The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-10-10
HWbeeI i'm ireland.
By John III. Black.

The dwellers about here cannot
blame the offin-maker if death over
take them unawares, for he warns
them daily by building his gruesome
boxes in a shop with the whole front
open on the street. He was busy warm
ishing a hungry-looking coffin of pine
as we passed by his place; so we came
back by the next street, for 1t is just
as well to be cheerful while you may
, be by turning corner or two.
In the evening we went out to the
| Cork exposition and, after paying six
pence admission and a penny for a seat
in the boat. we sailed down along the
Mardyke walk into the exposition on
swift stream with banks and bottom of
pine plank. The exposition, if meas
ured by our American standard, is on
a small scale; but no fair-minded Wis.,
itor would make such a comparison. 1t
is very praiseworthy enterprise and
one which will benefit not only Cork,
but all Ireland. for the people cannot
behold these eXpositions of the worlds
progress and not catch some of the
spirit of progress themselves. One of
the most curious things 1 saw at the
exposition was a Manchester man
whom / fell in with and whom it would
have been easy for an Irishman to fall
out with. With pipeful of royal mix
ture he smoked out a most fantastic
brood of statements about Ireland and
the Irish. which prejudice brooding an
ignorance had Matched out in his era
nial cavity. He said that all of Ire
lands ills were due to the Unborn shift
lessness of the Irish, and that promot-
ing expositions and other educative en-
terprises in Ireland was casting pearls
before swine. This fellows opinion is
worth notice here only because he rep
TeSents a class not unknown in Amer
lea, who shut their eyes and open
their mouths to take their opinions on
the Irish question. The Irish question
cannot be disposed of by adjudging the
Irish people incompetent, for this judg-
ment will not stand when appeal is
taken to the story of the Irish in
America and in Australia, and, indeed,
wherever they have got out from under
the weight of landlordism and its sup
porting laws and institutions.
You have, no doubt, gone into room
or a house some time and been con-
scious that some change had been made
since your last visit: something had
been disturbed. but you could not point
ii out. l have had this experience in
Ireland. / had been conscious ever
since / got ashore that something had
been disturbed in Ireland and today ,
discovered what it is-the -constabulary
wear caps and look like men now. Two
years ago the majesty of the law was
crowned with a little pail-lil1e thing on
the side of its head, the bail under its
chin. His majesty's troops still wear
the pail Darwin may have been mis- !
taken in his doctrine that man came |
from monkey. but he had good |
grounds for suspicion in a country
where he saw so many British soldiers |
wearing monkey clothes and headgear. |
We stopped on Patrick street to pick |
out likely-loolSing jarvey and car, but |
before we could make any choice. the |
nearest one to us had us up on his |
and was hurrying along toward !
Blarney Castle with his prey. He was |
not as good a guide as most jarvies are |
for he was dull of hearing; but nature !
had mercifully compensated him for the
loss of his hearing by giving him a
good eye for the CLINT of the silver
An Irish jaunting car has no equal |
as means of doing what its name
uggests-jaunting about. 1t has a
lively. swinging movement which inn
parts vivacity to those who ride on
II, unless they be past hope. A ride in
a jaunung car will cure the blues.
Everybody laughs and grows merry on
an outside car-or nearly everybody, for
there are always some who can resist
any temptation to be happy. Bianconi
who introduced the jaunting car in Ire
land, who not an Irishman, but he had
a wonderful insight into the Irish ma
ture and made a vehicle to match it
exactly in sprightliness. which, of
course, insured the success of the in
Fention. An Irishman is never so much
an Irishman as when he gets his back
10 the We'll, his face to the green
ields and lets his troubles go to the
winds as he goes sideling along Ire
ands fine roads on an outside car
You can go to Blarney Castle by
ram car which may be well enough for
hose who go often, but for one who is
making his first pilgrimage to this
,ourt of eloquence, the only proper way
S to go by jaunting car, especially if
me expects to be made a knight of
8larney, for / doubt if the royal rock
If Blarney will bestow favors upon
hose who are so unmindful of the
Droprieties of approach to so august a
'ourt as to come out on a tram car.
The ride to Blarney takes one through
| bit of charming country. The road, is
picturesque; it runs along the valley. |
inder the hills. through the wooded
pots, between the moss-coVered walls
haded by great overhanging trees and
angled vines: then It winds about !
lTnong green fields, past groups of
Matched cottages and down into the !
alley again to the village of Blarney-