The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-05-12

quirc little encouragement to take it up.
The Irish soldier instead OF being i'll
cascd in the ludicrous wrappings OF
modern civilization would thus have.
like the Scottish, costume comiorta-
bic, economic, national and picturesque
and one which would recall to Irishnen
that theirs is one of the Oldest civiliza-
tons i'll Europe" #
Napoleon called the highlandcrs
re-buttocked savages" and the Roy
al Irish guards in saffron kits might
similarly be dubbed by some enemy
they had soundly trounced, but that
wouldn't hurt; the English have already
made us familiar and Indifferent to that
and equally vituperative cpithets. The
Irish faculty for sarcasm may make the
kilt idea ridiculous and, besides, it is
not by any means certain that the Irish
of the sixteenth or any other century
were generally clad as Gibson depicts
or that a plain saffron kilt was ever a
truly national costume. Archaeologists
tell us that cloth somewhat similar to
the tartan or plaid was worn by the an
cient Irish, the number of colors in the
fabric indicating the social or political
position of the wearer. AS the Scotch
originally were an offshoot OF the an
cient Irish Kelt, the tartan may be re-
garded as a symbol of what was once a
distinctive article of apparel in Ireland
in olden days. The Scotch in later CEN
turies being less resistful to benevolent
assimilation they have been allowed
to show their colors, while articles Of
dress that were distinctively national in
ireland were prohibited. But anyway
here's fun to the brawny Kclt in his
saffron kilt as he disports his bare and
bulging calves around the gates Of
Buckingham and Windsor palaces.
If the present exodus continues there
will not be many fighting men left in
Ireland to join the Royal irish guards.
"Ill fares the land to Fastening ills a
prey" sang Goldsmith, and surely i'll no
other land have ills so uninterruptcdly
and pitilessly fastened as in this. The
prosperity and happiness Of other peo-
Piles are guaged by their growth in pop
ulation; in this country according to the
economic ethics of our rulers the de-
cline of the producing classes is the sign
of social progress. The world is being
loudly told by the English press that
Ireland is now contented and prosper
Gus and happy and that sll complaints
are. forever silenced by the visit of the
queen. Would that the statements had
even basis OF truth, but the emigration
statistics OF the Irish registrar general
just published tell a different tale, 1t is
a sad moral they point for country
whose life blood is daily cbbing away
from its shores The exodus for 1899
is dishcartcning one, the figures show
ing that 43,7oo fled the land, being an
increase OF nearly 10000 as compared
with 1898. The total number OF emil
grants OF native birth who left Irish
ports from May I, 1851, TO the 31st OF
December is 3,7o6,131, Of whom 1885,
443 were males and 1,S14o68 females.
The highest number i'll any one year Of
the period embraced (and which does
not include the terrible famine years Of
1S4o-4o) was 1oo,322 in 1852, and the
lowest 32,241 in 1893. In the decade
from 1866 to 1875 the average annual
number OF emigrants was 1867; in the
previous decade, ending with 1866, the
average number per annum amounted
to 8S,272, and from 1852 to 1855, both
inclusive, the average annual number
was 14S,oS5. The upward jump in the
statistics of dcpopulation of last year
shows that the long, sad tale Of misery
and misgovernmcnt is still unrclicved by
even one bright ray of promise, and one
can have but little hope that this is not
the beginning OF another period OF con-
tinucd increase in the departures into
exile OF peasantry who are so passion
atcly fond Of their native land.
And the worst OF it is it is the young
and strong who are going. OF the
4I,232 natives of Ireland who left the
country last year, 3,542, or 3 per 1000 OF
the province in 1891, were from Leins-
ter; 1878, 1874 per 1000, were from
Munster; 8,7o1, or 5.4 per 1000, were
from Ulster, and 1921, or 1874 per
1000, were from Connaught. The COM
parativcly large number who fled from
Connaught and Munster is no doubt
largely due to the famine which pre-
vailed in districts OF both provinces in
1SoS--a calamity which the authorities
denied at first, and did little to alleviate
at any time.
An Irish Ballad Writer.
The Rev. James B. Dollard, OF To-
ronto, Canada, should have prominent
place in any lust review ol American