The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1886-10-26
ONE VIEW OF IRELAND.
TAKEN BY A GAINESVILLE MINIS
TER.
Rev. Crowl's Opinion of Landlordism.
The Monarchy Doomed to Fall.


Rev. Crowl's Opinion of Landlordism-
The Monarchy Doomed to Fall.
In the Presbyterian Banner of
October 6 appears caustic letter
from the pen of Rev. Theodore
Crowl. written from London during
his visit abroad. 1t is produced al
most in full below:
1t has been in my mind for some
weeks to write you letter from this
side of the Atlantic, but l have wal
ted to see how some of my first i'm
prcssions would he effected by fur
ther observation and inquiry, for |
have some things to say which should
not be said rashly. And first / have
some things TO say about
IRELAND.
On the 9th day Of July, Mt 6:30
+. ~, after days and II hours of
smooth sailing from New York, we
saw far away to the North the gray
outlines of what looked like clouds
pushing their heads above the hori
zon, but with the aid of n field-glass
we soon discovered that we were
looking, not upon drifting clouds,
but on the hills of old Ireland. At
Q o'clock we passed the Fasinet
Lighthouse, and at 2 A. NJ. landed at
Queenstown.
The next morning we went to
Cork, heard the chimes of the sweet
bells Of Shandon by the river Lee,
and went jolting in a funny little
jaunting car to Blarney Castle, but
did not kiss the blaney stone. Were
! to kiss the blarney stone it would
be early in the morning after dash
ing rain. Fran Cork we went by
rail to Bantry. thence by coach
rooGess coach---in a driving rain, to
Glengariffe, where we spent quiet
Sabbath amidst the finest scenery of
which Ireland can boast. From
Glengarife we Travelled by coach
through quickly alternating sunshine
and showers to Killarney; saw the
charming old ruins of.Muscross Alb
bey, and heard the Irish boatmen
sing their plaintive songs. beating
the time with the dip of their oars
as they rowed us to Ross Castle, the
walls of which were battered down
by Cromwell's guns and never have
been restored. We landed on the
Island of Innisfallcn and recalled
Thomas Moore's lines:
.'sweet Innisfallcn, long shall dwell
In memory's dream, that sunny smile,
Which DER thee ON that evening fell,
When first saw thy fairy isle"
From Killarney we went to Dub
lin, drove through Phoenix Park and
saw the spot marked with cross of
white pebbles in the cement pave
ment where Caycndish and Burke
were assassinated. We arrived in
Belfast the evening after the first of
the series of riots which have dis
graced that city and perplexed the
Government.
What shall / say Of Ireland?
There is a great deal of sensitive
ness on the subject of Ireland here
in England. l think there is a gen
eral, though confessed feeling, that
ireland has suffered great injustice,
and probably an American who has
no relatives whom lie knows Of who
belong either to the class of castled
landlords or mutinous tenants can
judge rs well as any one else of the
state Of Ireland. 1t cannot be de-
MED that Ireland is in pitiable
condition. Such prevailing poverty
as there is in the southwest part of
Ireland / never have seen in any
other country. The soil is poor to
begin with. The country is rough.
Stony hills and rocky mountain
sides and peat bogs abound. In the
United States we would think that
about all a family could do would
be barely to make living on 100
acres of such land without paying
any rent.
But the land in Ireland generally
is divided up into insignificant little
patches, and these little patches are
rented severally. to starving ten
ants at high rates. The tenants live
in little thatched stone cabins which
actually look like play houses. U.s.
ually there is one room under the
same roof for the COW or goat. Sci
dom do you see a horse. Even a
donkey is a luxury which many Of
the tenants cannot afford to own.
Plows are very scarce. A four
wheeled wagon other than little
hand wagon for farm use would be
curiosity to the natives. The ten
ants outfit consists chiefly of
spade, a hoe and a sickle. He spades
his little patch of ground for pota-
toes If he has field that will
yield wheat or some other grain, he
spades the ground instead of plow-
ing, and harrows in the grain with
brush, which most likely he drags
with his own hands. 1t is true that
there are little farms in Germany
and Switzerland and Belgium, but
the families which till the ground
are the owners of it generally. The
children we saw from Glengarife to
Killarney were nearly naked. In
many cases it was impossible to tell
what the original material of their