The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-13

not to-day what tomorrow would bring
forth.
ST. Patrick himself, though born in
France. was brought captive 10 Ireland
and afterward taken back to France. He
was wen or in France, but he resolved 10
| return to Ireland and do what he could
for the country. He remembered how the
beautiful green sward had dripped with
| blood, and how the blue sky was red with
the fires of idOlatry, and he determined TO
return and devote his life to Christianizing
Ireland.
There is no doubt that st. Patrick re-
sorted to trickery in performing his mira
Giles Of faith. for he was a shrewd man,
and he knew that to work upon the ig-
norant classes he must perform wonders.
So he soaked twigs with water and then
| called in all the flreworshippers. He heap
ed the twigs high until they formed an
| altar, and then he held his hands over
the altar and blessed it.
Now set fire TO itP' he cried, and told
the ire-worshlppers to make The fire burn.
When they failed in every attempt he
said Now. l will make il burn" and
| touching a few dry twigs in the middle
he, set the fire flaming up.
This is the altar of the true God!'
he said.
st. Patrick's Ireland, as It is to-day
has people who are all Christians and
a country that is all fertility. The crops
| come up in early spring and on ST. Pat
| rick's day the Irish farmer is ready to
| put his pillow In the ground. The ground is
rich, and from il grow potatoes in abund-
ance and all kinds Of fruits. Nuts grow
| in Ireland, as nowhere else, and the most
! shiftless landsmen can sit down and wait
| for his crops to mature. 1t is a beautifW
| country, and even those who have left it
and come to another land TO live, admit
| that for beauty of scenery. for abpnd-
ance of fruits for healthfulness of air, for
a bountiful water supply. for clear at
mosphere, a shining sky and general
abundance, there is nothing away from
| Ireland that compares to Ireland.
But the shadow of poverty is over St.
Patricks land. ireland needs her rich
men to return to her and improve her
! The Irish peasants need money and the
| Irish landlords need capital Ireland is
| disheartened 1t belongs to a country that
is different from it in religion and differ
ent in race traits and character The
heart Of the Irishman is as warm as the
| heart of the Englishman is cold; the Irish
tongue is as soft as the English accent Is
| accurate; The Irish education is as flow
cry as the English is statistical; the Irish
| hope is as optimistic as Ahe English is
pessimistic; the Irish love Of family and
soil is as affectionate as the English il
1
| ed with horse that goes a different gate
| and pace.
| q Yet Ireland as you see it to-day, is fairly
| prosperous. No one is starving to death,
yet all are poor. The landlords became
discouraged during the days of Parnell,
and since then have been unwilling to i'm
| prove the condition of the tenantry. And
| the tenantry has become more and more
| rebellious. To escape paying rent they fee
| to a country where. though they must pay
| rent, they have more liberty; and so the
| condition Of those who remain in Ireland
| becomes more lonesome and more forlorn.
| That is the lower class of Irish-thosa who
dig the ground and bring to town the vege-
tables for which ii is famous! Many of
| the vegetables of Ireland are sent to Eng
| land and TO France.
But ireland has beautiful spots as well
| as wretchcd ones. There nre in Ireland to-
| day 500 castles in which live the descend
1 ants of the old kings that ruled Ireland
| wears ago. Many of these castles were
| standing then, and the richest legends
| gather around them. Lying around the
| castles are great estates in which live the
| farmers and their families They raise
| crops upon them and take them to market
| and sell them and pay rental to the estate
which rents them the land.
| If St Patrick could see Ireland to-day
| he would mourn over it and Doubtless
/ for he would have the head and heart 70
| straighten matters out-be able to right 1t
| soon. The trouble, where there is trouble
in Ireland, lies with the ignorance of the
| country. The estate of the Earl OF Ava
| contains an Irish castle with five hun
| bred acres. Upon this five hundred acres
| live five hundred farmers. Years ago they
| paid a certain rent to the oyerseer. To-
day they cannot pay that rent, yet the
overseer demands it. When they say that
the land is growing poor and needs fertii-
cation he refuses fertilizer, and every
year there is trouble on that estate. A
! little personal supervision and a little
more consideration with the farmers and
they would become willing tenants. That
is the trouble throughout 1reland-the
| ignorance of those who own land.
But Ireland is beautiful Ireland. st.
Patrick would be proud of it. He would
| hold his hands over il to-day and say;
II have done 1t" with more pleasure than
| he sad it fourteen hundred years ago. 1t
is a religious Ireland God-lovlng and
| God-fearing. 1t is an honest Ireland,
warm in spirit and good in character. 1t
Is a bome-loving Ireland, and the people
do their work faithfully day after day
and go to church Sunday after Sunday
year in and year out They are people
with good character and good heart,
and people whom you love the more you
ST Patrick would find to-day in ireland
1900 square miles of territory. He would
find there 100000 people He would find
manufactures and commerce, and he
would find very fine set of Irlshmen in
place of the ignorant ones he left Gerald
William Balfour, Sir John Farrell. Lord
Ashbourne and the Earl of Cadogan are
names to conjure with, names that will
be great in history.
He would find its agriculture second to
none in the world and he would find great
cities in place of riotous villages, and a
high educational standard.
Throughout the isle he would find only
one thing lacking, only one thing craved
by the people, only one thing they do
not possess.
But may be that viii come.
W. Francis Cooghlan.
Clean Straw Has Value