The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-10-26

III uAC 'H1VSAu AuCllG31S Aklud ICLJOtld,
founded the dynasty of Romanoff- OIL
denburg, which now reigns in Russia.
He was ;assassnatcf, It is alleged, by
the tfavorites of his wife, Sophia-Au-
gusta, of Anhalt, who afterward ruled
the Russians as Catherine u.-'the
greatest of all expresses and all -"
but will have to refer you to Lord
Byron for the rest.
The greatest of the modern Michaels
was Marshal Ney, Duke of Elchingen
and Prince of Moskwa. His career is
too we'll known to call for extended
notice here. The son of cooper of
Sarre Louis, near Metz-now Prussian
ground-he, by dint of valor and strate-
gical ability, became the most celebrat-
ed of Napoleon's marshals, and hav-
ing, in the words Of the British histori-
an, Sir Walter Napier, fought FIVE
hundred battles for France, not one
against her." was finally shot as a
traitor" by the government Of Louis
XVIII, December Z, 1916.
'srhe Iron Duke" Of Wellington was
popularity accused at the time Of not
having sufficiently exerted himself to
procure Ney's pardon from the Bour-
bon king, whom he had really restored
to the French throne, although Sir
Robert Wilson and other gallant and
chivalrous British officers, were willing
to risk life and limb to save from an
ignominious death their illustrious foe
man, "the ,Bravest of the Brave"
The cynical author Of don Juan"
in his ninth canto, .alludes to the cir
cumstance thus:
"Oh; Wellington! or villainton, (for
fame
Sounds the heroic syllables both
ways;
France could not even conquer your
great name
But punch'd it down to this facetious
phrase
Beating or beaten SHE will laugh the
same9-
You have obtained great pensions,
and much praise,
Glory like yours, should any dare gain
say,
Humanity would rise and thunder
'Nayw
Query by the Printers Devil "Ney?'Y
Still more modern Michaels Of much
celebrity, may also he mentioned in
this connection; for example, General
Michael Corcoran, who raised and
commanded the Corcoran Irish Legion
in the Army of the Potomac, and who
was accidentally killed by fall from
his horse, in December. 1863; Sir Mi
chael w. Seymour, British admiral,
commanding the Channel fleet; Sir Mi
chael Hicks-Beach, English chancellor
of the exchequer, who made, some
months ago. the most sensational
speech on the stringency caused by the
Boer war delivered by any member of
the House of Commons, and Michael
Davitt, the Irish leader. and, perhaps,
the most distinguished man of his race
now living: Nine years and a fraction
of his life were spent in prison for adj
vocating the Irish cause, but these, he
says. don't count" He always play
fully delucts them from his age.
l think I have completed my list
and have made the sketch sufficiently
cosmopolitan to escape the charge of
clannislness.
But about the Gaelic revival? In
order to be consistent with itself It
must include in its program the resto-
ration Of the national Christian names
for those of foreigners, even though
the latter are classed rs saints, so that
Mall, and Conor, and Cormac, and
Brian, and Kelvin, and Kieran, and
their kind, shall take the place of Jere-
miah, and Timothy, and james, and
Michael, and William, and Dominick,
and their kind, in Gaelic nomenclature.
AS for Patrick" the name is too
deeply rooted in the Irish mind and
heart ever to he discarded, but it Is a
harsh, angular, unpoetical Saxon trans.
lation of an originally beautiful Latin
name. The French and Spanish do bet
ter with it as "Patrice" and "Patri-
cio." The Celtic "Phaidraig" is not
much Of an improvement on the Saxon
article. the latter being generally dis
figured into "Pat" and Paddy" by the
irreverent ass-and he is numerous
who revels in the diminutive form of
all nppellatlons. whether Of heather or
Christian, Jew or GENTLE
think such Irish names for females
as Una, Nora. Norma. Ina. Ita, syria,
Derbail. T'lnoola and Bride are infin-
itely preferable to the nondescript fan
cy cognomens in which the daughters
and granddaughter of Erin now gen
orally indulge.
While 1T may be true that rose by
any other name would smell as sweet,
still there is much in a name. The first
Of Irish female names was that Scotia.
the Milesian queen. Contrast "Scota"
with such distortions as "Mayme,"
"Mae" and other nomenclatural de
formities that atilict the present gener-
alton of women of the Irish and other