The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1895-08-14

| pIlNlleuBe vi Ille ldHllly Was W Iuu lneiT
potatoes upon the cupboard door. 1t is
doubtful whether this well-fed gentle
man would so well enjoy his little joke
were he himself compelled to subsist for
even short time upon diet Of potatoes
and point" thought had seen rags
and wretchedness in the streets of Amer
lean cities, bnt nowhere else have | seen
rags so ragged; disease and defOrmity so
distressing; or cOuntenances so hard and
imbruted. OF their ignorance and super
stitiOn single incident by way of illus
tratiOn will suffice.
About the time we left Ireland, English
and Irish papers were shocking the read
ing public with accounts Of the witch
burning tragedy in ClOnmel, Tipperary,
where peasant woman, who had been
long time i'll, was actually burned to
death by her husband and relatives, not
because they did not love her and wish
her to live, but because they honestly be-
lieved her to be possessed of witch
which prevented her recovery. Incanta-
tiOns and pOtiOns of bitter herbs were
first used to exercise the evil spirit, but
these failing, they proceeded to burn her
so terribly that she soon died. Incred-
ible as it may seem, they really supposed
that the burning would drive away the
witch and that their friend would then
be restored to them we'll and in her right
mind. This is an extreme case, but the
fact that such thing can happen speaks
volumes for the Ignorance and supersti-
tiOn of these people. | was glad to see
in a recent London paper that the actors
in this horrible tragedy have been con-
victed and sentenced to long terms Of
imprisonment, the husband for twenty
years.
No doubt strong drink, here, as else
where, is largely responsible for much of
the poverty and distress which always
accompany it, and lack of judgment in
the spending of money must account for
much more. In the little village Of
AOOca, with 200 inhabitants, five police
men are required on constant duty.
Why? Because every other door appar-
emily is dram shop, and the people cor
respond both in personal appearance and
behavior to their environment. While
! in Cork we visited the bazaar on a market
day. A whole square, including the
street on one side, was crowded with the
most motley display Of old truck that |
ever saw. Secondhand clothing, sOiled
: and much of it falling into rags; old rat
traps and stOyepipe; rusty locks, keys, and
hinges; old doors and windOw-sash;
! everything that one could think of that
was old and good for nothing, besides
J fruit, vegetables, and all sorts of food,
cooked and uncOOked. These stalls were
crowded from morning until night with
the dirtiest, raggedest, and most fOrlOrn
creatures imaginable, not one of whom
realized he was spending his cOppers for
things that were not worth carrying
home, and that his money was literally
thrown away. No one could ever be COM
Portable, much less prosperous, while u.s.
J ing his money, be it much or little, in
such thriftless fashion. But strong drink
and imprOvidence are not the only causes
of Ireland's distresses; the failure Of so
many Of the absentee landlords to take
any interest whatever in their tenants,
and their oppressive exactiOnSar are largely
responsible. Most of these landlords
spend the money collected from their
Irish estates in England and on the con-
tinent; no part of it comes back into the
country from which it is drawn, and this
tends to depress business and impOyeriSh
all classes. The rents have been raised
again and again until the Irish farmer
finds it impossible to raise the amount
from his place, and was told that many
a servant girl in America sends home
out Of her wages the rent money which
saves her father and mother from eyic-
tiOn. What hope or ambition for him
who sees ahead only lifetime Of toll
and deprivation, Just to pay his rent
without the slightest chance of ever be-
ing able to acquire home or any sort OF
property of his own. What wonder that
every ocean liner is freighted with Ire
lands best, because most ambitious,
youth, seeking in America their land Of
promise; the homes they can never hope
for in their native land. A few years
ago Ireland's population numbered about
100000. To-day it is estimated at 3D.
100000, Of whom three-fOurths are Roman
Catholics; comment unnecessary.
The wicked Irish channel was on its
very best behavior when we passed from
Dublin to HOlyhead. The passage was
shorter as well as smoother than we had
expected, and unless the channel has been
greatly slandered, was much easier than
usual. We enjoyed fine view Of Dublin
as we left the harbOr, and had not been
out Of sight Of land ere the mountains of
Wales appeared on the horizon. As we
approached Holy island, on which Holy
head situated, NOrthand SOuthStack, two