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another, five or six heads of young black cattle huddled themselves together; they were strangers still to this part of the country.

On the road I met a young man, a student from Dublin, who talked with the gloom of a Russian intellectual. "The people here lack the will," he said, "the passion for life." He was infected by the new Irish Drama. Their lack of will is consequent on their way of marrying. Here a woman's dowry is considered first, and the woman herself afterwards. A marriage is just a bargain. The children of such marriages can have little of the passion for life. "Look at the dog there," he said, "he does not bark at us even. The people have the same lack of aggressiveness."

I agreed that we have the lowest marriage rate in Europe. The young reformer went on to say that our system of marriages does not produce people with passion enough to create a desirable life for themselves. That is why America has such an attraction for our people. They find there a desirable life ready made.

I agreed that emigration is due to many other reasons besides economic ones. There are no centres of interest or amusement in the country.

"And there is little freedom," said my friend. "No social freedom you may say. Last Sunday, in the next parish to this, I heard a priest declare from the altar his intention of putting down dancing in his parish. And this, after a sermon against emigration. He is a patriotic, earnest priest, and he is working hard to create a tolerable economic situation. It is strange that he does not understand that