The Irish standard., 1912-06-15
Mont Catholic Bard of Ulster Takes
English Poet to Task for
his Utterances.
Says Kipling is not Even Accurate
in History When Speaking of
Ulster Traditions.
Resents Growing Ulster With all
the Virtues and Condemning
Balance of Ireland.

Mr.. Russell, a non-Catholic poet Of
Ulster, has published the following
open letter to Rudyard Rpling in the
London Daily News:
speak to you. brother, because you
have spoken to me. or rather you
have spoken for me. I am native
Of Ulster. So far back as I can trace
the faith Of my forefathers, they held
the faith for whose free observance
are afraid.
call you brother, for 80 far as
am known beyond the circle of my
personal friends 1t is as a poet. We
are not a numerous tribe, but the
world has held US in honor because
on the whole in poetry we found the
highest and sincerest utterances of
mans spirit. In this manner of speak,
ing II a man is not sincere his speech
betrayeth him, for all true poetry was
written on the Mount of Transfgura-
ton, and there is a revelation in it
and the minglings Of heaven and
earth. am Jealous of the honor of
poetry, and am jealous of the good
name Of my country. and 1 am i'm
PEELED by both emotions to speak to
you.
You have Irish blood in you. 1 have
heard, indeed, Ireland is your mothers
land. and you may. perhaps, have
some knowledge of Irish sentiment.
You have offended against one of our
noblest literary traditions in the man.
ner in which you have published your
thoughts. You begin by quoting
Scripture. You preface your verses
on Ulster by words from the mysteri-
GUS oracles Of humanity as IL you
had been inflamed and inspired by the
prophet Of God; and you 20 on to
sing of faith in peril and patriotism
betrayed and the danger of death and
oppression by those who do murder
by night, which things, If one truly
feels he speaks Of without considcra-
ton of commerce or what it shall
profit him to speak. But you, broth
err. have withheld your fears for your
country and mine until they could
yield you a profit in two countries.
After all this high speech about the
Lord and the hour Of national dark
ness, 1t shocks me to find this fol-
lowing your verses: copyrighted in
the United States of America by
Rudyard Kipling." You are not in
want.
You are the most successful man
of letters Of your time, and yet you
are not above making profit out of
the perils of your country You ape
the lordly speech of the prophets. and
you conclude by warning everybody
not to reprint your words at their
peril. In Ireland every poet we honor
has dedicated his genius to his coun-
try without gain, and has given with
out stint. without any niggardly with
holding Of his gift, when his nation
was in dark and evil days Not one
of our writer's when deeply moved
about Ireland has tried to sell the gift
Of the spirit. You, brother
hurt me when you declare your prin-
clples and declare dividend to your
self out Of your patriotism openly and
at the same time
I would not reason with you. but
that know there is something truly
great and noble in you, and there
have been hours when the immortal
In You secured your Immortality; in
literature, when you ceased to see life
with that hard cinematograph eye OF
yours and saw with the eyes of the
spirit, and power and tenderness and
insight were mixed in magical tales
Surely you were far from the inner.
most when, for the first time, think
you wrote of your mothers land and
my countrymen.
/ have lived all my life in Ireland
holding a different faith from that
held by the majority. I know ireland
as few Irishmen know it, county by
county, for 1 travelled all over ireland
for years. and. Ulster man as 1 am
and proud of the Ulster people, 1 re-
sent the browning of Ulster with all
the virtues and the dismissal of othe,
Irishmen as thieves and robbers.
resent the cruelty with which you, g
stranger. speak Of the most lovable
and kindly people I know.
You are not even accurate in your
history when You speak of listers
traditions and the blood our forefath-
ers split. Over a century ago Ulste,