Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-06-25
The Irish Exodus.

1ue OOIk hcPOINoI IegdTQs the second lrlSl
exodus IN a great measure as the consequence
of q more adventurous spirit among the peo-
pie, which leads them to cast their lot in dis
tant and newly occupied lands, rather than
apply themselves to the more pIodding indus
try to which they must resort in the hbme
country. However" adds the Rerorter,
% we may deplore the loss of our bone and
sinew' which are thus taken from us, we must
say that we cannot take quite the same view
of 1t as some of our contemporaries, as we shall
presently explain. The great extension of
steam traffic, both by land and sea, has in
creased largely the facilities of emigration,
There are few places in Ireland now which are
far removed from access to one or other of the
great lines Of railway that leads to our prin-
cipal ports. And within q few years several
lines Of 6rst-class ocean steamers have been
brought into activity, by which the Atlantic
Is traversed with wonderful regularity, ceF-
tainty, and safety, in not many. more days
than it took weeks by the old sailing emigrant
ship to cross it. Add to this that the cost of
the voyage is hardly, il at all, increased; that
its old miseries, which il was painful to dwell
upon, are nearly all got rid of, and that il may
now be made respectfully and comfortably
Let it be further borne in mind that Amer
lean lOcOmOtion has advanced with still more
rapid strides, while, by the system of through
ticket arrangements, the emigrant can pass,
on his arrival, at once, safely and expeditiousIy
90 the ultimate point which he desires TO reach,
and IL will at ONE be seen how greatly the
temptation to go Is increased, for all persons
whose thoughts are turned in this direction
Formerly, what was the position of the Irish
peasant He had his farm, small in dimen-
siOns, yet too large for his limited means of
turning it to account On ii he remained, and
brought up his family, isolated from commu-
nication with the buster world, and ignorant
Of Its ways and Of the opportunities it offers to
the active and enterprising. All his ambition
was to live on his bit Of ground eat the
simple root that il yielded to him in abund-
ance, and as his children grew to maturity to
divide the farm into smaller patches on which
they squatted and reared their progeny, in in
creasing poverty and with diminishing hope
and smbition-if we can use such a word in
speaking Of such a class
"When the subdivision of land could proceed
no further, leaving the means of support TO the
dWellers on it, and starvation was Imminent,
ne looked, as his last earthly chance, to the
emlgrant ship. In his isolation and his igno-
rance one fact had reached him, that some
where, afar of, beyond an all but boundless
expanse of ocean, there lay great country
called America. If he could make his way to
one Of the seaports Of his own land, he had as
oertained that means would be found to trans
Port him to this distant region More he knew
not. Quebec, Boston, New York, Montreal,
were names, perhaps, that had reached him,
but they were mere names to him He had
been told that all were in America-all were
alike to him. To reach any be must Journey
over land for many days, and must enter on
that appalling voyage-full of privation and of
peTll-Of many weeks But fly he must-fy
from ruin and from death. So he left on his
dresry and dreaded exile Such il was to MANY
OF our people, even a dozen years ago. ,,.-.
But is 1t anything like this now! The Ma
tional School has familisrized the young peas
ant with all that 10 is possible to learn of that
great continent, and Of the newly peopled land
over which our great empire extends The
railway Is at the door, or few miles off at fur
thest- The steamer goes direct from its termi-
nus, and lands him within fortnight beyond
that ocean that seemed so illimitable before.
He knows all about the place he wants to 90
TO. There Is some struggle with the strong
Celtic feelings at leaving the old land aud the
old home; but there have been many sad part
ings during the last fifteen years, and the Irish
nature has grown somewhat used to them Be-
cause the educated man minds these things
less than the uneducated-We stop not 10 dis
cuss the good or i'll of this, but so il is. The
National School, as well as sterner teaching.
has made the emigrant's parting easier to him,
and he goes to-day with full as much hone as
grief. Go that altogether his emigration is
quite different from what it used to Sc. and he
no longer waits TO be driven into exile by the
misery which alone would have coerced him
formerly, but goes freely, msnfuIly, aud with
villa spice Of adventure giving its zest to
his more calculating desire to better his con-
dition.'