BRUTES AND RUFFIANS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XII, Issue 12, 11 July 1884, Page 27

BRUTES AND RUFFIANS.

(New York Freeman, May 24.) Thebh is, it seems, an advanced " Irish Nationalist's " society in New York city. On May 14, the members of this society held a meeting in the hall of the Cooper Union, to do honour to the memory of Kelly. Brady, Curley and Fagan, the " Phoenix Park martyrs." The leading spirit in this assembly, according to the reporters, was a certain Dr. Hamilton Williams. The voice of the meeting, which ■was a large one, was for dynamite. Among those present were, we are informed, many Irishmen who claim to be Catholics. Here is one of the alleged sentiments, uttered by Dr. Hamilton Williams, which drew out " long-continued " applause :— "It has lately been said," continued Dr. Williams, "by a fatbeef laving, sleek-looking English priest, Mgr. Capel (hisses), that the Irish women hare before them a missionary work, and that they should content themselves with attending to it. This sentiment has been re echoed by Cardinal McCabe, of Dublin, and if I were in command of Dublin, now, as Ben Butler was in command of New Orleans, I would make the Cardinal take back those words, or he would be soon hanging from the nearest lamppost. (Wild applause.) I would stnp him of his robes, for he is a disgrace to Ireland." There is no evidence that this Dr. Williams is an Irishman. It is certain that he is not a Catholic ; but what can be said of Irish- , men, the sons of Catholic mothers,, who could applaud a Bpeech like this ? It is bad enough that they should attend a dynamite meeting, which is usually a gathering for the letting off of silly threats ; but when they applaud an insulting allusion to a Christian prelate, one of that noble band who have always been the best of Irishmen at home or abroad, they stamp themselves with a hideous mark. They range themselves with the Parisian Revolutionists of '93, who murdered priests as if they were sheep ; they put themselves shoulder to shoulder with the Communistic mob that massacred Archbishop Darboy and the hostages in Paria not so long ago. Demagogues, who have no interest m Ireland or the Irish, except that interest which the devil has in both, would make petroleumthrowers of the Irish women. They would have them drop their rosaries and seize missiles of vengeance, forsake the Mother of God and. dance in the train of the goddess of reason. It is said over and over again that O'Donovan Rosea is crazy. Perhaps he is ; he has certainly suffered enough from the British Government to craze any man. His mania of late has taken a very dangerous form, if his words are more than wind. Crazy people, whose mania involves annoyance or injury to others, are usually locked up. The spirit shown by these talkers, who threaten murder at a safe distance, is indicative as to what patriotism may be reduced to in the hands of " professional orators." Dr. Johnson well said that " patriotism was the last refuge of scoundrels."