The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-08-17

ASNs
got an excellent education. He was al
school not only in Winchester, but in
Paris and in Germany, and he was
thoroughly well equipped for his pro.
fession when he started it. He had
great surgical skill, splendid nerve, q
tirst-class education, and there was
nothing for him to do but to go on with
his career and find fame, wealth and
ease. In an evil hour he went into the
political struggle. And for Tanner to
take up anything was to take it up
tiercely. Soon he out-distanced every
body in the eXtremeness of his views
and his conduct; he, member of the
County Club, related to all the land
lords of the County Cork, and lead
ing professional man, astounded every
body by throwing everything to the
winds, and going down into the streets
to join the thousands who had gath
cred to signify their disapproval of
the visit of the Prince of Wales-as
he then waste the City of Cork.
1t was inevitable that such a man,
when the fierce struggle between Mr..
Balfour and the Irish members came,
should take a prominent part; and
equally inevitable that he should be
attacked in turn. So he was in all the
great scenes, and served several terms
of imprisonment. 1 have little doubt
that the imprisonments had a good
deal to do with the entire unsettlins
of his character. In a few years the
large, open, smooth face, had become
heavily lined; there came about the
eyes look-not Of the joy but of the
sadness of life, and the hair all at once
turned gray. The long hours of the
House of Commons-its Fictitious and
constant excitement, it's many tempta-
tions-helped to undo the poor fellow
and in the end everybody understoos
and almost loved and sincerely pitied
the man as they saw his gradual break.
up OF health and spirits. He seemed
to make that impression on the House
which is made in the east by some of
those poor beings whom Allah has
struck with the loss of reason; he was
too sad and too tragic a figure to in.
spire any feeling but that of one whom
mysterious Fate had doomed to IRE.
sistible destruction.
L remember a curious and character
istic scene in which he was a figure,
1t gave one some idea of the hayward
race from which he came. 1t was dur
ing the Parncll commission when the
PigOtt forgery was the subject of in
vestigation. One of the most ardent
advocates of the side of Parnell was,
of course, Charlie Tanner, but, on the
other side, the Times was able to put
into the box Major Tanner-a brother
of the doctor-who was n land agent, Il
Unionist, and just as ferocious a parti-
san of the one party as his brother was
of the other. The major was a dark,
handsome man. with we'll chiseled fea-
lures. with black eyes, with dark hair;
but yet in build, in the dclicacy of the
face in the hardness of the jaw, and
of certain tiNclncss Of look in the
eye, he rcscmbled his brother. amid all
their dissimilarities of physique. char
;lctcr and opinion. But it was evident
that there was between them one of
those fcrocious family uuarels Which
rage in some hollSchoulds-one of those
destructive family fcuds that have
ancient Greeks.
The two most terrible moments l re-
member in the Pnrncll commission
were when parncll, with that strange,
hoarse voice Which always showed
when he was strongly cNcited-was
suggesting with almost hiss the ques-
to ask Captain O'Shca on cross eXami-
nation; and when DR.. Tanner was audi
IDLY inspiring the cross-eXamination Of
his brother. There was some awful
question with regard to the conduct of
the two on an occasion when their dead
mother lay in a house; and when even
in the presence of that they refused to
be rcconcilcd. 1t was a strange ana
terrible revelation of the depths OF pas
sion that underlie political struggles in
time of excitement and of class wars.
Charlie Tanner probably hoped to
die on the floor of the House. 1t was
Il mercy that he was not present on
the night when the Irish members
were expelled by policemen, for he
would certainly have Joined in tho
fight: would have resisted. and posi-
bly, would have been killed, for it re-
Quired but the vcriest breath to blow
out the Pickering light of his life. For
tunately, and on the urgent cntreaties
of his friends, he had gone away tt
the country. have rarely seen (:
sight more CHASTITY or sorrowful thai
Tanner as he appeared during the las
hours of his political life. The splen
did frame had become shrunken; tn,
checks were fallen in; the death looked
out from every line Of his face-fron
that pathetic and haunted look whicl
the advent Of the Black Angel Away
| gives to the eyes of men. And h
knew it himself better than anybody
and accepted it with cool courage an,