The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-01-14
Saturday. Tanusr Il, 1882.
HUNTING IN IRELAND.

Many people in this country, unacquainte(
with the state of Ireland, have wondered
what was the use Or effect of the tenant:
there prohibiting fox hunting. To the av
erage American that prohibition seemed
nothing more than spitework, and no ben
efieial result was to be expected. Tho
! World publishes the review of an article by
/ the Rev. james p Mahaffy, the well known
author of the Primer of Greek Literature,
in the Conte1zpory Repie7o, on Irish Land
lords, and in this article is cleverly shown
the Importance of the tenants action. Mr..
| Mahaffy shows that it is in fact one of the
shTewdest and most injurious blows dealt
by the Land League to the landlords. Mr..
Mahaffy explains that no man who is not
himself an Irish hunting man, can under
stand the importance of hunting in several
Irish counties. In some districts farmers
have notified landlords that they will not
permit certain persons to hunt, such persons
being those hunting men who have made
themselves obnoxious to the League or
else they have served notice that they will
are in jail. Now, hunting is the most Sc
rious pursuit of very large portion of the
Irish. gentry, who, as Mr. Mahaffy puts it
90 hibernate in summer in order to live
again when cub hunting begins, and who,
as he might have added, do their hiberna-
ton in truly Hibernian fashion, outside
of Hibernia. Moreover, horse breeding and
horse-dealing are important industries to
the farmers and also to the landlords
in many districts. Many of
the poorer gentry who live in country dis
tricts let their houses for the hunting sea
son and live elsewhere on the proceeds.
The prohibition of hunting, therefore,
which the prehibitors had the means of en-
forcing, was very serious matter to all
landlords in the hunting countries. The
manner in which they have dealt with it is
commented upon by Mr.. Mahaffy with an
indignation and q contempt which are
the more effective because the writer be
lieves in the cause of the landlords, and
holds that they have weakened and betray-
ed it by their own pusillanimity What
they should have done he insists, in all
cases where the tenants attempted to pre-
vent certain men from hunting was to re-
sent the insult by foregoing the sport alto
gether, and IN places where all hunting
was forbidden to sell out their hunters and
hounds or ship them to England Instead
of that they have made terms with
the tenants, and in some cases have
actually accepted the privilege of
hunting, coupled with the condition that
the members of the hunt shall be person |
ally acceptable to the farmers. It must be |
owned that this has very pusillanimons
look, and that it is calculated not to con-
ciliate the tenantry but only to add con-
tempt to their enmity. In some counties
the landlords went further than this They I
held meetings and pointed out to the farm
ers the loss which would ensue to the
themselves from the discontinue
ance Of hunting. The farmers answered |
that the question with them was not one
Of interest but of principle or at least of /
feeling. 'sWhen their relations were Ian
gushing in prison they would not tolerate
Tlereupon, according to,
Mr.. Mahaffy,
Some gentlemen, magistrates, men OF
property, began to disclaim any share in
he action of the Government. They had |.
lot suggested any names to Mr. Forster
They had not asked for additional police
IN the contrary they grieved at seeing the
'risons full. and hoped to see peace and
harmony restored. These statements were