Washington sentinel., 1901-01-05
49, The eco
Cbe RcmaRin1 ,oo,ic regsn.
Of 1IrcIanO. Grafton OF
Ireland. now

Ireland, now
being started on cooperative lines
by Mr.. Plunkett and the Irish Agri-
cultural Organization Society, is
the subject Of a pleasing sketch in
! Flack1g90a by Mr.. Stephen Gwynn.
He tells what he saw during "a
month in Ireland" notably in
Donegal and Mayo. He describes
the cooperative creamery at Killy-
gordon.
incidentally he mentions a diff
Guilty enthusiastically Irish,
which comes out in the following
letter from a local creamery:
Sir-There was man sending in
milk, and we suspected him Of watering
We had the analysis taken, and it
showed IS per cent of water. We told
him he should be ashamed OF himself
and he came to the committee, and he
Knocked down two members Of the
committee and bIacEed their eyes. Sir,
what are we to dor
Happily, this is an exceptional
case. Mr.. Gwynu tells how the
society has taught the people to
spray their potatoes on the first
sign of disease; and, but for the
spraying. there would not have
been a stalk left IN the potato fields.
The rural banks, as he finds
them, have been remarkably sue.
cessfuI. Here is a typical case;
A man owning a couple OF fields
had sold a COW to pay his rent, and
had no money with which to re-
stock; but tor ths bank, the grass
was going to waste. He borrowed
80, paid I8s, for pair Of "suck-
ers," and E8 I35. tor a pair Of
young beasts. The pigs ne sold
in four months for s. los. The
heifer5 he sold in ten months for
Lao. He then repaid his loan
which, with interest at 8 per cent.
made 10 guineas, and was left with
"a to the good.
Mr.. Gwynn holds that these sue
cesses disprove the familiar charge
that "the Irish have no capacity
tor business"
It is interesting to know the part
which Roman Catholic priests
have played in this promising new
departure. Mr.. Gwynn says Of the
initiative in Mayo:
Here, as everywhere else, the
priest had addressed his people
from the altar, and told them there
was a gentleman that had things
20 say to them that they wouI9 do
well 10 listen. end the 6r-- york Of
the propaganda had been done
outside the chapel-by a Catholic
among Catholics for Ireland, with
no taint or suspicion OF party pur-
pose"
The society has, Mr.. Gwynn
claims, done for Irish agriculture
what has been done in France,
Denmark, Canada, and other
countries by the State-at a cost
to subscribers in nine years Of
$4,000.
There is reserved to the close Of
Mr.. GwYnn's most cheering paper
an account Of the woolen industry
in Donegal. He says:
A member of the Congested
Districts Board fell in with Mr..
Morton, Of the famous Darvel
carpet making firm, and heard Of
his factories at work IN the remote
parts Of the Highlands. why
should not the same be done in
the west OF IreIand7' he asked;
and Mr.. Morton was willing to
make the experiment, # a place
could be found with railway and
sea communication. Killybegs
was pitched upon, and the work
was started IN a provisional way
the board guaranteeing a con-
siderable sum it, at the expiration
Of two years, 1t seemed unproit
able to 90 on with it. But there
vas no want OF workers with hu-
gers that naturally took to the
swift, deit work, and the expira-
ton oil the two years found the
hrm completing a fine factory. 1t
only ne WY opened when passed
through, and was lucky enough
to meet Mr.. Morton hir elt-an
empl yer Of artistic labor with all
the instincts Of an artist What
struck him most was, it seemed to
me, the lnborn artistic sense OF the
Irish peasants, their manifest
pleasure IN watching the pattern
grow on the loom; and, next to
that, the tact that the Mills about
the district were exactly Ii to feed
the right class Of sheep and pro-
| duce the right wool"