Journal Gazette from Mattoon, Illinois • Page 19

LEE PUBLICATIONS, INC. LIFESTYLES SATURDAY, JURE 12, 2004 C3 Ireland's pre-blight flight: Many factors caused them to come HAL MALEHORN VtfA Unfortunately, epitheU, threats and prejudices against them abounded Fn-hrmore their Catholic religion was a stumbling block for the predominantly Protestant populace Intolerance led to serious urban disruptions wherein heads and noses were bloodied, and convents, homes oryl churches got buriteu. Still, that particular cohort of early Irish as with all newcomers eventually made their mark. One commentator in 1845 wrote, "A great portion of the Irish rose in th" scale very much in the same way as the others. And they ranked in the class of respectable citizens by the sw-ond generation." Granted, in the years between 1815 and 1845, only a million Irish came to America a number equaled by that of 1846-47 alone.

Nevertheless, the early arrivals did much to establish their ethnic group on these shores Moreover, they helped assure later-comers that, in keeping with the Irish rainbow of optimism, the American melting pot, for them and for others, could eventually prove to be a pot of gold As most armchair historians know, a huge influx of Irish immigrants came to America following the potato blight of 1846-47. What many may not know, however, is that during the three decades just before their disastrous crop failure, people from Ireland came to America in great numbers, as well. True, they arrived here in the hundreds of thousands instead of by the millions; but without the help of Irish workers across that pre-blight generation, many canals could not have been dug, nor highways built, nor coal seams mined, nor railroads laid. The year 1815 in Europe was significant, for it marked the end of the Napoleonic warfare that had disrupted politics and economies for 20 years. And while the Irish had suffered only indirectly from Napoleon's depredations, from 1815 to 1845 Ireland was ravaged by poverty, civil disorders, hunger and disease.

To begin with, there was a pressure of population. Families were large and houses small. With only two-thirds of the land arable, some 6 million Irish crowded the countryside. By 1821 it was the most densely populated portion of During that pre-1846 inflow, many others traveled on American bottoms bound directly for ports in the United States, especially New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore and New Orleans. Several other factors induced that early movement.

One was the availability of cheap land. By 1820 the price of government-owned ground in America's heartland had been reduced to $1.25 an acre. While many immigrants could not afford even that, they could become squatters on unclaimed land, a phenomenon legitimized by the Pre-exemption Act of Congress in 1841. Other former farmers descended upon major cities and stayed put. Many of these had long since become disillusioned with the prospect of making a living through agriculture.

And, being of a gregarious nature, they tended to remain in urban centers where families and friends had earlier congregated. Still other Irish came in quest of specific jobs. Especially during lush times in America, linen weavers, for example, came to man the textile mills of Massachusetts. Erstwhile day laborers came to construct the National Road, wrestle Pennsylvania anthracite, or excavate lead ore as far west as Wisconsin ported a class of cotters who owned small tracts, mostly given over to raising potatoes and pigs. Of course, those farmers typically knew little of improving seeds, feeds or breeds.

Consequently, partial crop failures periodically devastated the countryside. Since rural banks were infrequent and unstable, loans were obtained from usurers at interest as high as 100 percent. And as middlemen often took unfair advantage of local farmers, threats and violence sometimes occurred. The abject conditions under which most rural Irish were living were only marginally bettered by their leaving home in quest of seasonal work in England, or by roaming the byways to beg. Against this backdrop of misery the flight from Ireland was acted out.

Beginning soon after 1815, passage to the New World was provided by Canadian timber ships delivering wood to the island nation, and needing human cargo for return trips. Across those years untold thousands of Irish aboard "timber ships" braved the Atlantic either to Nova Scotia or Quebec, some to stay in Canada seeking work, but most continuing on to either New England or America's opening Midwest. and Illinois. Furthermore, a considerable number of working girls came to these shores either as indentured servants or as wage earners, to wait upon the rich. Of course, all of these hopefuls were abetted by newspapers singing the praises of the new Republic.

Societies to aid immigrants were established on both sides of the Atlantic. Men who had arrived earlier sent portions of their pay back home to assist other family members making the trip. Sometimes even British landlords, overwhelmed by impoverished tenants, underwrote the cost of transit. The tone of letters written to Ireland were generally upbeat. One new arrival cheerfully informed the Auld Country, "Every day here is as Christmas." His compatriots remarked upon the fact that many Americans ate meat three times a day! And all newcomers reveled in reasonable taxes, political equality, and a clear chance to succeed.

That is not to suggest, of course, that the early Irish experience in America was a bed of shamrocks. In truth, Irish were often viewed with suspicion or alarm, for their Celtic lingo and their distinctive brogue quickly gave them away. THE USA'S YESTERDAYS Europe. Agriculture dominated, with 90 percent of the inhabitants engaged in farm-related industries. Nearly all the land was owned by the upper class -typically wealthy absentee landlords holding title to huge estates.

Land was rented out in small parcels to peasant families. As the income produced by peasant labor gravitated to distant owners, very little money was devoted to improving the land. Most estates were managed by agents, which further precluded interaction between landlords and tenants. Farmland was often illogically divided and was subjected to long-term agreements, which could not be changed. As individual rents were habitually overdue, if a landlord chose to consolidate small patches into larger pastures, say, it was easy for him to evict tenants without recourse.

In addition to its landless populace, Ireland also sup Left to lunch, bagworms Wife fed up with cousin's invasion of family privacy DEAR V. DEAR ABBY: My husband's cousin, "Suellen," spends at least five hours a day at our house. She's unemployed, unmarried, and has few of the social graces. She shows up without calling, often stays long past our bedtime, and even horns in on vacations with us. ABBV I have a 3-year-old and am pregnant with our second child.

I also work from 9 to 4 and am usually exhausted by the time I get home in the afternoon. None of this means anything to Suellen. She refuses to take a hint. I have often told her I need peace and quiet in the evening and how much I enjoy being at home with my own little family. Today I'm not going to go home, because she's already called to say she'll be there.

How ridiculous is that? My husband won't say anything to his cousin even though I complain to him all the time. I don't want to be rude, but I don't understand how anyone can be as oblivious as she is. Abby, what can I do? DRIVEN CRAZY IN ALABAMA DEAR DRIVEN CRAZY: Since your husband can't bring himself to do it, you must draw the line. It's possible that Suellen doesn't take the hint because she regards herself as family. Speaking out will not make you popular, but it may save your sanity.

You have my sympathy. Hal Malehom portrays Alfred Batch at Lincoln Lop 'thin Suite Historic order havoc the most environmentally-friendly attack, use a biora-tional pesticide, such as Bacillus thuringiensis, sold as Biotrol, Dipel and others. The biorational materials will only kill the cateroillars not beneficial insects such as bees, preying mantis and butterflies. Biorational pesticides are only effective on small bags. Two weeks after application, check again for live bag-worms (they wiggle as they chow down) to determine if you need to spray again.

As bags approach their full size, pesticides become ineffective. Hand-picking is the best control measure at this point. Here are some helpful Web sites, or you can just type in "bagworms" in the search box, which will net vou 5,521 articles. http:www.entm.pur-due.eduEntomologyexttar-getse-seriesEseriesPDFE-27.pdf http:www.ianr.unl.edu pubsinsectsnf264 htm http:www.oznet. ksu.edulibraryENTML2M F728.PDF Garden fair The Oakland Garden aire is today from 9 a.m.

to 4 p.m. Enjoy a drive to the northeast section of our county and stroll through lovely gardens, where Master Gardeners will be available to answer your questions. Vendors of plants and garden-related items will be on the Square to tempt you. Kathy Hummel is a University oj Illinois Extension master gardener in Coles County. have that dog until he dies, and then the man's familv will care for the dog.

The man's sister said that he had been very depressed, just staying at home and refusing to have his surgery. He perked up when he got the dog and even went out to buy toys for the dog. Having this dog had really changed his attitude, she said. For more information about Genesis and rescue animals, call 254-9453. Joyce Zschau is a free-lance writer from Mattoon.

wreak short ous. Bagworms are caterpillars that construct spindle-shaped bag-homes of leaves and silk. Early in June, the insects hatch from eggs that overwintered in the old bags, attach themselves to a branch and start chomping away on your bushes while spinning their own bags. These bags, composed of silken threads and bits of foliage, look so much like a part of the tree that you may not notice them until they've done extensive damage. You have to get up close and personal to see the li'l fellers, because they start out less than one-fourth inch long.

Each female bag can produce up to 1,000 babies! By late August or early September bagworms have grown to full size. At this time, the bags are about 2 inches long and pesticides are no longer effective. The winged male, a small, furry black moth with clear wings, fertilizes the wingless, maggot-like, yellowish-white female, who never leaves the bag (quite the femme fatale, She lays eggs in the bag, where they pass the winter. There is only one generation each year (a small blessing). Control measures When you find bags, simply pick them off and drop in a bucket of soapy water.

This method is only effective if you catch them before the larvae hatch out of the bags in June. If the thousands of baby caterpillars have already flown the coop, you need to proceed to Plan B. Plan Spraying the bags with insecticides. For giving dogs basic obedience training and helps with behavioral problems. Genesis has also worked with the animal shelter in rescuing animals, and sometimes a veterinarian will call with an animal that needs to be placed.

People throughout the community provide a foster home for some of these animals until a home is found for them. Recently, a gentleman who is terminally ill with brain cancer adopted a dog from Genesis. This man had always wanted a particular breed of dog. Now, he will We just returned at the end of May from a trip to Germany to explore the haunts of Berta Hummel, who became Sister Maria Innocentia of the Hummel figurines fame. Unfortunately, no relation.

What does this have to do with gardening, you may well ask? It really does relate: On the tour we visited three convents: one where she attended school as a child, then two where she later served as a nun. At all three of the convents were lovely, well-tended gardens with early spring flowers from their own greenhouses in riotous bloom: pansies, primroses, tulips, English daisies, geraniums and pendulous bunches of purple and white lilacs. Bavaria is covered with buckeye trees, both red and white-flowered, as well as a breathtaking yellow wisteria. Also eye-catching are the fields of rape. Rape is a cousin of mustard, grown for the high oil content of the seeds used for lubrication and fuel oil.

A modified form with most of the acid bred out is known as canola oil, which I learned is a made-up word blended from "Canada" and "oil." The fields, brilliant yellow, interspersed with the green grass, make for a breathtaking view in the rolling hills of Bavaria. If you're really bored, call me and we could arrange a computer slide show of the 671 photos we took during our wonderful two-week tour. I had planned to write about the cicada problem, but when we returned, we were delighted to find CharlestonMattoon had HOMEWARD Continued from CI healed, he had the chance to go to a home, but had some separation issues and anxiety problems, and now stays with Elliott 247. The only times Stella and Rusty are away from their rescuers is when they go to church and Wal-Mart. The dogs haven't figured out a way around that problem yet.

Many of the animals res DEAR ABBY: My 20-year-old son, "Warren," has been stealing from me. He has taken money and my ATM card from my wallet and pawned more than $5,000 worth of my jewelry. Warren started a job recently, but he spends his pay within days. I know I should kick him out or have him arrested, but as a mother, I keep hoping he'll change. Also, I don't want my son to have a record.

I don't think Warren is on drugs because he recently passed a drug test at work. I doubt therapy will work because he seems to have no remorse. I didn't raise my son this way, Abby. He's my child and I hate to lose him. What should I do? DISTRAUGHT MOTHER DEAR DISTRAUGHT: Unless your son is forced to face the consequences of his bad behavior, he is unlikely to change.

By ignoring the thefts, you have enabled him to continue. I urge you to put a stop to it. Insist that he get therapy immediately, Or he's out of your house. Without help, he will continue to steal from you and from others and it's only a matter of time until he winds up in prison, or worse. KATHY HUMMEL YARD AND GARDEN escaped the onslaught being suffered by other parts of the country.

Following is a rerun from last year, but since bagworms are such a serious pest this time of year, I thought it worth repeating. Before we bring on the bag-worms, here's something to amuse you: A red maple in our front yard bit the dust, so we gave it a haircut and festooned the stubs with cobalt blue bottles we'd collected over the years. I got the idea from a Master Gardener conference I'd attended. We're the first in our neighborhood to have one Bagworms on the march in June This very moment, you may have unwelcome visitors lurking in your shrubs and trees. Though minute, they can wreak havoc on your landscaping.

During June, July and August, bagworms chomp away on their favorite treats: pine, spruce, arborvi-tae and junipers. If left unchecked, they can easily kill a bush in a few weeks. If evergreens are not handy, the bagworms are not picky; they'll also munch on 128 plant species, including deciduous trees and shrubs, but since those leaves regrow, damage is usually not so seri BOUND er batch of puppies from the puppy mill came to more than $2,000, and that is at a reduced rate. This money comes out of the rescuer's own pocket. No certification is needed for the type of rescue work Genesis does, although state regulations are followed.

Animals aren't sold for profit, and there is no adoption fee The new family is required to cover the veterinary bills incurred while the animal was in their care. The staff at Genesis say they really enjoy what they do. They make no money and often use their own money to cover expenses. But they couldn't do their work without a lot of help. Genesis has worked closely with Dr.

Tammy Albin of the Albin Animal Hospital and her staff ufdealjng with health care issues. Dr. Albin and her staff all have rescue animals as pets. In addition, Dr. Albin is licensed to keep animals at her facility, which helps when the rescue animals are ill.

K-9 Estates helps out by DEAR ABBY: Astonishing! The day your follow-up to "B.J. in Georgia" appeared in our local paper was the day I learned I needed to have a colostomy. Many of my friends called me to see if I had seen the column. I felt exactly the way "B.J. in Georgia" did no way was I going through with the procedure.

After reading the testimonials from your readers "Phil," "Glass," "Nancy" and "Laura" my fears were eased and I have decided to have the operation. I want to thank you and your readers for helping me to make this most difficult decision. I have cut out your column and will refer to it any time I feel the need. EARL IN PORTLAND, ORE. DEAR EARL: I'm printing your letter so that all of the people who wrote to offer support will know their caring and generosity made a difference.

Please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers, and all of us wish you a speedy and complete recovery. Write Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, 90069. Dear Abby is written by Jeanne Phillips and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. The column is distributed by the Universal Press HEW ARRIVAL cued by Genesis comes from the puppy mills, which use dogs not for companionship, but strictly for the money they can get from breeding and selling them.

Some of these puppy mills are right in Coles County and are legal in Illinois. These dogs are put up for auction and many of them are sold to pet stores around the country. Regulations for the care of these pets are often not enforced. Animals that are rescued from these mills often are sick. One had pneumonia from kennel cough and could barely breathe.

She was on intravenous fluids for days just to stay alive. The veterinary bill for anoth- GOODWILL DONATIONS TODAY SATURDAY June 12th The Goodwill truck will be at the WAL-MART SUPER CENTER in Charleston today Saturday, June 12th. The truck will arrive on the Wal-Mart Super Center parking lot at 10:00 a.m. and will remain thWt WPtil 2:00 p.m. (or earlier, if truck becomes filled).

Types of donations needed include clothing, toys, household items, tools, books, etc. Assistance will be provided in unloading items from your vehicle, and tax receipts will be provided for donations upon request. THANKYOU Your donations will help Wabash Valley Goodwill Industries to continue to provide jobs for persons with disabilities. Jackson Welsh Doug and Jennie Welsh of Gays are parents of a son, Jackson Paul, born at 7:51 p.m. May 19, 2004, at St.

Anthony's Memorial Hospital in Effingham. Jackson weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces and was 20 inches long. His grandparents are Paul and Maggie Walk of Sigel, John Welsh of Gays and the late Carolyn Welsh. The infant's great-grandparents are Lucy May of Neoga, Julia Walk of Sigel and Hazel Welsh of Gays..