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Untitled Article
are ignorant men , who cannot see that the proximate cause of their misery is the disproportion between the population and the means of subsistence ; they believe that tithes and bad landlords are the sources of all their evils , and they wage a partisan warfare , in the hope of ameliorating them . This cannot help them , but will , on the contrary , make the evil worse , by diminishing- the production of food .
That however there is much hope for the Irish nation , I will endeavour to show , from the very document which is put forth as an evidence of their utter atrocity . We must bear in mind , that the impression of the Whitefeet is , that they are making war upon tyrants , that their cause is just , though held illegal .
I shall take the oath by clauses . 1 . This clause is both good and evil . It shows both short-sightedness and wisdom . A secret union must necessarily be a conspiracy , and a conspiracy is a prima facie evidence of bad design . But , without secrecy , they would be destroyed piecemeal .
2 . This clause indicates that species of stoic firmness , which lias ever been held to be an attribute of heroism . It has been admired again and again , in the red Indian suffering at the stake . Suppose it to be that of a Pole , swearing to suffer torture rather than suffer his brother patriot to be betrayed ; and where is the voice will cry shame ? The Whitefoot , then , has one attribute of heroism ; and the shame must rest with the Government , which , by neglecting his
instruction , has failed to provide a proper object for the heroism . 3 . The Whitefeet only swear to be chaste so far as regards [ the female relatives of w brothers' of the clique . It is clear that the Whitefeet have consciences , and considerable shrewdness in avoiding
causes of quarrel . There are several anecdotes of the English a-istocracyof the present day , which countenance the practice of lawful permission . ' 4 . This is a moral clause , which clearly shows that a Whitefoot is not a leveller , that he respects the rights of property , and moreover that he has a regard for his character and worldly respectability .
Can the * noblemen and gentlemen , ' who have been the associates of the Thurtells and Weares , and other blacklegs , assert that their conduct has been so praiseworthy as that of the poor Whitefoot ? Can the hosts of younger sons and younger brothers , who are accustomed to * victimize' tradesmen , and then to laugh at them , compare with the Whitefoot for honesty ?
5 . The Roman ladies gave their jewels , and the Polish ladies have given their jewels to the cause of their country , and why should not the Whitefoot give his money to purvey effective arms ? One can scarcely avoid smiling at the reservation tacked to the promise to give money—* if I have it . ' It is a melancholy evidence of the prevalent poverty , but it is naively brought in at the conclusion
of the clause , as if it were only an extreme case . It reminds me of a story told of a loyal Irishman , Heaven help him ! who on the occasion of the visit of the Fourth Guelph to Ireland , got into ecstasies with his wondrous condescension in shaking hands with him , and , enlarging upon it to a turnpike-man , the latter remarked , that he should have been better pleased if his Majesty had paid the pike when he went through . Pure loyalty in consequence got so indig-
Untitled Article
355 The Whitejoot ' Oaili .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), May 2, 1833, page 356, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2614/page/68/
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