The New York herald., 1922-03-26

Catholics and only within very recent
times that all religious tests for its
scholarships and professorships were
abolished. In consequence. very few
Catholics. and hence very few Irish
men. ofsthe south have associated them
selves with Trinity College. II is in the
Irish mind the institution Of the Protest
ant and British ascendancy With this
tradition behind IL, its very existence
IS likely to be nenaced by the thriving
young neighbor. the National University,
with colleges in Dublin, Galway and
Cork, which has sprung up since 1905
Belfast has its own university. Queens
University.
Despite the disabilities existing against
them large numbers OF Irishmen in adj
dition to the Irish clergy have sue
ceeded In making courses in philosophy
and the arts, both at home and abroad.
AS a result. there is in Dublin to-day a
society more purely bohemian In the in
tellectual sense than perhaps any place
else in the world. So these conviviaI
souls gather OF an evening at houses like
those OF Darrell Figgis. Mrs. Green. the
historian; Sir Horace Plunkett, when he
is at home: William Butler Yeats,
James Stephens, Lady Gregory and a
half a dozen others less known. but not
less hospitable or delightful. 1t Is per-
haps the best test OF the genuineness
OF this intellectual society to say that II
ignores politics when II wants to-
Trinity College continues to turn out
its young men into this society from
among It's six hundred to- a thousand
students. There are now 300 students
in the Dublin college of the National
University, 700 In the Cork college and
900 in Galway, besides the 240 theo-
logical students at Maynooth.
Trinity College has faculties OF art.
divinity, law medicine and engineering.
University College. Dublin. gives de-
grees in arts. philosophy. Celtic studies.
science, law, medicine and dentistry, en-
gineering and architecture and COM
merce. In addition to these same facul-
ties. the college in Galway has two
years' course in agriculture. The Cork
college, besides these, has courses In
education and in music
Allied with Sim Fein.
The National University has closely
allied itself win the Sim Fein move
ment, despite the fact that It's charter
prohibits political activity in the classes.
This does not prevent. however. the
election of Mr.. de Valera to the chan
cellorship last December, nor the fact
that the meeting Of the Dali Eireann
which ratified the peace treaty was held
in the colleges fine new buildings In
Earlsfort Terrace. Many of It's profess
sors. however free of politics they may
keep their classes, are personally active
and highly valued factors in the Sim
Fein movement. There Is John MCNEIL,
president of the Dali; Professor Hugh
Ryan, John O'Reilly, Cathal Brugha and
scores of others.
Literature, poetry and the stage seem
now to be the trees OF culture which are
bearing fruit In Dublin. Plays and
poems, novels and essays OF the Irish
school are as we'll known in America as
they are in ireland. But though every
Irishman can sing-and does sing. on
the slightest provocation--the genius OF
the people does not seem to extend
beyond traditional ballad music. There
Is an orchestra In Dublin but II Is not
unfair to say that II lacks both dis
tinction and patronage. There are, too,
Irish painters and Irish sculptors. but
most of them were trained and most of
them do their work abroad, as Sir Will
lam Orpen, Sir John and Lady Lavery
and others of less distinction.
Architecture Is a field In which Ire
land may have distinct contribution
to make. It is not generally realized
that our own White House In Washing
ton Is the conception OF a Dublin archi-
tect. James Hoban. Its strong. simple,
graceful lines are indeed powerfully
reminiscent of many aspects, both ia
iniliar and great, of building design In
Dublin to-day. In many respects Dublin
architecture has never lost the simple
elegance and classic grace of the
Georgian which Americans call Colo
NAL" Many an old doorway in Salem,
Albany. Philadelphia, Baltimore or
Richmond might have been lifted bodily
from Merrion Square or Stephens Green.
The good tradition has been carried on
in the newer buildings, such as the
University buildings in Earlsfort Ter
race
Irish architects will have a further
and immediate opportunity OF proving
their devotion to beauty in the restora-
tion of two important structures. One
is the Post Office. whose square walls
and Doric portico are not unrcminiscent
Of James Hoban's north front OF the
White House. and In the restoration Of
the Custom House. which r1ight be the
Capitol at Washington on small scale.
In medicine the Irish universities have
already given ample proof that they can
produce practical results. Both the Ma
tional University and Trinity College
medical faculties are second to none in
the United Kingdom. Particularly no
table work In surgery has been done
within the last few yers. Though the
Dublin hospitals' are on the British
model--for the treatment Of the poor
only--they approach more nearly TO
American standards In equipment and
operation than do most OF the hospitals
nj T,oudop