Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1913-03-12
copyright, 1918, by American Press Assoc
citation -. BE-

i copyright, 1918, by American Press Assoc
Is, s 81 \! Ss ciation.l .s
ETF the promoters OF the back to
y Ireland movement ever pictured
i to themselves the oVercrowding
of the. steamships by young Irish
men and women eager to return and
establish a permanent home in the land
Of their birth they are surely doomed
Ito disappointment. If they thought.
however, they were creating sentiment
for the home going of old folks bent on
spending their last days on s.the old
soil'' they are likely to see their
/ thoughts futile that is, If only a few
Of the hundreds of Irishmen who are
today declaring that they will make
their home in Ireland before they die
carry out their determinat ion. s
But the trouble with the average Irish
( man, who seems bent at first on spend
ing his old days in his native country,
is that when he looks around and fig
ures out that there are more Of his old
friends right in his own neighborhood
or in. his own city than he could pos
sibly find in the old country he has a
change Of mind and decides to remain
at home. It'll, =..:.:ss <.s5=
who have watched the effects
Of the "back to Ireland" movement de-
clare that it is more apt to- take firm
root IN an old bachelor than in any
one else. : In fact, one authority de-.
Iclares that there are more elderly un-
married men returning to Ireland to.
spend. their declining years than any
other class. - 3se.r " IL.
The average Irishman is willing, and
with good reason, to concede that Ire
land Is a far better country to live in
nowadays than it ever was before. He
Is also willing to admit that it is daily
becoming more and more prosperous.
Optimistic followers of st. Patrick de-
clare that the day is not far off when
emigration from the 'ould sod' will
be confined entirely to prosperous Irish
travellers on pleasure bent. But this
same average Irishman will tell you
that until emigration from Ireland does
stop entirely there will be no great
rush upon the part Of prosperous Irish
men in this country to go back and
take chances on making living even
with the scores Of new industries
which are starting in Erin. LII. :, -.
! It Is fact that there are scores of
rich Irishmen in America who have
their agents on the watch continually
| IN, 20, II,
result many famous castles and estates
are falling into the hands of Irish
Americans. ~.- ~ $3.50.
Only recently an Irishman who owns
three restaurants in New York city re-
ceived word from his father that he
was to be elected from his home be-
cause he could not pay the rent. Up
to this time the New York Irishman
did not know that his fathers finances
had become so poor r. .":...z =
The son sent a goodly sum of money
to the father, and few months later
the father found the son his landlord
For no soone" did the son hear Of the
attempt to eject his father from his
home than he made immediate prep
arations for trip abroad. And not
only did the son buy the home from
which they had threatened to evict his
father, but he bought the whole town
outright as well as the old castle adj
Joining it. The son now intends to
take up his home in the castle during
the summer months and eventually to
make his home there permanently.
Since his purchase of the town he
has discovered vast water power posi-
b1litles which in time are likely to
build another fortune for him, for he
now proposes to esta blish industries in
his town and to operate them with the
power which he is to have generated.
True, the movement to revive the
Gaelic language has done much to en-
courage the .back to Ireland move
ment, but possibly no one does as
much real good as the young Irishman
who, having prospered on native soil,
comes for visit to his Irish American
cousin. - "a:
Only recently a young organist from
Belfast came to America on a visit.
His clothes were cut in the latest Eng
fish fashion. His friends believed that
they were going to meet poor, strug-
Cling musician who had saved few
shillings a week out Of his two pound
salary. Instead they met young man
dressed in the height Of English fash
ion and with an income, between his
work as organist and teacher Of mu-
sic, Of nearly 500 a week. s ..
/: Another instance is related of. a
i young man from Ireland on a visit to
i New Z ork city. His American cousin
took him to a vaudeville performance.
The young Irishman did not enthuse
very much, and the American did not
i understand until he found that most
OF the acts on the bill had played the
Irish circuit. .s :s =ss5.z.
Still another Irish cousin promised
/ to take his American relatives for an
i automobile rid from one end of Ire
land to another. &; :s 5sS1E
IF r. he. Explained, I'VE have a sys-
1 TEN Of good roads lin Ireland which
cannot be beat in the " hole world 800.
And persons who have been in Ire
II land recently declare that he IS right.
But despite these favorab Bile things It
q is a safe conclusion that Ireland will
have to recruit its workers from the
growing general ton and thosesso the
present who are still there IA Their than
from those. who are influenced here by
Il the back to Ireland NOV men t s..