The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1894-07-21

IqulroQ name Tor the excellence OF Ill
yestmente and other articles for churcf
Iuse. "Employmen is given to about
twenty girls in all, and some fifty more
are taught the various industries.
A more ambitious undertaking has
been planned by Most Rev. DR.. MacCor'
mack in the proposed woolen mills fol
Galway; but at this project is not yet az
accomplished fact will pass on to what
are very accomplished facta, namely, the
Providence technical woolen manufac.
tory, Foxford,. and the hosiery factory
Ballaghadereen, county Mayo, both es'
tablished by the Sisters of Charity. !.
1t is quite refreshing to consider the
indomitable spirit with which the Sisters
have established, in the very heart Of the
most congested and impoverished dis
tsict in Ireland, woolen mill at the cost
of $4,000. In 1891 the Sisters of Char
| ity purchased an old store on the Moy
for the purpose of utilizing it as mill.
They got loan of $1,000 and gift Of
Gl,5 500 from the congested districts
board; Lord Zetland gave them 92OO,
and an anonymous friend 9400, and they
raised $4,000 more. With these sums
they erected their mills on the Moy, pur-
chased all the newest machinery, which
was selected by Mr., T. G. Smith of Gale
don, and got full stock of yarns and
other necessaries for their workrooms.
In Ballsghadereen the hoisery. factory
was no lees distinct success. The sis
ters originally had few knitting ma
kchines for the use of tbs children under
their cars, but the demand for work by
young girls became so great in 1891 that
the sisters. determined to enlarge the
scope of their work, and accordingly they
largely increased the number Of their
machines, and procured the proper fin.
ishing apparatus at considerable expense.
They, got some experts from Leinster,
it1ut finding them Unsatisfactory, they
dispensed with them altogether, and have
been managing the work themselves for
the past nine months. With the result
that their work is progressing rapidly.
All over the south and southwest If Ire
land they have large market for their
goods, but complain of the lack of sup
port elsewhere, chiefly because of the
want of active agents in those parts to
push their goods. Besides hosiery, they
have shirt making and needlework de-
partment and laundry. In all l3O
girls and women. get daily employment
at the various Industries there, and this
altogerher apart from the numbers of
children taught those industries. At
Ballaghadereen they obtained loan of
5000, which they hope to pay back by
installmente. In this Lenten pastora',
Most Rev. DR.. Lyster eloquently refers
to the work done by these factories, and
the inealcnlable benefit to be derived
from them.
have now fully dealt with FIVE typical
industries in Ireland. Two are endowed
with fairly large capital, the others en-
dowed with the tirelees energy and self
sacrifice OF the nuns, and their deeply
rooted faith in the future Of our country.
Some dozen or 80 others have barely
mentioned. We haye seen their begin
nings, and their work, and the question
now arises, do they possess within
them the elements of success? A politi-
cal economist will tell us that in these
days of trade competition such isolated
Elittle industries will necessarily be
swamped by the large factories with i'm
mense capital and command. With all
due respect to those little gentlemen, I
think we in Ireland can work out our
salvation in our own way. Il
Ifevery convent in Ireland were made
the centre of industry the effect would be
speedy and permanent. Heretofore,
when our girls left school at the age OF
Is or 16 they were forced to live at home
in idleness, supported by the slender
earnings Of their fathers and brothers,
until such time as they could emizrate to
America, whore life OF hardship awaited
them among strangers. Year by year
tens OF thousands of our young men and
women have fed from this country in
despair, bearing with them knowledge OF
4 trade, which would enable them to face
the new world with some confidence, but
trusting simply to the unframed labor Of
their hands. With the success OF these
industries will come, as matter Of
course, stay on this flow OF immiRra-
tion. Our future, therefore, lies in our
own hands. II the Irish people insist on
getting Irish goods, the traders, who
heretofore have rather discouraged oul
lindustries, will be forced to purchase
them, and the necessity d sending yearly
millions of our money to other countries
/ Tor these fabrics will be ayerted. H these
industries succeed We shall have another
obligation added to the already deer
Idebt 81 gratitude due % our. convent sis m
ten; & they fail the fsnlt vii be nlor
Il our ~ al1a1e. ass