Is wholesale emigration necessary and inevitable? We believe that it is not. We believe that, even at present, there is work in Ireland for many thousands of those who leave the Cove of Cork every year; cleaner work, healthier work, and—comparatively—more remunerative work than they are likely to obtain on the other side of the Atlantic. The mere fact that, whilst the children of the soil are stampeding from the country, foreigners are flocking in to take their places, confirms our view that there is a lack of workers in Ireland rather than a lack of work. The difficulty of procuring suitable persons for such posts as organisers, travelling teachers, even Irish-speaking shop-assistants, nursery maids and general servants, points the same way.
The fact is that the necessity for emigration has to a large extent passed away. Why, then, does it continue? Because it has grown to be a tradition. Because every year that passes roots that tradition more firmly. Because yearly and monthly the Irish-speaker in Ireland is being drawn nearer and nearer by family ties to America. It is a woeful pass when the majority of the families in a community have stronger and more numerous ties with a foreign country than with their own native parish. Such is the case in scores of Irish countrysides.
What are we to do? Kill the tradition. Explode the notion that America is an El Dorado. Discuss, educate, form public opinion,—as we put it last week, create an animus against emigration. Turn the laugh against the thoughtless emigrant—put him in the same category with the seoinín and the Irish-speaker who teaches his children English of the ‘They shave the sheeps twice in this counthry’ type.
A big programme? Yes, the saving of a race from extinction is a big programme, and that is just the work we have set our hand to.
As we hinted last week, the spasmodic efforts of individuals will not go far towards killing the emigration tradition. The combined force of the Church, the press, the schools, must be brought to bear on the situation. Anti-emigration should be preached from every altar, from every platform in the country. Here is a paragraph which will supply heads for many sermons and many addresses. It is from a circular just issued by the Anti-Emigration Society:—
‘When intending emigrants contrast Ireland with America, they consider only the higher remuneration for labour in America and the prosperity of many of the race there. But they do not realise the difference in the purchasing power of money; they are not aware of the price which has to be paid for success; they are ignorant of the failures; they are ignorant of the grinding toil of many; they do not appreciate the difference climatic conditions; they do not know that their chances of advancement, or even of work other than the most laborious, have been lessened of recent years by the increased immigration from every country in Europe, as well as by the perfection of American educational systems, and by the development of modern industrialism. Moreover, people are brought up in expectation of emigrating, and they leave the country as a matter of course, often without making any effort to find work at home. Meanwhile there is a scarcity of workers in many departments of labour, and foreigners are taking the places left vacant by the deserters.’
There are texts here for many anti-emigration sermons.