New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-05-03
A WITTY FRESHMAN
His Country and His Country
men as They Look to Him.

TIE LIGHTER SIDE OF IRISH LIFE
nv George Birmingham. WITH
sixteen illustrations in color by Henry
W Kerr r. : \. l2mo. pp. W. I'll.
Frederick \. Stokes Company.
Mr.. Birmingham explodes the myth
Of the witty Irishman by writing about
him as witty a book we are inclined at
the moment TO say. as ever came scin-
tllating from the press. He pooh poohs
"the smile and the tear In Erins eyes,
but his reader is as merry as the comic
Irshman OF caricature. Other myths
Mr. Birmingham destroys somewhat
more successfully. We will take his
word for 1.-THE word. that is. of the
trhoolboy from whose essay he quotes
that there are no wild beasts in Ire
land now except i'm theological gar
dcns." And the Irish soldier of fiction.
too much inclined To- love and ride
away" We will allow TO escape, though
we love him we'll. All things perish,
and very possibly the "rakes' have dis
appeared from Mallow.
THE Lighter Side OF Irish Life is
crammed with good things The first
chatter as Others See Us reviews
the freshman Of literature and legend
Three first rate English novclists have
attempted a detailed study of Irishmen.
Thackcray disliked them. Stevenson
more sympathetic. draws the Ulster
man. i'm The Wrecltcr." who knocks an
unfortunate Australian down for call
ing him an Irishman
But Won are an Irishman. aren't you?'
saws Carthew to- him In surprise.
II NAV be-" SAYS Nae. but III allow
no sydney duck 10 call me so.
But Stevenson. Mr.. Birmingham
holds. failed To realize the greatness Of
Irish Jacobite aristocracy. Meredith
took rare type and dealized it," and
is responsible. in part at least. for the
common belief I'm Irish brillIancc and
Irish inclination TO romance
The history of Ireland is reviewed
with as light "A touch as we recall in
historical writing. AS We See our
Selves" Chapter iii. gives portrait
Of the new Irishman. Mr.. Shaw's revo-
lutionary view Of the Irish character
is declared TO be the right one. the
author says: Nothing is more char
acteristic of the freshman to-day than
his freedom from Illusion and his power
of facing facts" The Irish clergy are
pictured with love and luxuriant anec-
dote. We wish We had three columns
for quotations from this delightful
book. Said an old woman. who had
Just received absoution, To her abusive
enemy. "Biddy Malone, I'm in state
of grace this minute and can't answer
YOU. But glory be to God. ! won't he
so for long," AS for the official: There
may be other paradiscs for him in the
world. but I doubt of the existence OF
any so completely satisfying as Ire
land" The government Of Ireland is
examined. and peep given at the atti-
tude of It's citizens toward II. Nobody
knows who built that" said the car
driver to the English tourist, but see
ing that it isn't of any manner of use
and must have cost "A deal OF money,
I'm thinking II must have been the
government did it," The Irish peasant
Is studied, and the brogue. The law
of copyright ought to be amended I'm
such way as to secure to Irishmen the
sole right of reproducing their own
speech Ina print" There Is here much
quaint lore of old customs and super
stitions. The belief in the curative
value of the hair of the dog that bit
YOU is still held quite literally I'm some
parts of Ireland" Read this:
We do not like meeting "A red haired
any important work. She Is a sign OF
bad luck before US. and II We are wise
we turn back and put off the work what
ever IL is, until the next day. This IL
inconvenient, especially for the woman.
friend of mine. who lives I'm n remote
part OF Ireland. was walking one morn
ing along a road which led to the little
harbor where the fishermen kept their
boats. Her own hair was OF quite
harmless shade OF brown. but she had as