CHAPTER XXIV.

More Meetings-O'Connell's Doctrine of "Reiteration"Orange Threats-Doctor Cooke's Challenge-Journey to Cork-Errors in Faith and Errors in Morals-Which are the worse?-Kilworth Mountains-Recollections of Highwaymen-Harry Deane Grady-How to make a Corporal civilAccident on the Road-Arrival at Fermoy-Arrival at Cork.

EVERY day for the past week, O'Connell attended at least one meeting, sometimes two, for the promotion of Irish manufactures, or for the attainment of Repeal. At one of the meetings for the former purpose, Professor Butt, of Conservative notoriety, came forward, and made a highly popular speech. A very young Protestant lady-a cousin of minesaid to me in reference to Butt's speech, "I rejoice most sincerely to see a man like Butt, who has heretofore been wholly mixed up with the Tories, coming forward to show some useful and practical sympathy with the people of Ireland." When I mentioned this to O'Connell, "Tell your dear little cousin," said he, "that I am sorry she is not my niece, that

I might kiss her for a quarter of an hour for her honest patriotism."

It was of course quite impossible that a man who spoke so incessantly and at such vast length upon a very limited number of topics as O'Connell now did, should not constantly repeat himself. Of this he was necessarily sensible; but he deemed the inevitable repetitions eminently useful.

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Now, there are many men," he said to me one day, immediately after having delivered an eloquent réchauffé of many former speeches at the Corn Exchange," there are many men who shrink from repeating themselves, and who actually feel a repugnance to deliver a good sentiment or a good argument, just because they have delivered that sentiment or that argument before. This is very foolish. It is not by advancing a political truth once, or twice, or ten times, that the public will take it up and firmly adopt it. No! incessant repetition is required to impress political truths upon the public mind. That which is but once or twice advanced may possibly strike for a moment, but will then pass away from the public recollection. You must repeat the same lesson over and over again, if you hope to make a permanent impression; if, in fact, you hope to infix it on your pupil's memory. Such has always been my practice. My

object was to familiarise the whole people of Ireland with important political truths, and I could never have done this if I had not incessantly repeated those truths. I have done so pretty successfully. Men, by always hearing the same things, insensibly associate them with received truisms. They find the facts at last quietly reposing in a corner of their minds, and no more think of doubting them than if they formed part of their religious belief. I have often been amused, when at public meetings men have got up and delivered my old political lessons in my presence, as if they were new discoveries worked out by their own ingenuity and research. But this was the triumph of my labour. I had made the facts and sentiments so universally familiar that men took them up and gave them to the public as their own."

One of the reporting staff on constant duty at the Association, said to me," Mr. O'Connell always wears out one speech before he gives us another."

O'Connell was at this time very vigorous and active. "I rise," said he, " every morning now by candlelight, and often go to mass before breakfast." Not many men of sixty-five could exhibit this activity in the inclement month of January. One day he said, "I have got so many intima

tions that the Orange party meditate personal violence against me on my way to Belfast, that I really do believe there is some peril. Whatever it may be I am now committed and must brave it. Perhaps, after all, the peril may prove illusory. But prudence requires that to guard against the worst, I should take loaded fire-arms in the carriage."

Mr. Barrett visited O'Connell to obtain some intelligence for insertion in his newspaper (the Pilot), and asked him whether he had seen the challenge of the Rev. Dr. Cooke (the political leader of the Presbyterian Tories of Belfast) to discuss the Repeal.

"Yes," replied O'Connell," I have seen it. The worthy doctor has, in the first place, rendered it impossible for me to accept his challenge, from the incivility of its language. And, waiving that, what an absurd notion that we should fully discuss such a measure as the Repeal in the short time I could possibly devote to a public discussion at Belfast! The challenge is manifestly one of those valorous defiances that are given in the confidence they will not be accepted."

"You'll allude to it to-day at the Corn Exchange?" said Barrett.

"Yes-I'll laugh at it there. But I should not

object to meet the doctor in Dublin-with rational regulations regarding time, and with tickets equally divided between his friends and my own."

I objected to the meeting, as being under any circumstances a most profitless expenditure of time; in which opinion, although O'Connell at the moment dissented from it, yet he acquiesced ere he reached the Corn Exchange; where he summed up the substance of our morning's conversation, by saying that a friend had told him that Dr. Cooke was a fool for sending him the challenge, and that he would be another fool if he accepted it.

The Tory journals affected excessive exultation at what they termed the cowardly retreat of O'Connell. Just as if the man who was prepared to encounter the ablest opponents of Repeal at St. Stephen's, could feel awe-stricken at the prospect of a conflict with Dr. Cooke!

In the afternoon we started for Cork, where Mr. O'Connell was engaged to attend the Munster Provincial Meeting. On our journey the question arose, whether errors in faith, or errors in morals, were the more dangerous to the soul and the more offensive to God? I contended that errors in morality were the worse; inasmuch as a man may believe wrong without knowing it; but a man cannot so easily do wrong without knowing it. Invincible ignorance