JOHN BULL'S OTHER ISLAND. 193 



perhaps a travelling companion. Often his 

 meeting took place in an open field with the 

 sky for a roof. Fifty meetings were held 

 before a single society was formed. And then, 

 all of a sudden, in that dramatic way peculiar 

 to Ireland, the fiat went forth that the proposals 

 he made were certainly practical. The business 

 side of the Irishman became convinced, but 

 what helped Sir Horace Plunkett more than 

 anything else was that he roused the social 

 instinct of the clan-loving Celt, making him 

 respond to the feeling that he was doing 

 something for the good of his clan, or the 

 race, as well as something for his own 

 individual good. And this is where we 

 Englishmen are woefully lacking. We are 

 seif-destructively individualistic. 



The more broad-minded priests began to 

 see that their parishioners might be lifted out 

 of their slough of poverty, and once the priest 

 really took up the co-operative agricultural 

 organisation — and none is more active to-day 

 than Father Tom Finlay, S.J. — its success was 

 assured. 



After Mass the parish priest would an- 

 nounce to his flock that a meeting would be 

 held. At the same time he would strongly 



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