164 A LIFE'S WORK IN IRELAND. 



The real state of the country is one of great back- 

 wardness in civilisation. Education, habits, and ideas, 

 are those of a semi-barbarous people. They have both 

 the virtues and vices of that state. Eead the daily 

 account in the papers of outrages committed. To 

 say nothing of shocking murders, consider what such 

 facts as these mean. Not long ago the house of a 

 poor man in County Limerick, who had given offence, 

 was beset. They tied him down in bed and cut off 

 his ears. Of course this is better than burning him 

 and his wife and children alive in their house, as 

 was done in the same district within the memory of 

 many. Only to cut off the man's ears shows progress. 

 But what a progress ! It is still grievous barbarism, 

 if less horrible than formerly. Since then other poor 

 men's ears have been cut off. Cutting off ears or 

 slitting them is fast becoming an institution in Ire- 

 land. It has become a positive cause of fear to harm- 

 less people. Yet there are a large number of Irish 

 M.P.'s who feel no shame in stirring up an agitation, 

 of which these acts are the sure fruit, and when such 

 cruelties have been done, palliate and excuse them, 

 and deny that they are answerable for such wicked- 

 ness, and think it is enough to assert it is the fault 

 of the Government or landlords, and face it out with 

 vehement assertion. 



The country being in this state of semi-barbarism, 

 with parts on the eastern side more advanced, 

 parts on the western side more backward, the first 



