The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-03-18

delightful to breathe.
 '.The beauty and fascinating wit Of the daughters of Ireland have ever been wreathed in story and poems. No greater proof of the irresistible glances of these lassies can be found than the bloody statute which an English king felt 1t necessary to pass, providing that English settlers marrying Irish women should De condemned to death and hanged, after having been previously disemboweled. It would seem as if the death penalty might have been enough, but it was necessary to add horrors to the preliminaries Of death to overcome the temptation Of Irish beauty.
 Visit to EmernI Isle
 T well remember visiting the Emerald isle now, a quarter of a century ago. We landed on her shores early in the morn ing of a July day, and it seemed to me nothing was ever greener, nothing ever sweeter, nothing was ever more attractive than Queenstown harbor at that hour. What struck me most on our progress through Ireland was the lightning flash of repartee from every son ana daughter of the soil Whether 1t was at hotel or in private, the newsboy on the street, the old woman at the door of her cabin, the farmer boy trudging on the road, or the boatman on the lakes of Killarney, en- gazing anyone in conversation, would soon recognize the friendly wit There ia something about the landscape of the island that reminds one of Irish charac- teristics and history. 1t is sad, at times, with overhangng clouds, and then dark with the sudden storm. and then again bright with the brilliant flashes or the sun back of it. As we toiled through the zap of Dunlow and met tRose pretty barefooted Irish sirens that tempted us with goats milk and poteen, 1t seemed a fairyland, and one that should nave prospered. It was land fuli or sug- gestion of poetry and song, and giving out on every side the reason Tor tue sweet but sad attachment that the sons of Erin bear to the old sod.
 ..As have said the history of Ireland IS such that until very recent years her sons like Robert Emmett were not lh their intellectual powers and tralts or characters in other lands than thelr pirth'
 English history and English litera- ture are full of the achievements or the native sons of Ireland. The greatest or English philosophers, statesmen and or ators. Edmond Burk, was born in Dublin of parents who came from Cork, and family long settled in the boglands of Ireland. So, too, an early genius, Dan Swift, was born in Dublin, to be brought forth
 Literary Irshmen
 'The literary men of England, Sheridan, Goldsmith and Stern, were lrishmen. UT English military geniuses the Duke Of Wellington, Lord Wellesley, Lord Roberts, Lord Kitchener and many others were Irishmen So, too, at the bar. Ine greatest equity lawyer England has ever known, Hugh Cairns. made lord chan cellor and earl of the English peerage, was born in the county of Down, Ireland, and the same county produced the first Roman Catholic chief justice of England, Lord Russell of Halloween. Nor should we omit mention of the parliamentary or ators in Flood and Gratten and the great est of all--O' Connell
 Tn other countries, in France, in Spain. in Austria, are many Irish men and fami- lies of prominence and position won by able. loyal and courageous service under a foreign flag. The Macmahons of France, the ODonnells of Spain, the Taafes of Austria, are but a few of the illustrious names.
 '.In this country it is worthy of note that Andrew Jackson and his great polit- teal opponent John Calhoun, both boast-s ed of their Irish stock. Montgomery, who fell at Quebec; the Sullivans of New Hampshire, and Knox, Washington's de- voted assistant during the revolutionary
 
 come to the civil war in all the long list of Irish stock we find the greatest purely military genius of the war, Phillip II. Sheridan.
 Never in the history of the world has there been for the making of a new cit izenship such co-mingling and mixture of races as we have had in this country to make a typical American.
 "The Celt is in his heart and hand.
 ,ba Oo, ie In nd
 Where. cosmopolitanly planned.
 He guards the redskins dry reserve"
 A Distinctive Race
 The atmosphere of civil liberty the guaranty of life, liberality and prosperity of property under due process of law, complete freedom of religious worship. This has given to every race coming un- der the Stars and Stripes an opportunity to flower and manifest It's best and most enduring traits. I like to think, there fore. that the races transplanted to Amer ica maintaining an admixture with one another on basis of complete equality are gradually forming a race distinctive from all of those who entered originally into the combination. but which will unite the high and admirable qualities of all.
 We have opened wide the door of in- vitation to all the peoples of Europe. They make one condition, that is, they become law-abiding peaceful citizens, supporting the government Criticism has been made of our generosity in this re- gard as a mistake, but the wonderful power of absorption shown and the Amer icanizing of all the newcomers have justi- fled our purposes from political stand point and the happiness of millions and millions of people that have fiourished under our flag and are grateful to this country for the opportunities that have been given should be a complete reward and Justification for sharing with them our inheritance.
 But in all of this babble of tongues that are gradually changing Into English, in all the different ways of looking at life that such an assortment of races would put, 1t would be a distinctive loss if we were to lose in any wise whatever tho final social quality of the irishmans wit humor and love for his human kind.
 For this you could have no more suit