The Washington herald., 1907-05-05

More tnan anything else, suppose lttc
registrar generals annual returns indi-
cate a turning Of the tide in Ireland.
For seventy years and more the popula-
ton returns we're year by year showing
that Ireland was being depopulated at
an appalling rate for the greater portion
Of seventy years gOne-a decrease, the
Irishman felt relieved. il AT the end Of
any year the registrar generals return
showed Ireland 10 have lost only 5000.
During the recent revival years the an
nual loss to ireland was steadily de-
creasing as prosperity increased The
latest returns from the registrar gen
eraI show that last year Ireland's loss
was reduced TO 400o-a long cry from
hundreds Of thousands of those that We
were annually losing in the late '40's and
SOS. The next yearly returns WILL We
all confidently hope. show slight in
crease in Irelands population-the tide
has surely turned. Twelve years ago the
pessimists were predicting that in an
other century Ireland-to use a Hlberni-
cism-would be peopled only with bui-
iecks To-day in. Ireland there Is no
more room for pessimists.
The turning of the tide in Ireland, and
the wave Of prosperity which has begun
70 be felt there, is accounted for By d
combination Of circumstances. New land
laws. wrung from a hostile government
By a stern fight winch tie people Of Ire
land for twenty-five years have put up
on the soil Of Ireland: a mint Of money
which Irish boss and girls IN America
have sent home 10 their struggling par
ents. and improvements in the system Of
agriculture. ali these have been important
factors in turning the tide The new
spirit Of self-reIiance that has taken pos
session of young ireland is another most
important factor And still another, and
one Of the most important. is that Irish
men and Irish women, hearkening TO the
teachings Of the Gaelic League and the
Snn Fein movement have realized that
to rebuild our nation materially they
must foster Irish industries Fourteen
million pounds a year were being sent out
Of ireland 20 the foreign manufacturer
for articles. the greater portion Of which
could have been made I'm Ireland-this
was a terrible drain upon our country
and. keeping this in mind, it is easy to
see why the hundreds of thousands of
irish boys and girls were fleeing from
Ireland going 10 the worlds ends 70
look for work that We, their own people,
refused them at home.
All the Gaelic languages and all Of
young 7reland who are in the Sim Fein
movement patronlzs only Irish manu-
facture. Their example IS contagious and
month boy month that portion of Ireiand
that is not In the movement is realizing
that at least the industrial portion OF
their programme Is practically protected
and they are falling into line upon the
question Of supporting Irish industries
The result Is that within the past ten
years the Irish Industries have grown
with most pleasing rapdity, Some man.
ufacmrers have doubled. and there ars
even some who have tFebled their former
output Consequently to-day in ireland
every boy and girl can find work al q
{ decent living wage. and the boys and
/ girls are not necessarily driven from the
/ country as once they were. Emigratlor
j must soon cease, and Irishmen and Irish
/ women. instead of upbuilding a foreign
country as was their won't, VIII hence
/ forward be upbuilding the motherland.
Wages in Ireland. even yet. are, o.
course. less than one-half the American
wage. but then ii Is TO be remembered
I that living is so very much cheaper II
/ ireland. and all Incidental expenses 81
much less that one can live very com
fortably in the old country on almost one
third Of what would be requisite in tint
land Of the nimble nickel. Yet. the wag'
in Ireland to-day is. generally speaking
double what il was twenty years ago
! in many cases more than treble The or
( dinary farm hand and unskiled lahore
in Ireland to-day earns from fourteen u
( eighteen shillings a week $3.50 TO s49
ana woman may earn about ten shlll
lnes a week. The farm laborer Who b
emnloved by the haif-yeaT. and is fet
and kept by the farmer, gets from {
10 eli i6s per half year, and farmers
the recent hiring markets had difficulu
i'm getting enough men at this large rats
It was. and this not So very long age
when they had their pick and choice O
dne. strong fellows at from e4 TO e pc
half wear. The woman servant empioEe'
bv the half year can get f6 10 S 70
her services to-day. Within the mem
ory of people who are stll young ID
women considered themselves royalty pal
when they got s3 and 81. and man,
farmers who grudgiugly pay eS per hal
year for their women help now recal IN
happy days when they had only to pa
them g.
lust now in early May the great hiTin
markets are being held in the Variou
ceuters Of Ireland The hiring market
are held in May and in November, an
i'm narts of the North of Ireland these ar
known as rabble markets. The boys an
girls who seek to sell their services I
the big farmers come fyom the recesse
OF the hills. and. with their bundles owe
their shoulders and under their arm
tramn long milestone Of them wal
thirty and forty miles-to the gathetlh
place. and in the street OF the Fllias
the boys and girls stand in rows and tH
farmers and the farmers wives walk
and down inspecting them with critics
eve. and selecting the boy or the girl VIII
seems strong enough for the work the
) Will put before him or her. The boys an
girls put what seems 10 them 10 be fal
Drice upCn their services. and the farm
ers engaging them do their utmost to Oed
them down from this price. Aroun
] every pair who bargain a much Interest
ed knot collects, and as very srea
number of words. both high and low, Pre-
cede the clinching of each bargain N
hiring market is very often a scene {
much excitement AS these boys an
girls have no union to look after their ii
terest every one must shift for himsel
and when driving the bargain with m
employer he tries to stipulate that he
not be made to begin woIK before
the moruing-except in special seasons
or TO continue work after 10 at nigh
.t,. h.. ~,-fl1 rrs4 n 1ta-rata S11nd.ts-s "a hin