El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-07-01

a COSMOPOLITAN critic, lately
~ deceased, after surveying wo-
mankind from China to Peru,
gave the palm for attractiveness to
/ Ireland. He dwelt rapturously on
their beauty, their grace, their intel
! lectual vivacity. and their naivete,
averring as a final compliment that
they are pre-eminently the ''femmes
dangerouses." That they have infinite
charm, none can deny. not even the
cockney whose profound knowledge
comes of a galoping holiday trip to
Killarney, Wicklow or the Giants
Causeway.
Their practical virtues have. how
ever, been less in evidence. It can
scarcely be said that the thrift by
which Scots and French housewives
perform miracles has been conspicu-
Gus Irish virtue For this the Irish
housewife is not wholly to blame. AS
are the men of a country, so, generally
speaking, are its women. The cardinal
article in Hibernian philosophy has too
often been that men came into this
world not for work. but for pleasure.
1t is a fine, lordly ideal, but unluckily
it brings neither individuals nor ma
tions to the front.
To the typical Irishmen, hard labor
as means of subsistence has been
Let US enjoy the sunshine while we
may, he says in effect. Tomorrow we
may be dead, or it may be raining, or
the agent-bad scran to him-may be
after the rent. What's the use of wor-
rim? Sure it's the bite and the sup
We'll be getting, anyway" He lifts
his eyes to England and remembers
that she is exceedingly rich and ex-
traordinarily generous. Has she not
1t, .
What reason is there to suppose that
for the future the springs of her boun-
ty will dry up2 Never mind if for
the sake Of diversion, he sometimes
cocks his hat at a truculent angle,
twirsts his shillelagb, and challenges
her to fight. That is merely his hu-
morous Irish way of assembling a
trust as steadfast as Macgillicuddy
Reeks. Political high jinks need not
be taken too. seriously, for is not poll
tics a device for enabling good men
to relieve their souls on occasion by
saying what they do not mean?
Causes Many and Varied.
The causes of all this are many and
; varied; partly they are economic, part
~ temperamental; but the effect is
single and unfortunate. To a large ex-
tent Ireland has lost the faculty of
self-help, which is the secret Of sue
cess. Trust myself" says Emerson.
Every heart vibrates to that iron
string" 1t is the misfortune of ire
land that she learned to trust too
much to others, and so in time came
to disregard the tf1readbare truth that
heaven helps them who help them
selves.
New Day is Dawning.
But a new day is dawning. This has
no reference to the light which is at
last fftering through the cobwebbed
windows of Westminster. We run some
risk of making a fetish Of legislation.
as if parliament could miraculously
create new heaven and a new earth
by the mere act of voting. Concern
ing that delusion, Burke, the greatest
of all Irishmen, spoke out of the full
ness of wisdom long ago. It is be-
cause Ireland is getting out of the
heady atmosphere of political dissen-,
sion that her prospects are brighten
ing so hopefully.
The new era is fttingly inaugurated
by women. I have before as 1 write
a limp brochure entitled The United
Irishwomen. Their Place. Work and
IDEALS" by Horace Plunkett, Ellice
Pilkington and George Russell "a. Ed
with a preface by the Rev. T. A. Fin
lay that describes a movement TO
which every friend Of ireland will
heartily wish prosperity. The con-
tributors are notable. Every one in
the slightest degree acquainted with
Irish affairs must be familiar with the
admirable work of sir Horace Plum
kett Father Finally does not ,exag-
gerate in calling him "the foremost
living apostle of the Gospel of self
help in rural life" Mrs Pilkington,
who is sister of sir Thomas Esmonde,
is already distinguished for practical
try; while George Russell is known not
only as a ardent reformer, but as a
poet of high and exquisite gifts They
have united in trying to evoke that
spirit of self-reliance which must un-
derlie all social and political reforms
whatsoever if they are to be effective.
The Object of the Movement.
Broadly stated, the object of the
movement is, as sir Horace unkett
explains, nothing less than that all
round Improvement N the economic
and social conditions u rura; comnlu-
mites which is now recognized as a
pressing need Of the civilization to
which we belong" Can a band Of wo-
men, for most part unframed in pub
lie work, as l gather, accomplish this
ambitious enterprise? Mrs Pilkington
answers unreservedly in the affirma-
tive. Manifestly the United Irishwo-
men are full of the faith which
makes mountains and the courage
which makes naught of difficulties.
But they are also severely practical
They recognize, for instance, the ne