The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1906-03-30

we enjoy; not only civil freedom,
but freedom from the prejudtces
ana customs which come down
from a feudal past. In Eng
land and Ireland it Is a disgrace and a !!
degradation fora gentleman" to work |
or engage in business. A man in busi-
ness Is 3 mere tradesman and not fit to
associate with gentleman. In Amer
lea man who spends his life in idle
ness is disgraced, and is generally
pitied. But over there it Is different.
In the Middle Ages illiteracy was the
badge Of nobility. because am an
noble l cannot write my name" Read
ing and writing were good enough for
priests and clerks. because l am a
gentleman do not work." is what the
gentry over there profess by their
lives. For an American it is impossi-
BILE to conceive the opprobrium that
attaches to a gentleman over there
once he engages in business. Starva-
tion and responsibility may go hand in
hand; but respectabil1tY and success in
business, hardly. What loss to any
country! Its money, that might de-
velop the resources supplied by nature,
wasted in foreign capitals, and the ma
tion impoverished. Is it any wonder
the death knell of landlordism? The
landlords are passing and the peasants
are coming into possession OF the
land, and thus an awful incubus
is shifted from the backs of tie
people.
will give an instance where this
spirit have been describing was mau-
ifested. Near Navan there lives d
family Of great wealth The father
Of this household, sprung from the
people, amassed a great fortune on the
Stock Exchange. The family live in a
stately marble mansion, huilt by Lord
John Russell, some time Prime Minis
Ger of England. Tits beautifully sit
uated on the left bank of the Bayone
River, and is surrounded by moat.
The father, who died couple OF years
ago, was Home Rule member of Par
lament for a number of years. After
he had made his fortune, he resolved
to do what he could to revive the In
dustries of Ireland. With this end in
view, he established at Navan bacon
factory and some other Industries. On
his deathbed he requested his sons to
continue the work begun by himself
The business the first year was carrtad
Last year it paid expenses and it is ex-
pected that another year will see a
dividend declared The sons are great
hunters and polo players. They keep
from a duzen to fifteen polo ponies
But because they are in business, they
are looked down upon by the so-called
gentlemen. One OF the sons told me
that not infrequently in the hunting
field gentleman will ride up to him
and ask: "W hat is the price Of bacon?''
This is asked in sneering tone and is
intended as an insult. 1t means:
"You pretend to be gentleman, but
you are not.
YOU ARE ENGAGED IN BUSINESS. YOU
ARE MERE TRADESMAN."
Could anything be more silly? Is 1t
any wonder that Irish industry lapsed
when such principles dominated the
monied class? But as I said, the
death knell of that class has been
sounded. Through the land purchase
act, the people, the common people
are buying the land. They will con
troll the destiny of Ireland in the tu
ture. They look to America as the
ideal country. American thought per
meates the land. Home Rule is as
sured, and with it something of Amer
lean freedom. Free and with the dc
sire to emulate American thrift and
push, it seems brighter days are 1r
store for unhappy Ireland.