroughly johnson had studied
the British policy towards weaker ma
tions. ''He had says Boswell "a
| Kindness for the Irish nation, and thus
generously expressed himself to a gen
tleman from that country on the sub
ject of an union which artful politi-
clans have often had in view, DO not
make an union with us, sir. We should
unite with you only to rob You. We
! should have robbed the Scotch if they
had had anything of which we could
have robbed themw
Sir Walter Scott was another con-
spicuous example Of great writer,
whose liking of the Irish people was
expressed In no cautious manner In
one of his letters during his visit to
lrelan Mn 1925 he briefly sums up his
impress Dns as follows: II never saw.
a finer country, nor, to speak my mind,
finergpeople." But previous to his
| visit he had over and over again, in
his poems and stories, recorded his
| warm admiration of the Irish charac-
ter. Yet, like DR.. Johnson, he was
Tory Of the Tories. 1t would be easy
to fill aapage with Scott's frequent tes-
timoni to the good qualities of the
Irish I :ople, but perhaps one para
| graph ill suffice. In his Journal he
says: Once more Of Ireland. 1 said
their boverty was not exaggerated
neither is their wit nor their good hu-
NOR, nor their whimsical absurdity,
! nor their, courage" Then he gives in
i stances: "Wit-I gave fellow a shil-
ling on some occasion when sixpence
, was the fee. Remember, you owe me
sixpence, Pat" May your honor live
| till pay your There was courtesy
as we'll as wit in this, and all the
clothes on Pats back would have been
dearly bought by the sum in question.
Good HumOr-There is, a perpetual
kindness in the Irish cabin. Buttermilk,
| potatoes, Q stool is offered, or stone
; is rolled that your honor may sit down
and be out of the smoke; and those
who beg everywhere else seem desir-
Gus to exercise free hospitality in their
| own homes. This natural disposition
is turned to gaiety and happiness.
| While Scotchman is thinking on the
term day, if easy on that subject, about
hell in the next world; while the Eng
lishman is making little hell of his
own in the present because his muffin
is not we'll toasted; Pats mind is al
ways turned to fun and ridicule'"
| There is one point in connection with
Scotts views upon Ireland which the
present writer is the first to put on
record-namely, that he was very anx-
ious to write an Irish novel, and chose
as subject the career of Redmond
O'Hanlon. the Irish Rapparee. Unfor-
tunately, though he caused inquiries to
be~made, he could not obtain sufficient
material for his purpose, and the
project lapsed. Anyone who has read
Peter Plymley's Letters" land hope
their Irish readers are many, for they