er day, a
little less broad in view, a little more hot-headed; yet in the main
are subject to the invariable law I laid down at first--that is, they
only follow and direct, they do not lead, or at any rate they only
place themselves in the front when the safety of the Church demands
it. The bulk of the clergy believe that the time to lead has now come.
My own opinion, in which I am supported by a very few,--but I am happy
to say a very distinguished few,--is this: The Roman Catholic Church
is making immense progress in England; a closer and closer connection
with England will ultimately do far more for the Church than can be
hoped from revolutionary and republican Ireland. We should by a Home
Rule Bill gain much ground at first, but we should as rapidly lose it,
while our hold on England would be altogether gone. Many of the
so-called Catholic Nationalists are atheists at heart, and the
tendency of modern education is decidedly materialistic. So that
instead of progressive conquest the Church would experience
progressive decline, which would be all the more striking after the
great but momentary accession of prestige conferred by the Home Rule
Bill. My theory is--Let well alone. The popular idea is to achieve
commanding and lasting success at a blow."

The Castlebar folks have diverse opinions, the decent minority, the
intelligence of the place, being Unionist, as in every other Irish
town. A steady, well-clad yeoman said:--"I've looked at the thing in a
hundred ways, and although I confess that I voted for Home Rule, yet
when we have time to consider it, and to watch the debate on every
point, we may be excused if we become doubtful as to the good it will
do. The people round here are so ignorant, that talking sense to them
is waste of time. They will put their trust in coal mines and the like
of that. Now, I have gone into the subject of Irish mines. I have read
the subject up from beginning to end. Wicklow gold would cost us a
pound for ten shillings' worth. The silver mines wouldn't pay, and the
lead mines are a fraud; while the copper mines would ruin anybody who
put their money into them. I know something about Irish coal. Lord
Ranfurly did his best for Irish coal at Dungannon. Mines were sunk and
coal was found, but it was worthless. Well, it fetched half a crown a
ton, and people on the spot went on paying a guinea a ton for
Newcastle coal because it was cheaper in the end. We may have iron,
but what's the good