New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-05-29
GROWTH OF BELFAST.
ALMOST FOUR TIMES THE POPULATION IL
HAD IN 1s41-UISTER AND HOME RULE

HAD IN 1S41-ULSTER AND HOME RCL~
Belfast, May 7.
Perhaps there is no city In the biusD
Isles that partakes more Of the elements which
90 to make American cities famous for the raplaiy
Of their growth than Belfast County Antrim. Ireland.
In the United states such city would be looked on
as PROMISING but the east side Of the Atlantic such
phenomenon is looked on as little less than marvel
lous. The natives proud of their success and rom
statistics and other information which will be presented
later on they have Just reason, according to Eastern
ideas, to BE- mewhat vain of the results
Belfast indeed the province included, may be largely
regarded as scotch in birth Tor by near descent a.
well rs in business instincts, religion social qmhhcsr
lions, sports and pastmes and even to some extent
In dialect In respect to the last named, you VIII
find the forms of speech in many parts OF the couhtes
OF Antrim and Down identical with those OF Ayrshire'
Ianarkshre and adjoining shircs in Scotland, while
the steady and methodca system of doing business
slow but sure-the riddy narrow puritancai Meas
In religious Obseryances, the Conservatory o'suin'
clques In their social customs, and the mania fT
gof football, bowling and curling when they COS
a chance for it hardly freezes" here In Ire
land, all pronounce the inherent spirit Of the "canny
scot"
The social problem in Belfast is not easily solved.
As in large manufacturing cities everywhere the
merchants self-made men for the most part; but
while they themselves may be proud OF their success
in life and at times remember the friends Of their
thing The result Is that the generation does not m
to be suspected OF belonging to anhng but the upper
sucke." aud would resent any allusion to their
grandfathers randmothers. Moreover social line
Of demarcaton is rgidy drawn between wholesale
and retail in matters of society For instance the
wholesale wlskey manufacturer may meet socially
OF the bettercass consumers Of liquors but GER
alnly not the man who retas 1t. The same rule
applies to the linen manufacturer and the retail store
keeper, and right along the line; In other words
the social distinctions numerous and so closely
defined that to use metaphor we find crystal re-
fusng to associate with china. China on the other
hand refuses TO recognize delft and poor earthenware
is left out In the cold altogether In a sentence the
entire city consists OF ciques which move in way
not unlike the motion OF the heavenly bodies, each hav.
ing Its little sun round which It revOlves with per
pctunl notion
In the matter Of amusemens the people OF Belfast
are hard to move. Fancy in city of close on
100000 Inhabitants. there Is to be found theatre
and couple Of music halls the former struggling
for existence and the latter not too well patro-
nized. The OF this IS to be found IN the large
church going and prayermeeng constituency Of the
Presbyterian, Methodist. Baptist and other Protestant
churches. Do not let IT be understood for moment
that Irish PresbyterianiSm for instance is like
thing else on earth The Irish Presbyterian is some
thing Of the type the old scottish Covenanter. only
more So You won't find the Irish Presbyterian with
an organ IN his church. not he! lie may use IL IN
the prayer meeting when he is prasing his Maker
with some of Moody and Sankey's most SOUL
stirring hymns, he may wink at its use
the sabbath-sch0Ol the nursery Of the Church,
where the children are supposed 10 get their training
as future members Of that body but he cannot find
language strong enough within the necessarily limited
vocabulary his command against its use in what he
calls NTH emphasis the services Of the sanctuary"
Long and bitter have been the discussions In the
Church courts over this question Of Instrumental
music and it, solution as far off as II was
fifteen years ago. As a matter OF curiosity list OF
the places Of worship in the city and suburbs here
given will speak for ITSELF Church OF Ireland Episco
pail %; Presbyterian, SO; Methodist, %; Roman
Catholic, various, 90; making total Of l2o places
Of worship in and about the city,
Notwithstanding many drawbacks. want OF cul-
ure conspicuous absence Of the love OF art for its
own sake beng among the rest Belfast has all those
elements which go make city great and prosperous,
and no doubt In generation or two ue
inhabitants will wake up to find that there u
something else in life than ney-making However
for present this is the Alpha and Omega OF their
aims The Belfast merchant is far-seeing and self
reliant though slow to accept modern ideas until
they have been thoroughly tested elsewhere, ana
forced upon him beyond refusal Take electric light
ing for instance. With the exception Of its being In
two or three large places OF business, II Is not TO DO
seen. Nevertheless the city fathers make boast,
and not without reason that far gas lighting Is
concerned there no better lighted city in the United
Kingdom. The price of gas to the consumer is 20
cents per thousand feet The plant Is owned by the
city, and the coal used comes from England and costs
81 80 per ton at the works
Time was when Belfast could boast Of little beyond
It's interest in the linen trade; but now
Lincnopos as it is called. can point with
paldonabe pride to its shipbuildng yards, and
smile with conentment when the names Of those
record breakers Of the Atlantic mentioned, namely,
the Teutonic and Majestic Nor are It's energies con-
fined here alone Its whlskcy production its aerated
water manufacturers and its tobacco factories are all
matters Of world wide fame. A few statistics here
may serve TO show the immense strides this city has
made within fifty years For instance, the population
which in ls4l was 75,3Oo extends 10 213,OOO.
In buildings alone the increase within five shows
in l5s6 1914 new buildings valued at S64.~o; In
1891, 1sI7 new buildings valued at $4,000. Inc
gross amount OF duties paid at Belfast for the
wear ls43 was al GG4 900. For the year 1891 1t
reached the enormous Of $ll.137,ooo. The value
Of the exports to the United states for the 1891
was 9o,2l5OO0. this being about 10 per cent of the
output of the mills here.
In matters Of politics the question Of Home Rule
IS which is agitating the North Of Ireland at
present In view of the general election which Is gen.
orally admitted to be not FAR on IN ANTICIPATION it @
pressed understood there is deep seated conviction
here that the long standing euds between Protestans
and Roman Catholics dating as far back as loS99,
when the question Of Protestant or Roman Catholic
asccndancy fought and settled on the banks Of the
Boyne will render the solution Of the question
tremey hazardous. not To use a stronger term. The
blood which has been shed in the city Of Belfast alone
since the great riots of Is64 gives indication Of
the feelings which exist between Protestant and Roman
Catholic hence the de.ermined opposition TN, me
gence Of Ireland in the North. and II Home Rule 10
established fear that they will fare very badly at the
hands Of the overwhelming Catholic majority. Truly,
Ireland is an unhappy country.
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