1 P57/198 1 BE. F. 18 Sep 1916 Dear John, Thanks for the trouble you
have taken over those two books,
Faust and the monograph on
Balzac. They have both come,
and are welcome additions to
my library. As regards your
suggestion about starting a deposit
to , I think you had
better leave it alone, as I have
quite enough literature now to
carry me on for an indefinite
period. I am afraid that no
re-arrangements that can take
place in Irish politics will lead
to any fruitful result while
the war lasts. Until normal
political conditions are restored in
Great Britain, it is vain to hope
for any tangible gain from 2 Irish agitation. There is no means
by which any movement of Irish
opinion can reflect themselves
at the polls, still less in Parliament
itself. The policy of inaction
adopted by the Government, which,
it must be admitted has its
justification, in the force of
circumstances, can only be met
by a corresponding policy of
waiting, on the part of the
Irish People. They have really
lost nothing by the failure of
the attempt at a temporary
settlement, and they should not
be led by their chagrin at
that failure to beat their heads
against a stone wall, before peace
reopens the door to free
discussion and rational
negotiation. And in this
interim period it must not be 3 P57/198 2 forgotten that even under a
semi - hostile military regime,
they suffer far less inconvenience
than the inhabitants of belligerent
countries on the continent have
to put up with from their own
war administration. Apart
from the suppression of opinion,
there is no restriction in Ireland
of the free exercise of ordinary
The citizen of
Ireland is far better off than
the citizen of independent Greece.
And the war which has brought
desolation and ruin to so many
of the parts of Europe,
has, in Ireland, brought, if
anything, increased prosperity. I hope that Sir G.
Munro's forecast may prove
correct. But the length of
time that now separates us
4 from winter is hardly
sufficient to justify undue
optimism on that point.
M. Moynihan.