116 A LIFE'S WORK IN IRELAND. 



every bad year upset some wholly, and crippled 

 others, however low their rents were. That rents 

 are low does not set a poor tenant on his legs, as can 

 be proved in thousands of cases. His habits are his true 

 enemies — what I have called his morals. And then 

 comes the question, which patriots and agitators always 

 ignore. What is to become of the pauper-tenant's 

 children ? But if he loses his land, and turns labourer, 

 or takes up some other occupation, or emigrates, his 

 children grow up in his new occupation as useful as 

 any others. I know myself many children of broken 

 tenants thoroughly useful men and women, whom I 

 have gladly employed. They often claim an acquaint- 

 ance with me on this ground : — " My father was so- 

 and-so, who you turned out." If they had continued 

 to clem over their bit of ground they could only have 

 been as useless as their fathers and mothers were. 



In my judgment this difficulty, What will become 

 of the children ? is by far the most w^eighty objection 

 to small occupiers of any tenure. 



For the last thirty years there has been no 

 difficulty whatever in young men and women getting 

 employment in Ireland at fair wages. Thousands 

 and tens of thousands have risen and thriven in this 

 way, and are now far above any small occupiers in 

 every respect. 



It is not half realised how backward and barbar- 

 ous the state of Ireland was half a century ago. My 

 memory goes back beyond fifty years, and I can teU 



