The Washington times., 1904-03-17
The Land of the Shamrock
Ireland as She Appears in Story and
Song.

Since the recent revival OF the
legends and literature of Ireland, due
to the untiring efforts of certain pa
triotic Celtic writer's, the rest Of the
world has perhaps taken more intel
Igent interest in the unique history
Of "the old country" If not, 1t GER
tainly ought to do so, for there are
few countries which Will so richly re-
ward the student.
There seems to be an essential diff
ference between the Alglo-Saxon and
the Irish temperaments, which too
often prevents complete understand
inc. When such understanding does
exist 1t is a matter Of intuition and
sympathy rather than logic. The
mercurial, passionate, imaginative
Irish nature may seem to the typical
Saxon mind ineomprehensible; and
yet this mystery carries with II GER
tain fascination for the colder, more
matter-of-faet Englslman, and Is, II
truth, precisely the element needed to
tighten British stolidity and render
flexible British stiffness, and infuse
fire and spirit into the somewhat slug
gish British nature. 1t may be ar
gued with a very fair show of reason
that the commingIng Of Celt and
Saxon produces one of the finest race
types in history, type to which much
of the boosted Anglo-Saxon progres-
siveness Is due.
The strongest characteristic of the
Irish people, speaking broadly, IS
idealism, and this fact has been
brought out clearly by the Celtic
writers already mentioned. W. B.
Yeats, Seumas MacManus, Ethna
Carbery, and the little group of
minor poets and fiction writers who
share their work, have interpreted the
witchery, the quaintness, the mysti-
cism of Irish legends anew. They
have presented the Land Of the Sham
rock as the elf-ehild of the world, full
of charms learned in prehistoric
scenes of Already, and overlooked by
newer and more prosaie races.
Something of this indescribable
charm is suggested by Kipling, whose
Celtic kinship Is perhaps responsible
for his evident affection for the Irish,
when he writes of his Mavericks: -
These were, one and all, of that quaint.
crooked. sweet, profoundly irresponsible and
profoundly lovahe race that Aght like bends,
s-s-.Ssfe Ike children. reason ike women, obey
nc men. and jest like their owR COLLINS Of
the rath through rebellion, loyalty, want, voc,
and wsE.
That Is the common soldier-the
rank and file And here Is Yeats
subtler, Ioftier, conception Of ireland
as fair maiden, drawing mems
hearts toward ideals which they strive
fr1ntIessly to attain:
Tho old brown thorn trees break in two high
over Cummin Strand.
Under q bitter black wind that blows from
the left hand.
Our courage breaks ike an old tree in black
wind and dies.
But We have hidden in our hearts the flame out
Of the ewes
OF Cathleen the daughter Of Houlihan.
The wind has bundled up the clouds high over
Knocknazea
And thrown the thunder On the stones for all
that Maeve say.
Anglers that are like noisy clouds have set our
hearts abcat:
Bat we have all bent low and low and kissed
the quiet feet
OF Csthleen the daughter Of Houlihan.
The yellow pool has oyeraoved high upon
Clooth-na-Bsre.
Fer the we winds are blowing out Of the cling
ing air;
Like heavy flooded waters our bodies and our
blood;
But puTer than tall candle before the holy
rood
Il Cathleea. the daughter Of Houlihan.
OF the centuries of famine and oy.-
preston, and misery which have
sspped the strength of Ireland, of tie
pitiless, laundering prosecutions, the
insensate waste of resources, which
have made desolate a land once fair
and caused to be forgotten a itera
ture rich IN imaginative beauty, much
has been said, and II Is only just that
these things should be told as they
are. But the world cannot afford Ia
lose, and viii not lose, the racial
strength which Is the birthright of the
people, and which has enabled then
to keep through all these centuries q
racial character so distinct The 10y.
atty, the patriotism, the bravery, tn,
generosity Of the Irish nature seen
ineradieabIe.
individuals here and there may be
lacking IN the racial virtues, but not
the people "A whole The Irish
American Is no less good American
for being all an Irishman. This coun.
, try is big enough, broad enough, lib