El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-11-01

variety Of material Suffered By the editor
or me Herald during year and seven
months In Europe during and after the
column daily during the next several
months Publication OF the Notes" Be-
gan October %. Today's instal1nent Is 81
way OF an introduction 20 the Irish notes
which are 20 follow.
ONE who has never visited Ireland.
- who has read nothing OF Ireisnd's
history. who has 1elt nothing Of
Irelands poetry, may consider him
self perfectly competent to discuss
Ireland and the Irish. and 10 express
positive opinions, and 10 pass final
judgments.
But II one desires to cherish his
pre1udices and retain his opinions.
land
Certain st is that a brief survey OF
the country and brief contact with
its life and problems disQualifies one
70 speak or write about Ireland with
any degree OF confidence From over
here 10 all looks comparatively sim
pie Set foot on Irish soil and your
theories fall like a house Of cards.
December II. 1913, I landed at
ktngstown and went up to Dublin.
ireland is bit smaller than Indiana,
say one-Quarter the size OF New Mex
leo Ny tour carried me through
every province and through most Of
the counties. I traversed the ex-
IRENE south fairly thoroughly. the ex-
IRENE north, the extreme west and
crisscrossed the interior, making as
many stops as my schedule would al
low, ana visiting nearly an the i'm
portant centers Of population. as well
as taking a look at many smaller
consumed IS days.
As was my custom travelling, 7 Wis
tied all places Of usual and public
interest but that was only a small
part; / walked everywhere, into all
the hyWays. went out where the peo-
pie live and work. dropped into lit
tie shops and taverns, TAXED with
people Of all degrees in smoking
rooms. inns and on trains. and lis
tened a good deal more than talked;
I bought books and pamphlets on all
sorts Of subjects especially political
and economic and watched the papers
big and little 20 get a line on their
news and editorial slant. Ny object
was not SO much 10 see, as 70 find
out what the people were thinking
about and what lie meant TO them
was not, and an not. conscious ]
OF having any religious prejudice i /
affiliate with no church, and relig-
ion 20 me is not a matter OF creed, {
doctrine or ritual but fact Of lie I
j do not permit whatever preferences ]
I have for one method OF outward /
expression over another 20 AFFECT my /
estimate OF persons. or direct my .
political acts, or cloud my judg- Z
ment.
against the Irish in Ireland, nor was
I particularly set against the Brit
ishs though ] had the average Amert-
cans Unborn sentiment that is not
o-British in most ways.
During my trip through Ireland j
= .
my habit on the continent This was 7
partly due 10 the comparatively Few 4
things Of concentrated interest and ]
importance, partly due 70 the bal-
fling nature OF the problem itself,
partly due 70. the fact that collect
ed considerable illustrative material
which is not now available. being as
yet unpackeds and partly due 70 the
haste OF my journey.
In order 70 make such material as
I have in my notes, the more avail
able and readable, I have run the
notes together in a connected story,
but the observations and comments
are in the original wording OF the
diary. IL these notes have any value
.t depends largely on the quality OF
first Impressions which they pos
cess. ideas conceived on the spot i
would impair their value u not their
interest. to recast and edit them now
after the lapse OF time and under
circumstances Tar removed rom Lue
scenes and happenings with which
they deal.
10 pretence is made that the i'm
.ressions are capable OF general ap-
1lication. that the observation was
that the infereuces are jus
.ified. or that the opinions expressed
are firmly grounded The most that
an be said Is that others travelling
under about the same conditions
would see things just about as saw
them. What I saw I saw But the
surface OF ireland Is not Ireland
The Irish in Ireland are not the
same as the Irish we know in the
United States or the Irish who have
smigrated throughout the world and
helped build up many different coun-
tries from Spain 20 Argentina and
from Belgium TO Bengal il Is prob
ably safe 10 say that most Of the
Irish people we know in our own
country would be disappointed, as
well as grieved. 10 see for them
selves what the Irish in the old
take them as they come, are
like today. Sentimental feeling Of
zinship, love for the love Of Ireland,
surgings Of the ancient racial and
national feeling Of Independent ma
tionelity and intense patriotism, he
reditary capacity TO respond 20 the
the poetry. the emotion