The leader., 1903-04-29
A DEFENSE OF IRELAND.
Mr.. Sam Arid Excepts to Some State
ments by Prof. Johnson al the
StE Sunday Meefind.

so crowded with other matter
since its receipt, we have been
unable to publish it until now.
The main portion of the letter,
which is otherwise compliment
tary, is reply to some remarks
made by Prof. j. L. johnson,
Jr., IN his speech on education,
which MI. Arid construed as an
unwarranted aspersion on his ma
tive country. On this score we
quote from Mr.. Aird's long let
ter the following:
"He spoke also of nations, of
their rise and downfall; in fact
he spoke on most things that
would strengthen his subject, but
to give it the right polish, he
spoke of dear old Ireland also.
He said she was the greatest
producer of linen-in fact, pro-
duced more than all other nations
of the world, which is very true;
indeed, he forgot to mention that
she launched the largest ship
that ever Aoated a few days ago;
but with all these great resources
he said there was more dirt, squat
or and ignorance in Ireland than
any other nation in the world.
"Well, sir, those remarks made
me feel very small indeed, for
they are not true. / lived in that
country for IS years; have roamed
oyer her mountains and valleys;
have sailed on her rivers, visited
her cities, towns and villages, her
castles and hamlets, her churches
and institutions of learning, of
which there are many. Her day
schools will compare with those
of any other nation in the world
in their faculties and buildings.
Few in the great State of Missis-
sippi would compare with them.
Her churches, both metropolitan
and rural, ale handsome, comfort
able, and we'll attended. Worship
is held there not monthly, but
weekly. Talk of the ignorance
and dirt of the Irish! 1t is a mis-
take. The children are we'll in
structed in spiritual as we'll as sec
uIar learning, They would put
a great many of our smart Amer
leans to shame in Biblical knowl
edge. If the professor would
drop in some fine morning at one
of her towns or villages he could
either take walk or drive, for
they have fine roads out among
the peasantry-his eyes would
behold a great quantity of that
linen he spoke about, made up in
to nice shirts and skirts; all we'll
Numbered and worn by persons
of all sexes and ages, with clean
faces and well-combed hair; and
also with their boots and shoes
polished = a thing that is not
much practiced in the rural dis
tricts in the great State of Missis-
sippi. They also have wash
day there weekly and securing al
so as often as necessary. If the
professor would stand on one of
her beautiful hills of a summer
day and look around him he would
see the dwellings glittering in the
sun with white wash and paint.
l also want the professor to un-
derstand that / have a good father
and mother buried there with
! that evergreen sod growing oyer
them, who did not fail to instruct
me in spiritual things and also
cleanliness, which is akin to God
illness. | have brothers and sisters
there who I know keep the house
swept and garnished and are ever
ready to bid welcome to a friend
or stranger.
"Mr. Editor, | am afraid you
will be bored if l don't come to a
close, but a few more words and
/ have done. Those schools that
| speak of were in existence be-
fore [ was born, and i am now
over middle age. They are not
three and four month schools, but
they>fun twelve months in the
year and the parents are com
PEELED by law to send their chill
dren. How are the schools in
Mississippi? Are they not in
their infancy, and a great many
white folks in Lincoln county
who cannot sign their names!
Did not the professor say in his
lecture that young men taught
school in this country for the
money to carry out some other
project with no care for the chill
dren? He said they were two or
three years older than those they
taught, but he did not say they
were any wiser. | think he and
others of his profession ought to
take the beam out of the eye of
their own country, as regards ig-
norance and dirt, for there is
plenty of it to be found -people
with dirty faces and unkempt
hair and some squalor also in the
fine old State of Mississippi.
And If you would look right
close you might find a little even
about Jackson and perhaps an odd
one in good old Lincoln, with due
respect to the worthy professor.