required? Here indeed was a vital and difficult
problem. Even those of us who had given the closest thought to the
matter did not know exactly what was wanted; nor, if we had known our
own minds, could we have formulated our demand in such a way as to have
obtained a backing from representative public bodies, associations, and
individuals sufficient to secure its concession. Instead, therefore, of
agitating in the conventional manner we determined to try to direct the
best thought of the country to the problem in hand, with a view to
satisfying the Government, and also ourselves, as to what was wanted. We
had confidence that a demand presented to Parliament, based upon calm
and deliberate debate among the most competent of Irishmen, would be
conceded. The story of this agitation, its initiation, its conduct, and
its final success will, I am sure, be of interest to all who feel any
concern for the welfare of Ireland.

I have accepted the common characterisation of the Irish as a
leader-following people. When we come to analyse the human material out
of which a strong national life may be constructed, we find that there
are in Ireland--in this connection I exclude the influence of the
clergy, with which I have dealt specifically in another chapter--two
elements of leadership, the political and the industrial. The political
leaders are seen to enjoy an influence over the great majority of the
people which is probably as powerful as that of any political leaders in
ancient or modern times; but as a class they certainly do not take a
prominent, or even an active part in business life. This fact is not
introduced with any controversial purpose, and I freely acknowledge can
be interpreted in a sense altogether creditable to the Nationalist
members. The other element of leadership contains all that is prominent
in industrial and commercial life, and few countries could produce
better types of such leaders than can be found in the northern capital
of the country. But, unhappily, these men are debarred from all
influence upon the thought and action of the great majority of the
people, who are under the domination of the political leaders. This is
one of the strange anomalies of Irish life to which I have already
referred. Its recognition, and the desire to utilise the knowledge of
business men as well as politicians, took practical effect in the
formation of the Recess Committee.

The idea underlying this project was the combin