New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-06-07
IRISH SOCIAL PROBLEMS.
DEAR. DIRTY DUBLIN

IRON AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT VI THE rHibuNh
DUBLIN, April 5.--If it is good to have
sound mind in sound body, and II sound pody lm-
plies clean skin do know any class OF men who
have done more harm O their fell0wcreatures than I'M
washed Saius Surely the idea OF the sanctity OF art
must have been an invention OF the devil II there DC
dewitt What misery II has caused all over Chrstehdou
east and west; how much discomfort, disease anu
premature mortality; how much irrtability, ieper,
malice, strife, persecution! Who can tell how many
bloody and desolating may lie ascr6ed 10 dlry
skin causing dyspepsia and spleen! Had the monks
and chiefs or the dark ages washed themselves wei
every morning, how much less dark, how much
less miserable those ages would have been! Johh
Wesley rendered great service to his country py the
currency he gave to the maxim that cleanliness IL next
to godness - and by causing his preachers to set an
example OF 1t wherever they went as itnerant misSoh
aries. Much disturbance OF dust and coDweDs was
caused Ia many q farmers house by the visit OF the
Methodist preachers. have often Thought how depora-
BILE It was that the Irish priests did not tbipk with
Wesley in this respect. But how could theyf Inc ex-
amples they had before them In their brevary every
day, in the famous Saints, positively associated
holiness with filth. The greatest miracle worker, tue
greatest fayOre with Heaven, was the anchorite that
had remained unwashed and uncombed the greatest
number Of years. that had tho greatest number OF
neglected ulcers his body and that supported with
sublime resignation the greatest number OF vigorous
vermn.
The late Lord Palmerston, who was sort OF laughing
philosopher once said that dirt nothing but matter
ont OF its proper place. No doubt there Is place Tor
Dirt as there is place for everything IN the world Our
philosophy may enable US TO find out the mission OF
frogs toads serpcnts musketoes, feas, bugs, &C. But
we know that dead matter renews lIfe Wnat Is poison
10 human beings in and about their dwellings Is most
wholesome to the crops that supply Us with
food What pity then that the dirt should be Kept NJ
home to generate disease instead Of being put out on
the fields produce wealth. The Arabs polute the des
ert wherever they pitch their tents, by allowing nth 10
accumulate around them. exhallng its deadly miaSma.
The Irish prove their oriental origin in this respect.
for they take kindly 10 dirt, the enemy
Of their health, and seem to cherish 1t as
a bosom friend. The good woman OF the house prefers
to sweep the dirt into to carrying out OF DOORS
and when she does put 1t out. it never beyond arms
length. Ashes sOps, decayed vegetables, and every
thing the pig leaves thrown into sink mole, right IN
front OF the cottage door, and there the mass accumu
ates producing typhus and other diseases. II the pig
sleeps near the kitchen fire. OF course matters are worse
and they are not mended If that cherished animal be
mother and has a numerous progeny-an instance OF
which once saw myself in the house OF o welto-do
farmer the bank OF the shannon IL is to be hoped
that this nasty custom has disappeared and that the pig
has been removed from the kitchen to the stye shall
see by and by how this is and report to you the result
Of my observations
Roman Catholic clergy, with their vast influence could
have done an immensely OF good TO the Irish peasanry
and the poor the towns we'll If they had considered
that they might have been sanitary reformers without
endapgerng faith and morals II would have been we'll
il they could have conscientiousy denounced dirty
habit as one OF the deadly SINS If one of the "com
mauds of the Church" had been: Thou shalt wash
thyse with soap and water every morning; thou shalt
remove the dungheap from thy door, and thou shalt put
thy pig to sleep In OF his own" Instead Of that
have seen the priest many time pick his steps on
stones through the mre and sink when entering cabin
TO give the last consultations OF his religion to persons
diving of the fever which the sink produced And as far
as could learn priest ever demonstrated about TINS
nuisance or seemed to regard 1t as nuisance at ALL
do not say that the Irish peasantry, and Others far
above them, not ashamed Of dirt for they make
great fuss in the effort hide it when respectable
stranger the house. but they seem generally I'M
conscious OF it, When Irish wishes to express
the shortest measurement, she says ct was no longer
than the black OF my nail" The said "black," being
caused by dirt to be regarded as part ana parcel
OF the fingers You will a finely shaped hand with
those black borders on the ends Of the fingers resting
ON a lovely face. OF course this Is not peculiar
10 the Irish. | mean only that, in the
matter Of cleanliness, the Irish in general OF both
sexes suffer greatly In comparison with the English.
The former are however, becoming little sore on the
subject and that is good sign. The proprietor of a
trlbuors because, article holding out inducements
10 Americans and tourists generally TO visit the country
he exhored provincial hOtekeepers to pay little more
attention the cleanliness OF their establishments ana
also TO their cooking Such articles he vehementy de-
cared would ruin his paper and were quite contrary TO
IFS Motley as conservative and national Journal which
policy was to laud everything Irish and abuse every
thing English. Making all allowance for the antagonsm
of Irish Journalism generally produced by the dispar
I'm EnDlIsh IL must be
admitted that the habit of hatterng the Irish In their
faults and failngs is most injurious and most unpatr
otto ia the true Of the word.
was therefore, much grathed to see an article on
Dublin cabs and cabmen this week IN The fTeemdHS
Journal which IL the chief organ of the Irish Catholics,
having strong motives any other journal to pander
to popular rcullces. greatly struck, as every
one must be- on coming to Dublin from England, with
the state OF the cabs and the appearance OF their
drivers. In London, and still more, perhaps, in the
provincial towns is pleasant to that the cabmen,
rule Clean shaved, and decently dressed WIN
nothing ragged patched, dirty about their persons
The good condition and shining hair OF their horses
show how well they are taken care Of The harness Is
clean. the brass bright. and all in perfect order.
Cabby will not rest at his stand while
there is mud to be rubbed off, and he sees that
his cushions are well shaken free from stains, and
thoroughly ventilated. There heavy sots. with
berry faces who neglect their duty in these respects
but they exceptions that do not affect the general
Impression received from these proofs of civilization
Every Irishman who has seen the world, and wishes
that his country should put forth their energies in
the race of progress, must be panied with the contrast
presented by the cabs in Dublin should have hest
tatcd TO describe them II 1t had not been so graphically
and faithfully done by the writer in The Freemdn's
Journal who has thereby rendered an important service
to his feowctzens. The people have been so long en-
Outraged persist i'll deplorabe Illusions chasing one
phautom after another, TO walk In "yan shadows, III
stead OF maniully facing realities and making the best
of Them that gladly hail q writer OF their own who
dares to tell them unpleasant truths. He says:
have very bad and there are horses In this city
Of nulln which conrlNr " crawl whore MI PlckMlCk.