St Johns College - Yearbook (Annapolis, MD)

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TH E PHI LOKALIAN SOCIETY

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219 sr. JOHN'S COLLEGIAN., ' paties are enlisted in behalf of the downtroddeu, and bv the side of the horny-handed toiler of the soil he proposes to take his stand and do battle for equal rights' for all. It is guaranteed 'byhis constitution and proposes seeing that guarantee main- tained and enforced. ' - 'His numbers are increasing--may they continue to increase. The slogan is sounding -through-out the' nation and 'the sons of toil are every-I where rali yi ng around the standards of their chieftains. The hour is propitious and all are determined to .press forward undaunted to vic- tory.. God speed the day when riieirr wrongs shall be righted, and the bcnison of peace, happiness and equality shall rest over the nation.. ' . , X. Y. Z. ' srnivsun IN PUBLIC. . 2-.iln-..,. Spenser ii rsti appears in .politicsas secretary to Lord Grey in Ireland. He had received his niaster's degree at Cambridge only a short time prel vious to -accepting this position. While here he learned great deal about the Irish which he afterwards embodied in a work. Lord Grey was recalled in 15821 and Spenser re- turned to England with liirn. , Here he remained three years. L n Spencer was full of the chivalry 'of that gallant age and lost no opporf tnnity of flattering the queen. He obtained her favor and was granted a large estate in the county Cork. By the terms ofthe gra.nt he was compelled to live there, and he start- ed at once to take possession.. i Spenser spent a few years of His life here must have been lo bu t, the opportunity being ilp1'esented,.Q.pi. he went to work and prodncetd.th1'eeQQ A books of the Faery Queene. it .H V During the troublous times of the 4. Irish rebellion Spenser- published,-all work entitled, View of itheState of Ireland, which has madelhimi 'thee object of no small amount. of criti cism. He recominended his govern- ment to pursue the most stringent poihcv and if the Irish- could not bel made obedient subjects to exterminate them. . The paper contains some merit as a political production, .but would never reveal a poet, containing no- more than would be expected of an ordinary ofiicer. The View I he 'takes of the then existing. state of affairs, and the measures he- 'advises niightseeni to' us at iirst not worthy of Spenser, and entirely out of keep- ing, withithe enlightened Views he holds concerning persecution in the Faery Queene. The Irish were a very repulsive people at that time lieing little more than savages. This 7 9 added to a difference of religion, a. .feeling of superiority of the oppres- sors over their victims, who were continually rising at inopportune times, thus fastening their yokes more secure, will perhaps cause us to judge Spenser less harshly, It seems- unjust that the author of the Faery Queene should spend' his best days in such loneliness in- Ire-Q land, and have his life worn out be- fore he could complete his greatest work. It is almost a' parallel to

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