1 Postmarked Listowel, 10/8/16 addressed to Pte. M. J. Moynihan Attached to the 178 th (or 179 th?) Irish Brigade Headquarters 60 th Division British Expeditionary Force Ballyard, Tralee, Ireland 9 Aug. 1916 My dear Michael I am glad you admire Pascal, though
he was identified with the Port Royal diet —
istas . Have you found the taint of Ivesy in
him? I believe his 'Lettres Provinciales' are
a crushing attack on the Jesuits; if I re
member rightly, Nelson does not recommend
them. I have heard of Jos. de Meistre, too. I
rather envy your access to books like his,
though my kno ignorance of French would
make it useless to me. By the way, if you
can get at Montalembert's 'Monks of the
West', read it. I believe it is a magnificent
book. It is a pity Dent's hadn't 'Faust' in
stock. I have just found that it is also
included in Bolin''s Pop. Lib. I shall have
it sent to you. With regard to the other
book you asked for — Brunetière's 'Balzac' — 2 Nelson's don't appear to give their address
on any of their books so, I got Eason's
man to order it on getting your first letter.
About a week later he tol asked for fur
ther particulars as the book could not be
traced. I told him all I knew, but, again,
the result was the same. I shall write
now to Nelson's with 'London' for address,
for a catalogue and, if I can make
out the book, I shall send it. By the
way, I do not like Balzac. He seems to
be a man without vision; is it not
enough that, when he had settled to pros
perity after a long struggle, it was said
to him, as to the man in the Parable,
'Fool this night — '? However you
shall see for yourself. To help your judg —
ment will I send two volumes of him;
one in French, containing 'La peau de
Chagrin' , 'Le cure´ de tours', and 'Colonel
Chabert'; the other a translation of
'Eugenie Grandet'. Wouldn't it be a good plan, if I
sent a deposit to Dent's or Bells' so 3 that you could order books according to
your requirement? The political outlook in Ireland is,
indeed, uncertain, but not wholly gloomy.
At least one gleam of light pierces the
darkness — John Redmond can never stand
on his feet again. He has been so batter
ed and knocked about and kicked while
on the ground by the press, the Cabinet and
the Bishops that he is a hopelessly bruis
ed and broken man. We doubt the
chivalry of some of those who have turned
on him — most Rev. Dr. Walsh's letter, which
you will have seen in the 'Weekly Freeman',
should have been the most potent possible
stimulant for Redmondism — but we can
not doubt the net result. The love of
Redmondism open by the Rising must, indeed, remain open
for the present. It is best so, for all
the poison that has threatened the
life of Ireland will pour through it. I suppose I agree with your re
marks about use of force by idealists
though, there are circumstances in which it 4 is not only justifiable, but necessary,
And what more potent voice expression
can the voice of the spirit receive in this
world, than that which is given it by
the mute victim of materialism dying
on the scaffold or in the barrack yard?
The political and religious history of the
world will answer. Yours, J.M. PS. May I send you, occasionally , a paper called 'Irish
Opinion'? It publishes rather freely the
opinions of its readers and, therefore,
(this is my reason for asking permission
before sending it) sometimes contains
articles which, though not seditious or in
flammatory, we may bust Maxwell
and Lord Decies? for that — are perhaps
disloyal.