The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1903-02-28
AN ESTIMATE OF DUFFY.

/
An impartial estimate of the cllarac.
ter and achievements of the late Sir
Charles Gavan duffy appears in the
Dublin Weekly Freeman of Feb. IA,
from which the following is taken:
! He was not as great AS Davis, but lie
contributed by his practical capacity
| to make for the greatness of Davis
an opening to the direct service of his
cOuntrymen. He was not the spirit
of 1.-THE Nation" but he was one of
it's heads. The ideas of 'rhe Nation
had in him an ardent apostle. But
he realized that if it is true that mot
| by bread alone doth q man live" no
nation can neglect it's material we'll
being, and that Il nationality, for what
ever 1t stands, must have an existence
in the realm of fact as we'll as of
| aspirations.
With Dillon, he represented the
social program of Young Ireland. 1t
has become the custom of late, for
those who pretend to be the apostolic
Successors of the Young Irelanders, to
| dcnOuntp 1.-THE agrarians" as if they
had abandoned the ideals of the men
who through new soul into Ireland. ~
Yet the Land League had it's first mis-
sionlry in Davis, and it's precursors in
duffy and Dillon. 'Free the peas
dntry from the aristocmcy," wrote
Davis; "all else is vanity and vexation
of spirit" and to free the peasartry
from the aristocracy was the first
| work to which Duffy put his hand af-
ter the deluge of AZ. -
duffy never forgave O'Connell. The
bitterness with which lie pursued the
great mans memory will remain the
chief blot upon his own. But his bitter
ness was part of his nature, if, may
hap, part Of his racial Inheritance. He
fought his quarrel with Mitchell DER
again with as great bitterness, years
| after the grave had closed over his old
comlade, as If their dispute were still
Il living issue. If the most foolish
thing in politics is rancOr. as the willy
PiedmOntese averred, duffy had his
! share OF that weakness. 1t is Il lesson
to us all that the quarrels of the men
of 40 and '4S and - are the least
Interesting, the least memorable, the
least important part of their careers.
Ireland, in her gallery of gallant and
| great and true men, has IL niche for
each, notwithstanding their conflicts;
and not the least distinguished is re-
served for the editor of ''rhe Nation
and the leader of the Tenant League.
Dufy's career III Australia, like
Darcy MGee's in Canada, was an
I outstanding demonstration to the
world Of the character and the capac.
ity Of the men for whom at home Eng.
land reserved the decoration of the
felon's cap. 1t helped to make of
/ Greater Ireland an empire worthy of
the old race and name. 1t brought
him honor, fortune, troops Of friends.
| But he never forgot the old country
and the old cause.
He was, perhaps, little jealous OF
the new men. That was not unnat.
ural. The feeling was akin to that OF
the man who, returning to an old
school or an old home, finds others In
his old place, and himself forgot. Isaac
Butt was TVry when he himself was
preaching Irish Nationality to the un
converted. That Butt should have in
herited place which once seemed de
stined to himself easily led to mis-
judgment of Butt. The frankly auto
cratic methods of Parnell were as lit
tie to the liking of the man who spill
the Repeal Association ON point O
theory. On practical issues, in fact
Duffy often erred. When Parnell nd
vised the tenants to bide their time
and wait until Gladstone's Land Ac