The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1891-08-08
THIS IS IRISH PROGRESS.
Cattle Haye Increased in Numbers,
But Men and Women Have
Decreased.
SAYS THE REGISTRAR GENERAL.
a Rather Strange But True Report
OF IreIand's Present
Condition.

The regietrar-g general for ireland read
paper few days ago before the Sta
tis5lcal and Social Inquiry Society OF
Dublin. This Official is che chief of
bureau whose business it is to handle
statistics in a mastery manner With the
design OF proving them whatever our
English rulers want to have proved.
His main business, as long as man Can
remember, has been to furnish the lord
lieutenant annually with crop Of tlg-
ures intended to demonstrate that every
interest Of Ireland was fourishing; and
these figures were yearly exhibited by
the occupant of the viceregal throne
when he was called On to respond to the
toast of "The Prosperity OF Ireland at
banquet. But surely it required the
audacity OF British official to give
such title to paper which tells only
story of wholesale and general Gecav.
The registrar-gen admits all the
facts and calls them progress. This IS
very gooo, but what are the facSsy
Between 1851 and 1891 the population
OF ireland has decreased bv 457 900, or
very nearly per cent; at which rate
about ten decades rlore would leave the
county ithout any popula,i IN what
aoever, Emigration is the principal
cause of the decrease; but even the
marriage rate is down, and the birth
rate OF the decade is below the average
Gt the previous decade by one per
thousand. The tendency 70 {. decrease
ia tillage farming has been steady and
continuous. More and more OF the
land has gone out Of cultivation. In
the last year Of the decade~lS90--lhe
acreage under ulapgoIds, cabbage, hay,
and eYen Eiax, was below The average.
III the same vear there WAS s. drop OF
i4,G00 in the ACREAGE devoted 70 the
raising Of potatoes. The once vigorous
Industry CT sea and coast fishing has
also declined. rs regards both the mum
her Of boats and this humber OF hands
employed. The shipping trade showed
out little variation during Ghe ten years;
and tx,e .ams may be said OK the capital
invested in banking. The capital In
vested in railways slightly Increased bv
reason OF 2&&6 miles ct new railways hav-
ing been built. But while there is Ghls
slight increment ia railway capital the
Investments in government stock have
heeu diminishing. 'Ehe decade saw al
increase of more than 500 schools in
connection with the national board Of
tending al The schools that are under
that board fell by $4,000. Tie whole
thing is q story OF rapid decline, but
still according to the registrar general,
THIS IS PROGRESS.
Rut, the question will be asked, has
nothing Increased durlng the past ten
years2 Veg, in every department there
has been an increase OF live stock dur~
ing the decade While human beings
have decreased in number by nearly
half million, the horse tribe have in
creased by $1,000; the cattle by 263, coo;
the sheep by little more than mill
ion, and The pigs by 4l7A, OG0. Or pig and
q fraction fur every human being lost
to the country. There has also been an
increase in the production OF whiskey
and poIter--rnost Of which, 1t is CRAFTY"
Ing 10 note, il carried away by exporta-
ton. OF the linen trade the best rha5
can be said is that it has not gone back,
but has remained stationary On the
whole for the decade. Such is the tale
OF progress told bv the registrar. gen
for Ireland.
The recently reformed Irish Indus
tries Association seems to be going
about it's work in a methOdical way
which promises success Tor its opera
lions. Its latest act has been to open
in London depot for the sale Of all
Irish fabrics, thus securing what Is
most wanted for them, namely, mar
ket wherein remuneratlye pl ICES can be
obtained. In this depot all sorts of
Irish productions, from the most beau
tlful specimens Of lace down to hand
spun tweeds, hosiery, embroidery and
carved bog oak ornaments will be On
permanent sale. Ireland was once
noted as lace-nlakiug country, and it
bids fair to become SO again, thanks to
the intelligent and Jealous endeavors Of
a number OF good nuns, who have
spent and are spending years Of their
lives in teaching the girls attending
their convent schools the art of making
tho delicate fabric so much plized by
the ladies of the present as we'll as by
the cavaliers Of by gone age. In fol-
mer years women and girls might be
seen work ing at Lace. making in the
open streets, and selling the beautiful
products of their needles to casual WIS.,
1tors But new fashions arise in lace
as we'll as IN other materials foe dress;
so the Irish patterns that used to be in
vogue became at length tabcoed for
want OF novelty The nuns have rec
0gniZed the fact, and accordingly have