GRIFFITH, ARTHUR

(1872-1922) President of the Irish Parliament and founder of Sinn Fein; 6. Dublin; d. there, He was the son of a Roman Oatholic compositor who belonged to an old Irish family, despite his supposedly Welsh name, and began life setting type and reading proofs on a Dublin newspaper. While at this work he acquired an acquaintance with foreign languages metaphysics, mathematics, science an history. He revised school books, and had an ambition to become a philoloist and compile a polyglot dictionary, @ managed to get abroad, studying at @ continental university, and wande. as far as South Africa, where he worked in a diamond mine, After a study of European conditions, especially the Mag returned to his native land about 1890 swayed by the belief that Ireland must solve her troubles by taking her cue from the Magyars. He established his famous weekly, the United Irish man, which was frequently suppre ed, and in 1905. founded the Sinn Fein (Ourselves) organization and launched its principle as a national doctrine,: The new patriotic organization did not make much headway until 1916, when the undercurrents of its strength came to the surface and. produced the Haster rebellion of that year. The Sinn, Fein party swept the Irish elections in 1918, and elected him member of Parliament for Cavan. He was an outstan figure in the subsequent negotiations with the British Government for securing Lrish independence to end the revolue tionary struggle and bloodshed that rent Ireland after Sinn Fein’s triumph at the polls, With the establishment of an Irish Parliament, he was elected President of the Dail Hireann in January, 1922, after the republican leader, De Valera (qg.v.) and his followers had deserted the House. He died the following August. 3: