THE MOVEMENT IN IRELAND 77 



manufacture, democratic management for one-man control. 

 We admitted the force of these objections, but having an un- 

 bounded faith in the latent capacities of our countrymen, and 

 knowing that success in this first application to a great national 

 industry of organised self-help would open up prospects of 

 amelioration in every department of Irish agricultural life, we 

 determined to persevere until practical demonstration had proved 

 us right or wrong. 



Fifty meetings were attended by Sir Horace Plunkett 

 before a single co-operative creamery had resulted there- 

 from, and nearly two years elapsed before a second was 

 formed. For a long time he found the work of organising a 

 wearisome business. On one occasion his audience consisted 

 of the dispensary doctor, the village schoolmaster and the 

 local sergeant of police. In some reminiscences of those 

 days, published in the Irish Homestead, Mr. Anderson (who 

 sometimes accompanied Sir Horace and sometimes held 

 meetings of his own) wrote : 



It was hard and thankless work. There was the apathy of 

 the people and the active opposition of the Press and the poli- 

 ticians. It would be hard to say now whether the abuse of the 

 Conservative Cork Constitution or that of the Nationalist Eagle 

 of Skibbereen was the louder. We were " killing the calves," 

 we were " forcing the young women to emigrate," we were 

 " destroying the industry." Mr. (Sir Horace) Plunkett was 

 described as a " monster in human shape," and was adjured to 

 " cease his hellish work." I was described as his " Man Friday " 

 and as " Rough rider Anderson." Once when I thought I had 

 planted a creamery within the precincts of the town of Rath- 

 keale, my co-operative apple-cart was upset by a local solicitor, 

 who, having elicited the fact that our movement recognised 

 neither political nor religious differences, that the Unionist- 

 Protestant cow was as dear to us as her Nationalist-Catholic 

 sister, gravely informed me that our programme would not suit 

 Rathkeale. " Rathkeale," said he, pompously, " is a Nationalist 

 town Nationalist to the backbone and every pound of butter 

 made in this creamery must be made on Nationalist principles, 

 or it shan't be made at all." This sentiment was applauded 

 loudly, and the proceedings terminated. 



On another occasion, mentioned by Sir Horace in his book, 

 " Ireland in the New Century," a project for the conversion 

 of a disused mill into a creamery had to be abandoned 

 because the stream of water connected with the mill passed 



