The Irish standard., 1902-09-27

know something about the antecedents
OF this self-appointed commentator OH
the horoscope of Irish character MIR.
Joseph e. Smith, a scholarly and pun
gent writer, stated recently in letter
to the Boston Pilot, that the father of
j. ID. Crimmins worked us Il gardener
for the celebrated patriot aud advo-
cate Thomas Adds Emmett. Mr.
Smith is mistaken. Mr.. Emmet died
i'll 1927, long before the father of j. ID.
Crimmns left Ireland. il, in his ten
days wandering through Ireland this
multl-millionHire would step ut q small
village which is located two and one
half miles north of Mallow, the home
of VIM. O'Hrien, in the county of Cork.
he may find some person still living
there who would show him Il mud
cabin, or at least where the cabin
stood, which was the last abode of the
father and grandparents Of j. d. Grim
Minis in Ireland.
Rctrospection Will not take me farth-
er on its road than my recollection Of
Joseph CrimmillS. who was the father
Of this inflated lover of royalty. 1t
was when l was a small boy that he
was employed us Il private tutor in
my fathers house, and it was from
him learned to lisp the alphabet.
While the sword of Bunker Hill so
terrified John Bull that the British
government repealed that part of the
penal laws which made Catholic e1.a-
cation a capital crime, schc OILS We're
not numerous and, strange 10 say, not
very popular ut the period l refer to,
for | have known people who would
not send their children TO scho>l lest
they be accused of putting on airs.
Such was the effect of the penal law
on q certain class of people, even sew
cnty years after its repeal. 1t must
not be understood from this that the
Catholics of ireland were ignorant dur
ing the penal laws. On the contrary,
the best mathenlaticians and the best
classical scholars ever known in Ire
land could be found there during the
penal laws. The hedge scllcplmaster
is historical character, although Il
price was set on llis head He was
there, faithful to his calling. Nor can
we doubt the industry of the student
while acquiring an education and
net and the informer at the same time.
The father of j. ID. Crinnnins left
Ireland in 1914. The grandfather,
whose name was James, was a labor
ing man. The grandmother, whose
maiden name was Wallace, was good
type of the Irish mother Of lher class.
She WAS Il most worthy lady, and was
deeply regretted by all her friends ut
the time she, with the whole family,
left Ireland for America. Joseph, the
father of j. ID. CrimminS, had two sis
ters-Bessie and Maryland Il little
brother called James Joseph was
about twenty-five years old wtllen he
was tutor in my fathers family,
and. like Joseph Of Old. lie was a good
son and brother. In my boyhGod the
love aud respect of the student fur MS
teacher was nearly equal to the love
and esteem bestowed on the parents.
The private tutor, who was held re-
spunsble for the conduct of the chill
tlren ut all times, commanded Obesli-
ence, and Nary often his duty became
an unpleasant one. 1t was because Of
the love l had for the father Of J. d.
Crimlllns while he was m'' teacher
that after the lapse of fifty years l
can vividly recall his character. He
had not been III New York but "a short
time when his parents died. 1t was
in 1860 THAT l first saw my old teacher
after he left Ireland. He then lived
on the second floor Of Il tenement
house III Third avenue, New York. Our
meeting was like that of Il father and
son after Il long separation. OF his
struggles in New York during the
first sixteen years Of his exile lie gave
me Il true picture. He was married ut
the time to worthy lady from the
North Of Ireland. He died last year,
full of years, molwned by many who
knew him in Iris youth. He was Il true
son of faith and fatherElnd. and if
alive would never enter into the Anglo
maniac spirit of his son.
am surprised that the son of my
old teacher would tlrlrish the memory
of his father by his Anglo Saxon snob-
berry which, by the force of wealth,
is poisoning tls, American atmosphere
The progenitors of j. ID. Crmmins
transmitted better blood and better
morals than he can receive by aping
the skunk-trapping .Astors, or the title
hunting American mother. IL protec-
tion would stop ut the Capitalization
of capital, the American people would
have no cause to bow their heads. But
it has generated Il lot of would-be uris-
tocratic humbugs, an anmlgslmated
brood Of un-American tourists, gutter
snipe's OF thirty years ago, who through
the great wealth protection las forced
on them, misreprssent the American
people, alNl who, although some Of
them never knew WllO their narantS
were, claim .Anglo-StXon kinships in
blood, language, and all other rot
H-linh l.. 4lAc mn La IL, of 4l.,s., l.,,e