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,' R. ARTHUR cmrrrru '1... surely
gT’ would be unseemly
THE FREE STATE
JOHN BULL’S coNsc1ENcE4ANo
' . OU
Sir Huiry wiisim. ’
expressed the common and heartfelt cou- s
viction of all reflecting men and women in his
condemnation of political assassination as a
weapon, now exemplified in‘ Sir Henry‘Wilson’s
fate. “ If one amongst us would resent being
asked to lorego what he thinks a. rightful need of
vengeance,” wrote Terence Macswiney once, “ let
him look into himself . . . . Death sobers us all."
Xutn-iflistanding the massacres in Belfast inspired
’ by his political 'illics, no Irishman will stoop to
gloat. over the violent end of the dead Field
Marshal.’ ct him rest in peace. In many
theatres of war, we learn, he proved himself 11
luilliant soldier in England's service. To-day it
to speak the brutal and
mournful truth about his relations to his own
‘country. We cannot, moreover, blink the ugly
fact that our own internal squabbling has played I
its part in bringing about the hideous pogroms in
Satan's Paradise up Xorth.'. Be that as it may, .
, nothing Sir Henry lVilson ever did against Ireland
' or wished for Ireland, no memories of slaughtered
children, vruincd homes, the endlcssstrcamrof
refugees from Belfast, the ordeal thousands have '
endured or are enduring there can justify political
assassination. It is wrong and futile.
Moral Insanity.
To think otherwise would mean we had bccouhe
attlicted wit the stanic hysteria. which
masqucrades as religion in Belfast. Assassination
to-day would not prove even good militarism
since lrcland‘s position is now c0mpal'a.llVx.iy sure,
in spite of the ravings of the Jlorziiny Post or the
schcmings of a. thousand Orange‘ fanatics. Only
moral insanity would prefer violent ways instead
of the telling ones we havej not completely
exhausted yet. Because even the most crass solf- ‘
righteousness, hypocrisy, ignorance and bigotry
cannot survive the moral eticct as the truth about
' Belfast spreads more widely ubroa . V
I But mark this well. Sir Henry VVilson dead
grows immediately to the m:1rtyr’s stature. The
machined and automatic moralists of the British
Press return gleefully to pharasaic diatribes against
this country mingling covert threats to Michael
Collins with baseless insinuations against Ilamonn
De Valera. Scotland 'srd harrics Irish exiles
l 'ln Vi ‘ Thomson‘: hopes of or ' ,re-
'e!nployrucnt revive. not one s. ' '
life or house is safer for the deed.
we do further to save them?
' - .Mq:;r '
And w....I: can
lntulerant and Jingoistic.
Granted that John Bull in hiscreation of the
alleged Ulster question has no right to an easy
conscience, what about our own 2 The inevitable
ENLIGHTENMENT-
III) earth i; It funn little place Within the
Galapudlian astronomical system. It was
(llsl:0vel'c(l many years ago by an ancestor of
Firm Maccoul. Perombulating in space one day
his foot struck the earth, occasioning hurt to his
big too. “ Olxdam," said Finn MacCoul‘s onccstor, '
or words to that effect. He was angry with it.
- For a time the MacCoul family and a few friends
lived on the earth, but they cleared off to another
planet uhcn a disease called politics sprang up
‘and threatened the destruction of the family
pel which
4 salvation in pcrpct%warfare and all the human
‘ ‘ r ' tl
RS.
reactions of a. two year’s war tend to make us
underate the incalculoble effect of the complete
truth wisely spread.’ ‘Va have never, for instance,
made 9. real and determined effort to reach the
minds and hearts of the thinking and enlightened
elements in Great Britain. Terrorism and warfare
have tended to make many of us intolerant, and
jingoistic. Too often Irish exiles in Great Britain
indeed,’ adopt a‘ truculent and contemptuous
attitude towards those who ‘might be made
sympathetic and powerful allies. Do the various
Labour, Communist and Pacifist groups in Great
Britain grasp even yet thtdull significance of the
recent Terror and present pogromsl Or t e
dangers to their own liberties involved in Black
and Tan or Ulster Special alike?
To Neutralise Anti-Irish Propaganda. ’
Obviously not despite the growing uneasiness
aroused by our propaganda hitherto rather one-
sidcd. One might assassinate a hundred Field
Marshals or Orange politicians or Cabinet Ministers
and not move to anything but panic the essentially
moderate and pacific masses of British Labour
who show no intention of flirting with Soviets or
waving Red Flags. Indeed the European war
has aroused :1 healthy and widespread loathing
of bloodshed or military machines. A realisation
of the inhumanity and cruelty rife in North-
lilast Ulster to-day ‘would certainly go far to
neutralise the persistent antilrish propaganda
certain British newspapers are waging. And
abroad where even British propaganda never kills
the truth in the end, let us see to it that no Irish
jingoism or undue sabre-rattling obscures the real
issues between “ Ulster " and ourselves.
The World Sick of Militarism. .
Eventually we must make Peace with North-
East Ulster as well as Peace with England.
Could the path of violence, hatred and bloodshed
lead us anywhere but to ghoulish enmities, desola-
tion and spiritual death ? - Terence Macsweeney
lives in his writings to assure us that there is a
more rational and Christian way.
one, but his spirit conquered the admiration of the
world. Even on the eve of Easter, 1916, James
Connolly cried with scorn that he loathed and
abhorrcd that militarist os ' sees
.... g
world is sick of it ” he said. Certainly it would
be a happy irony of history if Sir Henry Wilsonis
death confirmed us in such a belief throughout
Ireland. We might then unsay much that we
have said of him and place him in the Irish
Pantheon. ‘ .
DESMOND RYAN.
where Finn M.-icCoul lived for some years is W0l's"
V than any other place, and it is believed that a
littlo plant named the shamrock, uhivh grows
, only in this portion of the earth, is in some secrrt
way responsible.
The Democrats, who are . dccended‘ from the
Druids, are the greatest disturbers of the peace of
this country, Ireland, as it is called. These people
believe that every man is as good as another, and
more so. They believe in wluit is called voting,
but when the voting goes against themdhcy don't
believe in it, as it then becomes unfair. This
they can prove by Algebra, Euclid, Mathematics,
Trizmnometry and in various other ways. s
pcru,-e. Little Finn, as ho was called, stayed on
with a cousin. We are the degenerate d(‘i(:(‘n-
dsnti. ’
It is singular that the earth derives importance
' from the fact that it in the dwelling-place of men.
The importeuicc in of course anthropomorphic, Br
' iL‘lfrl'CflE‘I‘fl‘ll, but none the less singular on that
account, liming regard to ‘what is redacted. Any
ordinary looking-glass will make this matter clean,
, The dc-nsil y of the earth is very considerable and
this has an analagous effect on the population.
In some parts of the earth the effect is more than
analogous. The “specific gravity" and “mean
temperament " of the place have been the subject
of much comment. The earth, however, is not
- to be censured too severely for this specific mean-
ncss, as it is not responsible for its temperamental
gravity. I , -
The thing chiefly censurable about the earth
in its inhabitants. These ape
1
nd most of their
‘ time arguing politics. No other planet, no for as
Thesegdcmocrats are full of specific graiity and
never laugh when explaining this matter to people
whom they pounce upon. They write in the
papers about it. esc democrats are greatly
concerned about their freedom, though no one,
seemingly, wants to put them into jail, or do any-
thing to them. They have great spirituality and
would kill anybody who said they hadn't. They
are funny little critters on 5. funny little place.
Some day the earth will bump into Jupiter or
one of the other planets and they will then argue
no more about politics. P
A. .
“ It is not the will of the majority which ultis
mately prevails; that which ultimately prevails
is the ideal of the noblest of each generation.
Happy indeed that race and generation in uhizh
the noblest and the will of the majority unite!”
is known, in Afflicted in this manner. The plan
JA us: Co::xoLLr.
He killed no .,
July I, 71922.
HOW’ TO SAVE IRELAND.
friend, Joseph ‘Patrick O'Kane. is H.
Y
M roving, erratic, and profoundly wise
person. He is aged 45, his occupation changes
from quarter to quarter, and he wanders over the
earth in a. bewildering manner. Politics he lnatlzcs,
women he ies,'wis om and rcconditc love are
his only distractions. In stature hc'is small,
he dresses invariably in blue and wears a hat,
uncertain in shape and somewhat pink in hue.
Company he shuns like the plague, preferring the
society of low pubs, picturohouses, and inevitably
a night beneath the stars with the innumerable ‘
freaks he knows. ' The other night he visited me
in a Dublin suburb, wrath in his eyes and fury in .
every gesture. “My friend,” he said, in bitter
accents, “ I am no longer an Irishman ; to-nmrrnw
I am taking service with the captain of It stout-
zind, weatherworn vessel. We sail henccforwarrl ‘
over strange seas. This country has exasperated
me beyond human endurance. For the next six
months they will discuss that infernal Constitution,
eat each other’s faces, tear each other's characters
to bits interrupted by blood and glory and in-
evitable .moments of utter and boding rm-cnn>
ciliation. And to a mighty chorus of brotherly ‘
love commence anew unless England obliges them
by a. war or the Communist party by a Soviet
or Rory O'Connor by 9. coup d'etat, courses of
action these principalities and powers are too
cowardly to attempt.”
“ Cheer up," I replied; “you paint too dark
a picture, but I think you are unjust, and fail to
see why you should be so agitated. What is your
point; are your nerves nnstrung or your brains
unhiugcd l ” V 2 ‘
“ No," he continued dolefully. “ By disposition
you must know am a wanderer and acquainted
with things unknown to-many. But to-morror:
I depart possessed alone of the secret of how to
serve Ireland. That is my point. The remedy
is simple, too simple for this people to whom angels
might speak in vain. , The Republic and the Free
State must make two grass blades grow where
one grew before; but neitherwill prevail against
, the magnificent pageant of tricolours and person-
alities and public hosting.-3 dear to-Cathleen ni
' lloulihan. The spell of words will weave shrouds
around the greatest heroes, dreamers and doors.
All my dreams are gone.’ Let me relieve my mind
this lastnight beneath a Dublin roof. And Rory
O'Connor and Michael Collins, no, nor Ihricc
blessed and expectant Stephen Gwynn will never
know the rcmedy for their country's woes.”
, He paused in deep emotion to light his dark
clay pipe and finger lovingly a novel of Ethel
)1. Dell, which lay upon a table near by. livi-
dently his excitement and anguish of soul were not
...0l:livio1 .LLhe human appeal. Sighixrr wist-
fu ly he threw 't”fTc”voiLE1c':‘us’i'fltV."‘f“"‘
.“ England has her compensations," he re-
sumed. “Strong, silent and thoughtless Britons
can ever sob over a simple, soulful, uistful talc.
But the Curnann na mBan would )‘l9Vt‘l‘7N()i
to the story of my life, and how Ireland migzlit be
saved. Never was I :1 warrior, or a politician,
an enemy of policemen, or a disturber of mental
ace or a guardian of others’ thoughts and souls.
My life has been outwardly uneventful?
“ Look here," I interrupted. “ Cut out personal
- reminiscences andreveal how Ireland may he Sin cdl
Who knows that your people might not licarkcn
or posterity obstruct O'Connell Street with amm-
additional statue to honour your memory."
0'Kane glanced at his watch uneasily. “ It
is nearly nine," he gas ed. “ Still I can be brief.
You know I don’t like fuss and trouble beyond
the adventures of the mind and sights of new
lands and the humanity of plain folk. Much as
I abhor bloodshed I admired the armed young
rapscallions who disturbed Rathmincs by their
antics. That's doing something, at all events!
But pidle and spleen and high falutin are vauitics
of the spirit. r No '. Less political machines, more
healthy, gracious, even cynical thought us n
perogative for morbid emotionnlism, more co-
operative stores and at least twelve months solid
rest and ard work-that would save Irrlnnxl.
Songs, speeches, personahintrigues, unthinking
fanaticism with bloody interludes are poor found-
ations for the Perfect State or Possible Rt-public.
My remedy would beat all possiblewilc-s of any’
British Government which, indeed, I grin ely
fear is the indispensiblc basis of all thc lrish
Nationalism I have met. Wolfe Tone'is dvurll
Dovm with the Treaty! And yet-and yr-tw
Good heavens! It's :1 quarter past nine ! ”
He had three pints all the same. The next
morning my friend saw matters in a different light
and disappointed the worthy sea captain. 1'; r-
haps the after is an utterly mythical [.(‘I‘snlI:i;1('
and the rascal wanted merely to
rt-licvc his
feelings. It.
-2