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Show Origin of the Name Tory. It is a curious fact that the Tories bear an Irish name, and not a complimentary compli-mentary one. The first Tories were "plunderers," in other words, were the dispossessed native Celts strangely and dangerously prowling about their own estates and proierties, and, therefore, duly execrated by the foreign intruders. intrud-ers. But though the derivation is well known, not many people, perhaps. could lay their hands on a text to prove the case. The word is given by Skeat as coming from the root Toir, meaning to search, and still full of life in the Irish language. The first Toirdhe were searching their rights, spying Into their own property. An Irish state paper pa-per of 1656 shows it very clearly: "That Irish Papists who had been licensed to depart this nation, and of late years have been transplanted into Spain, Flanders and other foreign parts, have, nevertheless, returned into Ireland occasioning an increase of to-ries to-ries and other lawless persons." A law passed in 1605 in the time of William Wil-liam III, and quoted in Ribton Turner's Tur-ner's "Vagrants and Vagrancy," says: "The frequent robberies, murders, and other notorious felonies committed by robbers, rapparees and tories upon their keeping hath greatly discouraged the replanting of this kingdom (Ireland)." (Ire-land)." It was, it may be remarked, one of the main purposes of the villainous vil-lainous guerilla warfare to discourage discour-age thst same replanting, a process with which they wrere most unaccountably unac-countably out of sympathy. Impulsive decisions not well thought out. Lack of foresight and preparation. Wrong theories and biased advice. False economy and desire for gain. Lack of tact nnd thoughtfulness. Forgetting and neglect of duty. Depending on those not properly instructed. in-structed. Failure to take due precautions. Failure to safeguard weak points. Overconfidence and exaggerated t hopes. The remainder may be charitably classed as the result of human frailty a last resort in explaining mistakes that cannot be rectified nor traced to their roots in undeveloped character. Exchange. |