ceeded in carrying through a second Irish
Land Law (1881) (S603), which he hoped might be more effective in
relieving the Irish peasants than the first had been. This measure
was familiarly known as the "Three F's,"--meaning Fair rent, Fixity of
tenure, and Free sale. By the provisions of this act the tenant could
appeal to a board of land commissioners appointed to fix the rate of
his rent in case the demands made by the landlord seemed to him
excessive.

Next, he could continue to hold his farm, provided he paid the rate
determined on, for a period of fifteen years, during which time the
rent could not be raised nor the tenant evicted except for violation
of agreement or persistent neglect or waste of the land. Finally, he
could sell his tenancy whenever he saw fit to the highest bidder.
This law was later amended and extended in the interest of the peasant
farmer (1887).

The year following the passage of this second Land Act, Lord Frederick
Cavendish, chief secretary of Ireland, and Mr. Burke, a prominent
government official, were murdered in Phoenix Park, Dublin (1882).
Later, members of the Fenian society, and of other secret
organizations sympathizing with the small Irish farmers, perpetrated
dynamite outrages in London and other parts of England for the purpose
of intimidating the Government. These acts were denounced by the
leaders of the Irish National Party. They declared that "the cause of
Ireland was not to be served by the knife of the assassin or by the
infernal machine."

Notwithstanding the vindictive feeling caused by these rash deeds,
despite also the passage of the Coercion Bill (1887), the majority of
the more intelligent and thoughtful of the Irish people had faith in
the progress of events. They believed that the time would come when
their country would obtain the enjoyment of all the political rights
which England so fully possesses. It will be seen (S620) that about
ten years later they did gain a very important extension of the right
of local self-government.[1]

[1] See Summary of Constitutional History in the Appendix, p.xxvii,
S33.

606. The Darwinian Theory of Evolution, 1859; the Persistence of
Force.

In the progress of science the Victorian period surpassed all previous
records in England except that made by Sir Isaac Newton's discovery of
the law of gravitation (S481). That great thinker demonstrated in
1684 that all forms of matter, great or small, near or distant