The Washington herald., 1907-10-20

lHs policy Of the Roman Catholic Church
copy Of Grievances from Ireland is
regularly sent every month 10 each mem
Der Of the House Of Lords and rne House
OF Commons, as well IS to the editors ~
every daily and pricipal weekly secular
and religious newspapers I'm the empire
Grievances from Ireland appears AS the
advocate Of religious liberty for Irish
Protestants and Loyalists in the exercise
Of their just rights as subjects Of a Pro-
testant King and a Protestant constitu-
ton, and with the determination 10 make
their grievances and wrongs fully known
to the British public"
Now, after the blowing up Of the Glen
aheiry lodge an article appeared in
Answers Ga London weekly. with prob
ably the largest circulation Of anv in
the three kingdoms). signed by Lord
Ashtown, and giving an account Of how
he is prosecuted" by the Irish peopIe.
under the title How Irish Landlords
Have 70 Live" When Mr.. Tim HeaIv
was cross-examining Lord Ashtown at
the quarter sessions. he questioned him
regarding this article Lord Ashtop,n
swore that he neither wrote the article
nor signed it, He said the statement that
he had written ID was false and the whole
thing was concOction. In reply 10 the
statement Of Lord Ashtown's the editor
OF Answers in the following week set
down in his paper the following sworn
declaration Of one Of his staff
Il solemnly affirm that the article
which appeared I'm Answers was dictated
10 me by Lord Ashtown. al the Euston
Hotel on the evening Of Monday August
ls; that / told his lordship that the arti-
Gle was for publication in that journal:
that he, during the course OF the dicta-
ton, again and again asked me 10 alter
the language where il required verbal
alteration. and that he gave me his sig
nature 10 append 10 the article"
The editor adds The MS bearing
his lordship's signature. is now in my
possession. Under these circumstances
I think It viii be conceded that in pub
fishing the article, Answers acted in per-
feet good faith, and there, so far as I
am concerned. the matter ends" Yet
this same Lord AshtOwn is a fair speci-
men Of the kind OF man who rules Ire
land-and England. too. I wonder. how
long would America stand for this?
The latest report OF the general priz-
Ons board Of Ireland very strikingly
shows how crime is declining in our coun-
try The number Of prisoners committed
10 prisons in Ireland during 1896 was 81
So and the daily average number IN
custody was 254l. a decrease Of S7g in
the number Of commitments. and de-
crease Of 60 in the daily average. number.
compared with the previous year. In 1898
the number Of prisoners committed in
Ireland was 3S.2)5. There has been
gradual annual decline since then. until
the figures Of last year were reached.
These were the lowest since 1898. The
proportion OF prisoners sent 10 prison on
conviction for drunkenness 10 the total
number Of convicted prisoners, continues
10 decrease. In 1902 the proportion was
about 30 per cent, in 1893 IL had fallen 70
g per cent The report records with
satisfaction q decrease IN the number OF
Overwhelmingly, prisoners under six
teen years of age-cOmmitted 10 prison.
the figures for 1906, viz, Us, being the
lowest for the past ten years.
Following the lines of the scheme
known as the "BOrstal System" a new
departure was made in Ireland during the
year in the treatment Of male convicted
criminal prisoners between the ages OF
sixteen and twenty-One years, with a
view Of bringing special reformatory in
huences TO bear on them before they
have become hardened in a course Of
crime. AT present the new treatment is
applied 10 those male juvenile-adults who
are sentenced 20 nine months and up-
ward. this being considered the shortest
period which viii give the treatment
reasonable chance Of succeeding. Such
prisoners are transferred from the diff
ferent prisons tn Ireland 10 q portion or
Clonmel Prison. which has been spe-
Cially set apart and htted up for their
reception. They receive special iustruc-
tion in useful trades and industries, have
physical drill in addition 20 walking ex-
ercise, receive special attention from the
and are allowed a certain amount
Of association in a recreation room. A
Prisoners Aid Society has been formed
at ClOnmel. with a view TO assisting
these prisoners. on discharge. to obtain
a good start in life. this being an essen
tial part Of the system, and the prisons
board makes special grants OF money
in deserving cases to supplement the as
sistance Of the aid society.
A remarkable monument Of Irish cul-
ture in medieval times has Just been
published by the Royal Irish Academy
the astronomical treatise OF the Irish
monk Dicuil. It is edited for the first
time. from a single ninth century manu-
script in a library IN the north OF France,
by Mr.. Mario Esposito, who has given
aE account Of its contents in the preface
which accompanies his edition Little,
according 10 the editor is known about
DlcuiL He lived about 1850 A D.. and
composed his book In France in G4-Sl6
A. D.. when he was teaching in one of
the court schools Of the King Of the
Franks, Louis le Debonnaire. TO whom
he has dedicated the work The treatise
is interesting 10 historians Of astronomy
and to students Of medieval Latinity
but. OF course, from the scientific point
Of view il does not teach US anything
A geographical work by the same DiCuil
is also extant, and has been published
in France and Germany. A new edition
is in preparation by Mr EspOsitO who
also tells Us that several other astronO-
mical works by Irish monks, written IN
Latin and not yet published, are extant
in several continental libraries.
During the Young Ireland movement
of the forties, priest, who was sig
nally faithful to the people and TO Ire
land, one whose memory should be cher
ished, was Father Kenyon. Many will
remember that II was he who. at a later
critical period, when other priests had
refused 10 officiate at the burial Of Ter
ence Bellew MacManus, Father Kenyon,
a fine ITishman ever. was the man boldly
TO step forward and offer his services A
paragraph. throwing striking light upon
Father KenyOn's dauntless Irish char
acter. has been unearthed by some one
from a letter written by Aubrey De We're
to Henry Taylor. It is dated July. 1S4I.
De We're says.