IRELAND
113
IRELAND
Plan was thus put in operation in Ireland, and on the also. In 1890, Mr. Balfour's Land Act provided £33,-
other hand the Coercion Act, the Liberals and Irish 000,000 for Irish land purchase, and in 1891 the
worked well together in Parliament and on British Congested Districts Board was established. In 1896,
platforms. The London "Times", always the bitter there was an amending Land Act; and in 1898, the
enemy of Ireland, became enraged, and in its anxiety Local Government Act transferred the government of
to doharm published a .series of articles on Pamellism counties and rural districts from the non-represen-
and Crime. It relied, as it pretended, on authentic tative Grand Juries to popularly elected bodies. A
documents which connected Parnell and his colleagues further important Act was that of Mr. Wj-ndham. in
with crime, and showed that Parnell himself con- 1903, providing more than £100,000,000 for the buy-
doned the Phcenix Park murders. A Special Com- ing out of the whole landlord class. Mr. Wj-ndham
mission appointed by Parliament discovered that the also favoured a policy of devolution, that is a delcga-
chief letters were forgeries and that the "Times" had tion to local bodies of larger powers. But nothing
been fooled by a disreputable Irishman named Rich- was done till the Liberals came into office in 1906, and
ard Pigott. The forger confessed his crime and then they had nothing more geiierous to offer than Mr
committed suicide, and Parnell became the hero of the
hour. When the Special Commission issued its report ,
early in 1890, the tide had turned with a vengeance
against the Tories. Their ma-
jority was then seriovisly di-
minished, and when the gen-
eral election came it was
certain that nothing could
prevent the triumph of Home
Rule. In the midst of these
bright hopes for Ireland there
came the mournful wail of the
banshee, and, even before the
Special Commission report was
issued. Captain O'Shea had
filed a petition for divorce on
the ground of his wife's adul-
tery with Mr. Parnell. There
was no defence, and could be
none, and the decree was is-
sued. Mr. Gladstone evidently
expected that Mr. Parnell
would have retired from the
leadership, and, finding that
he did not, intimated that his
continuance in that position
would wreck Home Rule. The
Irish party which had re-
elected Mr. Parnell were not
prepared to go so far, and, as
he would not retire even for a
day, they deposed him. A
minority still supported him
Birrell's National Coimcils Bill, a measure so halt-
ing and meagre, that an Irish National Convention
rejected it with scorn. Mr. Birrell has been more
fortimate in his I"niversity
Bill, which, though not estab-
lishing a purely Catholic Uni-
versity, provides one in which
Catholic influences will pre-
dominate. In recent years also
the programmes both in the
national and secondary
schools have been matle more
practical, facilities have been
given for agricultural and tech-
nical education, and the great
ecclesiastical college of May-
nooth continues to maintain
its reputation as the first eccle-
siastical college in the world.
Relations between ( HIRCH AND St.\te. — Bv the ( Uhohc Relief Act of "1829 legal proscription ceased for the (_ itholic f hurch, as did I gil 1 cen 1 incy for the Prot- tint Church by Mr. Glad- tone s \ct of 1869. In prac- tice howe\er Protestant as- ndincv hrgely remains stiU. (July withm living memory was the first Catholic lord chan- cellor appointed in the person of Lord O'Hagan; Catholics
Church. Glenpalough
and at the head of these he appealed to the Irish peo- are still excluded, except in rare in.stances, from the
pie. Week after week he attended meetings and made higher civil and military offices; and from the lord-
speeches. But his health, already bad, covild not stand lieutenancy they continue to be excluded by law.
the strain; the stubborn and reckless fight ended in Ecclesiastical Org.vnization. — The Catholic
his collapse, and at Brighton, on the 6th of October, Church, divided into four provinces, not, however,
1891 , the greatest Irish leader since O'Connell breathed corresponding with the civil divisions, is ruled by four
his last. archbishops and twenty-three bishops. But the
In the years that followed faction was lord of all. number of dioceses is more than twenty-seven, for
At the general election in 1892 the Pamellite meml^ers there have been amalgamations and absorptions.
were reduced to nine, while the anti-Pamellites were
seventy-two, and at the election in 189.5 there was no
material change . To argument and entreaty the minor-
ity refused to listen, and though the anti-Parnellite
leaders, Mr. MacCarthy and Mr. Dillon, were ready to
make any sacrifice for unity and peace, their oppo-
Cashel. for instance, has been joined with Emly,
Waterford with Lismore. Kildare with Leighlin, Down
with Connor, Ardagh with Clonmacnoise, Kilmac-
diiagh with Galway, the Bishop of Galway being also
.\postolic Administrator of Kilfenora. In many dio-
ceses there are chapters, in others none. The number
nents rejected all overtures; and under the shelter of of parishes is 1087. A few are governed by adminis-
Pamell's name they continued to shout Parnell's trators, the remainder by parish priests.while the total
battle-cries. At last patriotism triumphed over fac- number of the secular clergy — parish priests, adminis-
tion, and in 1900 Mr. ,Iohn Redmond, the Parnellite trators, curates, chaplains, and professors in colleges —
leader, was elected chairman of the reunited Irish amounts to 2967. There are also many houses of the
party. Much had been lost during these years of dis- regular clergy: Augustinians, Capuchins, Carmelites,
cord in unity and strength, in national dignity and Fathers of the Holy (Shost, Dominicans, Franciscans,
self-reliance. To faction it was due that the Liberal Jesuits,Marists,Order of Charity, Oblates, Passionists,
victory of 1892 was not more sweeping; that, in con- Redemptorists, and Vincentians. The total number
sequence, the Home Rule Bill of 1893 was rejected by of the regular clergy is 666. They are engaged either
the Lords; and that, in 1894, Mr. Gladstone retired, in teaching or in giving missions, but not charged with
baffled and beaten, from the struggle. At the elec- the go\ernmcnt of parishes. There is, however, one
tions of 189.5 and 1900 the Tories were victorious, and exception — that of the Pas.sionists of Belfast .who have
during their long term of power the Coercion Act was charge of the parish of Holy Cross in the city. There
frequently enforced. But there were concessions are the two Cistercian abbeys of Mount Melleray and VIII.— S
