New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-08-10
DAYS IN IRELAND.
GROWING FLAX AND MAKING LINEN.
Drogheda, July 81.

81
must study the locality in which he acted. There
fore, | resolved 10 20 on the ground "here ~
Patrick had toied and grieyed as a slave in the
hope of getting better understanding Of the
Genius and devotion Of a man who exercised a
spiritual mastery over his own generation oil
Irishmen and over many others following 1t.
The drive from Ballymcna is about eight miles.
and we took an early start The fax was III
bloom in the fields and roses and h0neysAcklcS
in the hedges The fax is very unpopular crop
with the w0rkingman. In placing the bundles
i'm the ponds for setting he must stand Tor days
deep in the water. Again at the taxing ONT he
must stand there, when the smell OF the rotted
part of the fax is so offensive as To he almost
overpowcrng. is tAS unwllingncss Of the
laboTer which limits the growth of the crop, ana
will DO 50 more and more. Frequently the farm
ers are obliged 10 pressure 10 get the settIng
done All agree that the great disdcratum- for
the domestic growth Of flax is the discovery OF n
less offensive method Of setting which shall be-
chcap and not destroy the fibre. The farms here
are much larger than those in the South. The
cattle appear more carefully bred and tended.
There is now no trouble with landlords. and the
rents are more favorable 10 the tenant than in
tbc southern counties The compensation law.
which Ulster was successful in getting passed
some years ago gave great relief. ! mis-
cradle howell in which a farmer lived before the
law was passed. aud near by a comfortable house
and farm buildings, covered with ivy and twin
ing roses, which the result OF the law If
the tenant now gives Mp his farm the landlord
must compensate him for his improvements or
he can dispose Of them AZ auction 10 another
tenant. That the application Of the same law
10 the whole country should have met for 50 many
wears with vigorous opposition shows tie spirit
in which the landlords have defended their ira
ditional rights and produced the present bitter
ness The complaint of the laborcr herr is
agoinst the farmer, which ! prophesy viii be the
next phase OF the Irish question; az II was tine
second stage in the course Of events in the French
Revolution.
We are coming in sight Of Semish. the grand
hill OF rock OH which Patrick tended the cattle
and sheep OF his master The ascent is about
one and a half miles and must be- made on foot.
As we toilcd larorious!y mp lis sleeps, or sat 10
rest on the beds Of blooming heather, the noun
tain or horned sheep came 10 the brink of the
lodges above 20 look down on Ms. \ lad was
tending herd not far away, H. Patrick did nearly
800 years ago. II last wcll-bowu by our cN-
crtions, sat the rock called Patricts arm
chair. and looked eastward to tie hirh coasts
of Scotland across tie strait How the homc,ck
boy Of sixteen, Is Ae sat here, must have longcI
for his home on that Scotch shore, almost in hiN
view How the remembrance Of the last scenes
at home must have saddcncl him. when lc Thought
how hc was torn from his wounded father hy
the Irish pirates 10 be- ken away from an orderly
Roman community To- toll rs Il wrctchcd slave afn"n-
these barhdriaus. The utensils used in that a-c
10y the Irish and the remains Of Milchus house
testify 10 the rudcncss Of lie about thi, high
wrought s'avc-hoy.
The two prominent industries herr in Antrim
are whskcy dis'iling and the manufacture Of linen.
The extent Of tie latter business is enormous.
The York Street Flax Spinning Company Of FL
fast claim TO employ directly and indirectly
$4,000 persons The row material Gomez,
from Ireland. BELGIUM, Holland and the Baltic
Provinces Of RUSSIA. The Irish fax does mot
bring what it ought. owing 10 the Whrokcn
ends which are frequently found n i-wLich
is another example Of the motto that " honesty
is the best policy The PELHAM is the best
being thoroughly cured and prepared, and is used
for thc finest fabric That which comes from
Russia is cheap. though roughly broken. and Is
used for coarse cradles Of staple goods in iucrca,-
ing amount. Great interest Is expressed iu tie
efforts made 70 introduce and establish linen
manufacture I'm tine United Sf1tc.. and consider
aN'" nervousness is apparent iu regard - tie
new tariN on linens II is said here that our
farmers IRE too impatient for immediate results
a. establish iaN-eIowins for linen as regular
industry for Years - come. II is claimed here
That tIc large acreage of land in fax in Amcrc.
i- for the growing Of seed. or material for paper
stock, and That ~c DO not cure The fibre wen
enough FOR linen. B,sidc, the ha. is cat with
r. machine. instead - being pulled. which IS
destructive OF j., value for the best wcayiu-.
II is asserted here that have hut small trace
With climate sufficiently humid for The growth
a. goodi.aN. The tarlG discussion Do America
is much affecting tie bulk Of orders received H.
IS feared that the new rates Will limit largely
the usc Of linens with us. German and Preach
competition in the more ornamental fabric, Ii
acknowledged - bc % serious mailer Many
manufacturers with whom | have talked openly
advocate "a protective tarn Tor Great Britain
against foreign manufactured articles
/ have repeated" asked since / have been In
! Ulster how the greater prosperity Of the north
part Of the Island accounted for. bat hayc not
/ received any one answer which va, entirely
/ satisfactory. Protestant gentleman asserted
/ that the cause was the difference in RELIGION.
| \ Catholic s.Iticman conceded this, but added
! that il was nSt because of ANYTHING Inherent in
! Catholicism, tut because Tie ENGLISH laws had
Disseminated against Catholics, and 50 bred in
/ dolcncc. The Protestant still thought there WI,
something Inherent in Cathoiici,m Icprrssin2 en-
terpi,c-that ny limiting freedom OF thought IN I
action in religion. II also necessarily limited all
| other branches of activity. He knew that some
might judge that complete freedom in matters
Of NTH too great price 10 pay for indus
! trial prosperity, but that, notwithstanding. il
WAS the price demanded. | reminded them that
/ some Of our most cnterprising business men in
! America were Catholics. Both Of them were eager
| En, ttcb nj.
ecclesiastical control as the lower CLASSES. but on
that point could not INFORM them. The tatholic
gentleman though; the difference of race was an
! important point. The Southcrns are more purely
| Cclts and value most of those acquisitions which
belong 30 the sentiments They delight in orr
tory, lyric poetry, and the art of witty couvt T.
/ nLnr A.L.n-l In.