Litchfield enquirer., 1878-09-19
An American Methodist in Ireland,

the good roads and the prosperous look of the island. The chief difficulty seems to be that the country is more prosperous than it's people. Parliament has seemed really desirous of rem edying the evils that have grown out of cen turies of spoliation and oppression of race by race, and of religion by religion. But nothing short of a downright agrarian law can now place the Irish Celt on even terms with Irish Saxon. The latter owns the land and the former is his tenant at will. If he fails to pay his So annual rent per acre, for the land of which the ancestor of the Saxon despoiled the ancestor of the Celt, he is promptly evicted and, says, Dr. Haven, 'tan Irishman evicted, if he cannot get money enough to go to Amer ca or Australia, soon finds his way down into the dregs, which are here very thick and dir y."
 In fact the native Irishman has been so thoroughly crushed in hls native land that it has proved almost impossible for him to rise. Nevertheless Dr.. Haven is glad to notice be- ginnings of improvement
 Politically none can resist the conviction that the efforts of the British Parliament, in both of the great parties, is to do the best thing possible for Ireland. Every grievance is studied, and all kinds of remedies are tried. Various acts have been passed to help the Irish peasantry. Abundant opportunities and encouragement are rendered to enable them to obtain long leases, CT even a freehold title, to their farms-which are usually small. and which, it would seem, industrious and econom- Vha hoe been, since 1848, slow but constant improve ment in this respect.
 have been informed that more of the occu- pants are managing to get freehold title than ever before One beautiful farm, conspicl- ous for having the best buildings to be seen for miles arOund-eXcept the palaces Of the lords-was pointed out to me as held by an Irish American; that is, one who had made his fortune in America and came home and bought a farm as they are held in America.
 The tenant system seems as much of fail- ure agriculturally as it is socially and political ly:
 The average cultivation of the land in all the south and middle of Ireland disappoints me. Many fields are barren from neglect. The drainage is on the surface, and imperfect. The grass is poor. The grain fields are few in number, and do not compare we'll we'll with New York and Pennsylvania. Barns are in- visible. l inquire for them, and cannot find them. How would Eastern Pennsylvania, look dtnuded of it's barns The hay is stack ed and covered with thatch roofs. ,
 The peasantry live in huts which might be better termed novels, and rags and beggary are prevalent features of the country.
 Educationally the government has been liberal even beyond American example. The great difference is that here education is pop uIar in every sense of the word; while in Ire land, there is much hostility to the school sys- tenn and ''so great is the spirit of denomina- tionalism, that, practically, nearly all their National Schools are seized by the religious bodies, and the children who attend them are educated either as Catholics or Protestants
 Ireland reminds Dr. Haven of Southern Michigan. Denude that State of it's forests give it splendid roads; divide its farms into small fields; take away it's neat village school houses; cover the land with huts compared with which the Michigan farm house is pal ace, and fill them with six millions of people, and the resemblance would be wonderful, says the American traveller.
 One great reform Ireland needs even more than America-the general adoption of habits of Total Abstinence:
 When 1 compare, as 1 have, cities in this country and in America, and find that by actual statistics the relative number of police men here is from four to five times as great as there with soldiers near at hand to be called on, and that the number of arrests for drunk enness and the crimes that grow out of it are proportional, can but think that what seems to be the universal habit of the lower classes to drink is the greatest cause of disorder.
 We read with interest everything that throws light upon the probable future of the Irish American. So large a proportion will that element be of the New England popula. tion of another generation, that the question is one of very serious importance to us of differ ent origin. Many are filled with apprehen- sion by the obvious dangers the problem pre-. sents. Our own view is much more hopeful All who have seen the Irishman at home, are struck with the great advancement that ht has made in America. If his children i'm prove upon their parentsas much as those par ents have improved upon the common Irist peasant, we need not be concerned for the re suit. Difference of religion complicates the diff knowledge how much the Irish laborel has done towards making America rich and prosperous, seem to fear that he will be able also to make her Catholic Looking at tie great advantage Protestnatism now has, and must continue to have, in conflict with pool and ignorant Catholic minority, we cannot but wonder how it can have any fear of such re suit. Yet many sensible people somehow seen to expect great increase of Catholicism from government by universal suffrage
 The State Fair, though injured by bad weaih CT, seems to have been reasonably successful MT. F. R. Starr takes decided lead on Jer seys, receiving sweepstakes-p prizes on botl bulls and COWS, and first prizes on herd o cows. He also received several prizes on par ticular animals. On Devons, J. s. Titus, o Washington, received first prizes on one ant
 two year old bulls. o. B. Kingof Watertown
 Stanley Griswold of Torringford, and Presto Atwood, of Watertown, also took prizes. On horses, 0. Hitchcock took the first priz on six year old stallion Philosopher" and or draught stallion. Ruler" seven years old He also received prizes on mare colt ''Strife; ''Gray Dolly" and colt and on pair of geld ings. Mir. F. R. Starr had prize on pal