The sun., 1903-11-01
rWENTIETH.CENTURY IRELAND.
How II Appears 10 an Irtshmab VINO VISITS
II After Twenty Years Absence.

| GuGrierig.
| Il was after an interval OF twenty years
, that the writer Of these reinarhs feN'slteu
| Ireland this past summer. lhat peI'oo
| has pussed since he hrst uuitteu h's ha'Ns
| land TO pegih the struggle OF NE NJ aisbahs
| on, IN. question inevitably forces itseiI
| on the returning irsnmhn wnetner tne new
| generation mas advanced. moraily. m'eheV'-
| uaily and materially, beyond the se"e'a.
of lrisnmen wnicn was young WILL hiius'1'
| more tnan twenty golden years hso'
| he Is drawn 70 compare the lrc!aho he ~.
| himself in to-day with othef lanus Nv p'eoenN
whose condition 10 even more iSn!!ar ~ mn
| than the recoiieotlonb OF young u'''n'N "
| his native land,
In material wealth. in public worRs ana
| buildings and the hum OF commerclaI
| tivity, modern Ireland is far inoeea peuiiiu
| New York or Pennsylvania or eaho,ila'
| The older parts OF Duo!in and LorK or Lln.
| erick have scarcely changed their appeaauS
| in forty years; indeed. their princlpa' ouuy.
ings date back beyond tho century just
ended. An examination OF the numerous
| public edihces ol Dupiin. its courts Of lu"'
| It's custom house. it's national BANK ps cathe'
| drals, reveals the strange TACT that more 'hap
| uIne -tenths OF those in the hrst CLASS os'e
| from the eighteenth century. oeloIe Wv
Union,
In manufactures and business activity
the contrast Is even more noticeable between
| America and Ireland. There is fair amount
OF business activity in the streets OF the larger
| cities, but few great establishments ano
| fewer manufactures. One ID struck py the
| number OF foreign agencies 10 the business
| streets. and also by the numerous deserted
factories and mills. through the south espe-
| cially. which point TO former industries
| gone out OF existence. There is little evi'
| deLee OF new ones arising TO take their place.
| and, generally speaking, the commercial
! prosperity Of Ireland. compared with that OF
most American communities Is small inoeeo'
| One is struck. however. at landing In Cork
| or Dublin from America. by the cheeriul ana
| contented look on most faces The WORKING
! men may be poorer than their brethren IN
America or England. but If their faces can De
| trusted they sesm decidedly happier fine
! Sunday in Dublin is u revelation OF ord erly
! enjoyment on the part of all classes that can
hardly be paralleied elsewhere. Quarrelhns
and rowdy ism seem ulknown. though the
interest in outdoor sports is Of the keenest
The gen era kindly civillty Of the population
Ia remarkable. and especially the absence OF
The profanity and indecency In speech which
one hears so constantly in American cities.
rhe absence OF manufacturing or CONNER
cial Industries In the country itself depri'es
the Irish farmer or farmland of any chance
Of other employment except at the price OF
eXparrlatior. lEc factories that exist are
HITtAuS euIpUeu WIN OpeId'Nce' ohN ~"
new ones have been begun. The sbipbuildiIg
and lnsn trade OF lister. the tweeds and
serges Of Munster and the other Irish manu-
iactures. are too small to supply work Tor
Surplus farm labor from the country. At
most they can barely provide for those already
engaged in them. Irish manufactures, IKE
he irish population. have been steadily
dwindIing during the last sixty years. and,
In fact. their decay began somewhat earlier.
lnYH "A
esert cd mills and factories. Tie stipyaids
Of Lubnn ana fortaw which once gave
employment 20 thousands, are now deserted.
in every lisn cit! one fines tie larger part OF
the business controlled by foreign agencies.
Even III the limited rlanuiacturiue industries
which rtili exist many OF the most important
put a ban on the employment oil iIlsnmen.
II Catholics. In any important position.
The professions ontr surprisingly small
feld in ireland compared with America or
Engiuhd. A r'c,n, ;etnrn shoNsu 4 total
mum Der Of Il. dtdI IiaotitoL.is ut little over
tnirty-lwo hundred IL a .opLIaiIoh as large
as tiIal oil PennsyiNaIlu. II is sale 10 say
an American community would give profit
attic employment to eight times the number
NeyeTtu,Itss, tHo average incomes OF lIisn
doctors are very siua!i. go
Ihe iega! profession. If exercised without
Government appointments OF some kihd. Is
even less promising tnSn the meUlcal. liie
courts are almost Ell ply oil Dusihtss, ana " ~
suggestive TO visit the -Four Courts any day
ana note the petty Character OF the disputes
which occupy he twelve Superior Judges.
whose salaries average $50, 90 each. IL ioohs
as though the Whole amount OF the cl,li
claims adjudiCated II each year were less
than the amounts paid 10 the Judges alone
To win a profitable income A. the bar by
ireland to-day. 1t is certainly much rareI
than il was fifty or hundred years ago, ana
;he professional Gharacter 81 'he he irish oaf
a1miss either to the regal medical pro-
fesson in ireland is higher both in time and
ttfn fhnyMIcrf an 10 we ood I,'ea +
as sny an yllius,IstiSn Of The drSuies ID the way
men Of the present day in ireland more tnan
in other lands.
For ar, or t1ratnrn as Ryoe'eIe pr9fss
Such as ELECT to pursue ;hem as means Of
bvt u /. t is not ot character 20 attract breht
cf ,s iny od pSb soSd S be Be-
i,npossib. Ia Ireland attn present moment. |
Sao. = @ nepussa S9s GsuS s Swnins II hs eTdfd ad
sss sssrD e+'s s,s,; '"'s;ys ESssSy Tssfoq1s
fortned -third Of the population Of the |
British Islapds To-day those in Ireland are
soGs s e hs 9s ns a .' and s
on tie nthtr lave been going on for well nish !
sixtv gears. and they stll continue. Until |
that condition ceases y is idle to speak OF any
prosperity for Ireland or the Irish people |
What msE.e the depopu]ation Of Ireland
more remarkable Is that every other Europc an
land has steadily gained during the last |
sixty ys are. Switzerland, Belgium, Germany,
Italy, Spain, Russia and even Turkey are all
NOR populous now than fifty years ago
Even the 90 called Xii Rdom OF Poland, which
shares with ireland the disadvantages Of
foreign rule has doubled it's population and
more than auadruped its wealth since 1871.
ireland then numbered eight millions and
Poland little over four. At the prese!t day
the KngdoIn Of Poland has ci.ht millions
and ireland less t..an Aye. The Polish prov
incss under PTussian rule have nearly doubled
ther population III th' same period. despite
hostile legislation on III part OF the German |
rNlrrs and very considerable emigration.
Even tn Christian province. under thu Sui
Tar a rule in Europe have crawn In inhab- |
touts. while Ireland las been d. populated
during continuous period of more than
fifty years,
The famine caused by the potato disease
continued three years. but its cessation with
isis brought no stop to the decr"ase IN the
porulation Of Ireland, 1t had fallen to six
and half millions in 1851: II was only FIVE and
ihr,e ouartcr millions in 1881. i've and a half
in 1871. FIVE millions one hundred and fifty
thousand In 1881, under fve millions at the
close Of the ne 1t decade and little over four
and a half millions AT the close Of the CEN
turv The decrea still contlnues. and one
Of the Characteristic scenes OF Irish life wit