I do when I can get them. There's not many newsboys
crying the evening paper in the trenches. They do say, Sir
Pearce, that we shall never beat the Boshes until we make Horatio
Bottomley Lord Leftnant of England. Do you think that's true,
sir?
SIR PEARCE. Rubbish, man! there's no Lord Lieutenant in England:
the king is Lord Lieutenant. It's a simple question of
patriotism. Does patriotism mean nothing to you?
O'FLAHERTY. It means different to me than what it would to you,
sir. It means England and England's king to you. To me and the
like of me, it means talking about the English just the way the
English papers talk about the Boshes. And what good has it ever
done here in Ireland? It's kept me ignorant because it filled up
my mother's mind, and she thought it ought to fill up mine too.
It's kept Ireland poor, because instead of trying to better
ourselves we thought we was the fine fellows of patriots when we
were speaking evil of Englishmen that was as poor as ourselves
and maybe as good as ourselves. The Boshes I kilt was more
knowledgable men than me; and what better am I now that I've kilt
them? What better is anybody?
SIR PEARCE [huffed, turning a cold shoulder to him].
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