[1] Mr. Darrell Figgis, in his book on "A. E.", explains the pen-name
thus: "Wanting at one time a new pen-name, he subscribed himself as
Aeon. His penmanship not at all times being of the legiblest, the
printer deciphered the first diphthong and set a query for the rest;
whereupon the writer, in his proof-sheets, stroked out the query and
stood by the diphthong." Since then, however, Mr. Russell has abandoned
the diphthong and prints his pen name as two separate letters.
[2] I leave that passage unmodified, despite the fact that the
Black-and-Tans in the course of their fight with the Sinn Feiners
(equally disgraceful to both of them) burnt down many of the
creameries. They will be built again. Mr. Lloyd George jeered at Sir
Horace Plunkett soon after the Black-and-Tans had performed most of
their infamous work, but any decent person would infinitely prefer to
be Sir Horace with his burnt creameries than Mr. Lloyd George with his
burnt principles.
[3] Parnell, the greatest political leader the Irish Catholics have
ever had, was a Protestant of Anglo-Saxon origin. Like Synge, he
belonged to a family which came to Ireland originally from Cheshire in
the North of England.