The Irish standard., 1906-08-18

The public life OF Charles Russell
falls naturally into two periods, short
one in Ireland and long one in Eng
land, says The Western Waterman. He
spent the time from the age of II to
II at school outside of his home. AT
the latter age he entered on his ap-
premiership as solicitor, and in Janu-
airy, 1854, when % years of age. he
began his career in that profession at
Belfast. 1t was short, vigorous ca
reer, marked by Orange and Green fac
ton fights, fights first in field and wood,
next in the court. There he defended
his Acknowledgements and scored his
first successes.
So distinctive were these successes
in the northern city of Belfast that
they attracted the favorable notice, not
only of his friends, who built bonfires
for him and harnessed themselves to
his carriage to drag him home in tri-
umph after some legal victory, but
what is more remarkable, his successes
| attracted the notice of the Protestant
Dean of Dromore, who, on hearing
Russell, urged him to read for the
bar, and of Theophilus Jones, Prot
estant of strong Orange principles,
who was struck by Russelrs grip Of
the law in the cases then being tried.
Jones sent note to him: "Come and
lunch with me-" At luncheon Jones
said: your are wasting time practicing
as a solicitor. Go to the Bar and go to
the English bar. AS a Catholic you
will have bad chance on the northern
circuit here. Go to England and join
the circuit where there are Irish. Try
Liverpool, We're the Irish are strong"
This advice fell in with Russelrs
ambition, but was opposed at first by
his family. To be solicitor in his
native parish was to be safe; to be
lawyer was to risk all. That was the
way matters stood until he won new
ally, Miss Ellen Mulholland, who be-
came afterwards Lady Russell Rus
sells mother appealed to her to pre-
vent her son from throwing away a
certainty for an uncertainty. Miss Null
holland responded decidedly and
threateningly: IF he does not go to
the bar, will never speak to him
again. So the incident was closed.
In 1856, at the age of %, he began
his studies for the new profession,
privately at first. going to Dublin for
his examinations. In 1856, he went
to the law schools of London, and in
1858 passed his examination.
The question then arose. where he
should practice as lawyer. Should
he follow the advice of the Orange
judge and go to England, or should he
follow his friends wishes and remain
in Ireland? He had to win over not
only his own mother, but also his wifes
mother to his determination Of going
to England. He wrote to Mrs. Null
holland that while he did not wish to
Judge other honorable men who had
risen to eminence as lawyers in Ire
land, he felt that it would denote a
spirit of servility and an absence OF
public virtue if he followed the usual
course to legal success in his own coun,
try, and that if he opposed the cur
rent views, he would be impracticable
and would surely fail. The noble let
ter in which he exposes his reasons
for leaving Ireland, lays bare the sou
of Charles Russell; it reveals his aims
ambitions and motives; it lets light ii
upon those deep recosses OF the will
where lie hidden the purposes which
lead men to honor and renown or drag
them down to infamy and disgrace
Charles Russell longed with all the ar
dor of young heart for high plac'
in his profession. Nothing less coult
be expected from his thoroughness
and he is to be honored for his nobl
ambition. But in attaining that higl
place he shrank from the sacrifice o
any principle he held sacred, from tn
lowering of any standard he had up
lifted. Nothing less could be expecte
from his uprightness, and he is to b
honored for his sensitive conservilit
or be a toady, because he would no
wear anybody's door-mat out excep