Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-15
Percentage Much Lower Than
in American Cities.
SERIOUS OFFENSES FEW
Scarcity of Needed Farm Labor Due
to Emigration.
MANY LEAVE FOR MORE MONEY
Prolific Birth Rate-Most Learned
Woman in the World-Peter's
Pence Contribution.
BY WILLIAM E.-CURTTS.

BY WILLIAM e. -CURTTS.
Written for The Star and the Chicago Record.
Herald.
Although there is deporable amount
of intemperance in ireland, and accord
ing 20 the estimates of those who have
made a study of that subject at least
one-fifth of the earnings of the people
are spent for liquor. there is comparative
~ little crime. If the offenses growing
out Of the land troubles were deducted.
the criminal statistics would be very
small, and Ireland would rank with
Switzerland, Norway and Denmark
among the most orderly and peaceful
countries on the globe.
1t may be said also that in comparison
with the United States, the criminal sta
tistics are very much in favor of Ireland.
For example, during the year 1905 there
were only four murders in Ireland to
eleven in the District of Columbia; and
only eleven assaults with dangerous weap-
ons in ireland to fifty-three in the District
of Columbia. During the year 1907 there
were eight murders in Ireland and
eighteen in the District of Columbia, and
only seventeen assaults with dangerous
weapons in Ireland to f1fty-one in the
District of Columbia. notwithstanding the
difference in population. The population
OF Ireland Is 4.S9l. .Is,, tnaL Oh the lis
trict of Columbia is 311,3So.
Ireland Compared With District.
During the year 1908 there were 9.12S
persons indicted for crimes in Ireland
in 1906 the total was 9465, and III 1907
it was 9,41S, or'22.2 per 900 of the popula-
ton. The same ratio is. reported for
1897. and the average for the ten years
was 20 per 1000.
During the year 1906, there were 372 per
sons indicted for crime in the District of
Columbia, or LII per 1000 of population;
and in 1907 there were 3S1 indictments, or
10 per 1000.
During the year 1906, there were 1922
indictments found in Chicago Cook
county,, with a population of 2.166.Oo5, or
less than -One-half that of Ireland: the
ratio to population being 2.27 per 1000.
For the year 1907. there were 1868 in
dictments found in Chicago. which was
ZIG per 1000 of the population
In Ireland, however, at least one-fifth
and usually more of the indictments are
for cattle driving, for attempts to burn
crops, hayricks and stables, for killing
and manning cattle, and for writing
threatening letters. The authorities are
the land troubles, and sometimes half
the population of villages will be indicted
for using popular methods of persuasion
to compel the large land owners to sell
letters are written. for which there is a
heavy penalty. When some ranchman
who has refused to divide up his pastures
into farms and sell them to the land
Less finds his fences broken down and
his cattle scattered all over the county
every suspected person is indicted for
oraiseffect. There are very few conv1c-
lions. The people who are engaged In
the outrage will not testify against each
other. and there are no other witnesses.
In Ireland there are very few cases of
robbery or burglary. Petty larceny Is the
principal item in the list of offenses.
Grand larceny, embeZZlement forgery and
similar crimes are infrequent.
Clergy Opposed to Wakes.
The Roman Catholic clergy are doing
great deal to suppress disorder and
promote temperance by prohibiting the
use of liquor at wakes. Cardinal Logue
and the several archbishops and bishops
are determined to abolish the disgraceful
orgies that have been so common on
such occasions. and have forbidden
priests to offieiate at funerals, or even
to say masses for the souls of the dead,
where liquor is offered to the neighbors
and mourners who sit up with the
corpse Some Of the bishops require the
remains to be brought to the church
the day before the funeral. AS con-
sequence the scandalous custom of hold
ing a carousal the night before the fu-
neral is almost entirely obsolete except
in the slums of the large cities and In
remote rural districts. AS a rule.
throughout Ireland, where friends now
gather to "sit up" with the corpse as a
token of respect and sorrow. they are
furnished with no stronger refreshments
than tea. The teapot is placed upor
the stove. or upon the peat fire, and the
mourners help themselves as they de-
sire; but If bottle Of liquor is passed
around it is done with the greatest
ion fnr will haa r
of it.
Like the colored people of the United
States, the peasants Of Ireland are pos
sessed with an ambition to have "a fine
funeral" Among the poor this form of
extravaganza has been the cause Of a
great deal Of distress and privation. and
formerly poor families often deprived
themselves of food to supply the liquor
that was consumed at the wake. This
custom, however, is rapidly passing away
Emigration Makes Labor Scarce.
Since the distribution of the great es-
tates in ireland among the tenants In
small farms there is a growing complaint
concerning the lack of labor, and the
emigration of young men to the United
States and the migration of farm labor
ers who spend from five to nine months
in Scotland every year, where wages are
higher than In Ireland are creating a
very serious problem.
There are in Ireland about 100000
farms, Of which $4,000, embracing three
fourths of the total area average more
than thirty acres. and that is all one man
can cultivate. All farms more than thir-
~ acres in extent. and many of smaller
areas, require hired labor, which has
usually received about II shiuings per
week, until the last two or three years
when farm wages were advanced Ii
and 16 shillings a week-that Is. $3.50 and
81 The recent census shows that 217 ,65I
men are employed as laborers upon these
l65 coo farms, and that an average of rs,
so extra hands are employed during the
harvest. During the last three years al
though the area under cultivation has
been growing smaller annually, 1t has
been difficult to obtain a sufficient
amount of labor to carry on the harvests
and wages in many cases have ad-
vanced TO Is shillings a week.
Notwithstanding the demand for home
labor, 24,312 persons. including $50 WON
en-, left Ireland in May. 1907. and wen,
10 England and Scotland where they re-
manned work on the farms until the