THE IRISH FAMINE.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2337, 13 September 1880, Page 3

THE IRISH FAMINE.

AYilb regard to the Irish famine, the “ Pall Mall Gazette” says that it is now being whispered that it has been grossly exaggerated, and that the pictures of suffering peasantry given in the illustrated papers arc only the result of the imagination of the artist. Thai very severe distress has existed in particular districts in Ireland is undoubted ; but the great famine of the sensation telegraphists and the illustrated newspapers is, we are told, more or less mythical. It seems that, if we are correctly informed, an unconscious conspiracy lias been going on to exaggerate this distress*: benevolent peeresses and national journalists vying with one another in what, to Hie latter, has long been the congenial task of magnifying the woes of Ireland. A climax seemed to he reached last week in two sketches by an officer of Her Majesty’s ship Lively, published by an illustrated contemporary one of which depicts a cabin where two naval officers are “ making and administering Liebig’s ‘extractum carnis’ for the benefit of a starving family,” while in the second we see a “ famine stricken peasant,” apparently dying and contemplated by a tall officer. The scenery is beautiful, being very like that of the lAcnmare River, and the position of the peasant thoroughly picturesque. The Lively breaks the monoton}' of the ba} r , but it is a pity that, as we read, “no actual particulars have reached us of the incident here depicted.” Seriously, it is feared that great demoralisation will result in the AVest of Ireland from indiscriminate and competitive almsgiving, while the grants made by Government need very careful watching if they are not to lead to a great deal of wasteful expenditure and misdirected work.