THEIR HEIGHT, FORM, AND STRENGTH. 89 



their right to an equal share in the honour which 

 those armies have won. The Irish Celts possess on 

 their own soil a power greater than any known 

 family of mankind of assimilating those who venture 

 amongst them to their own image. Light-hearted, 

 humorous, imaginative, susceptible through the 

 whole range of feeling, from the profoundest feeling 

 to the most playful jest-, passionate in everything, 

 passionate in their patriotism, passionate in their 

 religion, passionately courageous, passionately loyal 

 and affectionate." 



93. In 1886, in an address delivered in presence 

 of the Irish Viceroy, Lord Aberdeen, the President 

 of the Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland, said : 

 " Irishmen had contributed more largely to the army 

 and navy of the United Kingdom than any other 

 nationality. I recollect at the time when Mr. Her- 

 bert was secretary the army statistics showed that 

 47 per cent, of the army were Irishmen, and 70 per 

 -cent, of the officers were Irishmen." 



94. In 1886, June 19, Mr. John Morley said: 

 " I, for one, have long had a high appreciation of the 

 great qualities of the Irish people. They have done 

 the greatest part of the hard work of the world. 

 Generations of Irish peasants have reclaimed the 

 l an( j the harsh, thankless land of the bog and the 

 mountain-side, have reclaimed that land, knowing 

 that the fruit of their labour would be confiscated in 



