The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-11-15


At the R. R. Y. M. c. A. recently
David II Leahy, native of Limerick.
Ireland, now private secretary to Gov
ernor Stubs. made his maiden public
speech, repeating his Saturday Night
club address. in which he showed how
the sons of Old Ireland a country one
third the size of Kansas, have spread
throughout all of the world and have
been prominent in the worlds great
events and also in the progress and in
6ustries OF modern times. In add1-
ton Mr.. Leahy told how the conditions
in Erin were being bettered through
the allowing of the Irish to buy their
own land and this was one of the rea-
sons why the emigration from Ireland
to America was decreasing.
Mr.. Leahy spoke on observations on
European Travels" based on his trip
in that country last summer. 1t was
great. Fractions of his talk follow:
Il was with the Irish from the time
i left until my return. L left Wlchlta
on the Santa Fe railroad which is boss
ed by that famous Irishman, James
Hurley. Arriving in Canada 1 travel
ed on the Canadian Pacific which is
managed by Sir Thomas O'Shaughnes-
sy-Irish, needless to say. When l
reached Toronto I saw beautiful uni
yersity founded by McMasters, an r.
ishman I-also visited at Quebec where
Montgomery, an Irishman, fell.
I'VE left America on steamer call
ed The Empress of India On the voy-
age we collided with an iceberg, but
without serious damage. However, our
wireless telegraph warned other yes
sells of the presence of the danger. And
the wireless telegraph was invented
by Marconi, who is the son of an irish
woman and who married Miss O'Brien.
I'VE landed at Liverpool and later
went to Birmingham. By the way the
station master there was an Irlshman.
When we were at Birmingham King
Edward was visiting the city, the first
time an English king had been there
for 267 years, although the place is
within 120 miles of London, one OF the
homes of English kings.
England and its people are wonder
full If Germany ever tackles England
she will have her hands full. And the
chief ADMIRAL of the British navy. Sir
Charles Beresford, also General Lord
Roberts of the British army, of Boer
war fame, General Lord Kitchener. the
hero of Kartoum, and Sir Charles Rus
sell are all Irishmen. the last being
from near my old home. SO Iett quite
safe in England.
when we arrived in Paddington sta
ton, London, we rode in a line of bus
ses practically all owned by Patrick
understood. The
buses are painted green.
IN st. PauPs cathedral, London, we
saw the statue of Arthur Wellesley, the
freshman called the Duke of yelling
ton. who conquered Napoleon at Wa
terloo. In Westminster Abbey we saw
the tomb of Edmund Burke, the friend
Of America during the Revolution and
Englands greatest orator.
I'm Paris, France. we saw the tomb
IF Napoleon, whose physician at st.
Helena and biographer was son OF
Erin.
I'm Switzerland we learned that the
patron saint of the country was an Ir-
St. Gall.
I'm Rome, where we also visited, the
1eart of O'Connell, the Irish hberator,
s preserved. The bodies of the great
O'Rourth and O'Hurely are
buried there.
Met Irish at Pompeii.
.In the ruined city of Pompeii we
met an Irishman from the City of |
Mexico. He had just married girl |
from Gaylord, Kansas. The couple |
we're on their wedding trip.
I'm Sorrento, Italy, was the villa OF /
the son of Marion Crawford. the nov |
elist, who died recently. His father |
was an Irishman.
ION the boat on the way home the |
first man I met was an Irishman nam |
ed James Cochran.
when I landed in New York, |
bought the New York Sun, which is