y were the
Catholics emigrating--those who remained were becoming nuns and
priests. As the lay population declined the clerics became more
numerous. "Now," he said, "there must be a laity. It is a very
commonplace thing to say, but this very commonplace truth is forgotten
or ignored, and I come here to plead to-day for the harmless and the
necessary laity." He knew that these words would get a laugh, and that
the laugh would get him at least two or three minutes' grace, and these
two or three minutes could not be better employed than with statistics,
and he produced some astonishing figures. These figures were compiled,
he said, by a prelate bearing an Irish name, but whose object in
Ireland was to induce Irishmen and Irishwomen to leave Ireland. This
would not be denied, though the pretext on which he wished Irish men
and women to leave Ireland would be pleaded as justification. "But of
this I shall speak," Ned said, "presently. I want you first to give
your attention to the figures which this prelate produced, and with
approbation. According to him there were ten convents and one hundred
nuns in the beginning of the century, now there were twelve hundred
convents and twenty thousand nuns. The prelate thinks that this is a
matter for us to congratulate ourselves on. In view of our declining
population I cannot agree, and I regret that prelates should make such
thoughtless observations. Again I have to remind you of a fact that
cannot be denied, but which is ignored, and it is that a celibate
clergy cannot continue the population, and that if the population be
not continued the tail of the race will disappear in America in about
twenty-five years.... Not only does this prelate think that we should
congratulate ourselves on the fact that while the lay population is
decreasing the clerical population is increasing, but he thinks that
Ireland should still furnish foreign missions. He came to Ireland to
get recruits, to beseech Irishmen and Irishwomen to continue their
noble work of the conversion of the world. No doubt the conversion of
the world is a noble work. My point now is that Ireland has done her
share in this noble work, and that Ireland can no longer spare one
single lay Irishman or cleric or any Irishwoman. If the foreign mission
is to be recruited it must be recruited at the expense of some other
country."

Ned suggested Belgium as the best recruiting ground. But it was the
prelate's own business to find recru