The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-01-15
MOODY WRITES Of
VISIT To Ireland
Head of Schools at North
field Tells of Sim Fein
Movement
PREVIOUS OPINION
UNDERGOES REVISION
Slim Feiners Insist Upon Complete
Separation from United Kingdom,
Which Mr.. Moody Considers to Be
Out of the Question.

Which Mr.. Moody Considers to BE |
Out of the Question.
William r. Moody, head of the |
Mortified Schools, who recently went |
to England, has visited Ireland and de- |
voted some time to the study of the
Irish question and the Sim Fem move
ment, and he has written from London
to the Springfield Republican an es-
pecially interesting letter, which is as
follows:
After lapse of % years it has re-
Gently been my privilege to revisit Ire
land, with group of Americans, as
guest of the British ministry of infor
nation. Every facility was given to
see what would be of interest from the
American torpedo base in Queenstown
to the linen industries and shipbuilding
yards III Belfast We met leaders OF
every political body, and interviewed
men of widely divergent views, with
the result that many preeonceived ideas
respecting Ireland were revolutionized.
Mr. Moody Meets Sim Feiners
One of our first requests was to have
an opportunity of meeting leaders of
the Sim Feiner movement. This was
arranged, and on three different occa-
sions we met men who have taken
prominent part in the direction of the
organization. No Englishman was
present. allowing the utmost liberty of
| expression, of which these gentlemen
fully availed themselves.
Our first impression was that of re-
spect for many of the qualities which
these leaders displayed. They have I'M
doubted ability, are eloquent, and i'm
| tued with the highest patriotic zeal,
from their own standpoint They be-
lieve that they are engaged IN q noble
enterprise. Several were highly-educat-
ed men and all possessed an intimate
knowledge of the history Of their land
from its earliest date.
The result Of this interview, now
ever, had an effect upon us the reverse
from which might have been expected.
1t must be remembered that we were
prejudiced in favor of home rule; most
of US believing on our arrival in Ire
! land, that the most effective solution
of the Irish problem lay in giving some
degree of self government to the peo-
pie. After our interview with the Sim
Fem leaders our Judgment was re-
versed, and before having the presen.
taton of any other side we were skep.
teal of the ability of Ireland, at the
present time, to administer its own
affairs.
Home Rule Not Wanted
First of all. we found no one in Ire
land who wanted home rule The Sim
Feiners, who claimed to represent
! three-quarters of the population-a1
: estimate said to be fair by those whC
We're their political pponents-insisteC
on nothing less than national indie
, pendence They will listen to NJ
| compromises; they demand complet,
separation from the United Kingdom
! with freedom to make their own law
and to enter into any alliance the,
! may desire
Of course, the proximity to Grea
Britain makes such a proposal un
tlinkable. The experiences during tn
war with German intrigue in Irelan
d sufficiently indicate the impossibilit.
t Of England thinking seriously of such
It disposition of the Irish question, eve
if she felt no responsibility to those VIII
have been loyal to English rule,
In the second place, the Sim Fei
movement has no program for the fl
ture that would commend itself wide
ly; one might almost say there was n
program at ALL Take the question o
education. They& advocate q syster
that would mean control by the pr,
dominant religious sect, which in Ire
land is Roman Catholicism The sus
t. gestion of the secular education, sue
as we enjoy in the public school sy!
tenn in America, they repudiate.
These gentlemen seem to be impra,
ticable and visionary in all their idea
| respecting the development of the lant
One enthusiast wanted the members {
our party to seek to enlist America
capital in exploiting the mineral +,
sources of the land, which, he sal
were of immense value. and suhstant
- ated his claims by showing a geolog
- cal map prepared in 1858. In reply
:, inquiries >why capital which has I
sentiment or political bias, had not a
ready availed itself of so rich an o
II portunity, he replied that it was due
II English prejudices.
II No British Oppression He Thinks
II There are certain phrases which co
II stantly recur in their conversation. f
example, we were Informed frequent
II that Ireland was under the heel of
II despotic tyranny, and was entitl
II TO the privileges of self-determin
II ton. When asked whether, in t
event of national independence, or
II a condition of secession from the Tn
II ed Kingdom. they would apply Il
u principle of q self-determination :
= Ulster, which is opposed TO home ru
= or consent to continuance in the Tn
at ed Kingdom, they frankly and emph;
ore ically dissented.
Iuel If tyranny" exists in Ireland, it
rli- a most benevolent variety. An exa
. pie of recent legislation to anchors
the conditions on the land we mig