The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1915-09-25
AND THE
CENSUS REPORTS

tiiiuACu WiO SHOulu 10TH Lne extra
eleven million six hundred and ten
thousand on our soil today are exiles
from Ireland - citizens of other coun-
tries, whose prosperity, power and
glory they are building up. Some of
them are Americans, some of them are
lrisll-Americans, some of them are
Canadians. some of them are Austria
lians, others are Afrikanders Some of
them are proud OF their origin, some
OF them do not know it, some of them
are ashamed of it, some of them are
still traditionally Irish Nationalists,
some Of them are British Imperialists,
some of them leading citizens of other
countries-s0me of them are good,
some of them are Indifferent, some of
them are bad. What they are does not
Immediately concern us. This does
they are eleven million six hundred
and ten thousand people who have in
voluntarily lost their heritage, and
they are eleven million six hundred
and ten thousand people whom Ireland
has lost.
In the year l84l the intelligent
schoolboy in Germany asked to name
the first five states of Europe in popu-
lation would have replied: France.
England. Prussia. Spain and Ireland"
In that year there were no other
states or kingdoms of Europe larger
in its people than this island. The
Kingdoms of Norway and Sweden and
Holland and Greece combined had not
so many people as Ireland then pos
sessed. We had two men to every man
in Belgium, more men than northern
Italy and man for man with southern
Italy. We had two men to every man
In Bavaria. more than two men to
every man in Portugal, and consider
ably more men than Roumania, Bull
garia, Servia. Albania and Turkey-in-
Europe reckoned together, and for
every five men England possessed we
had almost three.
If that intelligent German schoolboy
were now asked to name the states of
Europe in order of their population
he would not name Ireland fifth nor
even fifteenth. If he were asked wheth-
er all the states of Europe had in
creased in population since 1S4l he
would reply. "All but one-Ireland."
II he were asked whether the cause
was that war had ravaged ireland dur
ing the period while peace prevailed
elsewhere. he would reply that war
had not visited Ireland. but had visit
ed most of the other states of Europe
that France, Prussia, Austria, Hun
gary, bavaria. Bohemia, SaXony, Wur-
tenburg. Italy, Turkey, Roumania,
had all been engaged in war within
the time and yet their peoples had
multiplied. while ireland, dwelling in
peace, had seen her people diminish as
no war in the history of modern Eu-
rope had diminished a people.
If he were asked the cause of this
unique disappearance of people he
would reply had he studied the char
acter of the Irish as contributed from
English sources to the German school
books and printed in some of them
until recent times, that the Irish were
a people lazy beyond all men, of dis
position teacherous and ferocious, in
tractable and incapable, so besotted
that they would prefer to die of hun
ger or leave their country rather than
toll there for livelihood. In fact, a
people whom any nation less forbear-
ing than the English and burdened
by responsibility for them would be
inclined to let perish in their vicious
ness.
However, let us return to Mr.. Pom
sonbys sedition-mongering pubica-
tion. Think of the effect of such a
fact as this on the impressionable
mind of an honest and robust Irish
man on whom the recruiting sergeant
has fixed his eye:
| Every country in Europe has in
creased its population since 1841 ex-
cept Ireland.
Poland, under the Russians, has in
creased its people.
Poland, under the Germans, has in
creased it's people.
| Poland, under the Austrians, has in.
creased its people.
Finland under the Russians, has in
creased it's people.
Ireland, under the English, has lost
three-fourths of its people.
Holland has doubled, Belgium has
nearly doubled, Greece has quadrupled.
Sweden and Norway has more than
doubled, Portugal, Switzerland and
Denmark have increased by so per
cent; Roumania, Servia, Finland and
Bulgaria have all doubled, or more
than doubled, their populations. These
comprise all the small nationalities of
Europe, except Ireland. Alone in Eu-
rope-alone in the civilized world
"the sister island of England" this
l (f--A -