THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



317 



enUr ujiou the subject furtlier than it bears upon the 

 improvement of its labouring population, and the class 

 of small farmers immediately above them, I take upon 

 myself whatever blame or responsibility may attach to 

 my papers; my sole aim is to aid in my humble way the 

 many efTorts now in progress to improve the social 

 condition, and permanently to benefit the entire class. 



The Irish agrarian population has long been a thorn 

 in the side of every Government which has held office 

 within my recollection. It is true the question relative 

 lo their amelioration used to be staved off from time to 

 time ; and the old remark, "it was no use legislating 

 for Ireland," was oft rejJeHted ; but latterly much has 

 been done, a poor-law has been established, tithes have 

 been abolished, the sale of entailed and encumbered 

 estates has been promoted and permitted, emigration 

 has been encouraged, and other legislative benefits have 

 been conferred. In appropriate connexion with these 

 measures many societies have been established for the 

 moral and religious advantage of these classes, more 

 particularly such as Irish Societies, Irish Evangelical 

 Societies, and hosts of others have been established. 

 Irish Scripture readers, and ministers of religion have 

 traversed the length and breadth of the land. The Bible 

 has been disseminated, knowledge has been spread by 

 the establishment of schools and lectures, &c., &c. ; 

 synonymous with all this has been the establishment of 

 agricultural societies in many districts of the kingdom, 

 and amongst these the Royal Agricultural Improvement 

 Society of Ireland stands most prominent, carrying its 

 usefulness at migratory periods all over the island. 

 These and similar institutions, having for their object 

 the intellectual, the moral, social, and religious improve- 

 ment of the Irish population, cannot tail to have a 

 beneficial effect sooner or later ; and few things give me 

 greater pleasure than to add my feeble contribution to- 

 wards effecting an object fraught with such momentous 

 consequences, and certain to be attended with such 

 gratifying results. 



Well, then, what are we first to attempt .' I say first, 

 try and elevate the minds, order of feeling, and habits 

 of the population. Very good, but how is it to be 

 done ? I will try to point out some ways of doing this. 

 I have been told by highly respectable persons, that you 

 cannot improve the Irish labourer, he is a stereotyped 

 man ; his habits are fixed and unchangeable ; you can- 

 not elevate him j he has no ideas or notions beyond his 

 present condition ; give him higher wages, he spends 

 the balance after providing for abso-ute necessaries in 

 whisky or personal gratification ; no additional comfort 

 is once to be thought of ; no new frock or new shoes for 

 Bridget, or slop or jacket for Mike ; no, nor is the wife 

 one bit more cared for, except being permitted to join 

 in the whisky potations. Now this I cannot at all give 

 credit to ; exceptional cases, and many of them no doubt 

 there are, but I must conclude this to be a libel upon 

 the general population. What ! Ciires not the Irish 

 mother for the comfortable if not smart appearance of 

 her daughter ? or the Irish father for the respectability 

 of his son ? Depend upon it both are proud of their 

 children, and would help them to advance in their con- 



dition if they could. The great fact appears to me to 

 be this : They have as a whole been so long pressed 

 down with the most grievous poverty, that the attain- 

 ment of a much better position in life seems quite hope- 

 less, and they almost cease to aspire after it ; and 

 another reason is, that agricultural employment from the 

 very nature of things in the country is scarce, and 

 wages consequently are ground down to the very finest 

 point. The whole order of things must be changed. 

 The very foundation and structure of society must be 

 up-heaved, both body and mind must be unfettered, a 

 healthy and wholesome invigoration must be instilled 

 into the class ; they must be made to feel themselves 

 men, men having a stake, interest, and consideration in 

 the country and its soil, in their homes and their 

 hearths ; they must be made to feel that they live for a 

 higher and holier purpose than to grovel in the dust and 

 dirt of animal appetites and passions. I say then, he 

 must be elevated iu the order of his mind and feeling. 

 Well, Mr. Farmer, what of this ? everybody would 

 feel disposed to say the same, but just tell us how it is 

 to be accomplished, how is this to be brought about ? 

 How will you up-heave the whole fabric of society ? 

 How will you elevate the ideas and feelings of the lower 

 order of Irish ? How will you give them a beneficial 

 interest in the soil ? How will you unfetter their minds, 

 and make them feel themselves to be men living for 

 higher purposes than to promote their own interests or 

 selfish gratification, &c. &c. ? Stay, stay ; I am not one 

 wit wiser than my neighbours, nor do I pretend to higher 

 gifts ; plain questions are often with difficulty answered. 

 I am not going to do all this, nor am I about to give 

 you clear and definite answers, but I will try to solve 

 some of the many diiBculties by wMcli the subject is 

 surrounded and encumbered. 



My first point, then, is to elevate the character and 

 feeling of the order of such peasantry I am to improve. 

 Their position now is this : The labourers, for the most 

 part, are extremely poor, without the means of ordi- 

 nary subsistence — living on tlie most homely and 

 cheapest food ; generally clothed in rags ; living in 

 cabins or huts of the meanest kind, and crowded to 

 excess ; his family appear as miserable and wretched 

 as possible, even more so than himself; in fact, with- 

 out decent clothing for their bodies, to say nothing of 

 their heads, legs, and feet, which seemed uncaied for, 

 even the sympathies and kind offices rendered by the 

 wealthier here to the poor seems denied them there — 

 they are looked upon as a lower degraded race, and 

 generally the higher classes treat them as such. As to 

 labour, it is scarce enough, and, when to be had, is 

 paid for at the lowest possible rate : the men at ten- 

 pence or a shilling per day, the women at sixpence, the 

 lads and lasses almost ?itZ— perhaps a shilling per week. 

 As for position in society, they have none— they are 

 mere drudges for others. My limits will not permit 

 me to say more. Now is this right ? Is this as it 

 ought to be ? Most certainly not : but we ask again — 

 How can you help it ? How can you alter, and put it 

 down ? Why, in many ways. The first great move- 

 ment must be on the part of the higher orders, j 



