84 OUR ENGLISH LAND MUDDLE. 



Now it is a very difficult thing, in the light 

 of what one knows about the past miseries of 

 Ireland, to criticize coldly the Closer Settlement 

 scheme which has been carried through in part 

 as reparation for those miseries. And if the 

 present Irish land system is to be considered in 

 the light of an atonement, there is nothing to 

 be said. If it is to be considered purely on its 

 merits as a method of settling the problem of 

 the land and as a pattern to be imitated in 

 England, it is necessary to point out that it is 

 financially and economically unsound. It does 

 credit to the hearts rather than to the minds of 

 the politicians responsible for it. An indication 

 of its weakness is given by two facts I have 

 noted above — the complete success of the cot- 

 tages, which are in a measure gifts ; and the 

 poor success of the efforts to check weeds and 

 pests, which impose responsibilities. 



Since the purpose of this book is to discuss 

 English rather than British conditions, I would 

 not have devoted so much attention to the Irish 

 Closer Settlement system, were it not for the 

 fact that it is seriously proposed to set it up 

 as a model for English imitation. Lord Lans- 



