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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (July 17, 1904)
M'Kinley's Irish Home at the World's Fair T. LOUIS, July 11 (Special Corre spondence of The Bee.) At the eastern end of the like, and look ing down the whole length of thai brilliant thoroughfare, there rlsis A feiay building, stern, majnt.tlc, and Strangely contrasting with the gay and many-colored structures of that famous avenue. It la a reproduction of the St. Lawrence Qateway of the city of Drogheda In Ireland a relic of the ancient Norman fortification of that town, whose naiu Shines with a baleful light In Irish history, for It waa the scene of the first and roost dreadful of the wholesale massacres which (narked Oliver Cromwell's brief and bloody campaign for the reconquest of revoltod Ireland 250 years ago. Now the old site Way admits to a delightful aonne, for within Its portals the visitor will see around him on every side the signs of a rejuvenated Ireland, entering on a career of peace and productiveness, yet mindful of the wonder ful story of her tragic and Illustrious past. To the left as the visitor enters is a Simple building, nothing but a low, thatched otlage; yet to the American even more than to the Irish people this thatched cot tage ought to be a sacred place,' for it la an exact reproduction of the peasant home tn the County Antrim where many genera tions of the McKinley family, ancestors of the groat Amerlcun president, lived and died. In the Interior, not In reproduction, put the very original themselves, will be found as much of the furniture and other belongings of the McKinley family as could be authentically traced back to the period When the ancestor of the president emi grated ' to this land. Here Is the old Wooden bedstead with its rope netting tnade of twisted slivers of bog wood such S the Irish peasant still uses where rope s scarce. Here Is the iron pot over tne peat Are; the griddle pan for baking oat meal cakes, the spinning wheel, and even that most pathetio sight, the little wooden raJle tn which the McKinley children were rocked. JThe handles used for rocking are polished with generations of use, the plain boards are neatly hooped together with ' Iron,' the little relic, which ought never to be allowed to leave these shores, .seems to tell a story of peasant life, with Its honor able poverty, its thrlftlness, Its patience and Its gleams of love and motherhood; a Story Impressive Indeed when we contrust It with the great career which may be traced back to this starting place. As the American story of the McKlnleys nded in tragedy, so it began. From this cottage Francis McKinley, great grand father of the president and a leader In the "United Irish" movement of 1798, was dragged by the soldiery of the crown and banged before the village church close by. A striking picture of this event by a mod ern Irish artist hangs on the walls of, .the McKinley cottage nt the World s fair. The organisers of "Ireland" were well Inspired When they planned to Include this cottago and Its contents among the rich and varied attractions of their exhibition. Another of the buildings In the enclosure bas interest of a different sort. In the northwest corner may be seen a strange antique building with towers and a high pitched roof, beautiful and original In its design, yet curiously unlike our general conception of mediaeval architecture. It seems to belong to a race of other ideas and artistic conceptions than those of Western Europe a train of something like Oriental fantasy seems to be blended here with the structural principles of early Oothio masonry. This building, or rather the original of which It Is a faithful re production. Is, in fact, one ' of the most ' remarkable In Its way in ' Europe. It is the sole remaining specimen in perfect preservation of Celtio church building prior to tho English invasion of Ireland. It is called "Cormac's Chapel," from .the king ' of Munster, who caused it to be built In the early part of the twelfth century, and It stands on the rocky citadel known '.as the Rock of Cashcl in County Tlpperary, " overlooking one of the most beautiful pros pects In southern Ireland. - . . A great archaeologist has pointed - out that In this building as well as the others ' now njore or less ruined, dating from the Same early period, we may . trace a con-' caption of church building quite peculiar to Ireland. The rest of Europe built its first churches on the plan of the Roman basilica or court of Justice. The Irish, over whose country the Romans ' never stretched their conquering arm. were not Influenced by the basilica, and planned their churches instead, on the conception of an ark or shrine. . Wonting the St. Lawrence Gateway, as one enters is a stately building decorated tn the Celtic style of ornament, and la belled "The Industrial Hall. The exhibits tn this hall, which Illustrate the arts and Industries of Ireland from 1. 000 years B. C to the present day a marvellous stretch of continuous national life for any people to Show were all collected and organised by a government body, the "Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland." It may seen strange to find a government department working with a private oonoee but this, according to the rules of tho . .-: . :. : - .- ' - - . I r.y ' rT V-v lYvr v i'".::; itfti;s'i j - M' KIN LEY ANCESTRAXt COTTAQE, RB PRODUCED AT TUB ST. LQXJ13 WORLD3 FAIR. exposition, was the only way in which a national representation of Ireland's arts. Industries and history could be asiemb'.cd under ciie loof, and the department, which was described by a recent writer as one of the most "human" and least conventional of state Institutions In the British islands, undertook the task with characteristic en ergy and thoroughness. One of the most interesting of the exhibits Is the case con taining representations of antique Celtio metal work, such as brooches, pins, ehrlnea, chalices, etc., ueed from a time prior to tho Christian era down to the twelfth century. This case contains the famous Cross of Cong, a processional cross made in Ros common In 1123, A. D., and used to enshrine -a relic of the True Cross tent by Pupo Cellsline to the king of Ireland that day. A comparison of this magnificent work of art with the great stone cross of which a full-sixed plaster cast (also lent by the, de partment) Is set up In the open air before Cormac's chapel, will show what thorough masters of decorative art, both In the minute and in the grand style, the mediae val Irish were. . There is abundant evidence here that tho gift has not deserted the children cf the Gael today. The stained glass, noble and severe in its dignity of line and color, tho astonlshlngl) beautiful carpets, hand-made by the Donegal peasants, the falry-liko films of delicate lace which nil so many of the cases and which keep women .rapt in delight around them, the splendid colorings and designs of the poplin materials, tho beautiful embroideries from Dun Emcr as well as the very interesting and most prom ising display of pupils work from the tech nical schools started in Ireland during tho last few years-ail these will give the vis itor material for many days of study and enjoyment, as. well as the assurance that a fairer destiny seems 'at last to be dawn .lng on the Emerald Isle. T. W. RALLE3TON. Man and Telephone Girl Ms n Hello, Central! Will you give me Mr. Smith's residence, East Thirteenth street? The number is not in the book. Central Just a minute. Man (after waiting patiently fifteen min utes) Say, Central, have you found out what that number isT Central (sweetly) What number did you .' wantT Man (emphatically, with rising inflection) I told you I did not know the number. I want Mr. Smith's residence, tn East Thlr- -teenth street Central-A-l-t right I'll caU you. (Within next half hour bell rings fran tically.) ' Man (hopefully) Hello! Did you get tho number? Central (In aa Injured tone) Mr. Smith, BO Kant Thirteenth street, hasn't got a telephone. Man (thinks Inexpressible thoughts, counts tea, then answers) Oh, yes, he has a telephone. I used It myself yesterday. ... V VrS.. T':!V"t V list'1. . yt" .? f . , sf K'" V. - . - rS'S '-' -.- ..vs.v' ' . at, . ..v V . ' - -eswsjs--ssssaws ' CROSS OF MONA8TFRBOICR (TAVET.FTrr CENTURY) AND OONNACS CHAPEU REPRODUCED AT ST. LOUIS WUKUO B FAIR. Central (doubtfully) I'll see. Wait a minute. Man Very good of you, I am sure. Don't be in any hurry about it! Central (ten minutes later) Wire's busy' now. Shall I call you? Man I think I can suve time by going to see lilm. ' (Picks up telephone book und reads on back: "The mail Is quick, tho telegraph IS quicker, the telephone Is In stantaneous." Fnlnta.) Town Topics. Tabloid Philosophy When a man Isn't square the fact will soon get 'round. A puny little dentist can take the nerve out of his biggest patients. It is In-poiu.lLle to lay out a base baQ diamond without base designs. Whitky won't make a man drunk unless the whlfky Itself Is drunk. The jailer seriously objects when his primmer make themselves too free. The fellow who shoots off his mouth never seems- to run out of ammunition. The man with more money than br.ilns naturally hen more dollars than sense. The financial ediior is not necessarily pedan ic, but he la apt to indulge in quota tions. When somebody takes the shine off of you, remember that there are plenty of bootblacks. Philadelphia Record, ..(.