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

are admittedly witty and sympathetic)
does not need to he told that Sydney
Smith was a warm friend Of Ireland.
In these short essays, for such they
are. though written in good collOuuial
style, he defends the Irish Catholic
claims with vigor and humor worthy
of O'Connell himself. His views upon
the manner i'll which the Irish rebellion
was provoked and the Union carried
are as strong as any Irishman could
desire. "How awfully," lie says.
would pause before sent forth the
flame and the sword over the cabins
of the poor. brave, generous, open
hearted peasants of Ireland" Again.
he says, II feel the situation deeply.
and with nightly and daily anguish.
because know Ireland; have known
it all my life-I love it," He had in
tended to write history of Ireland. a
tremendous indictment Of English mis-
rule, but was partly dissuaded by
friends and partly prevented by grow
ing age and infirmity. He left, how
ever. a fragment of his work behind
him, and it was known to be such
terrible exposure of nisgovernment
and such drastic treatment of Eng
lish governmental methods that his
widow was successfully persuaded by
Macaulay to suppress it. Two contem-
poraries of his, and both to be remem-
bered gratefully for their warm at
tachment to the cause Of Ireland, We're
Byron and Shelley. Shelley had few,
If any, Irish friends, but he visited the
country, and though his views were
quiXOtic enough, still he gave practi-
cal effect to his opinions. He cordially
sympathized with the Irish people, and
especially with their claim for Catho.
lie emancipation, and published some
eloquent pleas in their favor. He even
attended a Cancellation hall meeting at
which O'Connell spoke, and gave f1O0
to the repeal funds. With Byron the
NdSC w as ulAClCut. liz Ndo uSNCl ll
Ireland, but his friends were largely
Irish notably Moore, Lady Blessing
ton, Lord Clare, and Lord Sligo. He
took a keen interest in Irish literary
men, and did not stint his praise of
Grattan, Curran, Sheridan, and the
other great orators who had spoken
for Ireland in parliament. He himself
championed their cause in the House
of Lords. The reader will recall many
references to Ireland in his poems, and
will thank him for his splendid invec-
tive csThe Irish Avatar') against the
sycophantic attitude of the people to-
wards King George Nv. on his arrival
in ireland in 1921. But Byron's views
about us are, perhaps, sufficiently fa
miliar to most people. What is quite
unknown, apparently, in Ireland. is
that Byron had thoughts of becoming
a Catholic, and that he had his daugh-
ter educated as one.
OF the many other English writers
who have visited Ireland, Dickens,
Thackeray and Carlyle are perhaps the
most interesting. Thackeray's Irish
Sketch Book" though rather satirical
in tone, is really sympathetic, and the
high appreciation of Irish scenery and
Irish character shown in the book does
Thackeray credit. He married an
Irishwoman, and in one of his letters
to G. M. Crawford he advises him to do
likewise, adding, "No such true wife
rs daughter of Erin" Crawford, it
may be noted, took his advice, and his
wife is now the celebrated Paris cor