The Irish standard. [volume], November 27, 1886, Image 1

About The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920

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An Excellent Letter From the Pen of Mr
"William Eedmond, Showing How to
Build Up Irish Manufactures.
THE BELLEEK POTTERY FACTORY
Js a Special and Genuine Irish Industry,
and Yet There is Comparatively Little
Interest Taken in it in Ireland.
Mr. William Redmoud. M. P.. writ
ing in the Dublin Freemen of October
21, on the Belleek manufactory says—
The best way to build up native manu
factures in the future is to nourish and
keep going what we have at present
and this, I am very much afraid, is not
done by any means, as generally as it
should be. Take, for instance, the Bel
leek Pottery Factory, which a a a spe
cial and genuine Irish industry, and yet
there is comparatively little interest
taken in. it in Ireland. When the Ex
hibition was in Dublin, some pretty
specimens of tbe Belleek work was ex
hibited and admired on all sides. There
are in Dublin and the provinces some
few shops where Belleek manufactures
may be
Been and
purchased if asked for.
I ey
oral this, however, there is very little
known of the beautiful work executed
bv the people of the little Fermanagh
town: and yet that work, from the point
of a t, is a credit to Ireland, and might
be a credit to any manufacturing centre
of the world. There is no more deli
cately beautiful ware produced than
sue Belieek, and at the same time it is
quite durable and in every respeet equal
to the wares imported from England.
Yet all over the country the English
ware is used and how very few, com
paratively speaking, ever ask for Bel
leek I may be told that it is dearer
than the English work, and to some ex
tent this is no doubt, true: but if the
country were to genuinely support the
native work, Belleek, with enlarged
custom, would produce better goods
quite
as cheaply as the English can be
got. If the people only realized the
great blessings that flow from the exis
tence of a factory like the Belleek Pot
tery, 1 am sure that, for the sake oi
being able to think that they had done
something to sustain labor in the coun
try, they would even pay a few pence
more, if necessary, and have the satis
faction of knowing that their money
was going to feed hard-working Irish
men and women and children, instead
o? going to England, where the people
are well able to take care of themselves.
It may be necessary for the peoole of
Ireland, for some time, to make a little
sacrifice to set the work of manufacture
going but, God knows, the sacrifice
will not be much, and the result will be
work for the idle, bread for the hungry,
and general help to those of our poor
country-people whose very lives depend
upon the existence of workshops like
Belleek.
it is almost impossible to realize to
oneself how very great a blessing a fac
tory is. in a little country place in Ire
land especially, where the land is poor,
and means of living scanty. I had an
opportunity of inspecting the potteries
at Belleek, last week, and so much
struck was I at the real merit of the
work that-1 made up my mind to place
this paper before the public, in the hope
that it might have the efleet of doing
something towards stimulating a more
general support to what is one of the
lew artistic manufactures left to Irelaud
HOW.
There are some two hundred and
twenty men, women and children em
ployed at the Belleek factory—some
times more and sometimes less. The
etlicient way in which the many differ
ent processes of manufacture are gone
through is in itself abundant proof of
the great skill and intelligence with
which the Irish people can adapt them
selves to fine- and delicate work of this
kind. Most, indeed nearly all, of the
emplayes are local people, who, by so
berness and strict attention, have mas
tered the intricacies of the trade which
they now ply. It was to me and the
gentleman wiio so kindly showed me
over the' factory, the most pleasant
sight in the world to see how cheerful
ly and cleverly such a large number of
people were engaged in turning out the
most beautiful and delicately hand
finished work and this not in Paris or
London, but in little Belleek, a remote
corner in the county Fermanagh. The
whole place, with its business-like ac
tivity and orderly and regular system
of work, amply illustrated to our minds
what the country might be if only fac
tories of his kind were at once set go
ing, to give work and wages to the
people, who are now obliged to seek
employment everywhere, anywhere but
at home. A great deal of the Belleek
work is hand-worked, and it was really
marvelous to watch the swiftness and
accuracy with which the clay turned
into the prettiest shapes and patterns
under the busy fingers of the workers.
As for the painting, I must sa/ that I
was never so much astonished in my
life as to see the really exquisite way in
which a number of young men and wo
men were painting pictures on plates,
ornaments, etc., etc. The artistic na
ture of the work, and its delicate exe
cution, are creditable in the highest de
gree, and I am quite certain that it
only requires to be well-known to be
highly appreciated. There is no doubt
that Belleek is not sufficiently known,
and I believe if the work there was sup
ported properly the name of the Fer
managh town will yet become a house
hold word far outside of Ireland. The
little factory is not by any means, be it
understood, doing badiv, but 1 want to
see it grow so that it may increase till
it is able to supply its goods as cheaply
as they can be got from England. Bel
leek is principally known,as far as it is
known, for its fine work, but it also
turns out the roughest and strongest
wares for everyday use, and 1 believe
it will yet do a large trade in these
things by-and-by. I do not know what
would become of its neighborhood if
anything happened the works, or where
the people employed there would turn
for bread. It would be a great calam
ity if this industry, struggling against
fierce English competition, were to go
down. It rests, after all, with tLe pub
lic. and I know well there is enough
patriotism about these matters and I
say again I believe that Belleek oniy
wants to be known. A more thoroui. li
ly Irish concern you could not have.
The clay is Irish, the hands that fash
ion it are Irish, and the capital of the
business is Irish. I venture to appeal
to the Irish merchants at home, and
particularly in America and Australia,
to try, for the sake of the credit of Ire
land, to push this trade. Personally I
do not know any of tbe shareholders of
the concern, though I believe they are
nearly all local men, I draw attention
to the factory in the interest of the
factory hands and let my excuse for
trespassing so long upon your space lie
in the fact that Belleek—I am very
proud of it—is in my constituency,
and I am intimately acquainted with
the real good and comfort which the
presence of the factory there diffuses
all around the district. If you could
seethe hands at work, if you could
notice the interest they take in it, and
how proud they are of it, I am sure you
would f*-el as sorry as possible to think
that it should not prosper and flourish
and, above all, if you could see how
hard and cheerfully they toil—men,
women and children—for the pay
(small enough), how glad they are to
get it, no one knows who has not expe
rience of how hard the people find it,
in many parts, to get the chance even
of earning one shilling. They are jeal
ous of Belleek in England, and I have
heard of an intention on the part of
certain Englishmen to try and buy it,
and to let it drop and die. This, sure
ly, of itself should be enough to arouse
the support and sympathy of the coun
try in the little factory. I would like
to see the words, Belleek" written up
everywhere. My only excuse for this
(I am afraid too long) letter is that it is
admitted everywhere that questions
concerning Irish manufacture are of
the greatest importance.
Scotch Eesist Evictors.
Some time since a speaker addressing
a meeting of Scotch crofters declared
that if the evicting landlords persisted
in their attempts to exterminate the
people they would be met with stern
resistance. "Scottish blood," he said,
"would dye the heather" if the emissa
ries of destruction continued their
atrocious'work.
His word has been made good. Scot
tish blood has dyed the heather, and
though the attempt at resistance was
unsuccessful the men who made it have
no reason to be ashamed. The affair
referred to was witnessed at Kilmuir,
in the Isle of Skye, a few days ago. A
large force of police there were assisting
the sheriff and bailiffs to evict a num
ber of poor people when they were at
tacked and driven back by the hardy
islanders. But a large body of troops
were at once ordered to tfce spot and
the people were finally repulsed and fell
back, leaving six of their comrades
wounded in the hands of the military.
Such events as this are calculated to
excite renewed indignation among the
men of Scotland against the landlord
system which has wrought such havoc
in their country. This "victory" may
cost the British dear before the end is
reached. The example set by the croft
ers of Ivilmuir will, we have no doubt,
be followed by many others of their
countrymen similarly circumstanced,
and the exasperation felt now against
cruel and heartless landlords will be
fore long be entertained towards the
Government which in its efforts to sup
port an sustain them sends its armed
forces to shed the blood of the people
upon the soil from which they sprung.
—Irish World.
VOLUME III. MINNEAPOLIS AND ST. PAUL, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1886. NUMBER
NATIONAL PRISON CONGRESS
Several Interesting Papers Read Before the
National Prison Congress at Its
Last Annual Session.
MR, MOYLAN, THE INSPECTOR
Of Penitentiaries in Canada Speaks of the
Benefit of Catholic Chaplains in
Connection "With Prisons.
Thr National Prison Congress com
menced Its annual session iu Atlanta.
Ga.. on the 6lh inst., and continued its
deliberations until Saturday. the 13fch.
A most interesting paper was read by
Justin Dixon, of the New York Juve
nile Reformatory. Indeed it was one
of the most valuable contributions to
the Congress, aud was highly appre-!
ciated.
When the subject of prison chap
lains was under debate, Rev. F. H.
Wines, of Springfield, 111., a son of the
late Rev. E. C. Wines, Secretary Prison
Association, and founder of the Na
tional Prison Association, aud Inter
national Congresses—with that liber
ality which distinguished his excellent
father, called the attention of the Con
gress to the justice and necessity of
having Catholic chaplains appointed
wherever there are Protestant chap
lains in the prisons of the country, and
to be placed on the same footing as to
salary, official recognition, etc., with
those officials. He said tlia-t the ne
cessity for Catholic service for Catholic
prisoners is admitted almost every
where in the world. In this decidedly
Protestant country there is some
danger of being unjust to those with
whose religious faith Ave do not agree.
In Catholic countries of Europe he had
been impressed with a .liberality on
this question which was in contrast
with views often enforced iu this land
of boasted religious freedom. The
Catholic chaplain should be placed ex
actly on the same footing with Catholic
prisoners as the Protestant ehaplain
has with Protestant prisoners.
Mr. Moylan, the Inspector of Peni
tentiaries from Canada, slated that the
most beneficial effects resulted from
the ministrations of chaplains in the
penal institutions of the Dominion, and
that the Government was alive to the
necessity of providing for the spiritual
wants of convicts of every denomina
tion, and, hence, in each penitentiary
there is a Catholic as well as a Pro
testant chaplain appointed and paid by
the State. This, he said, was done
from the time Kingston Penitentiary
was opened. In England, up to a com
paratively recent period, and in Ire
laud, too, there were no Catholic chap
lains appointed to the penal prisons or
common jails. An agitation was com
menced by liberal-minded Proteslants
all over Great Britain and Ireland, and
in public meetings and through the
press, a system as tyrannical as it was
opposed to the spirit and progress of
the age, was denounced. After years
of discussion, in and out of Parliament,
but mainly after it had been well as
certained that the religious influences
which had been brought to bear upon
Catholic prisoners had no effect in re
forming them. Catholic chaplains were
appointed and paid in the same manner
as the Protestant chaplains. The bene
ficial effect of this policy, Mr. Moylan
continued, has been felt in England
and in Canada. It may be accepted as
a truism that a Catholic, so long as in
his heart and conscience he adheres to
the faith in which he was brought up,
will never be made a better man by be
ing compelled to attend any other form
of worship than his own. He may pre
tend reformation, but he is serviens ad
oculos—an eye servant—a hypocrite at
heart. If then, the members of this
influential association desire, as I be
lieve they do, the true reformation of
criminals, I venture the liberty of sug
gesting the advisability, nay the justice
of considering the rights of conscience
of the large uumber of Catholics that
unhappily goes to make up the prison
population of the United States. These
rights should be respected. The con
vict, after sentence, becomes the ward
of the State, and, as the State is bound,
in its capacity of guardian, to provide
for the physical wants of its convicts,
obligation to make suitable provision
for their moral and religious require
ments is equally strong and binding.
He was pleased that Mr. Wines had in
troduced this question and had made an
appeal for liberality in the matter of
religious service.
We are gratified, says the Boston
Pilot, that a matter which so materially
affects Catholic prisoners has. been
brought under the consideration of the
National Prison Association. This or
ganization is composed of the leading
prison men of the United States and
Canada. It comprises in its member
ship a number of true philanthropists,
who devote their time, thought and
means to the elevation of those who
have forfeited their place in society
through crime. They are persons of
prominence and position in the coun
try. The sentiments expressed by Mr.
Moylan, the Inspector of Penitentiaries
for the Dominion of Canada, will meet
hearty endorsement from every Catho
lic. The Congress is, almost without
any exception, non-Catholic. We re
gret that such is the case. In our
opinion, there should be a large repre
sentation Catholics at the annual
meetings of the National Prison Asso
ciation. ___
Ballykilbeg,!' Johnston.
The Dublin Freeman has the follow
ing sarcastic aud amusing reference to
the family history of William Johns
ton: The Belfast Weekly Telegraph
in a recent isjsue published a biography
of Mr. William Johnston, of Ballykil
beg, which, it is said, has been inspired
by that redoubtable gentleman him
self, and which certainly Jets in a new
light upon the member for Belfast. Mr.
Johnston, as it would seem, is de
scended from ancestors "nearly con
nected with Queens Mary and Anne,"
says the biography, so that William
"has come of dacent people,1' and is not
of the Brown, Jones, Robinson, and
Johnston class of individual at all.
Very well we congratulate Mr. Johns
ton, and we are heartily glad to know
that he may now, in consideration of
these new facts, take his place proudly
beside the knightly -De Cobain, who has
been a-scowling since he became the
member for Ballymacarrett, on the
nothing less than a Parliament of ple
beians. He may now throw off his
haughtiness, for though it cannot be
denied that to be able to trace one's
forerunners back to a Huguenot, I)e
Cobienne, who with young Henry of
Navarro charged for the Golden Lilies,
it cannot, sure enough, be denied that
this is something. But where is "De
Cobienne" In presence of "Queens
Mary and Alineand if it comes to
that, may not the ex-borough cashier,
even Jiough he be the possessor of a
"brougham," as he modestly informed
the London Standard, as well give over
his patrician airs at once, when he sees
that that must inevitably be the end of
it But there were two Queen Marys!
Ye, gods, is William Johnston, who
marched to Bangor, who crossed the
ocean to the loyal shores of Canada,
who took to his bosom the Downpatrick
plank bed is William Johnson, who
sasrificed his Inspectorship, and was
ready to sacrifice his life in the cause of
the pious aud immortal memory, and in
defence of the eternal principles of
Oraugeism—is he to be ranked amongst
the relations of Bloody Queen Mary
No, no it cannot be entertained at all.
The chivalry of Ulster and the man
hood of Canada would rise against such
a proposition the sky would fall on it
the deluge would come again and over
whelm it. But, after all, if we turn to
the other Mary—James's daughter and
William's wife—we get no further
light, for Mary had no children by Wil
liam. But then there have been such
things a3 royal amours. Ah! that may
explain. James II. and Arabella
Churchill (sister of John, Duke of
Marlborough were somewhat intimate,
and Now, William the brave and
the leal, stand out before men in thy
true character-may not the hero of
the Orangemen's hearts be a relative,
distant though shady, of the Chancellor
of the Exchequer We fear it is only
too true, and if it be, Ireland need
never expect to get Home Rule, for
William will never allow his friend
Randolph to give in to rebels and Pap
ists. Nevertheless we congratulate
Mr. Johnson on these new blushing
honors which are coming so thick upon
him.
Mgr. Straniero, the Papal Ablegate
who brought the Beretta for Cardinal
Gibbons, has given wiling testimony to
the extraordinary growth of Catholic
sentiment in the United States. He
went to the country, it appears, with
the idea that the Catholic Church was
unpopular and not strong. He leaves
with the impression that the "signs of
the times point, with unerring hand, to
the prevalence of Catholicity." So far'
from there being any great prejudice
against the Church, the Ablegate says
that, on the contrary, "intelligent peo
ple of all sects acknowledged the great
debt the country owed to Catholicity
and this feeling,4ie thinks, is due to the
fact that "to Catholicity, and to Catho
licity alone, can they look for a sure de
fence against the assaults of Socialists
and Anarchists." The development of
the Church in the United States during
the past half century has certainly been
phenomenal. Though at times as
sailed with all the virulence of bigotry
and faction, and the hatred Knownoth
ingism displayed towards it, the Church
has advanced all-conquering and irre
sistible. That the public regard it as a
great safeguard and bulwark against
social disorders is, no doubt, true, but
the secret of its success lies much above
that level.—Montreal True Witness.
THE LAKES OF KILLARNEY.
A
Description of the Beauties of the
Country Surrounding the Par
Pamed Waters.
EARLY LIFE OF EDMUND BURKE,
The Orator and Statesman, Who, in After
Years, Reflected so Much
Credit on His Country.
When Lord Palmerston spent a brief
holiday in Ireland his host apologized
for the rain (which rained every day)
as a shower and twenty years after, in
writing to Lord Carlisle. Lord Palmer
ston added: "P. S.—Is that shower
over yet?" The shower continues still,
with twenty years added to the original
score, and to see fair Erin aright it
must be visited in mackintosh. Thus
equipped, the gentle dews of Heaven
may be defied, as they fall from a mild
gray sky, laced here and there with a
sunbeam. Immediately on reaching
Killarney the traveler becomes ab
sorbed in the great hotel system, which
is the same in Paris, Geneva, Munich,
and probably in every corner of the
habitable globe. A. roan is shot dead
ten mr.es oft in 'lralee, but the table
d'hote is conducted on the same safe
principles as if it were in ..Loudon. The
shaggy corner-boys lounge in the
streets of Killarney as in Dublin: but
the spruce waiters of tho gicat hotels
do their work in the las!- fashion of
Italy or Hamburg ahd the hotel, situ
ated in the fairest position to catch, the
first morning rays upon the unruffled
luster of the lake, is as vast a pile oi
dollars as energy aud capital can make
it. The lake itself differs from the
great continental waters in many quali
ties. Tones of pure cobalt take the
place of the striking yellow and strong
high lights of foreign lands. There is
no sparkle in the sunshine: the slow,
calm movement of the light travels over
the vast and plumy mountains as if
the side of a lantern were opened and
shut, now disclosing- a gentle slope of
fervid green or purple heather, now the
the thick rounded growth of tree3, of a
brilliant emerald or as the light falls
on the hill tops, discovering the
heights of purple slate aud gray stone,
which wall in a foreground of ex
quisitely humid myrtle-green, every
changing hue softly given back in the
waters of Killarney. The tint of gray,
dear to Sir Edwin Landseer, spreads
over the sky. opening on pale transpar
ent azure: indicative of serene heights
above. The hilly distances retreat
coyly into the background, unlike for
eign mountains, which are cut out iu
bright lines on the eyelight. Fantastic
shapes traced in purple on the horizon
mark Magillicuddv's (the second it is
silent) Reeks, and beyond them the
imagination passes over seven miles
easily and quickly to the Atlantic,
which joins the Killarney waters.
It is said that, once in seven years, in
the dew of a May morning, the great
O'Donoghue rises from his lair under
the depths, and, drawn by milk-white
coursers, drives over these shining
gulfs to a cave, where old men become
young again if they duly light upon the
spot. Once upon a time, too, all the
lake was a green valley watered by a
fairy well. The well was closed by a
large gray stone, and the condition by
which it was held decreed that no one
—maid, wife or widow—should leave
the spring uuseaied at sunset. A girl,
due at the trysting-place, forgot to close
the well: and as the sun set the water
rose, and welled forth, so abundantly
that not only the maiden and her lover,
but all the township were destroyed
and melted away under, the fairy tem
pest. But. at evening, once, every
seven years or so, pinnacle and battle
ment rise from the waves for one
brief minute the lover clasps his sweet
heart, to his breast, the hum of the
spinning-wheel and the lowing of cattle
rise from the drowned settlement, till
in another instant allis swept away
and the radiant waters close again over
their secret. These and scores of other
legends people the lakes and their sur
rounding hills, side by side with tour
ists in checked suits and waterproofs,
and with the herd of touts on horse
back or on foot, selling potheen, morn
ing dew, goats' milk, coarse-knitted
socks, inlaid gewgaws, or trafficking in
combustions of cannon and the racket
of penny whistles, in order to rouse an
echo. There is amoral in the fact that
a coarse instrument struck within the
embrasure of the hills repeats itself in
a dozen sweet echoes of fairy music,
such is the power of the lake and moun
tain. It is to such music that the fair
outlines of Howth and of Dublin bay
fade/upon the sky. and the traveler ad
dresses himself to his berth and his re
flection.—London News.
EDMUND BURKE.
A late issue of the Contemporary Re-
V* *1
view speaks thus of Edmund Burke/
"In 1750, Burke (being then 21) came for
the first time to London, to do what so
many of his lively young countrymen
are still doing—though they are begin
ning to make a grievance even of that
—eat his dinners at the Middle Temple?,
and so qualify himself for the Bur.
Certainly that student was .iu luck wlto
found himself in the same mess witl
Burke, and yet so stupid are men—so
prone to rest with their full weight on
the immaterial and slide over the es
sential—that had that good fortune:
been ours we should probably have been
more taken up with Burke's brogue thatt
with his brains. Burke came to Lon
don with a cultivated curiosity, and in
no spirit of desperate determination to
make his fortune. That the study of
the law interested him cannot be doubt
ed, for everything interested him, par
ticularly the stage. Like the sensible
Irishman he was, be lost his heart
Peg Woflington on the first opportunity,
He was fond of roaming about the
country during, it is to be hoped, vaca
tion time only, and is to be found writ
ing the most cheerful letters to his
friends in Irelaud, all of whom are per
suaded that he is going some day to h®
somebody, though puzzled to surmise
what thing or when, so pleasantly does
he take life from all sorts of our-of-tht
way country places, where he lodges
with quaint old landladies, who won
der naturally why he never gets drunk
and generally mistake him for an au
thor until he pays his bill. When in
town he frequented debating societies
in Fleet street and Covent Garden, and
made his first speeches for which pur
pose lie would, unlike some debaters,
devote studious hours in getting up the
subjects to be discussed. There- is goc
reason to believe that it was in thd?.
manner his attention was first directed
to India. He was at all times a great
talker, and, Dr. Johnson's dictum 'not
withstanding, a good listener. He was
endlessly interested in everything—m
the state of the crops, in the last play,
in details of all trades, the rhythm o:f
all poems, the plots of all novels, and
indeed in the course ol' every mana
facture. And so for six years he went
up and down, to aud fro, gathering in
formation, imparting knowledge, ami
preparing himself, though he knew not
for what. The attorney in Dublin grew
anxious, and searched for precedents of
a son behaving like this and rising
eminence. Had his son got the legal
mindV —which, according to a keen ob
server., chiefly displays itself by illus
trating the obvious, explaining the evi
dent, and expatiating on the common
place. Edmund's powers of illustration
and expatiation could, not be ques
tioned: but then the subjects selected
for the exhibition of these powers were
far indeed from being obvious, evident-,
or common-place, and the attorney's
heart grew heavy within him.' The pa
ternal displeasure was signified ?n the
usual manner—the supplies were cut
off. Edmund Burke, however, was no
ordinary prodigal, and his reply to his
father's expostulations took the uo:x
pected and unprecedented shape of a
second and enlarged edition of his
treatise on the Sublime and Beautf.
ful,' which he had published in 1756 afc
the price of 1s. Burke's father
promptly sent the author a bank bill
for ,£100 conduct on his part which',
considering he had sent his son to
London aud maintained him there fur
six years to study lavy, was in my judg
ment both sub'ime and beautiful."
An Alipr.x'-io as a Witness.
John Philpet Cur ran defended a.
poor devil who was charged with rob
bing a nobleman. On trial the victim
positively identified the thief, saying,,
though the robbery occurred at night,
the mi-on was bright enough to allow
him to see the face of his assailant..
The driver and footmen both ga'»e '-'u?
ilar testimony. Curran addressed the
court and the jury, lie pleaded t).a.
his client was not guilty—had been at
home,fifteen miles away from the scene
of the robbery at the time of its occur
rence. He could not prove an alibi
a wife could not testify for hrr li'.^
band, and his child was not old enougii
a a
could introd'uee the oniy witness
prosecution had depended on for iden
tification—the moon. "The driyer ancs
footman testified as they did becau*
their master did so." There Curia®
called for the almanac. Several of thei
red-bound pamphlets were brought m.
The judge took one. Turning to the
date of the robbery, whie'i occuired
11 o'clock it was discovered that no
moon arose that night, and the prison
er was acquitted. He talked to Currari
afterward, and the attorney said: "Yora
ga*re me £20 ($100 of our money) to de
fend you. Well, I only get about £2 of:
that. It cost me £18 to get those al
manacs printed 1"—Columbia Jurist.
The census for Germany fori 1885
shows an increase in the population oi?,
411.125.
'M
"to, it
ih
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