(To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."3
Sri,—May I say that I am on the side of your correspondents who consider it unfair to lay certain doings in Ireland to the charge of the Roman Church? The Roman Church is primarily concerned with showing men the way to heaven; that is her mission. Two countries are, on a political matter, at deadly and apparently eternal feud; the weaker one refuses to admit that it has ever been conquered; it affirms, rightly or wrongly, that it has often been shamefully misgoverned, and with entire disregard of its interests, Why should Rome take any part in the matter? Correspondents like Mr. Ralph will answer that she ought to interfere to prevent her adherents in Ireland from committing murder. But is it murder? A good many English- men say it is, but an Irishman would reply that to get rid of England he adopted the only form of warfare that was open to him.
Let us imagine the French armies annihilated in the recant war and the whole of France overrun by the Germans. Let us imagine that the rrench peasants determined that they would never submit to German rule, that they would shoot at isolated Germans from behind hedges, that they would stall them upon tramcars. Would England condemn the French peasant? I fancy she would never be tired of lauding to the skies his unconquerable sonl. As for the "murders " that have been committed since England left Ireland, they are the after. math of a state of war, not unnatural in a country that has never been allowed to rule itself. The Spanish colonies in America took nearly a hundred years to settle down. Why should we expect Ireland to evolve a stable government in the twinkling of an eye?—I am, Sir, &c., T. PERCY ARMSTRONG.
The Authors' Club, Whitehall Court, S.W.
Previous page
