288 IRELAND 



that no religious or political subjects should be 

 brought up for discussion at any meeting held 

 in connection with the co-operative movement. 

 So it is that to-day parish priest and rector, 

 landlord and tenant farmer, will all meet at the 

 same table, and discuss in perfect harmony the 

 various topics connected with the well-being 

 and progress of the particular society in which 

 they are mutually interested. 



Such an achievement as this, in such a 

 country as Ireland, would in itself be almost 

 a sufficient reward for the toils of the organizers ; 

 but the matter does not end even here, for the 

 discovery of the fact that such harmony is 

 possible is having a reflex action in regard to 

 public life in Ireland in general. It is seen that 

 men of varied opinions can meet and work 

 together for the common good without in the 

 slightest degree sacrificing those opinions ; and 

 the broader views to which this tendency is lead- 

 ing can hardly fail, in course of time, to bring 

 about some substantial changes in a country 

 where sectarian and political considerations have 

 hitherto been supreme. 



