st it must be said that John Redmond was radically opposed
to any appeal to arms, even as a threat, staking all upon a
Constitutional movement.

Hence in the winter of 1913-14 arose the first body of what were then
called Nationalist Volunteers, the leading spirits being Mr. Eoin
MacNeill, Professor of Irish in the National University, and Sir Roger
Casement.

John Redmond was continually appealed to to come in with them, but as
often refused, until it became a certainty that Home Rule would be
placed upon the Statute Book, when he ultimately consented; but only on
condition that he had the nomination of half the controlling
committee--a demand which was somewhat resented.

Strange enough, it was the _Irish Times_ which criticized John Redmond
the most mercilessly of all for his attitude; and the passage is well
worth referring to (June 6, 1914), if only as a testimony to the
character both of the Irish leader and his opponents as well. The Sinn
Fein leaders were then "all that was best in the country," John Redmond
"all that was worst."

When the war-cloud loomed up in the horizon of Europe, the Nationalist
Volunteers were indeed still one, though the opposition between the two
parties was still alive, but at this point a new phase was entered into.

John Redmond, it will be remembered, upon the declaration of
hostilities, at once offered the assistance of the Nationalist
Volunteers to defend the shores of Ireland. Possibly the Sinn Feiners
thought they smelt conscription and militarism in this, for not only did
they formally expel the Redmondites, but entered upon precisely the same
tactics in regard to the present war that the Parnellites adopted during
the South African War. This consisted in violent pro-German sentiments,
just as there had been pro-Boer sentiments a couple of decades ago. Like
the Parliamentarians of 1900, they laughed at the most extreme
sentiments of self-righteousness which at once came over the English
Press, in which "the hereditary foe of small nationalities" was suddenly
changed into "the champion of all honour, justice, and truth in the
world"--which was particularly galling, if not actually ludicrous, to a
race which was so obviously the negation of any such a claim--at least,
so thought the Sinn Fein element.

As in those days, this spread to recruiting, and the _Hibernian_ quoted
one of Joe Devlin's early poetic effusions which lucidly described the
miseries existent "where the Fl