The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1869-07-29
IDAHO WORLD.
CONCERNING THE Glow IRISH"

late issue gives the following excellent articie:
Statistics are sometimes the most amazins
and bewildering things in the Worla: &c"
columns of dry, prosy, and barren-ioohlls' ny
ures. and few bald official facts sometiihes
knock on the head the most popular ana widely
accented beliefs, and scatter to the winds the
most dearly cherished prejudlces. Inc last
British mail, for instance, brought to us sum
mary of "The First Annual Report OF the
Registrar of Marriages, Births and Deaths IN
ireland" 1t is the most complete and authen-
tic statement ever made by official authority
concerning these evidences OF the social hapc
it's the morals, and the health of the people OF
that norton of the British dominions Now,
we can imagine the avidity with which hater
of the GLOW Irish" would seize upon this re-
port with the expectation of finding In 1t am
plle justification for and proof of the opinions
which he entertains and expresses concerning
the thriftlessness, the immortality, and the 'g-
norance Of this despised race. "Now we nave
it," such one would eXclaim in the Joy OF his
heart. "Here are the figures, prepared by the
officers of the British government according
to law. and therefore unquestionably correct!
Now. let us see what sort of people these wlld
Irishmen are at home, where they are not ele-
waited and refined by the example and precept
Of superior people; where they are wholly
under the control of their priests: and where
they do not inhale the air of this blessed land
of freedom" Naturally, the first page to
which our anti-Irish friend would turn would
be that on which was recorded the number OF
illegitimate births. !" An ignorant, degraded,
reckless, and immoral people and these are
the epithets most in use among Radical POI IT.
clans and clergylnen in the United States when
speaking of Irishmen-will be sure to care lit
tie for the sanctity of marriage and to give
full rein to their passion and lust. Well, what
are the factsl The proportion of illegltlmate
births to the total number of births in Ireland
ia 80 to each 1000. More than there ought to
be- of course; but in England enlightened and
Protestant England-the proportion Is "a TO
each 200; and in Scotland-Bble-oving and
God-fearing ScOtland-it is SO to each 1000
Here is fearful disappointment. The figures,
according to all the ideas and beliefs of those
who sheer at the slow Irish" ought to be re-
versed; Scotland, the land of Knox and the
stronghold of Presbyterianlsm, should be the
most virtuous of the three Kingdoms; Eng
land, the bulwark of the blessed Reformation
should not be far behind; and priest-rldden
Ireland should, by all the rules of logic be
stepped to the lips in vice. But these illogical
figures will not square with the theories, and
persist in showing that England is near y twice
and Scotland nearly three times as depraved
in this matter as Ireland.
But this not the worst OF 1t. There ls one
portion of Ireland, the Province of Connaught
which is almost exclusively peOpled by CeltS
and Roman Catholics, the proportions being
ninety.fve of the former to FIVE of all other
races and creeds: and there Is another por-
ton, the Province of Ulster, where the popu-
=. - ll,- 1iridad hatu prnt,.s r.
ants and Roman Catholics, the Protestants be-
ing almost wholly of Scotch blood and of the
PRESBYTERIAN faith And in the Province of
Connaught the proportion OF iegitimate births
ia ONLY 10 in each 1000, while in the province
of Ulster it is 81 to each 1000 Scotland as n
whole is almost three times as lmmOral as
Ireland, as whole; but the province In Ire
land, which has one-half of its population peo-
Die of Scotch blood, Is more than three times
as immoral as the adjacent province which Is
peopled almost wholly by :ull-blooded Irishmen
and blinded Papists. What has the Evangell-
cal Alliance in New York to say to this. There
is nothing to show that all OF the illegltlmate
births in Ulster are to be charged to the Scotch
population of that district for all that appears
t. the contrary, the Irish half of the popula-
ton may be responsible for part of them: but
may it not be concluded that if population
half Irish and half Scotch, half Catholic and
half Protestant, is three times as immoral as
one which is almost wholly Irish and Catholic
the Scotch are the most in fault, and that they
have probably led their Irish nelghbors into
temptation And is not this conclusion greatly
strengthened by the fact that Scotland, III
which there is a very small Irish population
has three times as much wickedness OF this ma
ture as Ireland, in which there is very small
Scotch population!
The figures of this report also smash into
flinders certain pet beliefs concerning the reck
lessness and imprOvidence of the Irish in mar
ryng at too tender age, and without first
waiting until they have cages into which tC
put their birds. The marriages IN Ireland, II
the year covered by the report, were only IL
every 2O7 persons, while the marriages IN Eng
land, during the same year, were in every
lis, and III Scotland | in every 137. Ant
while in Scotland "a of the males and 2l9 o
the females out of every 1000, and in Eng
land 66 of the males and 200 of the females
out of every 1000, who were married, were
under 81 years of age, in reckless and lmprOv
ident Ireland only 81 of the males and lol
the females out of every 1000 were entered
into the holy state of matrimony were minors
So that it appears, by these memorable figures
that the wild Irishman is more prudent thar
the sober Englishman and the thrifty Scot il
agreeing to take upon himself the duty of pro
yiding bread for other mouths besides his own
and Of swelling the population of the Queen
dominions. The common belief, also, that thu
Irish are more prolific than other people re
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