American Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1855-1860, 1855-05-17
KIRwAN's LETTERS.
TO THE RIGHT REV. John HUGHES, BISHOP
OF NEW YORK.
LETTER VI.

LETTER VI.
My DEAR Sir, I'm my last letter, in which
sought to illustrate that the influence of
Popery is to make the masses superstitious,
and the intelligent, infdels, in al the coun-
tries where it predominates, Imade the fol-
lowing assertion: "it has rendered our no.
ble-hearted, noble minded, impulsive eoun-
trymen, the hewers of wood and the draw
ers OF water, in all the countries to which
they emigrate. The degradation of Ire
land which has made it by-word, / charge
upon Popery." To some of the evidences
ofthe truth Of these assertions wish to
call your attention in the present letter.
Perhaps the present state of feeling in our
country towards famine -striken ireland
mayse for what l shall say to you some
attention.
That ireland is degraded country, as
to its masses, with all our pride of country,
neither you nor l can deny. Its general
poverty, its perrading ignorance, its mud
novels, its innumerable beggars, its insub-
ordination, are the sad and tangible proofs
ofits degradation. They lie upon the sur
face of the country. where every traveller
can behold them. And the untravelied
American has the evidences of this degra-
dation brought to his own door. He sees
it in the perfect ignorance of his Irish SER
yant-in the squalid appearance of the
Irish beggar-in the deep-rooted supersti-
ton Of the Irish papist-in the Irish brawls
IN low tippling houses-in the furious pas
slons of an Irish mob--in the large pro-
portion OF Irish convicts incur prisons, and
OF vicious Irish in our places Of moral re-
form. 1t is, my dear sir, with feelings Of
regret and shame that make this state
ment. My love ofcouutry has never for
saked me for an hour. With all its faults,
| love Ireland still;and in the lowest depths
of their degradation It's children manifesto
sensibility and a nobility that would hon
or those in the highest ranks of ciyiliza-
ton, and that evince what they would be
under right development of their social
and moral nature. What are the causes of
this degradation?
| will not, cannot omit from the list of
causes what is technically called Absen-
teeism: the lordly proprietors of the land
living in foreign countries, and expend-
ing abroad the hard earnings of their ten
ants at home. This is one Of the grieyous
curses of Ireland
Nor can omitthe system ofletting and
sub letting, or renting and sub-renting of
the land, by the richer to the less rich, un-
til between the owner and the actual cul-
tivator there may be six to twelve land
lords, each living upon those below him;
and the actual tillers of the land supporting
them all This is infusing into the curse
OF absenteeism an ingredient which multi
plies its bitterness by ten. 1t gives rise to
class of landlords as implying as fam
inc.
Nor can omit the system of tithes for
the support of the Established Church of
Ireland. An Episcopal priest is placed
in every parish in Ireland; and if he has
not one single parishioner to wait on his
ministratlons, he is yet entitled to his
tithes from the parish And these tithes
are drawn from the actual cultiyators of
the soil, the poor tenants. And these
tithes are usually let and sub-let, as is the
land; and their collection usually falls into
the hands Of men as rapacious as vultures.
Yes, and the priest for whose support these
tithes are paid may never have made the
impress of his foot upon the soil of his par
ishl Yes, and when the tither calls upon
the poor man to pay his tithes for the sup
port of minister he has never seen, and
for the maintenance of a religion which
his soul abhors, unless he is ready to pay,
his only COW, more than one half the sup
port of his Iamily, is driven to the market
and there sold for half her value! And if
that does not pay, his pig is driven and
sold in the same way! Such is the system
of tithes in Ireland! have no language,
my dear sir, in which to express my ab-
horrence oft. The support of such asys-.
tenn is disgrace to the Protestant name;
it is deep, dark, direful stain upon the
equity of British legislation, 1t is public
protest before heaven aud earth againstthe
church that sanctions it, and against the
eraven-hearted, earthly minded clergy that
can submit to be thus supported! Out of
youI ONu CnuTCD, StI, hHUW VI HO 0CCleSl-
astical nuisance SO utterly offensive as that
of the Established Church of Ireland!-
And yet the very upholders of these
schemes ofrobbery, yes, and some Of the
very individuals that pocket the plunder
thus legally Enthusiastically 6lched from
the poor people, write to us about public
faith and honesty, and lecture us upon the
subject Of slavery as if they were spotless
as GABRIEL Of all this / can say, as Talley-
rand is reported to have said of a lady
that frequently annoyed him; Madam
said he, you have but one fault Pray,
sir, said she, 'whatisit?' 1t is, said he,
that you are perfectly insuferable.' Nor
have / seen, among the various plans sug-
gested by Lord John Russellfor the relief
Of Ireland, hintat the abolition of this me-
farious system of tithes.
Bad, my dear sir, as ] think Of these |
causes, and much as they have contributed |
to the degradation and impoverishing of
they are but as the dust Of the
balance when compared with the inhu-
snces of Popery And that yourself may
see this. hear me to the close, calmly, and |
Al y. T..