The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1914-02-07
Rev. Cannon Hannay Discourses
Upon His Recent Tour of
America
Audience at Abbey Theatre Dublin
Pleased with his Humorous
Descriptions
Lecture Delivered Under Auspice,
of National Literary Society
of Ireland

Rev. Canon Hannay delivered an in.
teresting lecture. In opening he drew
attention to certain conventionalities
imposed on modern society and the
modern traveller by many peoples
the afternoon tea, for instance, of the
English people; and other such GUS
toms of the Russians and the Ameri-
cans. If one was not possessed of
missionary spirit. and was not de.
termined to force such views upon
everybody he met, he would derive
very much greater enjoyment from
travel and from his visits to other
countries, from his goings-about
amongst other peoples. In comparison,
then, with the representatives of other
countries, the Irish traveller was a
very humble individual, indeed. When
he (Canon Hannay) and his partner
decided to make trip to America,
they had in their possession a coat
that he believed was made of seal
skin, and they had heard, before
they started, that Americans had
strong objection to sealskin coats; so
strong that they would not admit them
into America (laughter). Not that it
was a matter of duty on a taxable
commodity, but the very fact of having
such a coat was one that, with them,
was not conducive to the travellers
free and easy entry into their country.
And it was so unlike the Americans,
such great and free people. with
such notable traditions, to interfere
with the personal clothing of travel
lers. However, before he and his
friend left for their trip they wrote to
the American Consul in London, and
told him how pleased they would be
If they got an answer to their query
with reference to their bringing, free
ly or otherwise, the sealskin coat
into America. But whether the con.
sui regarded the inquiry as frivolous
or not, they got no reply, and made
up their minds to take the coat with
them. But on their arrival they
were attacked by the Custom House
people (great laughter; and, while
he admired and loved everything in
America, he. was bound to say that
the American Custom House officer
was more odious than any he met with
elsewhere Qaughter). He asked them
where had the seal been killed Qaugh-
teri. He (Canon Hannay) had never
thought Of inQuiring about the BIRTH
place or the deathplace of the seal.
1t struck him that perhaps the man
was accusing him of having stolen his
pet seal and killed it. He never killed
anything in his life. However, he
turned away from the officer to his
own partner. AS matter of fact, the
coat was not sealskin, and, in the
end, they got it into America to find
it a horrid nuisance, because the
weather was extraordinarily warm and
they had to carry it about without
deriving the smallest advantage from
1t Qaughter).
What About Ulster
The lecturer then referred to the
American interviewer, and said that,
though they were told that the Ameri.
can Press was abominable, the Amer
lean interviewer was a very delightful
character. He himself was continually
approached by not more, he would say,
than three persons in that capacity,
who had their own reasons for SO ap-
preaching him. One was the man who
published his books; another was the
man who was going to arrange lee
ture tour for him; and the third was
he who had produced his play (laugh-
teri. In other conversations with
other people quite usual question
was to ask him his opinion of the
Irish Literary Movement and the Alb
hey Theatre, particularly. Then he
would be asked his opinion of the
American Literary Movement, and
when he gave his opinions, such as
they were, on those questions, his COM
pany would sit down and ask him this
question: what about Ulster?"
Naughter.) That was a question put
to him everywhere. On another occa-
sion he was in the company of Scotch
men-some In kits, some in what he
call the natural trousers (laughter)-
and they. too, wanted to know some
thing about Ulster (laughter). He
could not tell them; he did not think
anybody could (great laughter). The
idea-he went on to deal with some
of the cities and towns he visited
that New York was city of tumult-
uous rush was myth. Nevertheless IL
must not be taken that the Americans
are not good business people. On
the contrary, they did their business
.faciently and thoroughly-in a leisure.
ly way. The English people to a large
extent make very fetish of time. In
that respect the Irish and the Ameri.
cans were much saner people than
the English. They knew that the clock
or even the sun had no more right to