CHAPTER XVIII. 



THE POLICE AND THE PUBLIC. 



Max O'Rell, the humorous French writer, was 

 once asked why he never wrote anything about the 

 Irish. The reason for this question is apparent to 

 anyone who has read his sketches on the character- 

 istics of " John Bull and His Isle," " John Bull and 

 His Women Kind," " Friend McDonnel," and " Our 

 American Cousins," in each of which he touches off 

 the separate foibles of each nationality. His answer 

 to the query about the Irish was : — " I have often 

 tried to do so, but I find that Irishmen's failings 

 are all virtues." So in like manner I have been 

 asked to write something about the Police Force 

 with which I was so long associated, having served 

 in various ranks close upon the verge of 50 years, 

 an almost unprecedented service. It therefore fol- 

 lows that I would not be an unbiased writer ; but 

 although I cannot say their failings are virtues, yet, 

 I will say that they are not worse than any other 

 body of men, and were my verdict asked I would hon- 

 estly say that their good points far outweigh their 

 weak ones. This being so, were I to give a variety of 

 my personal experience in these matters I might be 

 accused of strong bias. I therefore prefer to let an- 

 other speak of them as they were in his day, simply 



