Correspondence

A Letter from Dublin

[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]

Stn,—Last week was the most triumphant in Dublin's history. The Eucharistic Congress exceeded the greatest hopes of its promoters. And those promoters had certainly shown great hope and great faith. They looked for subscriptions front the people and the people subscribed in excess of expectations. They depended upon the people to decorate their houses, and there was hardly a house in the Free State that was not deco- rated. Above all they depended upon the weather. They organized what was probably the greatest open-air gathering held in the history of the world, in a country of the most uncertain climate. The same week last year was a week of incessant rain. Any heavy rain during the week would have been disastrous. But last week the weather was perfect. If the blazing sun of the earlier part of the week had persisted over Sunday, when a million people were gathered together in the one open space in Phoenix Park for Mass, there would Probably have been many casualties. People had been travel- ling all night. There were many thousands in the park in the early hours of the morning. Mass did not begin until 1.15 p.m. It was followed by a long slow march for five miles to O'Connell Bridge, where the Benediction took place at about 7 p.m. But for that day, as though it were arranged to assist the event, the sky was clouded over, and although the day was warm there was a refreshing breeze.

The million people who assembled in the park for Mass on Sunday, formed not only the largest congregation that has ever attended one Mass, but also they probably formed the largest assembly of people ever gathered together at one time and place. The splendid discipline that they showed would probably have been impossible had they been there for other than a religious motive. Visitors could not but marvel at the devoutness of the people, not only of those who were present at the Mass and at the Benediction, but also of those who lined the routes of the processions.

On Wednesday night also Dublin presented a spectacle such as could be seen in no other country in the world. There-was midnight Mass in every church in the city. Not only were the churches all crowded, but thousands were gathered in all the streets surrounding them: The priests had to go out into the streets to distribute Communion to the people there, and that continued until three o'clock in the morning.

The Congress was a triumph of otganization, and probably the greatest demonstration of religious fervour known in Christendom since the days of the Crusades.

. The "regrettable incidents" occurred outside the Free State. Pilgrims coming from the North to attend the Mass in Phoenix Park were attacked on the other side of the border on their way to Dublin, and on their return journey. One had hoped that that sort of thing was no longer possible in the North. But one can find consolation in remembering that ten years or more. ago those attacks would probably have been much more widespread and dangerous.

During Congress week all other things were forgotten. The newspapers announced that there was a letter front the British Government to the Government of the Free State, but people Were not much concerned about it. Now that the Congress is Over they will begin to wonder what it said and what the reply will be. Some Union Jacks were removed during the week. But people who might have approved of this on other occasions were indignant. Even Miss MacSwiney, who wrote a letter to the Press in defence of this action, seemed apologetic and halt- ing in her attempt to make a ease for it.

The President and the members of his Government have steadfastly refused to wear top-hats and morning coats all the week. But never were so many top-hats seen in Dublin. The members of the Government seemed to be particularly unhappy at their own decision—or perhaps one should say at the decision of their more ignorant followers.

They sought to conceal the absence of morning coats by wearing short black coats and striped trousers. At all the day functions they looked very ill-at-ease, keeping together for moral support and going about bare-headed, and carrying their hats unobtrusively under their arms or in their hands.

At the last moment they were forced to announce that evening dress should be worn at the State reception. But they mitigated this by stating in the same announcement that the Governor-General had not been invited.

The matter of the Union Jacks is pretty certain to be raised in the Dail this week. For the flags were removed under threat from the I.R.A. It will be interesting to hear what the President has to say on this matter. He will and it hard to admit that the I.R.A. and not the Government are the proper authority to give orders to the citizens. And on the other hand he will find it equally hard to announce that he has ordered the police to take action against the I.R.A.

This week also there will probably be questions about his attendance at Ottawa. He will hesitate to decide not to send a delegation, but it will not be easy to explain what he hopes to achieve at Ottawa, if the British Government refuse to make any economic bargains with 1 ' there.

The question of the next election and its date is beginning to be canvassed. The Government has decided to give a year's moratorium on the payment of land annuities. That is taken as indicating that an election will take place within the year. It is evident that once the annuities have not been paid for a year it will be next to impossible to collect them thereafter. If Fianna Fail is beaten in the election they will have left an ugly heritage to their successors. But that is not likely to trouble them. The moratorium is calcu- lated to convince the farmers that they have at least one tangible gain from having Fianna Fail in office. And if as a result they vote again for Mr. De Valera's party and he is re-elected, it is well known that—in his own words-- he does not believe in crossing bridges until he comes to them.

He will take office again trusting that something may turn up to solve the land annuities difficulty that he will have created by his moratorium.

Meanwhile there is something of an air of optimism coining front the Congress. People feel that the real, vital danger to the country comes from the Bolshevist I.R.A. And the demonstrations of living faith during the last week justify one in hoping that the people will be less and less tolerant of the I.R.A., its doctrines or its activities.—! am, Sir, tte.,

YOUR DUBLIN CORRESPONDENT.