I thought as these stern criticisms of England’s Government stormed my ears, often expressed in stronger language than I have used here, that it is no use going into the enemy’s country if one cannot stand fire. The person who has no facility for getting into the skin of another had better stay at home by his own fireside. The rôle of political pilgrim is not for him.
“The fact is there are two Governments in Ireland: the Republican Government representing roughly 75 per cent. of the population, and the British Government representing the remaining 25 per cent. The will of the majority should prevail in these democratic days. England says not. Very well. If we must die to establish the rights of democracy in Ireland we are ready.”
“And we will fight and die with our men!” exclaimed a hitherto silent member of the company. She turned to me. “Do you know that the hate of England is so intense in my part of the country that a woman told me she scarcely knew how to bear the disgrace of having had a son who fought for England in the war? And the neighbours are so sorry for her they are breaking her heart with kindness and pity.”
“There is an old man lives near here,” said my hostess, “who is dying. He has eight children, and his wife is delicate. He is tortured with the fear of what will become of them when he goes. The priest came to administer the sacrament: ‘I will get the boy a place in the munitions,’ he said, speaking of the eldest son. ‘He will help his mother.’
“‘Thank you very kindly, Father. You mean it well, and you are very kind. But it cannot be. We are not of that way of thinking.’”
There was a long silence after this story. Memory took me back to the scene in London when the Irish Labour leaders came to explain their cause and solicit our co-operation. “You may remain indifferent or even refuse to help us,” said Mr. Johnson, their spokesman. “Your Government may torture our women and kill our men by the thousand, but you will never break our spirit.” It was a proud boast, but the reason was a revelation. “You will never defeat us, for we Irish have a living faith in God.”
I believe this to be profoundly true; and he will misread the Irish situation and misunderstand Irish men and women who fails to look beyond the picture drawn by partisan newspapers for their own ends to the vision in the souls of those to whom God and country are real and noble passions.
“But will you take nothing less than complete separation?” I pleaded.
“On grounds of economy, for reasons of efficiency, for our common safety, is not national self-government within the Commonwealth a happier issue for us all?”
“Ourselves alone,” was murmured round the room; but from the general smile I felt a lighter heart.