my day’s work from that of other ministers, who act as a link between the permanent officials of a spending Department and the Government of the day.  But presently a stream of callers would set in, and he would begin to realise that the minister is, in this case, a human link of another kind—­a link between the people and the Government.  A courteous and discreet Private Secretary, having attended to those who have come to the wrong department, and to those who are satisfied with an interview with him or with the officer who would have to attend to their particular business, brings into my not august presence a procession of all sorts and conditions of men.  Some know me personally, some bring letters of introduction or want to see me on questions of policy.  Others—­for these the human link is most needed—­must see the ultimate source of responsibility, which, in Ireland, whether it be head of a family or of a Department, is reduced from the abstract to the concrete by the pregnant pronoun ‘himself.’  I cannot reveal confidences, but I may give a few typical instances of, let us say, callers who might have called.

First comes a visitor, who turns out to be a ‘man with an idea,’ just home from an unpronounceable address in Scandinavia.  He has come to tell me that we have in Ireland a perfect gold mine, if we only knew it—­in extent never was there such a gold field—­no illusory pockets—­good payable stuff in sight for centuries to come—­and so on for five precious minutes, which seem like half a day, during which I have realised that he is an inventor, and that it is no good asking him to come to the point.  But I keep my eye riveted on his leather bag which is filled to bursting point, and manifest an intelligent interest and burning curiosity.  The suggestion works, and out of the bag come black bars and balls, samples of fabrics ranging from sack-cloth to fine linen, buttons, combs, papers for packing and for polite correspondence, bottles of queer black fluid, and a host of other miscellaneous wares.  I realise that the particular solution of the Irish Question which is about to be unfolded is the utilisation of our bogs.  Well, this is one of the problems with which we have to deal.  It is physically possible to make almost anything out of this Irish asset, from moss litter to billiard balls, and though one would not think it, aeons of energy have been stored in these inert looking wastes by the apparently unsympathetic sun, energy which some think may, before long, be converted into electricity to work all the smokeless factories which the rising generation are to see.  Indeed, the vista of possibilities is endless, the only serious problem that remains to be solved being ’how to make it pay,’ and upon that aspect of the question, unhappily, my visitor had no light to throw.