Where there is no
national sacrifice there is no national pride. Because there is no
national pride our modern civilizations show meanly compared with the
titanic architecture of the cities and majestic civilizations of the
past. We know from the ruins of these proud cities that he who walked
into ancient Rome, Athens, Thebes, Memphis and Babylon, walked amid
grandeurs which must have exalted the spirit. To walk into Manchester,
Sheffield, or Liverpool is to feel a weight upon the soul. There is no
national feeling for beauty in our industrial civilizations.
Let us suppose Ireland had through industrial conscription about fifty
thousand young men every year at its disposal under a national works
department. What could be done? First of all it would mean that every
young man in the country would have received an industrial training of
some kind. The work of technical instruction could be largely carried
on in connection with this industrial army. People talk of the benefit
of discipline and obedience secured by military service. This and much
more could be secured by a labor conscription.
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