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 IRELAND

114

IRELAND

Roscrea, each ruled by a mitred abbot, and having forty-three professed priests.

Statistics. — The population of Ireland has been steadily diminishing. In 1861, it was 5,798,564; in 1871,5,412,377; in 1881, 5,174,836; in 1891, 4,704,- 751; in 1901, 4,458,775. The decrease is due to emi- gration, and as the great majority of the emigrants are Catholics, the Catholic population has suffered most. In 1861, it numbered 4,505,265; in 1871, 4,1.50,867; in 1881, 3,960,891; in 1891, 3,.547,307; in 1901, 3,310,- 028. In the period from 1851 to 1901 the total num- ber of emigrants, being native.s of Ireland, who left Irish ports was 3,846,393. No less than 89 per cent went to the United States, the remainder going to Great Britain, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. The saddest feature of this exodus is that 82 percent of the emigrants were between 15 and 35 years of age. The healthy and enterprising have gone, leaving the weaker in mind and body at home, one result being that the number of lunatics increased from 16,505 in 1871 to 21,188 in 1891. In the latter year the total number of primary schools was 9157, of Vv-hich 8569 were imder the National Board, 97 under the Chris- tian Brothers and other communities, and 471 other primary schools. In 1908 the total numberof National Board schools was 8538 under 3057 managers, of whom 2455 were clerical and 602 laymen. Of the clerical managers 1 307 were Catholics, 713 Protestant Episcopalians, 379 Presby- terians, 52 Methodists, and 4 unclassed. In 1901 the number of pupils in all the primary schools was 636,- 777, of whom 471,910 were Catholics. There has been a steady improvement in the matter of illiteracy. In 1841 the percentage of those above five years who could neither read nor write was 53; in 1901 it had fallen to 14. Of the whole population 14 per cent could speak Irish. In 1901 there were 35,373 pupils in the Intermediate schools, the number of Catholics being -78 per cent of the total Catholic population. The Catholic girls in these schools were for the most part educated in the various convents. The Ijoys were educated in the diocesan colleges, or in the colleges of the religious orders, and a proportion also in the Christian Brothers' schools. "In Colleges of Universities and other Col- leges ", in 1901, there were 3192 students, of whom 91 were females. The highest form of ecclesiastical edu- calion is obtained at Maynooth, other such colleges being .\11 Hallows and Clonliffe in Dublin, Thurles, Walerford, and Carlow colleges.

Chlucii Pnoi'KHTy, Churches, Schools, Ceme- teries. — Church |)roperty is usually held in trust by the parish priest for the' parish, the bishop for the diocese, the religious superior for his order, and often associated with other trustees. In many cases the title-deeds h.-ive lieeri lost, but undisputed pos.session is considered sulhcient, and the parish-priest or other superior for the time being is recognized as the legal pwner of the church, church grounds, and cemetery.

Tower of Ki

if there be such. New churches are built on land pur- chased out, or acquired free of rent or under very long lease, and church and ground are exempt from taxa- tion. New cemeteries belong to the District Council, and many of the older cemeteries have been taken over by the same authority. Schools under the National Board are either vested or non-vested. If vested, they are held by trustees — usually the priest, who is manager, and two others — and in this case only two- thirds of the cost of building is granted by Govern- ment. In the case of non-vested schools, which are the property of the National Board itself, the full amount for building is granted by Government, and the school is also kept in repair, while in vested schools repairs have to be made by the manager. Both in vested and no n- vested schools the National Board regulates the programme, selects the school books, and provides for the cost of ex- amination and inspection. The appointment and dis- missal of teachers rests with the manager, from whom in the Catholic schools there is an appeal to the bishop. All these schools are ex- empted from taxation. Clergymen of all denomina- tions get loans from Gov- ernment on easy terms to build residences. These houses, however, are not ex- empt from taxation, and be- long to the clergyman and his successors, not to him- self personally.

Public Institdtions. — Prisons are under govern- ment management, and al- ways have a Catholic chap- lain, when there are Catholic inmates. So also have workhouses, asylums, and county hospitals, which are inider the local authority. Reformatories and indus- trial schools in the great majority of cases are under Catholic management, but they must be certified as suitable by a government official and are subject to government inspection from time to time. In 1900 there were in Ireland six reformatories and seventy industrial schools; the numlier of both sexes in the former being 624, and in the latter 8221. Both re- formatories and industrial schools are maintained partly by a government grant and partly by the local rates.

Leg.\l St.-vtus of the Clergy. — The clergy have, with some few exceptions, the usual rights of citizens. They can receive and dispose of property by will as all others, and they can vote at elections. But they are excluded by law from the House of Commons, though not from the House of Lords; and they are excluded from the County and District Councils, though not from the various committees appointed by these bodies. They are exempt from military service and from serving on juries. Public worship is free; but priests may not celebrate the Mass outside the churches or private hou.scs, nor appear pulilicly in their vest- ments, nor have religious proce.ssicms through the streets; nor may the regular clergy go abroad in the distinctive dress of their order. These laws, however, are not enforced and not infrequently processions do take place through the streets, and the regular clergy

County Mayo