I have seen the terms of a resolution that Senator Gogarty wishes to move. I think it is exactly the sort of resolution that the Standing Orders contemplated I should give permission to move without the necessity of notice being given of it.
IRISH-AMERICAN'S GIFT TO THE NATION.
CATHAOIRLEACH
Thank you, sir. I understood that your permission was sufficient without suspending the Standing Orders. I hope I am not presuming in asking the House to pass this motion, which reads:—
That this House places on record its grateful appreciation of the recent action of Mr. Cornelius Sullivan of New York in presenting to the National Gallery, in trust for the Nation, six portraits of distinguished Irishmen.
This is an affair of national importance, because, by bringing together, as it were, into the national family portraits and reminders of its most distinguished members, the nation becomes self-conscious of the nobility inherent in it, and it provides both a monument and an exemplar for others. Such a collection of its relics and portraits becomes an inspiration to the nation. We have been accused, as a nation, of ingratitude. This can be explained because in the first instance it was easy for people to conceal a political manoeuvre behind such an accusation, when, for instance, we were accused of not being sufficiently grateful for a Government in the election of which we could have neither hand, act nor part, and in the other instance, our benefactors may have set too high a value on their services.
But in this case our benefactor, Mr. Sullivan, wished to remain private. He cabled to the National Gallery and asked them if they required such pictures, and then cabled that he had obtained them, and so presented them to the nation. I need not remind the House that behind such action as this there lies a great deal of power for the development of our country. To obtain those pictures in the face of public bidding in New York is no gratuitous manoeuvre. This country has a most wealthy and almost untouched field of archæological interest. There is evidence of a civilisation in this country dating back 2,000 years B.C. There are large gaps here and there in its history which will require money for excavations, large endowments and a Bill to protect the objects when excavated, before this field can be thoroughly explored. Many American sons of this country have expressed their readiness to help the development of national archæological history. Mr. Sullivan, by his presentation of the portraits of gifted Irishmen, has brought the Ireland of recent years into the national purview. It does not require very great imagination to envisage the importance of such American interest in this country, which has been such a foundation of civilisation. If it does require imagination, the composite character of this House is quite competent to supply it without any more suggestions from me, or any attempt on my part to thank Mr. Sullivan for this gift.
I am very glad to second this motion. It stands to reason that any nation would like to have a collection of the pictures of great Irishmen who have done honour to this country either at home or abroad. I am very glad to know that one who is not a native of this country but who is connected with it by birth has helped us to obtain pictures of this sort. From an archæological point of view I am, perhaps, more interested in these things than others, because I have been dabbling in them for years, with a certain amount of success. I know tha wonderful things have been discovered in archæology of late years, tracing back the inhabitants of the various countries of Europe to ages that were never dreamt of. Here in Ireland the same thing has been done. The same field has been found and they have gone back at last to the very beginnings of the Irish people, and we find that the beginnings really are, as they often were said to be, in tradition, dating back to Spain. This, however, is not the time to say very much on this matter, except that we are greatly interested in these matters, as everybody must be, and we are very grateful to anyone who helps us to know ourselves.
I believe that these portraits were painted by Mr. Yeats, the father of Senator Yeats. At least I am quite certain that some of them were.
All of them.
I have seen a good many of these pictures in the painting and they are a great gift to the nation. Mr. Yeats was an artist, who has been dead a few years now, and I do not think he met with a great deal of appreciation in his day, but will in years to come when these portraits are in the National Gallery. We know that some of these portraits reached a very high state of excellence indeed, as most artistic work. Mr. Yeats was a little ahead of his time. He did not paint in that methodical manner that was so much admired years ago; he had far more of that freedom that we get nowadays, more suggestion than actual representation, stroke by stroke of what is in front of the artist. There are no portraits that I know that bear the test of years as far as one's judgment goes better than the portraits that Mr. Yeats has painted. His and Mr. Nathaniel Hone's are two names that I think Ireland will be very proud of in years to come. I am delighted to hear that Mr. Sullivan has given this gift to the nation. I am sure that every Senator recognises that if we could only get his example copied it would be a great benefit to us all.
I wonder would it be possible to secure them for the decoration of those blank spaces in this room?
CATHAOIRLEACH
That is another day's work.
Motion put and agreed to.