The Washington herald., 1914-06-06
The National Spirit Of Ireland.
ny a. NEWMAN.
Asthsr Of sThe Pessinist." !"

lG. B. S. at friends house IN Chelsea But my
friend insisted on dragging me along in a taxi tc
the room which for the time being contained Mr.
Shaw.
C. B. S. stricL me rather shy and quiet man
who keeps the side of his face toward one, and only
looks round occasionally and then with open inter-
ested eyes to discover if there is intelligence in the
expression of his listener. In appearance he was
slightly less startling than his many caricatures; in
fact. quite mild and domesticated
was never more impressed with any conversation
in my life than with the one l am going to record.
He began rather abruptly and with sad express
sion on his face:
I've heard about you And if you fail to be in
teiligent | shall be disguised.
"And suppose l am stupid, Mr.. Newman, won't
your intelligence be wasted? I'll answer that my
self-it won't. Intelligence is the most uncommon
thing in the world; and when discover any one in
possession of it feel refreshed. People confuse in
telligence with instinct
Instinct is the sort of thing that makes sue
cessful city man or a successful whale 1t leads
the city man to do the right thing at the right
moment; and it leads the whale to absorb into its
nav a regular London population of stupid little FISH
Out of the water the whale would be helpless; out
of the city the city man would be stranded He could
ony become something dreadful and local, until time
or an accident removed him.
But intelligent people are like eagles who fly
where they will and see what pleases them. l need
hardly tell you that the English nation is simply en-
dowed with instinct The national characteristics are
strength and stupidity; and the sooner the British
lion is replaced by hippopotamus the better for
British accuracy
Go to their park and sit there on Sunday. They
will charge you penny for seat, because their in
stinct leads them to trade upon laziness And then
look at the men, every turned out with tightly
buttoned, braided coat and hat jammed down at an
agreed angle, with backward tilt over the ears. And
what do they do? One set salutes set and snubs
another set; and there you are! Not single intel
gent idea exchanged. Nothing but rigid and animal
uniformity which, of course, makes for British
strength and stupidity
"And what about Ireland?" | said.
"Say something about it yourself!" G. B. S. turned
suddenly round and looked me full in the eyes.
Well" began I'VE have a few interesting and
extremely intelligent people who hopeless pessi
nists. They pessimists because they seem to
De incapable of imagining Irishman true Irish
nan unless he happens to be robed in the superb and
iignhed dress of our ancient people"
The first thing" said Mr.. Shaw "an Irish Para-
nent should do is to make the wearing OF English
clothes a crime Our dress is finer than the
Greek; and our civilization, when England was a
country of painted savages, equal to the Greek.
"Just so; and painfully true" | continued; but
hese pessmsts declare that the Irish national spirit
S expiring; and by becoming of our own free will, |
ri1e of he Rriti thel
of nationality will fade and we shall hence
orth be colorless and soulless people. And they
eem to think that safety lies in regarding former
,ppressors with undying hatred
Hatred can never be artificial II nation does |
lot hate another from the depths of its national heart
ii the scoding in the world will make it adopt
hat unholy attitude But heat wave might Nations
owe and hate just like human beings. Any ntelli-
ent idiot knows that there is sufficient race distnc-
ion between the Saxon and the Celt to keep them
part much it is desirable that they should be
ept apart without it being requisite that permanent
upply of hatred should be passed from generation
o generation
There is nothing in common between the English
nan and the Irishman. The Engshman is sent-
nentalist slow thinker and worshiper of this
'orld The lrishman is somewhat of cynic. acutely
ritical, man of quick wit and logical mind, and
ne who sets proper value on this world and by no
neans ignores the next
The Englishman is sentmentalist whose acts of
oyalty gross; who worships words and becomes
tupidly digned in soul over such abstract ideas as
he glorious liberty which every enjoys where
yer the Union Jack is hoisted that liberty which he
axes to present with great display any people
'hom he has made a subject race. He feeds on
hrases such as The empire upon which the sun
ever SETS Britannia rules the waves And so he
as blundered, sprawling over the earth, pressing
reedom and enlightenment upon the unwilling, and
ever absorbing nation, but merely successfully irr-
,ting the refined and ancient races of Europe and
reducing hatred in the hearts of those whom he is
till able to clasp through sheer strength and stu
idity.
Even Scotland, which is more loyal than the king,
rich in national spirit. Scotsman-and of
purse. exclude the Highlanders, who are race
y themselves-may at times be nauseatngly prac-
cal and sticky with sentimentality. But he is dis
nctly a being by himself. His accent when once
card will never be forgotten; and his dialects are
destructibe. The Scotsman is about as good an ex-
nple of that vague thing, loyalty, could be pro-
uced but call him an Engshnan or try the ex- |
sriment of shouting Bannockburn and see what will
appen
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