The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1915-11-27
The Irish in America
brief sketch Of the activity Growth and prosper
ity of the Irish in America, and the part which
men and women of the Irish race have taken in
American, social political, and religious life.
Paper read before the Irish History Club of the Ladies
of division No. e. L. A. A. O. H.

l1lSCOTy NluD VI Cll0 AdUlSS
County by Mrs. F. Sullivan,
. A. o. H.
place they took in industry, as domes-
tic servants, laborers, mill hands, min.
ers, quarry men, laundry workers, rail-
way and street car employees, the
Irish were two or three times as nu-
merous as the Germans. On the other
hand as farmers, saloon keepers, book
keepers, designers, musicians, inven-
tors, merchants, manufacturers and
physicians the Germans far outnum-
bered the Irish.
For time the bulk of the Irish
were manual laborers. The record of
the children of these laborers proves
that there is nothing in the stock that
dooms it forever to serve in occupa-
tions where intellect is not the i'm
portant factor. Take for instance
those workers known to staticians as
female bread winners. In the first
generation of Irish 81 per cent are
servants and walters of the second
generation only 16 per cent. Where
have the daughters gone. out of the
kitchen into the factory, the store. the
office and the school. In the needle
trades they are twice as numerous as
their mothers who came over in the
steerage, five times as often they serve
counters, seven times as often they
work as stenographers or bookkeep.
ers, five times as frequently they teach,
One girl out of twelve, whose father
was Irish Is a teacher. They are
twice as we'll represented as teachers,
as the girls OF German or Scandi'
navian parentage. In 80 per cent of
our leading cities IS per cent of the
teachers are second generation Irish
and there are cities where these swift
climbers constitute nearly half the
teaching force. AS compared with
their immigrant fathers, the proper
ton Of laborers among the sons is
halved. while that of professional men
and statesmen are double that of clerk
copyist and bookkeepers doubled
They shine in the forum, in executive
work, public guardianship, railroad
construction, and transportation, in
law and theology.
The gifts of imagination and emo.
tion give the Irish the key to the hui
man heart. With his Celtic magma
ton as magic glass, the Irishman
sees into the human heart. Not only
do the Irish furnish orators, persua-
sive stump speakers. delightful after
dinner speakers, but they make good
statesmen and successful travelling
men. Then too they know how to
manage people. They make the best
foremen. a larges portion Of our most
successful and wealthy contractors
are Irish. More German than Irish
enlisted in the Union Army. but more
OF the Irish rose to be officers.
or two applicants, says a city super
intendent, l take the teacher with the
Irish name, because she will have less
trouble in discipline and hit it off bet
ter with the parents. Whatever is in
the Irish mind is available on the in
slant so that they rarely fail to dc
themselves Justice.
In the field of politics the Irish
seem to have attained their greatest
success. In 1912 out of eighteen prin
cipal officers In the city government
Of Chicago fourteen we're held by men
with Irish names. OF eleven principa
officers Of Boston. nine had Irish
names, and Of the 40 members of the
lower house from Boston 40 were OBJ
viously of Irish extraction.
, In San Francisco recently the mayor
and all the heads of the city depart
, ment and 10 out of 10 of the board Of
supervisors had names reminiscent o.
the Emerald Isle.
| A change has come over our cur
, rent literature in respect to the Irist
in the last Is years. It used to be Z
: rare thing to see hero in fiction OF
even respectable character with al
, Irish name. The Irish always tool
| the part Of clown or buffoon
, Nowadays, how different. You can
, not pick up magazine or bool
/ without seeing Irish named heroes ant
: principal characters.
/ 1t Is said by our critics that Will,
[ we excel as athletes, as foremen an,
: executives, soldiers, orators and II
| certain branches of the law and poll
, tics that we are poor business people
: and have no capacity for trade, com
: merce or science. That we are def
I cient in creative ability and artist,
, skill. Let them recall that SO year,
, ago we were said to be deficient il
. several natural qualities that we lea,
: In today. Already there are signs tina
we are as q race going to take anothe
: step up the ladder.
. A recent magazine writer state,
. that 8 men In New York controlle,
: practically the financial policy of tn,
; country and one of these men wa
! Thomas Ryan the son Of an lrishmau
, The richest man in Philadelphia, +,