The Irish standard., 1907-05-04
THE LATE DR.. DRuMMoND.
His Death Due to Charitable Effort
3. for Sick Miners,

A friend of the late William Henry
Drummond, who has just returned from
Montreal, gives some interesting details
about the death of the poet of the Hab-
liant and most popular of Canadians.
DR.. Drummond was in the city when
he heard that smallrox had broken out
in a. virulent form at the Drummond
mine at Cobalt. He had himself vac
cinated, and. hastily gathering the nec-
essary supplies he left for that place.
of his arrival until he was able to-
9 write to his brother, on the Monday
preceding his death. that the place
would soon be out of quarantine, and
that he would be able to start for home
at an early date. A short time after
the despatch of this letter he was
struck with paralvsi: and never recov-
Z cred consciousness. The medical men
who were hurried to Cobalt from Mon
treal are of the opinion that he worked
himself to death while in attendance
on his men.
Those who knew DR.. Drummond
while he was a practicing physician in
Montreal find nothing in his life moro
characteristic than his last days. AS
were always available for people whom
nothing could be expected in the way
of fees. 1t was a, common thing for
him to stop in the street. inquire about
the health of some cabman, and write
prescription.
While his books appealed to large
section of the Canadian public, the
immense popularity which made the
day Of his funeral one of general
mourning was due to the character Of
the man, for the love in which he was
held was confined to no party and no
section OF the population. French,
Scotch, Irish, Liberals and Conserva-
tives, all sorts and conditions of men
recognized in him friend who was alb
solutely without prejudice. He was a
very rich man at the time of his death,
but nobody could see any difference
between him in his prosperity and the
man they had known as a hard-worls-
ing doctor. as Woodworking and self
sacrificing as any of the country doc
tors, whom he has described so vivid
ly in his POEMS He was asked to be-
come a candidate for parliament on
many occasions and his election would
have been foregone conclusion, but
he had an aversion to politics as a
thing which created dissention even
between friends.
There is strong party feeling in Cam
ada. where they take their politics very
seriously. but DR.. Drummond was well
coined as warmly a guest at the st.
George or st. Andrew as at the ST
Patrick Society. He was an Irishman
to the backbone, and he was fond of
explaining that the Scots who had
the same name as himself belonged to
a family which had emigrated from
ireland originally. while his own peo-
pie had stayed there. Hence, he used
to conclude the name was pure Irish.
The following is the last poem writ
ten by DR.. Drunlmond. 1t was read
by him at the St Patrick's Day dinner
in Montreal and is entitled We're
Irish Yet:
What means this gathering tonight
What spirit moves along
The crowded hall. and touching light
Each heart among the throng,
Awakes. as tho trumpet blast
Had sounded in their ears,
The recollections Of the past,
The memories of the years?
Oh! it's the spirit of the West.
The spirit of the Celt;
8 The breed that spurned the alien
/. And every wrong has felt
And still. tho far from fatherland,
M We never can forget
TO tell ourselves with heart and hand
We're Irish yet! We're Irish yet!