AN ENGLISH CATHOLIC ON IRELAND.
THE following letter from an English Catholic has been sent to us for publication :—
"DEAR —,—I return you 'C. ' letter. Certainly the posi- tion of things in Ireland is very remarkable, and the whole tone of opinion is inexplicable. It is easy to demonstrate its unreasonable- ness, its mischievous tendencies, its dangers, its disastrous conse- quences; but this does not alter the actual position. The Irish Catholics are not mad but deluded—actuated by hate, envy, and cupidity. They have acquired hate by antagonism of race and oppression : envy, by the galling spectacle of the whole soil owned by an alien race, aggressively asserting its superiority and ascendency in every possible way, and belonging to a hated and foreign religion,—a class using their privileges solely to their own purposes, and sparing no opportunity of speaking with contempt of their Catholic countrymen : and cupidity,—surely with all to gain and nothing to lose, do not the priests and people long to possess the land ! Successful agitation has given them so much, surely in a little while they will have all ! Why not? And then, not uttered but most truly secretly believed, total repudiation, or some jugglery in finance amounting to the same thing. Then what times for clergy and for people ! The loathed Protestant ascendency —landlords grovelling in their poverty—stricken houses rapidly disappearing out of the land altogether. Whopping Easter offerings for the clergy, and consciousness of power. Politicians with salaries for Members of the Irish Parliament, endless patronage, and new -berths and appointments,—Green flags and Erin-go-Bragh ! All this and more, with an endless prospect of further agitation, and further grants, he., from England. Still sending Members to Westminster to see after sport there. Nothing to lose, as England must always come to the rescue whenever the worst happens. Surely here is a programme to make Irish heads reel, and fling away all care. There may be another side to all this, and serious clangers; but then, these don't affect the clergy and people. Even :a civil war would not bring back the Protestant landlords, nor take the soil from the people. I confess I see no reason why one can expect anything else. The Liberals say to the Irish, 'Govern yourselves as you will, and come and govern us too.' Is it in -human nature to refuse ?"
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