Post on 15-Mar-2023
IRI SH M O N THLY .
A flagagine of (general t itanium .
EDITED BY THE REV. MATTHEW RUSSELL, SJ
E I G HTE E N TH Y E A R L Y VOL UM E'
,
D UB L IN
M H. G ILL S ON,O ’
C ON N EL L S TR EET .
m an : m an n u) G ATES ; 3m m,1 1m m um cc .
CONTENTS.
STORIES.
Told in a Floren tine Studio . By th e Rev. David Bearn e SJ .
Bracke n Ho llow . By Ro sa.Mulh o llsnd
In a Quie t Str e e t. By M. E. Francis
Fathe r Pat. ByM. E. Francis
l ike Dam e’s Cure . By A . N .
Th e Orga nist’s Vigil . By th e Rev. David Be am e , SJ .
A Strikin g Con trast . By th e A uth or of The Miser of Kingwon rt .
CHA PTER I. Sylvia ’sHomeII. Sylvia ’
s Escort
III. Ou Board th e Cimbria
V. Cast up by th e Sea
VI. A Crue l Separation
VII. A Revelation
VIII. A Vo ice from th e Wilderness
X. A Bitter Disappoin tmen t
XI. A nxiousDaysXII. Put to th e Test
XIV . Wh o is SylviaXV. Lady A shfie ld makes up h er mindXVI. Lo rd A shfle ld makes a requestXVII. Madg e loses h er situation
XVIII. Dora ’s VisitorXIX. A n Un expe cte d Me e ting
XXI. Madg e is persuaded to be silen t
XXII. Don is tr ied beyond h er streng th
XXIII. Lady A shfie ld chang es h emtactics
XXIV. A t Bay
XXV. Do th ey spe ak th e truth
XXVIII. Wedding Be lls
Ho lly's Fortunes. ByM. E . h and s .
CHA PTER XXVI. Home A g ainXXVII. A Love Tokenxxvm . A rcadia
Con /e nls.
SKETCHES o r PLACES AND PERSONS.
m e n
Ir ish Jesuits s in ce 1 800 1
A Ske tch fr om L ife . By A lfred Webb 76
Items abo n tJr ish Me n a n d Wom en 1 00 , 441
i n Ulste r Po e t . By John Me G m th 1 49
Russian Fie ld . By D . m r ie ff O’Co nn o r 1 9 1
Plus L ife and In fluen ce o f \t A ugustin e . By th e Rev . P. A . Sh e ehsn 200, 242
l‘
h e Ifish (‘
i ste rcisns o f Me a n t Me lle ray. By Ro sa Mul h o lland 2 1 0
lh e Re v. 0 . P . Me e ha n . By th e Edi to r 2 1 8
Dr. Blake o f Dmm o re,a nd Fa th e r O
’Ne ill o f Ro stre vo r . By th e Edi to r 248, 320
lh e De h'
ds Ma ligawa . By M . S te nso n 276
LG lan ce a t th e La t te r Day Sa in ts By M. A . C . 309
[ie h se l Blake , Bish op uf Dromo re Pa r t X. By th e Edito r 369
ike te h e s 1 1 1 Ir ish Bio graphy . No . 1 9 .—John Co rn e l ius O
’Callaghan . By M. 4 1 1
inin te a nd Sigh t ~8e e in g a t A n n e oy . By L . M . Ken ny 427
Ph e Ser aph o f A ssisi . By th e Re v. P. A . Sh eehan 468
fardi n al Ne wma n . By th e Edito r 600
Inde r th e G o lde n Spe a rs. By M. E. Fran e is 606
}ood-bye to Obe r-Amm ergau til l 1 900 . By Kath arin e Ro ch e 636
it . Yves o f Br ittany. By Mrs . Ba rtle Te e l in g 644
10 1 1 1 1 Pius Le ahy, O .P B ish op o f D romo re . By th e Edito r 661 , 646
hr Ch arl es B e lle , th e Musicia n 688
tems from A ustra lia 698
[h e Kerm e sse a t A th . By M. Stenso n 609
Ao Austral ian’
s No te s atWiesbaden . By Susan G avan Dufiy 640
ESSA Y S A ND a mws.
ANow De scr iptive of Ch r istm astide . By R. E.
tn onymi ties Unve iled
Wa lter Uran e e nd Den ny L an e o n A rt Educa tion
A Mode rn Co n ver sa tio n . By M . W. L .
Lin en Wea vin g in Skibbe re e n . By Ro sa Mn lh o lland
The Two Civilisa tion . By th e Re v . P. A . Sh ee h an
Ne ms ON NEW BOOKS.
Fathe r Russe ll’
s Harp of Je sus .—Th e Po or Siste rs {o f Naz are th .
—A Book o f
G o ld , &c .—Ph ilip
's Re sti tutio n .
—L ady Fe rguson’
s Ire land befo re th e
Co nquest .
"- Ir ish Fairy To lea .
—L in da ’
s Task .—Th e A rmoure r o f
So linge n .—Wro n gful ly Amused .
—Ch ristmas Le g en ds.—Th e Jo lly
Ha rpe r .—Life o f Dom Ho soo .
—A Shr in e and a Sto ry, &c . , &c.
Fath er G al lway’s Sa lvag e from th e Wre ck .
—C . Patmo re’s Pr in ciple in A r t.
'
1 h e Poetry and So ng o f Irelan d.—Th e Irish in Bo sto n .
—Th e Review of
Reviews.?m ppy-
go-lucky .
—Flower s from th e Cath o licKinde rgarte n .
The Ligh t‘
oi Re ason .—Miss Peggy O
’Dillon . Songs in a Min or Key.
I‘wifie Co n t A lman ac.- Cstholio A nnual, &c.
Cmtten ts .
Blunders and Forge ries : Histo rica l Essays by Fa th ef Bridg e tt .—Isabe lla o f
Casfile - Sir J C. Barrow’s Mary of Naw e th .
—Ca.rdin a.l Man n ing on
Nationa l Education .—Works about St . Patrick , St . Jo se ph , and St .
Francis o f A ssisi . Miss Amy Fowle r’s Ta le s. Books an d Re ading .
St. Cecilia’s G ates .
—New Ame rican Publication s.—Souve rdr Co llege o f
Amen'
ee n Cath o lic Con g re ss .—Po litica l Prison e rs. Fath e r G e rard
’s
Natural History Pe pe rs.—On Re scue Ben t.—Th e Bugle Call , an d Oth e r
Poems,
MyTime and wha t I’ve don e
'
with it.—Rev. A rthur Ryan ’s Se rmons, 1 877
1 887 —Sce n es from th e L ife o f St . Ben edict—St Patr ick ’s Hymn Bo o k.
—G o ldemWo rds, &c.,&0 .
William Le igh ton’8 Po em s.
—Deve lopmen t of Old English Th ough t .-Dom
Boseo .—Re v . P. Dillon ’
s Se rmo n s.—Life o f St . Ja stm —Mar ie and
PanL—Snfie r ings of En g lish Ca rthusians.—F . Ch arle s Sire , S.J.
—ASh r in e and a Sto ry.
—Th e Church o f my Baptism
The On e Media tor .—Th e Passion Play at Ober Amm e rgan .
—Kathle e nMe voum e en .
- 1 79 1 : a Tale of St . Dom in go .—Carme l in America .
C‘h im e s for Ho lydays.
—Po ems and Ballads o f Y o ung Ire lan d.—Prin ciples
of Re lig ious Life .—No te s o n Electric L igh tin g .
- ~ a Le sso n s in
Co oke ry.—St. Brigid of Kilda re .
—Be n ediction Hymns Expla in ed ,Ireland
’s A n cien t Sch oo ls and Sch o lars .
—Lehmlmhl ’ s De Pon te .—Wild Birds
of Kille evy.—Odil e .
—In stitution e s Patro logiw.—~Eng lish Criticson
, Th e
Harp o f Jesus .
”—Thomas Rile tn n .—So cialism .
—Natur al Re ligion .
Wre a th s o f Son g.—Poems o f th e Past.—Am e rioe n Catho lic Per iodicals.
Sir C . C. Dnfiy’s Th omas Davis, &c.
Boss Mal h o lh nd’
s New Storie s.—Life of Th omas Davis .
—Bro th er A z arias onLitera ture .—A ids to Eloon tion .
- Th e Le per Queen .—F . Pe rry, th e
Jesuit A stron ome r .—Pla.in Sermons.
—Life of B. Margare t Mary.—St.
Madden on Hypn o tism
In dy Ma rgare t Domvill e’s In martin e .
—Eduoationa l G rie vance s o f Ir ish
Ca th o l ics .—Fo rgo tte n He ro in es .
—L ife of St. Th omas A quin as.—Maxims
of St . Ph ilip Ne ri .—Wild Birds of Kille e vy.- Il lnst mte d Cath o lic
Mission s, &c . ,
Judge O’Hagan
’
s Ch ildren’s Ballad Rosary .
—A Summe r Ho liday in
Euro pe .—Rosa Ma lh o lland’ s Fa th e r Math ew.
”—Ame rican Co n
fe ctio n ery Bo ok—Sayings of Cardinal Newman . Ch ildre n o f Ho lyScripture .
—mustrated Cath o lic Mission s.—Th e Lamp.
- Histo ry o f th ePasd om - Cath o lic Truth So cie ty
's Publica tion s
Re v. T . G ilmartin's Church Histo ry.
—Cardinal Mo re n’s Occasio n al Papers.
N . Russo , S.J., de Ph ilosoPhia Moml i . —Bake r ’sHo lyWisdom . Truth
o n Miss Mulh o lland ’s La test Volum e .—Mrs. Sig e rso n
's Ir ish Nove l .
C . T . 8 . Newe st Publ ica tion s .—Va le n tin e Rian t . G randfath e r an d
G randson .—In tt1e G ems frém Th omas a Kempis .
—Th e Pate rn o ste r
Wh ispe r ! by France s Wynn e .—Ve rse s along th e Way.
—Lehmkuh lMoral Th e ology.
—Dr . S. B . Smith’s Can o n Law.
—Tom in a Tang le .
Th e Se emed He ar t studied in th e Scr ipture s.—L itt1e He lpe rs of th e Ho ly
Souls .—A Cracked Fiddle .
—Cath o lic A nnual , &o . Cr iticisms on Judg e
O’Hsgan
’
s Ballad Rosary for Ch ildren
vi Cmcten ts‘
.
Posus A ND MISCELLA NEOUS PA PEas.
Eu A ttendan t . By FrancesWynn eComrades. By 8 .
Lu: in Ten ebris. By Kathe rin e Tynan
De thron ed. By E. S .
Th e R edbre ast . By D . B.
In th e Hospice fo r th e Dying. By Ka th e rin e Tynu i
Th e Prayer of St . A tty. By Patr ick J Co lemTh e Ch ildt of Fath e r Damien . By W. G .
Tvvo Unpublish ed Le tters of Dr . Livingston eTo a Sh ell brough t from Norway. By G . T .
0 1 1 readin g A ubrey de Ve re’s Le gend o f St. Patrick .
A Shamrock . By He le ne Culle n an
Mamh . By Mary Eliz abe th BlakeOth e rWo rlds. By T . E. B.
A Story o f a Sain t. By Clemen t J B. Carte net
Damian ns A posto lus Leprosomm . By E . A . HinksonLin es of St . Prnden tius. By T . E. B.
A G rove in Spring . By M. F. M.
Th e Bled ug of Dublin . By S .
Th e Pope’s Last Poem.
From Shore to Sh ore . By E. 8 .
Little Dorrit . By Mary FurlongA Ven e tian Ballade . By Eug e n e DavisTh e Childre n
’s Ballad Ro sary. By Judge O ’He gan
I.—'
1‘h e Joyful Myste ries
II.-Th e Sorrowful Myste ries
III.—Th e G lorious Myste ries
A Life’s Stren gth , By Te re se Boylan
Home -siclm e ss. By Kath ar in e Tynan
Mo th e r of G od , 0 Mo th er ! By th e Rev. B . O’Kenn edy
Unpublishd Le tter of D’Amy McG e e
Th e Priest . By D. B. Co llins
Providence . By Pa tr ick J. Co leman
Sick Calls. By th e Re v. Rich ard 0'Ke nn edy
A Sh eph e rd with out Sh e ep,By th e Re v . Jo hn Fi tzpa trick , QM.I.
Th e Highway to Fame . By Do ra Sige rsonKindn ess. By R . O
’K .
Dead—in New Y ork . By Magdal en Ro ck
A Pro of-re ade r’s A ct of Con tr ition
Martyrs. By S . H. 0 .
Membe rs of th e Congregation . By FrancesWynn e
A Twiligh t Vig il . By I. D.
Th e Me lanch o ly Ocean . By 0 .
Th e Irish Reaper’s Evensong . By Patrick J Co leman
To th e Night. ByHilaire Benoo
Contents.
A flooine . By Bose Kavm gh
‘lh e Mon th
’sMind st Edgbaston . By John D . Oolclon gh
To a Borrowing Moth e r. By G race Baiss
De Profundis.” ByMon tag e G rimn
Intm fing . By B . O’K.
Bonne t. By E. S.
Ellen 0 1 0 1 1 7 . By Rose Kavsnagh
To 5 Be e found dead in a Flower . By th e Rev . John Fitzpatr ick O .M.I
The Childre n . By G . N . P.
Sin ite Parm los. By th e Rev. David Beem e , SJ .
To Sister Mary Ben ign . By th e Rev . John Fi tzpatrick
Csptain Ve rn on Harris and“ Th e Irish Monthly
”
A Word in Memory
NOTICE .
Th e kind friends wh o take a in the
prospe rity o f th is Magaz in e can se rve it best by forwarding at once
th e ir subscription of Seven Shillings for th e year 1 891 , to th e
Rev. MA TTHEW RUSSELL, S.J., St . Fran cis Xavier
’s,
G ardin e r-stre e t, Dublin , wh o will be glad of th e opportunity of
I R I S H M O N T H L Y .
JA N UA R Y,1 8 9 0 .
IRISH JESUITS SINCE 1 800.
HE fo llowing sketch , founded o n some n ote s o f Fath e r
G ren e’
s (who died Feb . 4 , 1 887 , ag ed was drawn up
fo r a dom e stic publicatio n ,in te n ded on ly fo r m embe rs of th e
S ocie ty o f Je so s. Some of th e pe rso n s n am ed we r e kn own,o r ar e
k n o wn , to many o f our r e ade rs, wh o will also take a kin d in te r e st
i n som e wh om th ey h e ar of h e re fo r th e first tim e . Th e dom estic
c-haracte r of som e o f its de tails is, in de ed, an obvious obje ctio n tot h e publication o f th e ske tch in its pr e se n t fo rm ; but , on th e Oth e r
h an d, its simpl icity and un co n ve n tio n ality m ay h ave advan tage s of
t he ir own .
Ir ish h isto r y h as b e e n sa id to b e 1'
7we r tebr a to , wan tin g th e backbo n e
wh ich is furn ish e d to th e h istory o f En glan d (fo r in stan ce ) by th er e g ula r l in e o f k in gs, ar oun d wh om h isto rxan s
’
h ave foun d it co n
v e n ie n t to gro up th e succe ssive e ve n ts in to ch apte rs. In th e h isto ryo f th e Soci e ty o f Je sus a sim ilar purpo se is se r ved by th e succe ssio n
o f g e n e r a ls. Eve n in th is fr agm e n t o f th e h isto ry o f a sma l l pr o vin ce
o f t h e M'
m'
ma Sovie t“,th e fitte st item to be g in with is a list o f th e
Ir ish Pro vin cials. Str ictly spe ak in g , th e first o f th e se was Fa th e r
Jo seph L e n ta ign e ,wh o becam e Pr o vin cial o n th e fe a st o f th e Immacul a te
Co n ce ptio n , 1 860 . Ir e lan d was pr e viously a Vice -Pro vin ce from th e
y e a r 1 830, and befo r e th at da te a Missio n , bo th depe ndin g imm e di a te lyo n th e Fath e r G e n e ra l .
SUPERIORS OF THE MIBSION .
Pe te r Ken n ey, Septembe r 30 , 1 8 1 2 .
Ch ar le s Aylm e r , Septembe r 29 , 1 8 1 7 .
Barth o lomew Eamon de , A ugust, 1 820 .
Pe te r Ke n n ey (a second time ) , Septembe r 29 , 1 82 1 .
VoL . m u . No . 1 99.
2 l e
'
Irisk. Mon th ly.
VICE-PROVINCIA LS .
Robe r t St . Le g e r , May, 1 830.
Pe te r Ke n n ey (for a th ird time ) , A pri l, 1 834 .
Pa tr ick Br ack e n,May, 1 836 .
1
R obe r t St . Le ge r (second term of ofice ) , Fe bruary 1 84 1 .
Joh n Cur tis,March 1 9
,1 850 .
Jo hn Ffr en ch , Jun e 24, 1 856 .
Jo seph L e n ta ign e , February 2 , 1 858 .
PROVINCIA LS.
Jo sefih L e n taig'
n e,D e cembe r 8 , 1 860 .
Edmun d O’
R e illy, D ecembe r 8 , 1 863 .
N ich o las Walsh , A pril 20, 1 870 .
A loysius Stur z o , Mar ch 1 8 , 1 8 7 7 .
Jam e s Tuite, July 3 1 , 1 880.
Th om as P . Br own ; Apr il 2 1 , 1 883 .
Tim o thy Ke nny, February 3 , 1 888.
Th e chi ef link be twe e n th e Irish Je sn its wh o flour ish ed be fo r e th e
suppr e ssion o f th e So cie ty in 1 773 , an d th o se wh o r e sum ed th e ir wo rk
a fter th e r e sto r atio n , was Fa th e r Th omas Be tagh , wh o was bo rn a t
R o ll s,in Co . Me a th , in 1 738 . He was n o t th e youn g e st o f th e
e x-Je suits fo r Fa th e r Joh n Barr on was o nly 49 years o ld wh e n h e
d ied in 1 498, an d Fa th e r Be tagh was ove r 60 a t th at da te . Th e
fo ll owin g seven te e n ar e g ive n as th e survivo r s o f th e Ir ish Missio n ,a s
o ur Pr o vin ce was th e n call ed
Joh n Ward
Clem en t K e lllyEdwa rd Ke a tin g
Jo h n St . Le g e rN ich o la s Ba r r on
Jo h n A ustin
Pe te r Be rill
Jam e s Mo ro ny
Mich a e l Cawo od
Mich a e l Fitz g e ra ld
John Fullam
Paul Powe r
Jo h n Bar ron
Jo seph O’Hall o run
Jam e s Mulcaile
R ich a rd O’Ca lla gh a n
T h oma s Be tagh
Ir ish Jesuits since 1 800.
Th e se Fath e rs lo oked fo rward with bo nfide n ce to th e r e sto ratio n
o f th e belo ved So cie ty, an d th ey husbanded ca r e fully th e r e source s m
th e ir h a nds, co nfidin g th e m an ag em en t of th em to o n e o f th e ir
n umbe r wh o gave an accoun t o f th is fund wh e n th ey m e t from tim e
t o time . Fath e r Joh n Ward fill ed th is o ffice ve ry sa tisfacto ri ly, and,
a t hi s de ath in 1 7 75Fa th e r Fullam succe eded . Th e se funds we r e
k ept safe wi th th e h e lp o f Fa th e r Ma rmaduk e Sto n e , an d still m o r e
o f Fath e r Cha rles Plowde n o f th e En g lish Pr ovin ce .
Th e se Ir ish Fath e rs de vo ted th em se lve s to m issio n ary wo rk , and
a lso to educa tion in Dublin , with g r e a t succe ss,Fath e r A ustin and
Fa th er Be tagh be in g th e m o st distin guish ed . Se ve ra l youth s o f h igh
p ro m ise we r e tra in ed up with a view to e n te r in g th e So cie ty,e s pe cia lly aft er it h ad be e n r e sto r ed in Sicily, in th e ye ar 1 804, byP o pe Pius VI. Th ith e r th e se can dida te s fo r th e So ci e ty we r e se n t
f r o m Sto nyhurst , wh e r e th ey h ad b e e n placed fo r th e ir educa tio n .
A bo ut this tim e th e Fath e r G e n era l Br z o z owski wr o te to Fa th e r
B e ta gh a l e tte r , wh ich is pr e se rved in th e arch ive s o f th e Ir ish
P r o vin ce, and wh ich sh ows th e clo se r e la tio n s subsistin g be twe e n th e
m e m be rs of th e suppr e sse d So cie ty in place s so far apart as Dubl in
a n d St . Pe te rsbur g
Rsvnnmm n m Cnm sr o Pu ss,
P. 0 .
Cum summa an imi m e i vo luptate a Patribus n o str is qui sun t in
A n g lia e cce pi quam e g r e g iam ope ram quamque util em R eve r e n tia
v e s tra , quamquam se te te prove cta , pe n a t in ill a Domi n i No str i vin e a .
N o n dubito be n evo le n tiam qua Episcopi Hibe rni se pr o sequun tur
S o c i e ta tem pr oficisci a z e lo apo sto li co an tiquo rum n o str o rum Pa tr um ,
e a ndem aug e r i pe r labo r em in de fe ssum quem vide n t a R ev e r e n tia
v e str a in sa lute an imar am procuran da exan tla r i . G r atias ig itur R e ve
r e n tiee ve straa ag o qhan tas po ssum m aximas pr o h o c e rga Ma tr em
n o s tram amo re . Pe rg e , Pate r R e ve r e n de , e am tuis o rn a r e o fficiis e t
b e n eficiis . Para tui z e li e t spir i tus succe sso r e s ex i 1 s juve n ibus quii n A n glia in struun tur . Ce r tissimus e st con se n sus Summ i Po n tificis
quo ad vestram n o biscum un io n em, quidquid quidam a lite r di can t ve l
sc r iban t . Ho e co nse n su po sito , cum m e lius pr o fe cto sit e sse quamn o n e sse , j udica r em So cie ta tem in Hib e r n ia e tiam r e suscita r i po sse ,
lice t caute , prude n te r , e t sin e str epitu, n a scilice t ob h un c ipsum
co nse n sum San ctissimo Patr i n o vze cause n tur m o le stias . Ve n ie t
te mpus, e t br e vi quidem , quo Sa ncta Se de s e tiam can o n ice scr ipto
h a n c un io n em co nfirmabit . Si itaque m a tur e pr se pa r amus so cio s,
g a ndeb it tum e ccle sia Hibem e nsium , gaude bit So cie ta s , ade sse
o per ar io s e t mi lite szqui ad pm lia Dom in i prse lian da sin t para ti .
R . P . Ca llagh an virum apo sto l icum~ sa luto ac v e n e ro r . Utr ique
‘
4 TIM Ir ish Month ly.
o mn em divin am ben ediction em pr eco r , m eque So ci e tatemque utriusquesanctis sacr ificus comm e ndo .
Reve r e n tite Ve straa
Se r vus in Ch rista addictissimn s,
THADDJEUS a o z owsxr,
P. G ., S. JPe tr opo li , 1 4 Jumx, 1 806 .
Fa th e r Be tagh , wh o th e n filled th e o ffice o f Vicar - G e n e r al to th e
A rch bish op o f Dublin , h ad fo rm ed h igh e xpecta tio n s, in par ticular o f
Mr Pe te r Ke n n ey, th e n about 25 ye ars o f ag e . A fr ie nd said to h im
o n e day Oh Dr . Be ta gh , wh a t will b e com e o f n a a l l wh en you g o
to He aven No ma tte r ,’answe r ed h e , I e m o ld and stupid, but
th e r e is a youn g co ck comin g fr om Sicily th at will cr ow te n tim es as
l o ud as eve r I could do .
’
In th e n in th vo lum e o f th is Maga z in e , a t pag e 44 1 , an d aga in a t
pag e 500 (A ugust an d Septemb e r m ay b e found an a r ticle
e n titl ed To Pa le rmo an d Back , Se ve n ty ye ars A g o ,’wh ich de scribe s
th e voyage to Sicily o f th e fir st band o f youn g Ir ish Je suits o f th e
n in e te e n th ce n tury. A le tte r is th e r e given , da ted Sto nyhur st , July7 th , in wh ich th e R ecto r , Fath e r N ich o las Sewall , g ive s
‘ th e
R e v . Mr . Be tagh , Co ok Str e e t, Dub lin ,
’an accoun t o f th e depar tur e
fr om Liv e rpo o l in th e sh ip Lasce lle s o f Barth o lom ew Esmo n de o f
K ilda r e , Paul Pe r ley o f Dubl in , Ch a r le s A ylm e r o f Kildar e , R obe r t
Sr. Le ge r o fWa te rfo rd, Edm on d Co gan o f Co rk ,a nd Jam e s Butle r
o f Dubl in all youn g m e n o f ab il iti e s and lik e ly to do cr edit to th e ir
co un try.
’ N ext fo llows a m inute acco un t o f th e voyage by Ba r th o lomew
Esmo nde , th e n ag ed 1 9 ye a r s, and th e youn ge st o f th e little company.
Pe te r Ke n n ey a nd Ma tth ew G ah an h ad pr eceded th em to th e Kin gdomo f th e Two Sicilie s . England th e n o ccupied Sicily ag a in st Fran ce
a n d Fath e r Ke nney was se n t o n o n e o ccasio n to Civita Ve cch ia to act
a s in te rpr e te r be twe e n th e Pope and th e Eng lish A dm ira l , wh o h e ld
h im se lf in r e adin ess to g ive t o His Ho lin e ss th e pro te ctio n o f th e
B r itish fle e t .
Of th e little ban d m e n tio n ed abo ve Edmun d Co gan died aft e r a
ve e r in Sicily. Th e o th e rs a ft e r th e ir o rdin a tio n we r e fo rtun a te e n ough
to b e at Rom e o n th e ir h om eward journ ey wh e n th e Pepe r e sto r ed t he
Socie ty th r ough o ut th e wo r ld. Th ey we r e thus amo ng th e first to
r e sum e th e Je suit dr e ss. Ou th e 7th o f August , 1 8 1 4 , th e Bull o f
R esto ra tio n was publish e d at th e G e sfi, wh e r e th e Pope , in th e pr e se n ce
o f th e Sacr ed Co lleg e o f Cardin a ls, ce lebrated Mass at th e a ltar o f
St . Ign atius .
M e anwh ile Fa th e r Be tagh had died at 92 Co ok Str e e t, Dubl in ,
F e b . l 6th , 1 8 1 1 , ag ed 7 3 . He h ad kept an exce ll e n t SCh OUl be h in d th e
Ir islc Jesuits since 1 800. 5
h o use s in Fish amble Str e e t, an d am o ngst hi s pupils was Dan ie l
Mur ray, a fte rwards A rch bish op of Dublin , a nd e ve r a devo te d fr ie nd
to Fath e r Ke n n ey an d th e So cie ty. A n o th e r pupil o f h is was Mich a e l
B la ke , th e r e sto r e r o f th e Irish Co l le g e in Rom e, and subseque n tly
B ish op o f Drom o r e in Ulste r .
“F In a se rm o n pr e ach ed o n Pa lm Sun day,
1 8 1 1, wh ich was pr in ted with an o th e r in 1 82 1
, and wh ich n ow lie s
be fo r e us, h e pays a ve ry touch ing tr ibute to th e ve n e r able Be tagh ,
’
a s h e ca lls h im . Th e se rmon wasfo r th e eve n in g Fr e e Sch o o ls wh ich
Fa th e r Be tagh h ad foun ded an d suppo r ted, a n d whi ch to thi s day ar e
k n own as Dr . Be tagh’
s Sch o o ls . A lr e ady, in 1 8 1 1, m o r e th an thr e e
t h o usand boys ha d r ece ived th e ir educa tion in th e se sch o o ls, which
h av e b ee n co n tinui n g th e ir wo rk e ve r since . Dr . Blake spe aks o f
th e ma n wh o e stabli sh ed th a t In stitutio n , wh o ch e r ish ed th e o bj e ctso f it with th e a ffe ctio n o f a pa r e n t, wh o supe r in te n ded th e ir in struc
t io n , wh o r ewa rde d th e m o st prom isin g o f th em by a cla ssica l
e duca tio n, wh o a t th e ag e o f sev e n ty
- th r e e would sit down in a co ld ,
d amp ce lla r e ve ry n igh t to h e ar th e le sso n s o f th e se childr e n ,and
c o n tr ived to clo th e fo r ty o f th e m o st de stitute o f th em e ve ry ye ar a t
h is own expe n se .
’A fte r de scr ibin g th e pa tr ia rch
’
s h o ly de a th , th e
young pr iest—wh o h imse lf lived fo r fifty ye ar s a fte r—give s a won de r
1 1 1 1 accoun t o f th e grie f sh own by th e pe ople , th e cr owds wh ich , a t
a ll h o urs o f th e day a n d n ig h t, an d unde r th e m o st h e avy, in ce ssan t
m i n , we r e se e n pour in g in fr om e ve ry quar te r o f th e city to th e h o use
wh e r e hi s bo dy lay.
’ His fun e r a l te stifie d to th e extra o rdin a ry
v e n e r ation in whi ch h e was h e ld by a ll classe s .
But we h ave give n a n undue amoun t o f o ur space to Fath e r
B e ta gh . We do so be cause h e wa s th e ch ie f co n n e ctin g link be twe e n
t h e o ld and th e n ew So cie ty in Ir e la n d . A n o th e r o f th e Fa th e r s
d ur in g th e in te rr e gnum ,Fa th e r Mulca ile , tran sla ted Fe ll e r
’
s
P hi losoph ica l Ca te chi sm in to En gl ish . Fa th e r Ca l lagh an ,wh om
Fa th e r Br z o z owski , in th e le tte r quo ted be fo r e , salute s a nd ve n e ra t cs
a s a a ir ap ostolz'
cus,h ad suffe r ed fo r th e fai th in th e Phi lippin e
Isl ands.
A fte r th e ir r e turn fr om Sicily i n 1 8 1 2, Fath e rs Ke n n ey, D in an ,
a n d G ah an r e sided a t No 3 G e o rge’s Hill, Dublin , wh ich h o us e is n ow
a po rtion o f th e sch o o ls o f th e Pr e se n ta tio n Nuns .-
'l‘
h e Je suits, b e fo r e
a n d dur in g th e Suppr e ssion , h ad lo n g be e n co n n e cte d with th at par ish
o f St . Michan , and th ey officia ted in th e Pa r ish Ch urch , fo rm e r ly in
Ma ry’s Lan e , but r emoved lo ng sin ce to No r th A n n e Str e e t . Fa th e r
K e n n ey was~ Supe r io r o f th e Ir ish Missio n o f th e So cie ty. A n o th e r
pupil o f Fa th e r Be tagh’
s, Dr . Dan i e l Mur r ay, h ad be e n appo in ted
Se ve ra l papers in our N in th an d T e n th Vo lumes we re de vo ted to th is v e n e r
6 Tiae Ir ish Mo nth ly.
Co adjuto r to Dr . Troy, th e A rch bish op o f Dublin and ye t , in Jun e ,
1 8 1 2,h e was pe rsuaded by th e Bish ops to becom e pr e side n t o f
Mayn o o th Co ll e g e . He yie lded , it is sa id, o n condi tio n th at Fath e r
Ke n n ey sh o uld h e lp him as vice -
pr esiden t. In th e Co lle g e Cal e ndar
Fath er Ke nn ey’s appo in tm e n t is assign e d to th e fo llowin g Novembe r .
Th e ir te rm of o ffice was in te nde d to be brie f, but it le ft its m a rk o n
th e Co lleg e , an d n o doubt h ad a sh ar e in th e imm en se ve n e ra tio n with
wh ich Fath e r Ke n n ey’s n am e i s still r ememb e red amon g th e pri e sts
o f Ir e lan d. Th e m edi ta tion s wh ich th e Vice -Pr e side n t propo sed dur in g
th a t ye ar to th e stude n ts we r e e age r ly copied, and a r e n o t e ve n ye t
fo rg o tte n o r di sused.
Th e m on ey m e n tion ed be for e as h avin g be en car efully h usbanded
durin g th e Suppr e ssion wa s expe n ded o n th e purch as e o f Castle
Brown e,
‘o r LClo n g
-owesWo o d, in Coun ty Kil dare , 1 6 Irish m ile s, o r
2 7 En glish m il e s, fr om Dublin . It is n ow kn own by its o lde r n am e o f
Clo n gowe s, but a t th e tim e it was call e d Castle Br own e,fr om th e o ld
Cath o lic fam ily wh o h ad own e d it, and o f wh om th e h ead th e n was .
G e n e r a l Brown e,in th e se rvice o f th e Kin g o f Saxo ny. Capta in Wogan
Br own e is at th is pr e se n t m om e n t a Ca th o lic Office r in th e Br itish
a rmy. Th e Br own e s h ad be e n in po sse ssio n fo r two hun dr ed yea rs,
b e ing pr e ceded by an o th e r Cath o lic race , th e Eustaces, wh o se n am e
still survive s in th e small town o f Ba llym o r e Eustace n o t far distan t .
Th e purch a se o f Clo n gowes was compl e te d in 1 8 1 3, but som e tim e was
spe n t in pr epar in g it for its n ew de stiny. Th e first pupil en te r ed o n
th e 1 4th o f May, 1 8 1 4 . We sh ould g ladly m en tion th e boy’s n am e if
traditiou h ad h anded it down .
Th e r e lie s be fo r e us a fragm e n t o f a dia ry k ept by som eo n e at
Clo n gowe s two yea rs afte r . Som e little bits of in te rn al eviden ce se em
to po in t to Fa th e r Ch ar le s A ylm e r as its auth o r and compa ring th e
h an dwr itin g with th a t o f Fath e r A ylm e r’s Jo n t o sl o f a To ur in
Sicily,
’wh ich ch a n ce s to com e un de r our eye s at th is mom e n t, th e two
ma n uscripts se em to be wr itte n by th e sam e pe r son . Th e Sicilian
Journ a l is da te d thr e e ye ars e ar lie r , Sept embe r , 1 8 1 3 . We n o tice i n
i t th a t Fa th e r A ylm e r was alr e ady a pr ie st in h is 29th ye a r , h aving‘
b e e n bo r n in 1 784 . Th is fr agm e n t o f a j ourn al e nds with a lovin gly
m inute de scriptio n o f th e sh rin e o f St . Lucy, a t Syracuse a nd th is is
an o th e r pr o o f o f ide n ti ty be twe e n Fath e r A ylm e r a nd th e Clo n gowe s
D iar ist,fo r it expla in s wh at h ad pr e viously surpr ised m e—n ame ly,
why in th e Diary Decembe r 1 3th is ca l led St .Lucy’
s Day,’n o o th e r
sa in t o f No vembe r and Decembe r b e in g thus m en tio n ed, except, o f
course , St . Sta n islaus and St. Francis Xavie r .
Th e diary begin s o n Octobe r 1 st,1 8 1 6 , g ivin g th e statue dome s a t
full l e ng th . Fa th e r Pe te r Ke nn ey, Super io r o f th e wh o le Soci ety in .
Ir isk Jem’
ts 8 171 00 1 800. 7
Ir e land, pr e fect o f h igh e r studi e s
, pr e ach e s eve ry we ek to th e pupils
Fa th e r Aylm e r is th e Min iste r a nd Fa th e r Claudius Jauta rd is
Spir itua l Fa th e r—a Fr e n chma n
, wh o se em e d a pa tr ia rch in th e yo uth ful
m mmun ity, as an o th e r o ld scrap o f pape r te lls us h e was bo r n in
1 7 40, an d e n t e r e d th e So cie ty in 1 756 . b e fo r e Ch o ise ul an d Pomba l
a n d th e de v i l h ad go t th e ir will .‘ Fa th e r Jam e s Butl e r is Pr o fe sso r
o f Mo r al an d Do gmatic Th e o lo gy. Fa th e r Paul Fe r ley is Pro fe sso r
o f Lo gic and Me taphysics a n d curio usly e n ough it is a n n o unce d th a t
h e is to pr e ach o n th e n ext G o od Friday, still h alf a ye a r distan t ,
Fa th e r Ma tth ew G ah a n is de scribed as missio n e r in th e par ish o f St .
Nich o las , Fran cis St r e e t, Dublin , and con fe sso r to th e Nun s a t
Ha ro ld’s Cro ss a nd Summ e r Hill—th e fo rm e r still th e h om e o f th e Po o r
Cla r es, th e latte r th e first b egin n in gs o f th e Ir ish Siste r s o f Ch ar ity.
Th e four r ema in in g pr ie sts in th e Clo n gowe s Commun ity seve n ty
ye a rs ago we r e Fa th e rs R obe rt St. Le g e r , \V . Din an , Ba r th o lomew
Esm o n de (Supe rio r o f th e Sch o la stics), and Joh n Ryan ,a m issio n e r in
St . Paul’s Par ish
, A r ran Quay. Am o n g th e Sch o lastic-t, th e m aste rs
a n d pr e fe ct’
s we r e Bro th e r s Fra z e r , Le vin e , Co nn o r , Brack e n , Sh e r lock ,
Mo r an, Mul le n
, a nd McG lade . Seve ra l o f th e se we r e fo llowin g th e
th e o lo gica l classe s a t th e sam e tim e,an d o th e rs
.
we r e appli ed exclusive ly
to th e ir studi e s o f th e se la st two sur vived to o ur own tim e , dyin g
o nly two o r th r e e ye ar s ago , n o n ag e n ar ian s—Ro be r t Ha ly a n d Juh n
Cur tis . A thi rd was th e first o f a ll to di e , th e first burie d in th e
rus tic graveya rd o f o ld Ma inh am—Nich o las Fitz h ar ris, wh o had be e n
a Mayn o o th stude n t dur in g Fath e r Ke n n ey’s vice -
pr e side n cy, a nd
fo llowed h im wh e n h e l e ft th e Co lle g e .
Th e Diary b e g in s with A ll Sain ts’Day, 1 8 1 6 , m e n tio n in g th at th e
n umbe r o f sch o lars was th e n 1 94 . Ou th e fe ast o f St . Fr an cis
Xa vi e r i t is r e co rded, J. He an ey cam e to th e h ouse , an d comple te d
th e 200 sch o lar s wh o a r e i n a ll o n th e list 20 1 , in th e h o use
A m o n g th e se we r e Jo seph L e n ta ig n e , wh o wa s our first Ir ish
P ro vin cia l, a nd h is br o th e r , wh o died r e ce n tly, Sir Jo h n L e n ta ig n e ;
a lso Frank Mah ony Fa th e r and Jam e s Lyn ch , n ow Bish opo f Kildar e .
Th e m ann e r in wh ich Fa th e r A ylm e r’s opin io n is r epo r ted in th e
fo llowin g passag e is o n e o f my r e aso ns fo r th in k in g th a t Fa th e r
A vlm e r wr o te th e D ia ry.
‘Th e le t te r fr om Mr . Ke n n ey o n th e 3 rd
was to desir e th e opin io n s o f Fa th e rs Farl ey, Butle r , a nd A ylm e r
wi th r e gard to h is’
pr e ach in g a ch ar i ty se rmo n in Co rk, a t th e r e que sto f th e Bish op, Dr . Murphy, an d co n seque n t to h is accept in g th a t o f
Co rk , an o th e r in Lim e r ick . Th e two fo rm e r we r e o f Opin io n th a t
bo th ough t to be accepted ; th e latte r sa id h e did n o t e n tir e ly agr e e
He die d a t Clo ng owe s in 1 82 1 , ag ed 8 1 .
The Ir isk Mon th ly.
with th em, because h e th ough t th at Mr . Ke nn ey’s freque n t abse nce
fr om th e Co ll e ge . wh e re h e h ad so o fte n de cla r e d th a t a ll we r e to o
m un g an d n o t to b e depe nded upo n , was h igh ly i n jur ious. A s to
th e proprie ty o f pr eachi n g bo th se rmo n s, Mr . Ke n n ey h im se lf co uld
a lo n e de te rmin e , as h e a lo n e kn ew th e circumstan ce s an d situa tion o f
a ffa irs.
’
Th e Diary,whi ch r e co rds ve ry minute ly
’
eve ryth in g about th e
e xamin atio n s, a n d th e h e a lth o f th e boys, and sun dry o th e r ma tte rs ,
e n ds with th e 1 3th o f Decem be r . Ou th e sam e day it is sai d : XVe
h e a rd th at Mr . Ke n n eyh ad g o t po sse ssion o f Hardwick Str e e t Ch ape l.’
Th e se e n tr ie s r efe r to th e fir st Dublin San ctuary o f th e Soci e ty
a fte r its Re sto r a tio n . It was alr e ady a h o ly spo t. Th e Po o r Clar e s,
wh o ar e n ow se rvin g G od acco rdin g to th e ir h o ly sta te a t Har o ld’s
C ro ss, n e ar Dublin , car ri ed o ut th e ir voca tio n e ve n am idst th e te rr o rs
o f th e Pe n a l Laws. In 1 752 , som e o f th em wh o we r e livin g i n No r th
K in g Str e e t , r em oved to th e h o use of Maj o r Favi e r in Dr umco n draLan e ,
‘
n ow ca ll ed Do rse t Str e e t .
‘A ft e r a few ye a rs,’say th e ir
a nn als, fr om which th e Mo th e r A bbe ss h as copied th is extract fo r us,
th ey bui lt a n e a t ch ape l with e igh t ce lls o ve r it a t a co st o f £800 .
In th e ye ar 1 804, Octob e r 1 9th
,th e commun ity was tran sfe rr e d to
Har o ld’s Cr o ss an d th e ir ch apla in , th e R e v . Be rn ard McMah o n ,
t ook a le ase of t h e ch ape l , an d ce lebra ted Mass th e r e till h is de a th .
He h ad th e e igh t ce ll s pr epar ed fo r h is accommodation a s a r e side n ce .
Th e g e n tl em e n o f Clo n gowe s Co ll e ge ar e n ow in po sse ssio n o f it,th e
e n tran ce be in g in 38 Hardwick Stn e t, wh ich h as b e e n built o n t h e
site o f o ur kitch e n garde n th a t sto o d a t th e r ear o f th e co n ve n t .’
Th is,th e first public Je sui t ch ape l in Ir e la nd in thi s ce n tury,
is still e asily r e co gn ised in th e m iddle o f Ha rdwick Str e e t (No .
Wh e n St . Fr an cis Xavier’s Ch urch wa s o pe n ed in 1 832
,our Fa th e rs
use d th e Hardwick Str e e t Ho use a s a day sch o o l till 1 84 1 , wh e n
Be lvi de r e Co ll e g e was ope n ed a t No . 6 G r e at De nmark Str e e t . It
b ecam e subseque n tly a M e th odi st ch ape l , an d is n ow a Natio n al
sch o o l un de r Pr o te sta n t auspice s. It was h e r e th a t Fa th e r Ke n n eypr e ach ed som e o f h is fir st se rm o n s, with th a t m assive e loque n ce wh ichh as m ade h is n am e so pro foundly r e spected by th e Irish pr ie sts and
pe ople . N ext to him as a pr e ach e r was Fa th e r Esm o n ds, wh o b e ga n
in th e m ise ra ble l ittle th a tch e d par ish ch ape l o fMa in h am .
In 1 8 1 7 , Fa th e r Fide lis G r iv e l was se n t as a Visito r to En gland an d
Ir e land . He made Fa th e r A ylm e r R ecto r o f Clon gowe s, with Fath e r
Matth ew G ah an as Min iste r . In som e unpublish ed r em in isce nce s o f
Fa th e r Haly, we le a r n th a t Fa th e r Aylm e r ch an g ed th e din n e r h our
fr om h alf-past 1 2 to h a lf-past 3 o’clock . But afte r Fa th e r A ylm e r
’s
r e cto rsh ip th is impo rtan t e ve n t was ch ang ed back to th e e ar lie r h o ur .
1 0 Ti mIr is]?Mon th ly.
r e ca lls in particular th e ove rmaste r in g te n de rn e ss and ve h em e n ce o f
h is apo str oph e s to th e crucifix, wh ich h e de live r ed with str e am in g
eye s o n some occasio n s ; an d h e declar e s th a t h is vivid r e co ll e ctio n o f
Fath e r Ken n ey’s pr e ach in g h ad m ade h im un able to r e lish a ny o th e r
pre ach e r . h oweve r em in e n t, e ve n Fa ther Th omas Burk e h imse lf .
Fa th e r A ylm e r , himse lf a m o st e ffective pr e ach e r , used to say th at h is
g r e ate st h um iliat io n was to be oblig e d to pr e ach fr om th e sam e a lta r
steps fr om»wh ich Fath e r Ke n n ey h ad e lectr ified th e co n gre ga tio n th e
Sundayb e fo r e . Na tura lly th e cr owd o n such o ccasio n s ov e rflowed in to
Ha rdwick Str e e t . G r a ttan is sa id to h ave expr e ssed g reat admiratio n
fo r Fa th e r Ke n n ey’s e lo que n ce ; and an em in e n t lite raryma n de clar e d
th a t to liste n to o n e o f h is we ll -pr epar ed di scourse s was an exquisite
in te llectua l tr e a t . W e may emph asiz e th e ph r ase we ll -pr epa re d a s
a n excuse fo r r emarkin g th a t th e impr e ssio n s o f som e wh o h e a rd him
wh e n h e was fo rced to spe ak with out due pr eparatio n run coun te r to
th e se e n thusiastic te stim o n ia ls. Fa th e r Ke n n ey’s pe rso n al ch a racte r
h ad, n o doubt, a la rg e sh a r e in th e efie ctive n e ss o f h is wo rds. He
wa s th e tr uste d coun se ll o r o f ve ry many am o n g th e pr ie st a nd Bish ops.
o f Ir e la nd. His own A r ch bish op, Docto r Murr ay, place d un lim ited
co nfide n ce in h is l ife - lo n g fr ie n d . Wh e n h e wish ed to br in g th e
fam ous J K . L . r o und fr om ce rta in pe cul ia r opin io n s, Dr . Doyle and
Fath e r Ke n n ey we r e in vi ted to din e a t th e A rchbish op
’s h o use in
No rth Cumbe rlan d Str e e t“ wh e r e th e po in ts in que stio n we r e discusse dwith th e gr e ate st fuln ess an d cando ur (as we a r e assur ed) , an d with
th e r e sult de sir ed .
Howe ve r , we must n o t fo r g e t th a t th is r apid and unm e th odica l
sk e tch is n o t a b io graphy o f Fa th e r Ke n n ey, a n d we sh a ll o n ly
add th a t h e d ie d at R ome , Novembe r 1 9 , 1 84 1 , ag ed 6 2 .
Th e ve n e rable De an Me agh e r , in h is fun e ra l o ra tio n ove r A rch
b ish opMur ray, ca lled Fath e r Ke nn ey th e A po stl e o f Dublin . Fa th e r
Ma tth ew G ah an ,f wh om we h ave m e n tio n ed be fo r e , h ad a be tte r , o r
a t le ast a m o r e exclusive cla im to th e title o fte n g ive n to h im ,o f
A po stle o f th e Isle o f Ma n . Th is i n te r e stin g is land was a lto g e th e r
de stitute o f spir itual h e lp, a n d ful l o f str an g e supe rsti tio n s, wh e n h e
vo lun te e r ed fo r thi s lo n e ly m issio n in 1 826 . He labour e d h a rd,
built a ch urch a t Douglas, an d e s tablish ed sch o o ls,n o t , we may
be sur e , fr om th e r e source supplie d by th e h an dful o f in diffe r e n t
Qua n tum ma ta tua ab £1 10 Hectar e .
’ No t e ve n a curate wo uld lodg e in
Cumbe r land S tr e e t n ow. Dr . Mur ray so o n rem oved to Moun tjoy Square , wh e re h e
1‘ Neph ew to Fath e r Will iam G ah an , remembe red fo r h is popular
praye rbo o l: Ca th o lic Pie ty,”an d fo r h is co nn e ctio n with th e de a th bed o f L o rd
Dun boyn e .
Ir ish Jesuits since 1 800 . 1 1'
C a th o lics h e found o n th e island . Fa th e r A ylme r , by wh a t we ca ll an
a ccide n t, pa id h im an un expecte d visi t in th e e ar ly pa rt o f 1 837 , an d
was just in tim e to give th e so lita ry missio n ary a ll th e co n so la t io ns o f
r e lig i o n be fo r e h e di ed on th e 22n d o f February.
Th e se co n d visit o f th e ch o le ra to Dublin , in 1 834 (th e first visit
w as two ye ar s e ar li e r ) , car r ied o ff aft e r o n e n igh t’s
'
sick n e ss, Fath e r
Jo h n Sh in e , an d,four days 1ate r , Fath e r R o be rt O
’Fe rr e ll, in his
th ir ti e th ye a r . Th e latte r wa s bro th e r to th e R igh t Ho n . Rich ard
M o r e O’
Fe rra ll, wh o se be st title to r em embran ce is th a t h e r esign ed
t h e G o ve r n o rsh ip o f Malta as a pr o te st aga in st Lo rd Jo h n Russe ll’s
P a pal A gr e ssio n Bill . Fa th e r Sh in e was, pe rh aps, a fte r Fath e r
Ja me s Butle r, th e m o st e fficie n t o f th e first Clo n gowe s pro fe sso rs, a nd
h a d fo r four o r five ye ar s tak e n ch arg e o f th e day sch o o l i n to wh ich
t h e Ha rdwick Str e e t Ch ape l h ad b e e n tra n sfo rm ed afte r th e ope n in go f St . Fran cis Xavi e r
’s, G ardin e r Str e e t , Hé caugh t th e dr e adful
m a lady fr om a po o r pe rso n wh om h e wa s a tte ndin g . Se g r e at wa s
th e dr ead o f co n tagio n , th a t h e was bur ied by to rch light in G lasn e vind ur in g th e fo llowin g n igh t .
Be fo r e m e n tio n ing som e n am e s o f pe rso n s, it se em s r igh t to spe ak ,
e v e n with un fa ir br evity, o f a place in wh ich m any Ir ish Je suits h ave
d o n e g ood and h ard wo rk fo r G od . Th e Co lle g e o f St . Stan islaus, at
Tu llab eg , in King’s Co un ty, fo r ty
-n in e Ir ish m ile s fr om Dublin , was
o p e n e d n o t ve ry lon g afte r Clo n g owe s . It wa s, in de ed, a t first
in te n ded as a n ovitiate . and fo r som e tim e was applie d to th is purpo se
un de r its first R e ctor, Fa th e r Ro be r t St. Le g e r ; but it so on becam e
a sch o o l,at first pr eparato ry to
.
Clo ngowe s, an d subseque n tly vie in gw i th Clo n g owe s . Larg e additio n a l buildings we r e e r e ct ed bysubse que n t Recto rs
, e specia lly Fa th e rs Jo hn Ffr e n ch , Matth ew
Be a ve r, and A lfr ed Murphy. A fr e sh impulse was give n to th e
s tudies o f‘
th e boys unde r Fa th e r W illiam De lany, fr om th e ye ar
1 8 7 0 , an d th e Co lleg e o f St. Stan islaus sco r ed we ll in th e no
na tricula
t io n a t th e Un ive rsity of Lo n do n ,an d a lso in th e Ir ish In te rm e diate
Exam inatio n s . But in th e ye a r 1 886 it was co n side r ed wis e to com
b in e th e te ach in g powe r o f our two Co lle g e s, wh ich ar e n o t v e ry far .
apa r t, an d to give fur th e r deve lopm e n t to Clo n gowes , th e Mo th e r
Ho use o f th e So cie ty in I1 e lan d . La rg e additio n s to th e buildin gs .
h ad b e e n m ade by Fa th e r Euge n e Br own e , Fa th e r R o be r t Cai ban'
,
a n d o th e r R ecto rs . On th e 8 th of A pr il, 1 866, a fi1 e , caused by th e
n e g l ig e n ce o f a plumb e r a t wo rk o n th e r o of o f th e fin e study h a ll
e r e cte d by Fa th e r Aylm e r,spr e ad to th e r e fecto ry un de rn e ath , an d
dm troyed th e se ro oms,with m an yva luable pictur e s, bo oks an d pape rs .
A pl e n ti ful supply of wate r a nd e fficie n t e n g in e s k ept th e fir e with in.
its o rigin al lim it, and n o dan g e r to life o r limb o ccur r e d . Th e lo ss
1 2 The Ir isk Month ly.
was par tly cove r ed by insurance , an d it was mad e th e occas ion o f a
practical pro of of efie ctio n by fo rm e r pupils o f th e Co lle ge . Th e re sult
h as be e n h igh ly be n eficia l to th e e le gan ce a nd e fficie n cy o f the co l
l eg ia te buildings. May it be th e ope n in g o f a n ew e ra o f pr o spe rityfo r de a r o ld Clon g owe s unde r its pr e se n t R ecto r , Fath e r Jo hn Co nme e .
Th is sk e tch de a ls ch ie fly with place s an d pe rso n s. Th e place s
wh ich r ema in still to be comm emo ra ted must h ave e ve n sca n tie r
j ustice acco rded to th em . We h ave me n tio n e d inciden ta lly th a t th e
l i a rdwick Str e e t day sch o o l was tr an sfe rr ed to Be lvide r e Ho use , No .
6 G r e a t D enmark Str e e t, whi ch in some of its in te rn a l deco ra tions
g ive s o n e some ide a o f th e ma gn ifice n ce o f th e Ir ish n obility be fo re
th e Un i o n impove r ish ed Dublin . Ve ry fin e scho o l -r o oms and a
spacious l e ctur e-h a ll a nd th e a tr e h ave r ece n t ly be e n buil t by th e late
Recto r , Fa th e r Th om as Fin lay.
'
With th e n am e o f Be lvide r e wh ich.
is n ow a tte n ded by a bout th r e e hundr ed boys, a larg e n umbe r fo r an
Irish sch o o l—we may li nk th e n am e s o f.
som e of its fo rm e r R e cto rs,
such as Fa th e r Me agh e r (un cle to th e e loque n t Th omas Fran cisMe agh e r , o f
,
’48
,
'
an d afte r wards G e n e ra l in th e Am e r ican Army) ;Fa th e r Fran cis Murphy, still te ach in g boys in St. Patr ick
’s Co lleg e ,
Me lbourn e an d Fa th e r Mich ae l O ’Fe r r all
, wh o fo r some ye a rs afte r
1 864, h e lped our Fa th e r s o f th e dispe rsed Sardin ian Pr ovin ce in th e ir
pr o spe r o us exile n e ar th e G o lde n G a te . He di ed so on afte r h is r e turn
fr om San Fra n cisco .
Fa th e r Edwa rd Ke lly, and Fa th e r Th omas Ke lly, pr e sided also
o ve r th is e stablishme n t be fo r e an d afte r Fa th e r Stan l ey Ma tth ews,
who di ed compar a tive ly yo un g but th e ir wo rk in th e a rduous o ffice
o f Supe r io r lay ch i efly in Lime r ick . Th e ir n am e s, coupled with th at
o f th e ir e lde st br o th e r , Fa th e r Will iam Ke l ly,—o n e o f th e foun de rs
o f th e A ustra lia n Missio n , an d still exe rcisin g h is ve rsa tile gifts
in New So uth Wal e s*—sugge st a r emark th at h as som e
t ime s be e n made . Is th e r e any Pr o vin ce o f th e Socie ty, e ve n twice
o r th r ice a s la rg e a s Ir e land, wh ich h as amo n g its m embe rs so many
pa ir s an d tr iple ts o f bro th e r s?We h ave just n am ed t h r e e br o th e r s.
Oi an o th e r n am e (Hugh e s) we h ave th r e e also , and aga in two ; and
we h av e h ad two Fa th e r'
s e t . Le g e r , two Fath e rs Be llew, two Fa th e rs
Lyn ch , two Fa the r s Se ave r , two Fa th e rs Duffy, two Fath e rs Ke atin g ;a nd we sti ll h av e two Fath e rs Da lto n , two Fa th e rs Fin lay, four
Fa th e rs Daly, two Fa th e rs Co lga n , a nd some o th er fra te rn a l co uple s,
He h as sin ce be e n recall ed to te ach Hebrew an d Scr ipture in th e Th eo log ica l
Sem in a ry open ed r ece n tly at Milltown Park , n ear Dublin . Will it be indiscre e t to
add in th e seclusio n o f a fo o tn o te tha t th e only o th e r m embe r o f th e fir e side circle
h as be e n do in g th e h o ly wo rk o f 11. Siste r of Me rcy th ese th irty yea rs in Pe rth ,
Weste rn A ustralia , wh ith e r sh e brave ly we n t from h e r n o vie e sh ip in th e Mo the r
House in Bagg o t Str e e t .
Ir is]: Jesuits since 1 800. 1 3’
b e s ide s cousin s galo r e , th at is , to 1 : facto rs. But th e se de ta ils m ay,
pe r h aps, b e b e n ea th th e dign ity o f th e h isto r ic muse .
St . Ma n ch in’e Co ll e ge (afte rwards Co lleg e o f th e Sa cr e d He ar t )
wa s ope n ed in Lim e r ick , in Mar ch , 1 869 , with th e co rdia l san ctio n o i'
th e go o d o ld Bish op, Docto r Ryan . Fath e r EdwardKe lly was th e first
R e c to r . Th e Ch urch o f th e Sacr e d Hea r t was built by h is succe sso r ,Fa t h e r Th om as Ke lly, and open ed in 1 868
,th e dedica tio n sem e n
b e in g pr e ach ed by th e h o ly and e loque n t Domin ican Bish opo fDr om o r e ,
Do cto r Joh n Pius Le ahy. Th e n ext Supe r io r in Lim e r ick was Fa th e r
W i lli am Ro n an,wh o is kn own in th e Un i te d Sta tes fo r h is exe r tio n s
in e stablish in g th e A posto lic Sch o o l a t Mun gr e t , n e ar Lim e r ick,in
wh ich v e ry a rduous task h e was gr e a tly e ncour ag ed byDo cto r Ryan’s
succe s so r in th e Se e o f Lim e rick , Docto r G e o rg e Butle r . Dr . Butl e r
d ied in th e ye ar , 1 886, and h as b e e n succe eded by o ne o f th e fir st
L im e r ick pupils of th e So cie ty, Do cto r Edwa rd O’Dwr e r .
Our G alway h ouse was ope n e d abo ut th e sam e tim e as Lim e rick .
Fa th e r Rob e r t Haly was th e fir st Supe r io r , and h is exe r tio n s h a d th e
ch i e f part in building th e Ch urch o f St . Igna tius in th a t in te r e stin gbut n o t ve ry pro spe ro us town .
"
With G a lway sh o uld be link ed th e
n am e o f Fath e r Mich a e l Be ll ew,a
'
m a n o f sin gula r h o lin e ss . Hise ld e st b r o th e r , Sir Ch r istoph e r Be ll ew,
r e sign ed h is po si tio n in t he
w o r ld to be com e a v e ry de vo ut an d h umble m emb e r o f th e So cie ty,
dyin g o n th e 1 8th o f March , 1 867 . Fath e r Mich a e l Be llew died o n
th e 2 9 th o f Octobe r , 1 868 .
A ce r ta in m an o f th e w o r ld was on ce g r e atly struck by h e ar in g"
t h e ‘En glish Pro vince o f th e So cie ty’spok e n o i . He wa s de ligh ted
wi th th e ide a o f th e wo r ld -wide Ch urch lo ok in g down o n h augh ty
En g lan d as a m e re pr ovin ce . To ca ll Ir e lan d a Pr o vin ce wo uld n o t
be j udi cio us in a po litician ; but in th e So ci e ty Ir e land o n ly r o se to be
a P r o vin ce in th e yea r 1 860 . Eve ry such Pr ovin ce h as a n o vitia te
a n d a fo r e ign m ission attach ed to it . Th e Ir ish n o vitia te wa s ope n ed
in t h a t ye a r a t Mil town Pa rk , n e ar Dublin , unde r th e h o ly a nd
l e a r n e d Fa th e r Dan ie l Jo n e s ; but it h ad b egun its gr e a t an d m o st
succe ssful wo rk as a House o f R e tr e ats in 1 858, un de r Fa th e r
1311 d O’R e i lly,
‘ wh o de se rves pr e- em in e n tly th e sam e two epith e ts
we h a v e be stowed o n Fath e r Jo n e s. Fa th e r Je n e s’ e succe sso r s, a s
N o vi ce -Maste rs, we r e Fa th e r Stur z o , Fa th e r Ch ar le s McK e n n a ,
Fa th e r W ill iam O’Farr e ll, and th e pr e se n t Maste r o f No vice s, Fa th o r
Fa the r O’Re illy di ed No vembe r 1 0th , 1 878 . Th e fo llowin g issue o f th is
Ma g a z in e con ta i n ed a ske tch o f h is life , em bodying some impo r tan t te stim o n ie s to
h is g r ea t th e o logica l attainmen ts , and h is n o ble but m o st am iable ch a ract er .LOur
Mag a zin e also furnish ed last ye ar some accoun t o f Fath e r Joh n O’Car ro ll , with
m e opin ion s e xpressed by expe rts as to h is ve ry remarkable linguistic aptitude s
1 4 T11 0 Ir ish Mon th ly.
Jo hn Co lgan . Ou May 3rd, 1 884 , Fe ast of St . Joseph’s Patr o n ag e ,
th e n ovice s we r e r emo ved to Dromo r e , Co un tyDown , and subseque n tlyto th e appr opr iate ly n amed h ouse o f St. Sta n islaus, Tullabe g , in Que e n
’s
C oun ty. V e ry num e rously a tte nde d r e tr eats fo r pr ie sts an d lay
g e n tlem e n a r e g ive n th ro ugh th e wh o l e course b f th e ye ar a t
Milltown .
Th e fo r e ign m ission assign ed to th e Ir ish Province is so cong e n ia l
a fie ld fo r th e z e al o f Ir ish h e ar ts, th at it r equi r e s som e o th e r n am e
th a n fo r e ign m issio n—wh ich inde e d is h a rdly a Jesuit wo rd . Th e
son s o f St . Ign atius ar e a t h om e eve rywh e r e , in gue st'
s mamb'
p laga .
A cle v e r m an h a s ca lled th e Un ited Sta te s of Ame r ica ‘G rcate r Br itai n .
’
Th ey m igh t we ll be ca lled G r e a te r Ir e lan d and A ustra lia , also , is
fo r a n Ir ish pr ie st on ly Ir e lan d tr an spla n ted. In July, 1 865, Fa th e r
Jo seph L e n ta ign e and Fath e r XVilliam Ke lly l eft Dublin o n th e ir wayto Me lb o urn e . Th e wo nde r ful pro gr e ss made in twe n ty ye ars, th e
m any co ll e g e s an d church e s foun de d a t Me lbo urn e and Sydn ey, and
th e ir suburbs, ca n n o t be crush e d in to a par agraph . Th ey h ave n ow
th ir ty- six pr ie sts, seve ral sch o lastics and lay br o th e rs, an d a n o vitia te .
Th e Supe r io rs o f th e Missio n h ave b e e n Fath e r s Jo seph Da lto n an d
Fa th e r A loysius Stur z o .0
St . Pa tr ick’s House o f R e side n ce o f th e Cath o lic Un ive rsity,
Steph en’s G r e e n ,
Dublin , was comm itted by th e Bish ops to th e ca r e
o f th e So cie ty in 1 873,th e fir st Supe r io r b e ing th e Rev . Th om as
K e a ting , wh o h as sin ce di e d a t Sydn ey . Unde r a n ew a r ran g em e n t,
th e Ca th o l ic Un ive rsity Co lle g e is co n ducted by th e Je suit Fa th e rs,
Fa th e r D e lany be ing Vice-R e cto r sin ce th e l t D ecembe r , 1 88 1 , till
h e was succe eded by Fath e r Ca rbe ry.
Th o ugh we omm it ted it a t th e pr ope r place , we must n o t omit alto
g e th e r to m e n tion th e visit o f Fath e r Ro o th ae n , th e first G e n e ra l o f th e
S o cie ty th a t eve r se t fo o t o n Ir ish so il— th ough St Ign a tius did th e n e xt
b e st th in g in se n din g us two o f h is fir st compan io n s, Pasch a sius Br oue t
a nd Al ph o n sus Sa lm e r o n .
’Tis an ill wind th a t blows n obody g o od,
’
a n d th e Ita lian R e vo lutio n wa ftcd to o ur sh o r e s, pe rh aps, th e gr e a te st
o f th e G e n e ra ls sin ce Claudius A quaviva . He ar r ive d in Dublin o n
th e 1 9 1h o f Octob e r , 1 849 , accompan ie d by Fa th e r Vil le fo rt o f Fr an ce ,a n d Fa th e r Co bb o f th e En gli sh Pr o vince . He de ligh ted a nd
impr e ssed e ve ryo n e wh o cam e in co n tact with h im . Of th is we h ave
a str ikin g te stim o ny in th e fir st vo lum e o f th e Ir ish A nnual M'
swllany
(afte rwa rds c alled Essays, ch iefly Tkeo log z’
cal), by th e R ev . Patrick
Murr ay, Pr o fe sso r of Th e o lo gy in Mayn o o th Co lle g e . He de vo te s
a lo n g pape r to an accoun t o f Fa th e r Ro o th aan’s visit to Mayn o o th .
’
Ou h is part th e.
illustr io us visito r car r ied away th e best impr e ssio n s
o f our li ttle island. Th e cr owds th a t th r ong e d St. Fran cis Xavie r’s
Ir ish Jesuits since 1 800. 1 5
C h urch in Dublin , even on we e k days, an d th e imm en se n umbe r of
c o n fe ssio n s an d commun ions de ligh te d an d edified h im ; an d a t A vign o n
h e r emar k ed th a t our Ch urch a t Marse ille s was th e o n ly ri va l
h e k n ew fo r G ardin e r Str e e t, Dublin .
’ He wr o te back to Ir e lan d
fr o m th e Co n tin e n t : Multa ibi vidi e t audivi quae maximum m ih i
c o n so la tio n em attulerun t .’
W e h ave r e lucta nt ly put aside our in te n tion o f givin g som e de ta ils
a b o ut ce rta in o f our Fa th e rs gm’
do rmiun t in aomn o pacts fo r space
wo ul d fa il, a nd it is o fte n be tte r to le ave o n e’s se lf un de r th e guilty
c o n scio usn e ss o f a duty un disch arg ed th an to mak e an utte r ly
in a dequate a ttempt a t disch a rg in g it . Th e fo rm e r course give s th e
du ty 8. ch a n ce o f be ing pr ope r ly don e h e r e afte r .
On e o f th e items in this cata logue r aisonm‘o f th e Ir ish Pr o vince
w o uld h ave be e n Fa th e r Jo h n Ffr e n ch,uncle to th e pr e se n t Lo rd
Ffr e n ch , wh o was A ssistan t a t R om e fr om 1 858 till h is de a th in 1 873 ,
M a y 3 1 st . He was a man o f sin gular h o lin e ss, humility, pa ti e n ce an d
c h a r ity. Thirte e n ye ars la te r , h is grave h ad f or som e cause to b e
o pe n ed , a n d h is r ema in s we r e foun d e n tire . On e wh o h ad wo rke d
un d e r h im wh en h e was R ecto r o f St . Sta n islaus’Co ll e g e , Tul labe g
F a th e r Jo hn Cun n in gh am—die d in 1 858
, in h is fo r ty- se co n d ye ar ,
l e a vin g b e hin d h im a r eputa tio n fo r san ctity m o r e th an o rdin ary.
Th e co un try fo lk us ed to scrape away th e clay o f h is grav e . Fa th e r
Cu nn in gh am’s r em a in s we r e a fte rwa rds tak e n up and bur ie d in th e
C o ll e g e Ch ape l . A n o th e r wh o ough t to be m e n tio n e d is Fa th e r He n ryJ B e rk e , th e first of th at n am e wh ich h as se ve ra l r epr e se n ta tive s in
t h e So ciety, an impr e ssive pr e ach e r , an d a man o f gr e a t influe n ce o n
s o u ls.
Such ar e th e facts wh ich it h as occurr ed to us to j o t down co n
ce r n in g th e So cie ty of Je sus in Ir e land since its r e sto ra tio n . Our
m o tiv e s in drawin g up th is v ery simpl e sk e tch r e semble th o se o f 1 11 1 9
C is te rcian m o nk wh o wro te th e h isto ry o f th e m o n aste ry o f Vi lla r s in
in B raba n t, which is giv e n in th e th ird vo lum e o f Ma r tcue’s
Tlca aur us N ovas A n ecdo torwn . He be g in s th us
N ece ssa r ium r e o r milita tur is D e o in coen obic Vil la r ie n si dili g e n te r
d e scr ibe r e qua li te r o rdo ibidem viguit, quamque cepio sa bcn e dictio n e
pe rse uss domus hujus comple ctse fue r in t,sicut se n io rum n o str o rum
r e la tio n s didicimus, quate nus ii quo s in saeculis supe r ve n tur is divin a
g ra tia ad m o naste rium Villar ie n se voca r e dign a bitur , si h an cpar vita tis
L a rge additi ons and improvem e n ts h a ve be en made in th e Re siden ce and
Ch urch o f St . Fran cis Xa vie r by o n e wh o se n am e is n o t fo rgo tte n in th e Un ite d
Sta te s by th o se wh ose reco ll ection s g o back to th e War—Fa th e r Jo h n Ba n n o n .
[R e ve rsin g Dickens'
s title , th ese Irish n o te s we r e me an t fo r Am e r ica n circula tio n .]
1 6 Eu A ttendan t.
n o str zo pagin am le g e r e dignum duxe r in t, co n side ran te s quam n ob ili
r egum mammilla lactati sin t, em besca n t filu dege n e r e s inve n ir i .’
If th is accoun t h ad to be wr itte n in Latin , and if in th e fo r e go in g
par agraph Pr ovincc'
a Hibarm’
w we r e substituted fo r Monaste r ium
fi'
llar iam a, with wh a t m o r e appropr iate words could our sk e tch h ave
b egun?Le t it e nd with th em , th e r e fo r e .
EN A TTENDANT.
T'HIS m o rn in g th e r e we r e da z z lin g dr ifts o f da
isi e s in th e m e adows,
On sun ny slope s th e ce la ndin e s we r e gli tte r in g lik e go ld,
A cr o ss th e br igh t and br e e zy wo r ld r an sh iftin g sh in e a nd sh adow,
Th e win d blewwa rm ly fr om th e we st . Now all is ch an g ed and co ld .
He’s ha lf an hour la te ,
W ile he r e I wait and wa it.
We ll It is j ust my fata
Too p la in ly I can se e
1 1 0 n eve r car edfor
How cruel men can be
I wish th o se daffodi ls out th e r e would cease th e ir fo o l ish dutt e r ,
A nd k e ep th e ir bo bb in g ye llow h e ads fo r just a se co nd st i ll .
My eye s ach e sq Wo uld som e o n e ple ase to par tly clo se th e shutte r ,
A nd move th ose h a te ful hyacin th s fr om o ff th e win dow-sill
He’s half an hour la te ,
A'
o longe r I sha ll wa i t.
IIar/c,the r e
’s the garden gate
L ove , u th is you a! last
A h , (1 0 no t be downcast
I knew the clocks wer e fast.
FRANCES Wr sxn .
8 The Ir ish Month ly.
un n ece ssa ry, to m ak e sur e th at th e h e avy luggag e was n o t l eft
b eh in d. Fin ding th at no o n e h e e ded h e r fran tic e ffor ts to a ttract
a tte n ti o n , sh e clutch ed h o ld o f a po rte r wh o happe n ed to be sta ndin gwith in r e ach of
‘
h e r arm , and e n te r ed in to a de ta il ed de scr iptio n
o f Mo l ly’s boxes , beggin g h e woul d h imself put th em in to th e
train .
Sur e its th e company man ag es it , ma’am ,
” h e r epli ed , r emovin gt h e str aw which h e h ad be e n ch ewin g fr om h is m outh , and ga z ing at
h er in appar e n t amuseme n t . It’s th em do e s it in tir e ly, and if ye
was th e Lo rd L ifte n an t h imse lf, wid Dublin Castle at hi s back, ye
musn’t dar
’in te rfe r e .
”
Do you m e an to te ll m e we cann o t claim our own prope r ty
a sk ed Mrs. Mack e n z ie , som ewh at daun te d by th is dark a llusio n to th e
h i gh e r powe rs, and puz z led by th e m e taph o r whi ch sugge sted to h e r
m ind's eye a so rt o f vice -r ega l sna il .
Bedad,it
’s th e company do e s it, repe ated th e man ,
r eplacing
h is str aw,a nd walkin g away. A m inute la te r th e wh istl e sounde d,
a nd th e train we n t off.
I wonde r ,”said Mr s. Macke n z i e , slowly with drawin g h e r h ead,
if h e was spe akin g th e truth n ow. Th e re wa s som e th in g in h is eye Id idn
’t like . We ll, I suppo se we must trust to ch an ce . Now le t
me lo ok at you, Mo lly. Dear m e ! I can’t say you ar e loo lfing
we ll
Ne ith e r can I,”
obse rved Mr . Burk e , in th e seve r e ly dis
appro vin g to n e usua lly adopted unde r such circumstan ce s ; sh e
lo oks anythi n g but we ll. Wh a t h aye yo u b e e n do in g to yourse lf,
och ild
I’m so tir ed,
”pl eaded po o r Mo lly. How can yo u expect me to
l o ok o th e rwise I sh all be a ll r igh t wh e n I h ave r ested .
”
Oi co urse , o f course , agr e e d h e r aun t . W e ll, te ll m e Mo lly
lowe r in g h e r vo ice th at th e ir fe llow-
pa sse n g e rs m igh t n o t o ve rh e ar
h e r we r en’t you very much surprise d a t th e tur n afia ir s h ave take n
Wh at did you say wh e n you fir st h e ard
I was v e ry much surpr ised,”
an swe r ed th e gir l fa in tly ; sh e
fe lt to o much da z ed and exh austed to th in k o f a m o r e o r igina l
ph rase .
“ A nd we r e n’t yo u de ligh te d?co n tinue d Mrs . Mack e n z ie . Ce r
ta in ly you ar e a lucky g ir l . I n e ve r kn ew a nyo n e so fo r tun ate . IVh o
c o uld h ave suppo sedwh e n you we n t away, an dwe we r e a l l so mise rabl e ,
th at e ve rythi n g wo uld e nd so h appily?I am so ple ased , I do n ’t
kn ow wh a t to do with myse lf. A r e n’t you h appy?Isn ’
t it de ligh tful
to th in k th a t al l yo ur dr udg e ry is ove r , an d th a t you n e ed n e ve r go
b ack to th a t odio us ch atto again‘
P
Mo lly’s Fo r tun es. 1 9
Poo r Mo lly tr ied h ard to say some thi ng in tok en o f th e sa tisfaction
sh e was so far fr om fe e lin g , but th e wo rds stuck in h e r th r o a t, and
a t la st sh e to o k r e fuge in h e r fo rm e r excuse o f be in g so tir ed—so ve ry
t ire d : to -mo rr ow sh e would be able to talk mo r e .
Sh e lay back in h e r co rn e r and clo sed h e r eye s, h 0pin g to avo id
fur th e r que stio ning , but sh e fe lt th e whi l e th a t h e r frie nds we r e
e xch an g in g anxious g lan ce s, and mak in g te l egraphi c sign s to e ach
o th e r,expr essive of ama z em e n t an d distr ess. A fte r a few m in ute s,
th er efo r e , sh e ope n ed h e r eye s again , an d sat up, r e so lving i f po ssible
t o dive rt th e ir at te n ti o n fr om. h e r se lf .
How is Hugh sh e ask e d, lan guidly.
Eh oh , your cousin wo nde rfully we ll , a n ew man in fact
s ince h e made th a t disco ve ry. He h as acted ve ry we l l, h asn’t h
'
e
Thus Mr Burk e in to n e s o f patr on iz in g appr oval .
Ve ry,”agr e ed Mo lly, co rdially.
He in te nds to ca ll th is eve n in g , to se e h ow you ar e afte r your
j ourn ey,”sa id Mrs . Mack en z ie , tr an sfixin g h e r n iece with th at lovi n g ,
e a g e r—to o e ag e r
—glan ce o f h e rs. Po o r fe llow, h e will be shocked
t o find you such a wr eck . I dar e say th ough you will be to o tir ed to
s e e h im .
”
Oh , n o I sh an’t,”r e turn e d th e girl , with a sudde n acce ss o f
a n ima tio n . I wish you would ask h im to stay for din n e r . I sh ould
l ik e to se e h im—h e h as b eh ave d so we ll . I wan t to te l l h im ao, and
t o say h ow—gr ate ful I um .
”
Sh e fe lt th at th e pr e se n ce o f th e go od, babbl ing littl e ma n wo uld
b e an un spe akable r e lie f. Be for e h im n o embar rassing que stio n sw ould be ask ed , and po lite n ess would fo rbid th e expr e ssio n s o f r aptur e
o v e r h er alte r ed cir cum stan ce s, wh ich sh e found so h ard to li sten to,
an d so impo ssible to sh a r e .
Wh e n Hugh arr ive d, th e r e fo r e , h e was quite flatte r ed a t th e
p ressin g in vita tio n wh ich h e r e ce ived from Mr s. Mack e n z ie,a n d th e
warmth wi th wh ich h e r n i ece se co nde d it . But in spite o f all
M o lly’s efio rts, an d o f Hugh
’s un fai li ng flow o f co n ve rsa tio n
,th e
e ve n i ng was m e lanch o ly e n ough , an d th e la tte r with dr ew a t an e a rly
h our .
Mo llyih aste n ed to bid go od
-n igh t to th e o th e r two a lso , an d r e ti r ed,
t e ll in g h e r aun t sh e m e an t to go to bed a t on ce : th e truth b e in g th at
sh e was so r e ly afr a id th e latte r m igh t fo llow h e r to h e r r o om, to
r e sum e h e r asto n ish ed inqui rie s .
I kn ow I am ve ry ung ra teful an d unk in d,”sh e th ough t r emo rse
fully, but I coul dn ’t bear it to -n igh t.
L eft to th emse lve s, h er aun t an d th e lawye r star ed at e ach o th e r in
b lan k dismay. Ne ith e r spok e fo r some mom e n ts, but th e sam e th oug h t
20 The Ir ish Month ly.
was in bo th th e ir h ear ts what could be th e ma tte r with th e
chfld?0
Pe rh aps sh e is o nly tir ed, sa id Mrs . Mack e n z ie , all a t o nce .
Pe rh aps,”asse n ted Mr . Burk e , dubio usly.
I’ll find out to -mo rrow,
anyh ow,
”sa id Mrs. Mack e n z ie , e nde a
vour in g to r e an imate h e r co urag e .
I beg you’ll do n o th ing of th e so r t , r e to r te d th e lawye r sh arply.
Tak e my advice an d le ave h e r a lo n e , ma’am . Do n
’t ask any
que stio n s, and do n ’t pr e te nd to th ink th e r e is anyth ing amiss : th at
is th e be st ch an ce fo r h e r . A n d th e n we must distr act h e r th ough ts
a s much as po ssible— th e so o n e r we g e t h e r down to Castle O
’Ne ill
th e be tte r .
”
Mr . Burk e , wh ispe r ed th e lady, wh ose eye s h ad be e n gr owin g
r o und with awe str uck won de r dur in g th is spe e ch , do you th ink—is .
it po ssible th at Mo lly could be in love
Ble ss my soul, h ow can I te ll?r e to r ted h e r fr i en d te stily.
Wh at do I kn ow about love?I th ink I’ll say go o d
-bye n ow.
Do n’t ask any que stio ns, th at
’
s all—and g e t h e r out of th is as so o n as
po ssibl e .
Two days a fte rwards Mo lly and h e r aun t se t out fo r Castle
O’Ne ill . Th e gir l fe lt an odd m ixtur e o f pa in and pl e asur e as sh e
a ligh te d at th e r a ilway statio n , be in g r aptur o usly gr e e ted by th e fe w
o ld o fficia ls . He r own carriag e was wa itin g fo r th em , th e fat co ach
m an turn in g r oun d with a be ami n g face to bid h e r we lcom e . A s sh e
drove th r o ugh th e fami liar co un try. love ly even o n thi s dull , win try
day, sh e fe lt alm o st in a dr e am . How sad sh e h ad be e n a few sh o r t
m o n th s be fo r e , sayin g go od-bye to th e se be autiful sce n e s, th e se ki nd]y
pe opl e ; a nd n ow sh e was comin g back , n eve r , in a ll pr obability, to
l e ave th em fo r any l e n gth o f time again and oh , h ow li ttle th e
pr o spect e la ted h e r , h ow h e avy was th e we igh t dr aggin g at h e r
h e art !
Wh e n th ey we re a t a sh o rt distance fr om th e lodg e , a que e r
m edl ey o f sounds was h e ard ; fiddle s sque ak in g , drums b e atin g , a
bab e l o f vo ice s, wh ich e ve ry n ow an d th en swe lled to a gr e at
r o a r .
Th e co achman wh ippe d up h is h o rse s, and in an o th e r mom e n t th ey
cam e in sigh t o f a de n se crowd . Mo lly’s pe ople h ad flock e d from fa r
a nd n e ar to we lcom e h e r h om e ; ban n e rs we r e wavin g , ch ildr e n we r e
clappin g th e ir h an ds, triumph a l arch e s we r e e r e cte d, th e gateway
b e ing span n ed by o n e o f co lossal siz e , o n wh ich th e in scriptio n
Cead m ilk fa z’
ltke was se t fo r th in le tte rs of flowe rs. Eve r and
a n on cam e th e h o ar se sh out from h un dr e ds of th ro ats Hurrah ,h urrah .
”
Mo lly’s For tunes. 2 1
Wh e n Mo lly’s e quipage was se e n appro ach in g , th e e n thusiasm
k n ew n o bounds. Th e tempe ran ce ba nd from th e n e igh bourin gm ark e t -town struck up Come back to Er in ,
”wh ich h ad be e n
un an im ously vo ted appropr iate to th e occasio n , th e fli e s o ccasio n a llyfal te ring , but th e vigour o f th e drums l e avin g n o th in g to be de sir ed .
Th e sch o o lmistr e ss led fo rwa rd h e r little tr o op o f r o sy-face d, wh ite
c lad ch ildr e n , o n e o f wh om carr ied a large bouque t in h e r chubby
h a nds . Th e o lde st te n an t o n th e e sta te placed h im se lf in a comman d
ing po sition n e ar th e ga te , and pompously un fo lded a r o ll o f parch
m e n t , o n wh ich a co n gratulato ry addr e ss was blaz o n e d. He could n o t
r e ad , but th at was o f n o co n seque n ce ; h e h ad le arn ed hi s spe ech
by h e art , an d th e steward was at h is e lbow to pr ompt h im . But th e
h ubbub was so gr e at wh e n th e carr iag e dr ew up be fo r e th e e n tr an ce ,
th a t n o t a wo rd could be d istinguish ed ; eve n th e fli e s we r e dr own ed,
th ough th e face s o f th e playe rs gr ew purple with th e ir efio rts, o n ly
th e th ump, thump, thump, of th e big drum domin ated th e g en e ra l
Hi p, hip, hurrah sh outed th e pe ople ; scor e s o f h ands wer e
th rust out to clasp Mo lly’s ; oaubaem we r e to ssed wildly in th e air ,
m any o f th em fa llin g in to th e carr iag e , and be in g g ing e r ly fish ed out
a nd dr opped ove r th e side by Mr s . Macken z ie, wh o se face wo r e an ex
pre ssio n o f in ten se asto n ishm e n t . M e anwh il e ,Mo lly h ad be en smilin g
a n d n oddin g , sh ak in g h ands, an d trying to say a fewwords in tok e n
o f gra titude ; h e r ch e eks we r e flush ed,and h e r eye s full o f te ars.
Pr e se n tly Mr . Burk e e lbowed h is way th rough th e crowd .
Come , come , th e r e h as be en e n ough o f thi s,” h e said, afte r
a gla nce at h e r face . Miss Mack en z i e is bo th pl eased and grate
ful , an d h o pe s to spe nd many h appy ye a rs am o n gst you. Stan d back
n ow— stan d back . Drive on , co achman
Dr ive ou,in de ed ! Th e r e was a dive a t th e asto n ish ed h o rse s, a
sudde n , simultan e o us un strapping and unbucklin g o f h arn e ss, a vision
o f appar en tly e ndl e ss r ope s, an d Mo lly foun d h e rse lf advan cin g at a
r apid ra te towards th e Ca stl e , dr awn by about fifty o f h e r te n an ts.
I am sur e it is m o st gra tifyin g ,isn
’t it?sa id Mr s. Mack e n z i e ,
wh o h ad n ow r eco ve r ed h e rse lf in som e de gr e e , le an in g back in th e
ca r r iage , a nd bowing r igh t and l eft in a que e n ly man n e r . Y ou
sh ould be a ve ry happy gir l .”
But Mo lly did n o t an swe r ; sh e was strugglin g to pr ese rve h e r
co mpo sur e , which was se ve r e ly tri ed by th e exube ran t rapture
a r oun d h e r . Sh e was to uch e d, grat eful , ful ly r e spo n sive to th e
afiecti on lavish ed o n h e r , but—h appy ! Oh ,fo r a ce r ta in ca r ewom
face , fo r th e clasp o f som e body’s str o ng , br own h an d ! Wh a t was a ll
th is se emin g triumph , wh en h e r h e art wi th in h e r fe lt de ad?
22 The Ir is}?Mmdh ly.
Th e anxie ty o f Molly’s frien ds did n o t lessen as time wo r e o n
inde ed h e r h e alth th r e aten ed to suffe r fr om h er pen t-up sorrow. Sh e
could te ll n o o n e wh at was tr oublin g h e r ; th e r e se rve which h ad
preve n ted h e r spe aking h e r m ind ful ly to th e man sh e lo ved, cut h e r
o ff stillmo r e e ffe ctua lly fr om o th e r pe ople . Many a time , lo okin g back
o n h e r last in te rview with Raoul, sh e bewailed tha t unfo rtun ate
r e tice n ce .
If I could o n ly h ave spok e n sh e would say to h e rse lf. If Ih ad be e n a little brave r . Wh e n I [mow h e loved m e , th e r e sh ould
h ave be e n n o false sh ame . To think we we r e th e r e to g e th e r , lovin ge ach o th e r so much
, and th at o n e wo rd would h ave made n a bo th
h appy fo r a ll our live s—and I di d n o t say it Bo th our l ives m in e d
fo r wan t o f on e wo rd ! Oh , it is m addeni ng—madde n in g
Som e tim e s sh e would wo nde r dimly if h e suffe re d as much as sh e
did it was true sh e h ad se en th e an guish in h is face at th e mom e n t
o f th e ir par ting , an anguish wh ich sh e could n o t bea r to remembe r
e ve n n ow ; but h e , at l e ast, h ad n o ide a th at h e was sacr ificing h e r ;
h e acted from a n obl e mo tive ; wh ile sh e kn ew o f hi s lo ve , a nd sacr i
ficed h im to h e r g ir lish timidity.
But sur e ly h e m igh t h ave kn own—h e m igh t h ave gue ssed h ow
much I lo ved h im to o sh e -sa id to h e r se lf once , with a sudden burst
o f pite o us sobbin g . A h , if h e h ad o n ly trusted me a little m o r e , if
h e h ad o n ly un de rsto od h ow paltry e ve rythi ng in th e wo r ld is com
par ed to love .
”
Ma ny a go od g irl snfie rs fo r a lik e cause ; h e r wh o le li fe bligh te d
th rough th e scruple s of a to o h o n ourable man . His po sitio n do e s n o t
allow h im to come fo rward, h is pove r ty oblige s him to h ide h is
fe e lin gs— as if any woman wo r th h e r sa lt would we igh such tr ifle s
again st hi s h on est love ! I say trifle s—fo r tr ifles th ey ar e wh e n
th e affe ction s ar e th o r oughly e ngag e d. Wh at is th e lo ss o f a
few luxur ie s, o r wh at m igh ty sacr ifice afte r a ll is e n ta il ed in th e
exch an g e (l e t n a say) of th e n am e o f Ve r e de Ve r e fo r Smi th?andh ow much is th e lon e l in e ss, th e r e g r e t, th e h ope less lo ngin g to wh ich
th e punctil io us love r h as co ndemn e d h e r . He , me anwh il e , amid al l
h is so rr ow, h ugs h imse lf at th e th ough t o f h is own di sin te re stedn e ss,
is g lad th at h e h as h ad th e str en gth to sacrifice h imse lf, a nd do e s
n o t wo t th at h e h as sacr ificed h e r to o . In justice is to o o fte n pe rpe
trated unde r cove r o f th is sam e much -lauded se lf-sacrifice ; in th e ir
own pain , pe opl e ar e bl ind to th e suffe r in g o f o th e rs, o r , wh e n co n scious
o f it, on ly appear to con side r it fr om th e ir own po int of view,as in cr e a s
in g th e ir pe r son al m ise ry, and r e nde r in g th e ir struggle mo r e h ard .
So o th to say, e ve n outside rs a r e pro n e to lo ok at ma tte rs in th is
sam e ligh t, an d, in th e ir sympathy with th e sacr ifice r , to ove rlo o k
Molly’s For tunes. 23
th e sa crificed . In our admiration fo r A brah am , fo r in stan ce , we
a re apt to forg e t th at th e se n sations o f Isaac wh en boun d upo n
th e wo od must h ave be e n far fr om ple asan t, and th at'
sublim e as wa s
th e courag e o f th e fath e r , th e r e was n o sma ll h e ro ism in th e sub
missio n o f th e so n .
Mrs . Mack e n z ie and Mr . Burk e , afte r many co n sulta tio n s and
m uch th o ugh t, r e so lved tha t Mo lly must be r ouse d at any co st .
A n d as life at Castle O’Ne ill did n o t se em to r ouse h e r—co nscie n
tio usly as sh e se t about h e r duty, and pe rsiste n tly as sh e carr ie d out
h e r fo rm e r r outin e—th ey de cided th at. sh e must go away fo r -th e r e
ma in de r o f th e win te r .
“ Wh e r e sa id Mo lly, dr e a ri ly, wh en th is ide a was br o ach ed to
To Lo n do n , o r abro ad if you pr e fer i t ; Rome , Cann e s, Par is—yo ucan h ave your ch o ice .
”
Pa r is cr ie d th e g ir l , with sudde n an imation . Y e s, I th ink
I sh ould like to g o to Pa r is .
”
Sh e could n o t, o f cour se , se e k out Ra oul , but to b e o n th e sam e
s ide o f th e C ha n n e l , in th e sam e coun try with h im , was always som e
t hi n g . A n d th e n wh o kn ew— is i t n o t th e pr ope rty o f youth to h ope
ag a in st h ope—busin e ss might tak e h im to Par is, and if sh e wa s
stayin g th e r e th ey m igh t m e e t .
A n d so to Pa ris th ey we n t, Mo lly and h e r aun t, and th ough , to
th e la tte r’
s surpr ise , th e gir l did n o t se em to car e fo r sh oppin g , an d
wa s n o t pa rticula r ly e ag e r abo ut sigh t-se e in g , sh e was un do ubtedly
m used and in te r e ste d . Th ey wo ul d per ambulate th e pr in cipa l squar e sa n d bo ul e vard s. til l th e e lde r lady de cla r e d sh e was r e ady to dr op ; fo r ,
str a n g e ly e n ough , Mo l ly n eve r se em ed to ca r e about dr iving—and oh
h ow h ope le ss it was afte r a ll Oi co ur se sh e did n o t se e Ra oul,sh e
did n o t e ve n com e in co n tact with G a sto n , th o ugh o n ce sh e th ough t
sh e caugh t sigh t o f som ebody ve ry lik e h im dr iving with a lady.
Th e n sh e pr opo sed to h e r aun t to mak e a li ttle tour th r ough
No rma ndy ; it was r a th e r e ar ly in th e se ason to be sur e , but sh e
wa s tir ed o f Pa r is.
80 th ey wan de r ed th r ough ce r ta in qua in t o ld town s, Mr s Mack e n z ie
n o t fin din g much to adm ir e in th e n arr ow str e e ts, an d dim m aj e sticchurch e s, th o ugh th e pictur e sque ch a rm o f th e fo rm e r and th e so lemn
b e a uty o f th e la t te r would h ave g ladde n ed Mo lly’s h e ar t , h ad it n o t
b e e n to o full o f o th e r th in gs. Sh e we n t as n e ar as sh e dar ed toVir e ,
a lways h 0ping by some extr a o rdin ary ch ance to me e t Ra oul , butalways h opin g in vain .
I suppo se I m ust m ak e up my m ind n eve r to se e him again ,
sh e sigh ed, wo rn out a t last by lo ng expe cta tion an d pe r pe tua lly r c
24 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
n ewed disappo in tm en t. I can n o t fin d him , an d h e will n o t try to
find m e .
”
On e day, th er e for e , sh e suddenly ask ed h e r aun t to tak e h e r h ome .
Sh e h ad n egl ected h e r duti es to o lo ng as it wa s, a n d wan ted to r e tur n
to th em a t on ce .
Castl e O’Ne ill was lo okin g ve ry lo ve ly o n th e aft e rn o on o n which
th ey r e turn ed it was e ar ly in Spr in g , and eve ryth in g was begin n ing
to bud and blo ssom. Th e youn g lambs we r e just a t th e pr e tty stag e
o f th e ir existe n ce th e birds we r e ve ry busy with th e ir n e sts ; plough
in g , ahd sowin g , and po ta to sbtting we r e in full fo rce ; in fact, eve rythin g about th e place was astir , and ful l o f life .
I must tak e up my life to o ,”th ough t th e girl, as sh e sat down in
h e r own r o om to r e st afte r h e r arr iva l . I must b egi n to live fo r
o th e rs ; afte r all I em o n ly a un it in th is gr e a t big wo r ld my un h ap
pin ess is o n ly an un impo rtan t item in th e sum o f human sorrow.
But h e r e I may be much I am th e pivo t o n which many live s tur n .
I must r em embe r th a t, and do my ve ry be st : Castle O’Ne ill expects
Mo lly Mack en z ie to do h e r duty.
”
CHAPTER XXVII.
A LOVE TOKEN .
Pr esen tly th e h ousema id e n te r ed with a g r ea t bundle o f le tte rs o n
a salver . Mo lly’s mo vem e n ts h ad b e e n to o un ce rta in dur ing th e past
few we eks to admi t o f th e ir be ing se n t on .
Thi s r e giste r ed parce l cam e a fo r tn igh t ago , Miss, sai d th e
woman , layin g a small pa ck e t o n th e tabl e .
Mo lly glan ced at it, an d th e co lour rush ed to h e r face . It bo r e
th e Vauxm o n cour po stmark , an d was addr e ssed in th e coun te ss’s
cramped wr itin g . A n d stay ! Th e r e we r e o n e , two le tte rs, fr om h e r
to o . Wh a t could sh e h ave wr itte n about?Mo lly h ad de spatch ed a
n o te to h e r on first ar rivin g a t Castl e O’
Ne ill ; but sh e h ad tak en n o
n otice of it, an d th e gi r l in fe rr ed sh e did n o t wan t to k e ep up a co r
r e sponden ce with h e r .
A s soo n as th e h ousema id h ad l e ft th e r o om,Mo lly, with tr emblin g
fin gers, br ok e open o n e of th e le tt e rs, wh ich was writte n on th in
,
crackling pape r , and se al ed with an imm e n se co ro n e t .
6 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
h ad wr itte n to h is mo th e r , o n accoun t o f h is fiance e s co lo ssal fo rtun e .
but because o n th at accoun t hi s un io n wi th h e r becam e possible . Hadsh e be e n po o r , as h e said, h is own po ver ty would h ave fo rbidden h im
to addr e ss h e r , but, th anks to h e r dot, h e was e n able d to do so ; h e onlyvalued it o n th at accoun t . He h ad loved h e r lo ng , an d lo ve equali seda ll th ings a true man
’s h ear t was wo rth all th e mo n ey in th e
wo r ld.
”
He r e Mo lly sudde n ly la id down th e le tte r , and laugh e d til l sh e
a lmo st cr ied . G asto n was impayable . Ce rtainly h e kn ew h ow to m ak e
h is sto ck ph r ase s se rve h im o n e ve ry occasio n . Th e r e was much
mo r e to th e sam e e ffect ; a po stcript, beggin g Molly to be so g o od as to
r e turn th e m edalli o n m e n tio n e d in a fo rm e r le tte r , as th e wr ite r did
n o t wish it to be included in th e tr ink e ts wh ich we re to pass fo r th e
time b e in g out o f h e r h an ds .
Mo lly was un fe ign edly g lad at th e coun te ss’s n ews . Sh e truste d
th at th e co lo ssa l fortun e , o f whi ch , with th e tr iflin g additio n o f
th e h ea lthy, amiable , and quite pre se n table young lady, th e coun t wasso on to becom e th e own e r
,would in some de gr e e am e lio r a te th e co ndi tio n
o f th in gs a t La Pépim e r e . Raoul would a t le ast be fr e e fr om con stan t
anxi e ty about h is n eph ew,h is purse would n o lo ng e r be dra in e d , and
it was to be pr e sum ed, th at G asto n would supply th e m o th e r wh om
h e ado r ed”with th e little luxur ie s wh ich we r e n ow pr ovided a t so
g r e a t a co st . In th e me an tim e , Mo l ly was de ligh ted, fo r th e coun te ss’s
sake, to tran sact a l ittle ama te ur pawn br ok ing , fo r to such th e la tte r
’
s
r eque st th a t sh e wo uld b ecome th e tempo rary purch a se r”
o f h e r
tr ink e ts, vir tua lly amoun ted . Howe ve r , th e li ttle fo rmula sa ved
Madam e de Tr e ill e s’se lf-r e spect, wh ich wo uld h ave sh runk fr om
ope nly a sk in g h e r to le nd h e r m o n ey, a nd th e gir l was o nly to o glad
to k e ep i t up .
Sh e d r ew th e parce l towa rds h e r , and ope n ed it te n de rly an d
compassio n a te ly ; it must h ave b e e n h a rd fo r po o r Madame la Com
t e sse to par t with h e r li ttle tr e asur e s . Th e re th ey lay, car e ful ly pack e d
in a san’da l -wo o d box a few r in gs, a brace l e t o r two , an o ld fash io n e d
pair o f fin e diam o nd e ar rin gs- n o t ve ry much to r epr e sen t a fin e lady
'
s
j ewe lle ry. Pr obably th e r e st h ad be e n a lr e ady dispo sed o i . A t th e
bo ttom,in a l ittle case o f i ts own
,was th e much talked o f pe nda n t . A
r e a lly be autiful m in iatur e , se t in a so rt o f scro ll , ve ry fin e ly wo rk e d
with a l te rn a te tr e fo ils o f em e ra lds an d diam o nds. Th e pa in tin g t e
pre se n ted a yo un g man ; h is dr e ss,’
as much o f it as could b e se e n ,
be in g appar e n tly o f th e last cen tury. Th e expr e ssio n o f th e face , ih
deed th e wh o le th ing was stran g e ly fam il iar to Mo lly. Wh e r e h ad sh e
se en it be fo r e?Had th e coun te ss e ve r wo rn it dur in g h e r stay a t th e
chate au N eve r—o i th a t sh e was sur e it was Madame de Tr e ille s’
Mo lly’s For tunes. 27
custom to esch ew ornamen ts o f e ve ry kind. Wh er e , th e n , could sh e
h ave se e n it
Sh e turn ed it o ve r curi ously. On th e back was a qua in tly de sign e dm o n o g ram , surmoun ted by fanciful arabesques, with , unde r n e ath ,
som e wo rds engraved in extr em e lv small ch aracte rs. Wh a t a stran g e
bus in e ss it was someh ow Mo lly se em ed to r ecogn ise th e m on o g ram ,
an d to expect th e arabesques to be th e r e !Sh e carried th e locke t to th e ligh t, and slowly deciph e r ed th e tiny
wo r ds“ A . S. de R . G ag e d
’amour .
Th e m o nogram in th e middl e was fo rm ed o f th e le tte rs R . 0 . N .,
pe r h aps R . O’N . Was th at little flour ish m ean t fo r a n apo str oph e .
o r was it m e r e ly an appe ndag e to th e ce n tra l le tte r R . O’N .
M o l ly’s hand sh o ok so much th a t sh e we ll-n ig h dropped th e pr e cious
tr in k e t . Sh e rush ed acr o ss th e r oom ,and takin g a j ewe l -case out o f
h e r V &tdrobe , began hurr iedly to search amon g its co n te n ts. A sudde n
ide a h ad struck h e r—a mad an d r idiculous ide a o f co urse —th at sh e
mig h t h ave se e n such an o rn am e n t with Miss O’Ne ill . Was n o t th a t
br a ce le t , fo r instance , wh ich sh e used to we ar som e tim e s. se t with som e
wh a t simi lar m edallio ns?Now th at sh e th ough t o f it, was n o t o n e o f
th e m in iatur es missing ,and h ad n o t Miss O’
Ne il l sa id o n ce th at if it
we r e ev e r fo un d in th e posse ssio n o f a nyo n e calli n g h imse lf O’Ne ill ,
sh e wo uld de em it like ly that h e be lon ged to her family. A nd th is
ha d o r ig in a lly be e n th e pr ope r ty o f a de Roh an , wh o h ad m ar r ied a
fo r e ign e r—pe rh aps an Ir ishman , an O
’Ne ill . R . O
’M —why th o se
ini tia ls m igh t stand fo r Rode r ick O’N e ill ! Mo st o f th e m a l e O
’N e xi ls
o f th e e lde r li n e we re Rode r icks, just a s th e scion s o f th e yo un g e r we r eHug hs . A nd in th at ca se Madam e de Tr e ill e s would be de sce nde d
fro m th e O’
Ne ills,a nd Raoul would b e Oh , I um a g o o se t
dre a m o f it i It is absurd, impossible Sti ll I m ay a s we ll co n vin ce
myse lf th a t I em wrong .
”
Th e j ewe l-case co n ta in ed po o r Miss O’Ne ill
’s favourite o rn am e n ts,
wh i ch Mo lly h ad put away car e fully afte r h e r de a th , and wh ich h ad
n o t be e n to uch ed since . Sh e un lo cke d it tr emulo usly, and to ok o ut
its co n t e n ts o n e by on e . He r e was th e br ace le t . He r fin g e rs bun gl e d
cur io usly o ve r th e spring , but th e ve lve t case was Ope n a t last, a nd
Ho l ly co ul d place Madame de Tr e il le s’m in ia tur e b e twe e n th e o th e r
two . A be autiful r o sy co lour—th e flush o f in te n se joy— o ve rspr e ml
h e r h i th e rto pa le face . Th e ce n tr al m e dall io n r epre se n ted a yo un g
ma n , a nd th e o th e rs con ta in ed gir lish h e ads, but in o th e r r e spe cts th e
th r e e we r e pr ecise ly a lik e . Th e pa in tin gs we r e evide n tly by th e se nu
h an d, th e style be ing ide n tica l ; mo r e o ve r , th e r e was a s tr o n g fam il31
lik e n e ss in th e th r e e youn g face s, and th e se lf-sam e simpe r sa t o n a l l
28 The Ir isk Mon th ly.
th e pa in ted lips ; th e se ttin g was similar in eve ry par ticular , and th e
fanciful mon o gr am o n th e back alte r ed o nly in a sin gle le tte r o f e ach
J. O’N .,
M . O’
N .
, a nd n ow R . O’N .
“ Th a t do e s it m e an said Mo lly to h e rse lf ; l e t me th ink
wh at ca n it m e an
Th is was th e missin g m in ia tur e , o f th a t th e r e could be n o doubt
it h ad be e n in th e po sse ssion o f th e Sauvignys fo r fo ur g e n e ratio n s,h a ving b e e n o r ig in a lly brough t in to th e family by Mademo ise lle
Soph ie de R oh an , wh o h ad m arr ied a fo r e ign e r . Suppo se a ce rtain
Ro de rick O’N e i ll h ad l e ft h is coun try about th e e n d o f th e last cen
tury, h ad jo in ed o n e o f th e Ir ish brigade s—asMiss O ’Ne ill sa id so many
o f h e r fam ily h ad do n e —and h ad h ad ch an ced to be th at iden tica l
fo r e ign e r?Wh at m o r e lik e ly th an th at h e sh ould pr e se n t h isfia ncéewith h is own po r tr a it, yie lde d up fo r th e purpo se (it may be unwil
l in g ly) by h is m o th e r o r som e o f h is feminin e be lo ng in gs?If th iswe r e th e case , why Ra oul could pr ove h is de scen t from th e O
’Ne ills
o f Castle O’Ne ill, h is g ra ndmo th e r be ing doubtle ss th e da ugh te r of
R ode r ick o f th at ilk . Ra oul woul d h ave th e r igh t to cla im e ve ryth inga t pr e se n t in Mo lly
’s po sse ssio n , th e r igh t to claim Mo lly h e r se lf, if h e
we r e so minded —Rao ul was th e h e ir !Sudde n ly sh e fe ll on h e r k n e e s, so bbing out a br oke n praye r o f
th anksgi vin g , an d cove rin g th e li ttle m in iature with kisse s ; a slende r
l ink inde ed o n wh ich to h an g so g re at a ch a in of e viden ce , but Mo llyfel t it a ll -sufii cie n t. G aga d
’amour Oh , b le ssed wo rds ! did th ey say
h alf as much to th at pr e tty pr im yo ung demo ise ll e lo ng ago , as th eydid to th is Ir ish n in e te e n th ce n tury maide n Did sh e eve r we ep such
passion ate te a rs o ve r th em,o r r epe at th em with such rapturous joy
G aye d’amour—a love - tok e n in de ed, a pledg e th a t th e bar r ie r which
h ad so lo ng separa ted h e r an d Ra oul must n ow pe rfo rce be do n e
m ay with , th a t th e sile n ce wh ich bo th de em ed th emse lve s bound to
o bse rve must be br ok e n a t la st .
Oh , de ar , cleve r , go od Miss O’Ne ill
, h ow in spir ed sh e h ad be e n to
m ak e such a wil l h ow wo n de rful lywise to wo rd it in just such a mann e r ! Ra oul
, as a m an o f h o n our , wo uld h ave be e n almost bound to
g ive Mo l ly th e optio n o f r e fusin g h im , e ve n h ad h e n e ve r h ith e rto se e n
h e r ; but un de r pr e se n t ci rcumstan ce s Oh , th ank G o d, th an k G od,”
sh e so bbed o ve r a nd o ve r aga in ; and pr e se n tly Mrs Macke n z ie was
surpr ised out o f som e th in g ve ry lik e a n ap, by a rush in g figur e burst
in g in to h e r r o om ,an d a n e cstatic cry
Oh , aun tie , I am so h appy ! I h aven’t a pen ny in th e wo r ld th at
I can call my own .
”
Mr . Burk e , h astily summ o n ed on th e fo llowing day, h ea rd Mo lly’s
sto ry with anyth in g but r aptur e , and advised h e r , te stily e nough , to
put h e r ridiculous th e o r ies out of h e r h ead.
Mo lly’s Fo r tunes. 29
‘
“ Le t your coun t o r bar o n , o r wh ateve r h e is, hun t up h is in h e r it
an e e fo r h imse lf if h e wan ts it . I n e ve r h e ard anyth in g so absurd in
my li fe ; I em ce r tain ly n o t go in g to allow you to be disturb e d o n th e
e vide n ce of a trumpe ry baubl e th at m ay h ave ch an ge d h an ds a do z e n
tim e s afte r it l eft po sse ssio n o f th e O’N e ills .
”
Y e s but it h a sn’
t, de ar Mr Burk e ,”urg ed Mo lly e ag e r ly ; it h as
be en in Mo n sieur de Sauvigny’s fam ily fo r g e n e r a tio n s I fe e l—I kn ow
h e ca n pr ove h is r igh ts. Oh , I do so wan t h im to be th e h e ir , sh e
crie d , claspin g h e r h an ds.
D o you, in de ed ,”sa id Mr Burk e , so ft e n in g a l ittle , but stil l ve ry
much put out .
Y e s , an d I wan t you to prove it fo r h im , pl e aded Mo lly ve ry
ge n t ly.
Upo n my.wo rd I’ll do n o such thin g , de cla r ed th e lawye r , r ed
d e n in g wi th indign a tio n . On e would think I h ad n o th in g e lse to do .
but h un t up pe ople'
s grandm o th e rs . F irst th e r e wa s yo urs—n o , I
be l ie v e your s was a grandfa th e r , th at mak e s it a little mo r e r e spe ct
a ble ; th e n twq n o l e ss, fo r Hugh , o n e spur ious a nd o n e r e al ; an d n ow
this F r e n chman’s . I tel l you wh at it is , Mo lly, I dr aw th e l in e h e r e ;
a Fr e n ch grandm o th e r is a littl e to o str o n g—th e la st straw br e aks th e
cam e l’s back , you kn ow.
”
Oh , p lease , de ar Mr Burk e , pe titio n ed Mo l ly, h a lf laughi n g an d
h al f cryin g , just th is on e mo r e . Y ou sh all n eve r , n eve r b e ask ed to
fin d an o th e r .
A n d wh o do you suppo se I sh a ll fin d to se nd to Fra n ce?h e
grum bl ed . It is n o t eve ryo n e wh o would be equa l to th is
j o b .
”
I wan t you to go yo urse lf, said th e gir l simply. Do n’t th i nk
m e v e ry exactin g , but r e ally I would trust n o o n e but yo u. It is a
ve ry de lica te m a tte r , and must be ca r e fully de alt with . I wan t yo u
to spa r e n o pa in s, to le ave n o ston e un turn ed— o h,
”cr ied Mo lly, in a
vo ice tremblin g with e arn e stn e ss, I can’
t te ll you h ow much I h ave
this busin e ss a t h e a rt .
”
“ W e ll , we ll ,”sigh edMr Burk e , a sudde n m o istur e dimm in g fo r
a m om e n t h is sh arp littl e eye s, a wilful woman must h ave h e r way,
I suppo se . I’l l go an d e xam in e th is g e n tl em an , a n d se e if h e h a s a
mo l e o n th e sm a ll of h is back , an d a str awbe rry m a rk o n h is l e ft
arm—th e in fa ll ible m e an s o f ide n tifyin g th e r igh tful h e ir to a pr o
pe rty,I be li eve , wh e n h e ch an ce s to be m isla id, a s at pr e se n t.Havin g
th e an tique o rn am e n t r e ady to h an d is a gr e at po in t— o n ly it sh ould
h av e a
.
secr e t sprin g in it to be quite co r rect. Now a l l we wa n t is a
cask e t; —emph asiz in g th e wo rd with with e r in g sco rn and a
sco r e o r two o f le tte rs, fo r th e r omance to be compl e te .
”
3 0 The Im'
sh Month ly.
I dar e say you will find le tte rs e n ough a t La Pe'
piniere . I wish
you wouldn’t laugh l ik e th at
—it loo ks as if you di d n o t be lie ve in
my th e o ry, an d ye t eve ryth ing is so cl e ar .
”
Why didn’t your Fr e n chman r ecogn ise th e n ame o f O
’Ne il l
, and
r e al ise th at you we r e a conn e ctio n o f h is family, I sh ould.
like to
kn ow grumbled th e lawye r , turn in g a l itt le te sty aga in as Mo llywaxed m o r e and m o r e eage r .
Be cause I n eve r h ad o cca sio n to spe ak o f it. I o nly a llude d to
Miss O’Ne ill o nce , an d th e n i t did n o t occur to m e to m e n tion h e r
n ame .
Af te r a little m o r e par l eyi n g , an d many h in ts from Mo lly as to
t h e b e st m an n e r o f ca r ryin g out h is difficult task , Mr Burk e con se n te d
to se t out at on ce fo r Chate au de la Pepin ier e , th e r e to mak e en quirie s,to o ve r haul th e fam ily pape rs, an d, if Mo lly
’s th e o rypr oved co rr ect ,
t o an n oun ce to Rao ul th a t an inh e r itan ce awaite d him .
Y ou will be sur e to make h im un de rstand everyth ing , wo n’
t
y ou sa id Mo l ly d'
i ifide n tly, as h e r ose to g o I m e an , all about
Miss O’Ne ill ’s wi ll , and— and th e co nditi on s, you kn ow.
”
Don’t be afr a id,
”r e turned h e r fr ien d dr ily,
“ I’ll m ak e h im
un de rstan d. Am I to in fe r , th e n , th at you fo r your part ar e n o t un
will ing A h, th e little hussy sh e
’s gon e .
”
CHA PTER XXVIII.
A RCADIA .
Th e r e sult o f Mr Burk s’e r e se arch e s was em in e n tly sa tisfacto ry to
Mo lly. Th e br idegr o om wh o h ad som e six sco r e ye ars b efo r e led
Madem o ise ll e Soph ie de Ro h an to th e alta r , pr oved in truth to b e
Rode r ick O’Ne ill, Lieute n an t in th e Irish Brigade , wh ich fo ugh t so
brave ly un de r Lo rd Clar e . Ra oul’s gr andm o th e r , on th e m o th e r
’s
side , wa s th e o n ly daugh te r o f this couple , a po sthum ous ch ild, bo r n
afte r h e r fath e r was slain in battl e . Docum e n tary evide nce o f th e se
facts was foun d amo n gst th e pape r s wh ich R aoul put at th e lawye r’s
di spo sitio n , and th e r e was a lso , a s Mo l ly h ad suggested, a co n side r
able n umbe r o f le tte r s, wh ich would h ave fur n ish ed addition al pro o f
h ad such be en r equir ed .
Th e g irl’s in fe r e n ces we r e , th e r e fo r e , e n tir e ly co rr e ct, an d th at
Molly’s For tunes. 3 1
wh ich sh e so arden tly desir ed turn ed out to be th e case : Raoul
de Sauvig nywas th e h e ir of Castle O’Ne ill .
A ppa r e n tly Mr . Burk e succe eded in mak in g h im un de rsta nd h is
positio n very th o ro ugh ly, fo r a lo n g le tte r so o n fo und its way to
Ho lly, a l e tte r wh ich sh e r ead o n h e r kn e e s, and wh ich wa s carr ied
abo ut a ll day n ext h e r h e art , an d at n igh t la id unde r h e r pill ow.
Inn o cen t, te nde r , fo o lish youn g love ! o f wh at extravagan ce s is it n o t
capabl e ! Ve ry shyly, ve ry h appily, did sh e se t about h e r an swe r to
th is m issive , and afte r wr iting an d te ar in g up about a do z en , sh e des
patch e d on e wh ich o n ly co n tain ed a sin gle wo rd Coma
A n d so h e cam e . Partly in r em embrance o f h e r gi r l ish dr e am
a nd pa r tly to secur e undisturbed pr ivacy, Mo lly awa ited h im in th e
o ld ga rde n , le avin g dir e ction s th at o n h is arr iva l h e was to be sen t to
find h e r th e re .
It was th e n m id-A pr il , th e lo ve li est tim e o f th e love ly spr in g . A
th o usa n d de lica te , pal e-hued flowe rs, br igh te n e d th e te r r ace s an d
filled th e h o llow be n e a th ; lilac tr e e s, whi te a nd co lour ed, b e n t be n e a th
th e ir lo ad of bloom , a few littl e pin k buds of th e m on th ly r o se s
alr e ady sh o n e out amid th e vivid gr e e n th at h un g o ve r th e a rch ed
g a t eway, and yo nde r , fo amin g up b eh ind th e ruin ed castl e, was an
o cea n o f exquisite fruit blo ssom , wh ite , a nd cr e amy, and te n de r est
sh e ll -pin k . Mo lly’s favour ite s, th e birds, we r e pipin g a jubilan t
br ida l -so n g , e ach doubtl ess ce lebra tin g h is own pa r ticular raptur e ,
ye t appar e n tly castin g in h is m ite of ecstacy to swe ll th e sum o f
h e r imm e asurable joy. Th e l e ave s we r e dan cin g in a gle e ful
br e ez e ; th e sun was shin ing . ove r all . Oh , th is an cie n t wo r ld o f our s,
h o w it blossoms still ! o h , spr ing , h ow e v e r fr e sh , h ow e ve r n ew,
h ow e ver we lcom e is it, eve n afte r a th ousand win te r s ! oh lo ve , th e
o ld, o ld sto ry, will it e ve r pall on na , th ough coun tl e ss time s r e to ld !
A n d, o h l ove , an d youth , and spr ing- tim e a lto g e th e r , wh a t an Ede n
d o ye mak e o f th is wo rk-a -day wo r ld
80 Mo lly watch ed and wa ited at th e g ilded ga te , an d a t last sh e
h e a rd Ra oul’s foo tfall in th e di stan ce . To o shy to run to m e e t h im , sh e
sto od clasping th e topmo st bars,°
h e r blushi n g , expectan t face pe e r
in g down . How wonde rful was th e fulfilm e n t o f th at fo rm e r day
dre am o f h er s : th is was th e wayfar e r comi ng , th e wo rn and we ary
wayfa r e r , wh o h e r e was to find r e st a n d comfo rt fo r ove rm o r e .
Now h is figur e was disce rn ed rapidly appr o ach in g unde r th e sta te ly
co lo nn ade o f yews ; o n h e cam e,awh il e in sh adow,
n ow in ligh t, step
ping fo r th a t la st in to th e full bla z e o f sun sh in e .
But stay ! was th is h e r wayfa r e r?A gr e a t rush of wo n de r ing
d e ligh t swept ove r Mo lly’s h eart, so tr an sform ed, so tran sfigur e d was
th e fa ce uptur n ed to m e e t h e rs. He paused fo r a m om e n t,lo ok in g
32 Ti m Ir ial: Mo nth ly.
a t h e r . Th e fe ath e r ed o rch e stra piped loude r , and l oude r , and th e
br e e z e to ssed th e lilac blo ssoms h ith e r and thith e r , and wave s o f
th e swe e t sprin g sce n ts we r e waft e d to th em fr om th e garden b e
lo w—but Ra o ul was o n ly co n scio us o f Mo lly.
Ch ild,” h e sa id br ea th le ssly, is it a dr e am?Te ll m e , is it a
dr e am
Y e s, it is a dre am, answe r ed :Mo lly, with swe e t, tr emulous
laugh te r . Th is is a dr e am -wo r ld . Do yo u n o t kn ow — it is A r
cadia ,Ra oul .
A n d th e n oh , lo ve ! h e crie d , with swift impe tuous, str ide s
l e sse n in g th e distan ce be twe e n th e m ,— “ love , le t m e in
M . E. Pam e l a .
THE END
COMRADES.
I O
THE star s se n t fo r th a h o ly ligh t ,
Th e be lls we r e ch imin g cle ar,
Back swun g th e po r ta ls o f th e Nigh t
A nd sh owed th e fair NewYe ar .
In midst o f sn owy rays, th e pur e
A ll -spo tle ss youth de layed,
A s o f h is pr e se n t h ome se cur e
Oi coming h alf-afraid .
With timid eye s to pie rce h e strove
Th e myste ry o f th e glo oms,
His h and still lin g e r ed, with h is love ,’Mid paradisal blo oms .
On e beauteo us fo o t th e th r e sh o ld pre ssed ,
On e lo ite r ed in th e bowe r ,
Wh e n th e r e was laid upon hi s br east,Of flowe rs th e fa ir e st flower .
4 The Ir isk Mon ti:
He lo ok ed down on th e sun ny h e ad
Th in e eyes,” h e sa id, a r e clea r
I can n o t go a lo n e h e sa id,
Th e way is dim a n d dr e ar .
He caugh t th e ch ild up to h is br e ast,
Wh o sm il ed in swe e t amaz e ,
A n d th en as with on e fe ar oppr e ssed,
Se n t back a h om ewa rd ga z e .
His go ld h a ir m in gled with th e gray,His h an d waved, o nwa rd bo rne ,
Th e sn ow clo sed r o un d th em o n th e ir wayA nd I was left fo r lo r n .
A NOW'
DESCRIPTI'
VE OF CHRISTMA STIDE.
’
OW it is Ch r istmas week , an d Chr istmas Day falls o n a
Wedn e sday, wh ich , in th e opin io n of th e city cle rk and
o th e rs of h is kind, is th e n ext be st th ing to fallin g o n a Tue sday
fo r wh at tyran t , comme rcial o r o th e rwise , would compe l h is
re tain e rs to work o n th e e n suin g Friday an d SaturdayWe ll , th en , n ow are th e city o ffice s vo ice less and dusty ; n ow
are four -wh e e le rs rumbling and jo ltin g , an d han soms dash ing and
swaying , an d all th e ir summits are ove rloaded with h ampe rs and
baske ts, with lids bulgin g and strain ing agai n st doubtful kn o ts
and anyth ing but in fallible str ing . Now are cab-drive rs j0 1]y and
fr o sty, or th ey ar e jo lly an d foggy, fo r th ey are like th e we ath e r ,
and in separable from it , an d th ey take th e ir fare s without
grumbling (th at is to say,to an y appreciable exte n t) , fo r time s
are looking up, an d far e s are tumbling 1 1 1 .
Now do o ld ge n tlem e n buy n ew wo o lle n wrappe rs, and young
on es n ewwhite kid glove s and bo th o f th em purch ase in nume rable
Ch ristmas ca rds cove red with an ge ls, an d robin s, and h olly th ey
also spe nd fortun e s in postage stamps, and fe e l bored withI
addre ssing so many envelopes .
Now do e s th e baked-
potato-man , n e ar th e th e atr e door , o rde r a
double supply of co ld stock , and perh aps lamen ts in th e morn ing
Th e fo rm and title of this pape r are sugg e sted byLe igh Hun t, wh ose subject ,h owe ve r , is A Hot Day.
”
A N o wDescr ip tive of Ch r istmastide . 35
th at h e did n ot in vest furth e r ; and h isred h o t rival , th e ro astedche stn ut-ven dor , pokes h is fir e , and seems regardless o f econ omy
in ge n e ral an d profit in particular , as h e pil e s up an ew th e
fragm e n ts of coke .
Now do oran ge s r emi nd on e o f pits and amphith eatr es, and th e
A l i Baba and Puss in Bo o ts o f our youth ; and walnuts are
capt ivatin g to th e eye , and almonds and raisin s a glimpse of
N ow is som e favourite n o ok in e ach Cath o lic church tran s
form ed by de vout h ands in to a r eprese n tation of th e Crib o f
Be thl e h em ,and much pious ingenuity is lavish ed on eve ry de tail ,
from th e str aw-be strewn floor , and th e soft- eyed, dappled oxen ,
to th e glitte ring stars above ; and th ousan ds visit th e se cribs and
exclaim : How n atural ! an d some am ong th em gaz e with we t
eye s , an d ye t with al a joy in th em an d chi ldre n'
ask to be allowed
to st0p a few m om en ts longer to lo ok at th e Child Je sus and th eMo th e r o f Divin e Love .
N ow ar e public h alls an d private h omes de co rate d with a
pro fusio n of eve rgre e n s and flags, m otto e s and season able prove rbs ;
an d pe ople in th em walk about laughi ng and sin ging (at le ast inth e ir h om e s) and eve n th e dyspeptic se em glad, fo r n o oth e r r eason ,
we suppo se , th an th at otlze r pe ople are glad and it do e s n ot
surpr ise na ve ry much wh en we dete ct th em , de spite coughs and
co lds and oth e r addition al ailments, be stin g tim e on th e win dow
pa n e s with th e ir fin ge rs an d pur rin g G lorie s.
”
Now are sch o o lboys, red-ch e eked an d impuden t, fr esh h om e
fr om sch oo l . Now do they levy blackmail on n e ar r e la tive s of th e
m ascul in e o rde r , un de r th e de lusive plea of Chr istmas boxe s and
th ey are allowed greate r fre edom , e spe cially at th e table an d in
bed in th e morn in g , for now do e s n ot th e sch oo l-be ll bring th e ir
chubby little n ose s to th e surface of th e blank e ts, but th e ir siste rs
kn o ck ge n tly at th e ir doo rs and wish th em eve rythin g good , th e
m o rning in cluded ; and trust th ey slept we ll , an d will th ey come
acro ss to th e lake after bre akfast and se e if th e ice wi ll be ar To
wh ich th ey make wh at answe r th ey please , and n o on e is ann oyed ,
an d th e wh o le wor ld seems created fo r h ealthy sch oo lboys an d
ge n e rous, foo lish o ld fath e rs.
Now do so ldie rs in barracks draw th e ir pay an d obtain leave
for a we ek ; and th ey may be se en in railway-carriage s and steam
h oa ts , with the ir great coats on and th e ir kits unde r th e ir arms.
36 Nae Ir ish Mon th ly.
Now do th e can te e n r e ce ipts in cre ase imme asurably, th ough th e
barracks ar e mo re th an half- empty but many th e re are wh o remain
behind, n o t, maybe fo r ch o ice , but th at.
th e barrack-room is th e ir
h om e,and the can te en th e ir r e laxation ; an d e ach mess has been
savin g an d frugal dur ing th e lon g autum n mon ths , th at Ch ristmas,
wh e n it come s, may be fully h on our ed .
Now are sail ors arrivin g at coun try railway station s, and
exch an gin g gre etings with porte rs an d station -maste rs ; an d th e ir
trouse rs ar e wide r an d th e ir blue shi rt -arms sh o rte r th an usua l ,
alth ough th e we ath e r is bitte rly co ld— fo r th ey we ar th e ir h o liday
r ig , and de sir e to emulate a pe rson ified fre edom an d a ge ne ral
lo o se n e ss o f structur e— n o t to m e n tion exh ibiting to th e rustics th e
tato o ed an ch o rs and crossed h ags co n spicuous on th e brown wrist
r edde n in g in th e co ld, win try wi nd.
Now are th e ir h ardy co lle ague s abo ar d ships far away at sea ,
h ove rin g aroun d th e galley do o r , wh ilst th e dusky cook, in a sn owy
cap an d bar e arms, h an ds fo rth ste am in g dough-boys
”an d
plum-dufi,
”wh ilst th e spray is dre n ch ing th e we ath e r bulwarks,
aud th e gre en wate r is h issin g un de r th e le e ch an n e ls as th e
h e e lin g , can vas bede cked bark rush e s n ear er— still n e are r h om e !
Now ar e th e th e atr es cr amm ed, fr om th e r eg ime n t of fo o tligh ts
be low to th e blin din g lustre-deco rated g asalie r at th e r o o f and
o rch estras play m edl eys composed o f all th e catch -tun es o f th e
past year , an d ch oruse s are taken up by th e gods ,”an d e ch o ed
from th e pit, to be jo in ed in aga in in e ffe rve scin g , r e ckless jo llityby th e gre ate r part of th e h ouse ; th e few exception s ch attingin th e stalls, o r quiz z ing from the boxe s ; th e ir aristocratic blo od
o r immaculate sh irt-fro nts be ing som e impedime n t pe rhaps— but
the ir h e arts are sound, and many am on g th em hum to th emse lve s
o r be at tim e with th e ir pate n t-leath e r ed fe et .
Now do es th e pre tty little ball e tr gir l an d h e r m anglin g mo th e r
(excuse th e epith et, dear re ade r ) e at substan tia l suppe rs, and o rder
th e be st o f po r te r , and drink te a at thr e e sh il li ngs a poun d ; an d
pay o ff o ld-stan di ng debts, and con tract n ew o n e s, an d o th e rwise
m ake th e mo st of th e season . Not fo rge tful , of course , of th e po o r
little dwarf siste r wh o stays at h om e all day an d wo rks at man tle
m aking . Sh e is clo th ed afr e sh fr om th e seco nd-hand wardrobe at
th e co rn e r of th e stre e t (th e on e with a dark side -en tran ce ) and
th e m on thly h ir e o f h e r sewin g-machi n e is paid up to date . Now
a ll is ro sy, th er efo re , and th e ball et-
girl sings all th e way down
A NowDescr ip tive of Ch r istmastide . 37'
sta irs g omg to reh e arsal , an d all th e way again atmidn ight (alth oughtire d and limp afte r th e e ven in g
’s piroue ttin g) , sh e lter ed un de r
h e r m o th er’
s sh awl , in lieu, we suppose , of win gs.
N ow doe s h er sh ady fath e r , th e supe r ,”drink a little m o r e
tha n is custom ary, but con tribute s th e gre ate r part o f h is in cr e ased
mite to th e g e n e ral fun d, and, on th e wh o le , is n o t so bad as h e
m ig h t be at th is tim e of th e ye ar ; and h is e rstwhile gr e asy cap is
replace d by a fe lt h at of indubitable re spe ctabilty, and h is pape r
colla r is again bedigh t with a n e cktie we althy in colour . He
sh eds fewe r te ars in his be e r than e ve r,de spite th e in cre ased
po ta tio n s, and ta lks le ss o f th e o ld h ome in Hampsh ir e , and th e
birds -n es ting an d squirr e l -hun ting days o f h is youth , e r e h e cam e
to th e great m e tropo lis, and was swa llowed up in th e gapin g m aw
of th is huge Lon don— th is pan ting min o taur amo ng citie s ; n ow
h is laugh ter is mo re ge nuin e ; and dom e stic brawls se em th ings of
th e past .
N ow are poe ts wr iting ch e e rful lyr ics about sn ow, and be lls,
an d hymn s o f peace , and kin dr ed subj ects and few pe ople care to
r ead th em , be cause , we suppo se , th ey h ave r e ad such th in gs a
hun dr ed time s be fore , o r th ey pr e fe r th e re al , practical Chr istmas
to th e ideal fancie s of a rhyme r . But th ey (th e po ems) fill upodd co r n ers of we ekly journ als, and h e lp to make things ge n e rally
N ow are po stman , dustme n , lampligh te rs an d n ews-boys
extr ao rdinar ily civil ; fo r to-m orrow o r th e n ext day is Boxing
-day,
and th ey h ave an eye to th e main chan oe— or ye ste rday was th e
day , an d th e ir stock of gratitude has n o t ye t quite e vaporated.
Now, lastly, th e weath e r is se ason able an d frosty, and th e
gro ce rs’
sh ops lo ok ch e e rful and h om e ly, o r it is un se ason able and
foggy, and th e groce rs’
sh ops stil l lo ok h om e ly an d ch e e rful , and so
do r e d curta in s on parlour win dows. A n d pe ople in’
busse s and
tramca rs are n o t so cross an d mo rbid-min ded as th ey m ight be ,
con side r ing e ve rything th at h appen s to pe ople n owadays ; and
thin gs ge n e ral ly are as jo lly as eve r , and e verybody forgive s
e ve rybody e lse ; an d all but prie sts and milkm en rise la te in th e
mo rnin g and go to bed late r at night.
A nd, n ow, I th ink, that is about all an d you, de ar r e ader , are
tire d an d commen ce to fidget with th e page .
we arily, and long to
turn it ove r ; ao , now, pray do , with our be st Ch ristmas wish e s fo r
th e wh o le ye ar—o ld wish e s, inde ed, but ye t ever n ew
38 The Ir ish Jllon th ly.
LUX IN TENEBRIS.
AT n igh t wh at thin gs will stalk abroad
Wh a t ve iled sh ape s, and eye s o f dr ead !
With ph an toms in a lo n e ly ro ad
A n d vi sio n s of th e de ad.
Th e k indly r oom wh e n day is h e r e ,
A t n igh t tak es gh o stly te rro rs o n
A nd eve ry sh adow h ath its fear ,
A nd eve ry wind its m o an .
Lo rd Je sus, Day-Sta r of th e wo r ld ,
Rise Th ou, and bid thi s dark depart,
A nd a ll th e e ast, a r ose uncur led ,
G r ow go lden at th e h e ar t !
Lo rd, in th e wa tch e s o f th e ni gh t,Ke ep Th ou my soul ! a tr emblin g th ing
A s any m o th th a t in dayligh t
Will spr e ad a ra inbow wing .
KA THAR INE TYNAN .
TOLD IN A . FLORENTINE STUDIO .
A Y Jssus Christ be praised said Fran ce sco
Bandin e lli . A n d a ch orus o f ch ildren’
s vo ice s
an swered Fo r eve r and for eve r . A me n .
”
Y ou com e , dear chi ldren ,”said th e o ld p itto re , as h is h abitual
smile grew sun n ie r , an d h is eve r ch e erful vo ice be came more
an imated you come in th e train o f all th ings h o ly, brigh t, and
be autiful . How go od is G od ! A n hour before th e morn in g A ve
an an ge l whispe red, an d I woke . Th e gay, glad sun had an ticipated
me . Th e birds h ad re a ch ed th e third n o cturn of th e ir matin s.
Yon de r mass of blue an d scarle t an emo n e bent in adoratio n as th e
wind of Heave n swept by, h earing o n its bo som th e ange ls of th e
city. Th e mign on e tte se nt for th a breath of swe ete st in ce nse as
th e birds r each ed th e ir Ben edictus. I kn e lt and prayed .
”
To ld in a Flm ntine Studio . 39
Th e old man be n t lov mgly oy.
e r a fold of St. Fran ce sco’
s brown
h abit, touchin g it care ssingly with th e po in t of his brush . He was
pa in ting th e se raphio o n e o n Moun t A lve rno . Th e childr e n sto od
in an o rderly group aroun d th e ease l . A .n aure o le o f sun ligh t
flam ed about th e h e ad of th e Sain t, an d th e glo rious ligh t of ear lym o rn ing lit up th e little oratory n ear th e do or , and played upon
th e ho ld hands o f co lour th at gle amed h e re and th er e in that long
g arr e t , wh ich was at on ce th e studio sa lon and bed-chamber of
Sig n o r Bandin e lli .
Such an odd little rabble o f child-life in this Flo re n tin e
chambe r . Such a qua in t, ge n ial , be nign an t maestro in th e tall,
th in figur e at th e e ase l . Sixty-five years h ad ble ach ed th e o n ce
j e t black hair and he ard de ep wrin kle s h ad fall e n upon th e
sun ny face . But th e smile of pe rfe ct g ladn e ss with wh ich n atur e ,
aide d by grace , had e n dowed him , was o n e of th e gre ate st gifts th e
p itl o r e po sse ssed.
A r isin g artist at th e tim e Co rn e lius an d Ove rbe ch were at th e
h e ig ht o f th e ir fam e— a husba n d at th e age of twe n ty-two , and a
widowe r at th ir ity-Bandin e lli h ad give n up th e brillian t pro spects
th e n ope n ing out to him in th e Ete rn al City, to live an obscur e ,but use ful and h appy li fe in th e Flo re n ce wh e re h e was born .
He r e,within earsh o t o f th e be lls o f San ta Mar ia de l Fiore , h e
prayed and worked, este em ed by all , lo ved by th e ch ildren and th e
po o r .
Scarce ly a day passed but a tro op of e arth’s an ge ls in vaded
th e privacy o f h is studio n eve r a gloam in g fe ll but, in th e court
be low, th e represe n tative s o f Chr ist we r e conso led and re lieved.
N e ver a morn ing cam e th at did n ot find th e pain te r at th e altar of
h is G od n e ve r an h our passed in that upper room without its act
o f h omage to th e Que e n of Heave n .
But this e arly m o rn in g h our was th e ch ildre n’
s, and th ey kn ew
it. Y e t n e ith e r for romps n o r bon -bo n s did th ey gath e r , though
th e fo rmer would n ot h ave be e n frown ed upon ,while the latte r were
plen tifully bestowed o n fe ast-days—and oh
,h ow many patron
sa in ts and special fe asts th e m aestr o h ad ! The attraction , h owe ver ,
was Sign or Bandin e lli h imse lf.
Eve rywh e re ,”began th e old man , it is He aven outside
h ow, th e n , could my bambin i le ave th e sunsh in e
Y ou promised th e sto ry of little A le ssandro , sang th
ch orus.
40 The Ir ish Month ly.
On ly it is to o sad. It would dash your ch erry ch eekswith
rain -dr ops.
”
But th e mae str o’
s sto r ies are n e ver too sad.
An d a prom ise is th e mo st sacred thin g ,”added th e p ittore ,
layin g down h is brush , an d begin n ing to patch th e slope s of
Al ve rn o with h is pale tte-knife .
This was th e in var iable pre limin ary. Th e ch ildr en clapped
th e ir hands, and dr ew a little clo se r to th e e ase l , as th e artist began .
Th e little Al e ssan dro was th e o n ly so n of my e lde r broth e r .
On ly G od an d th e Mado n n a kn ow h ow I loved th e shy little ch ild.
I call him slay— it do e s n ot express it . So pre cocious , yet so simple ,
so loving , ye t so bashful so o ld-fash ion ed, yet so beautifully child
On e day, wh en h e was little mo re th an five ye ars o ld, I to okhim to th e Quarant ’ Ore at S. Maria de l Fiore . Ch ildren , you know
th e sce n e : it is supe rn al It is m o re th an a sh adow of th e Ete rn al
Paradise . IIe Himse lf is th e re : se raphs sing th e Iaudi of th e ble ssed .
A th ousand go lden sta rs twinkle about His th ron e . Al l is light,
co lour , beauty, an d swe e t so ng .
My dar ling was e n tran ced—wrapt in th e sacredn e ss o f a
ch ild’
s un spoke n praye r . On ce o r twice I glan ced at his pale ,
swe et face . He kn e lt r eve re n tly, con scious o f n ough t but th e
A dorable On e .
Half an h our sped quickly. I arose , inwardly chidin g myse lf
fo r n eglecting th e baby so lo n g . I touch ed his arm , but h e did
n ot stir . I ben t down and wh ispe red in h is e ar . He looked u p
pleadi ngly, and said so ftlyMay I go0 ye s, carissimo ,
’ I sa id, it is time .
’
To th e Bambin o San tissim o?O 250 ,"FHe is so love ly, and
He wan ts me to go .
’
I to ok th e laddie in to my arms, reproving myse lf se ve re ly
fo r allowin g h im , as I th ought, to sle ep th r ough we arin e ss.
L ie still , ch ild of my h e art , an d sle ep you are so tired’—I
said, as we stepped out in to th e coo l a ir of e arly spring .
But I h ave n ot slept— I am n ot sle epy : I wish on ly to playwith Him an d th e o th e r pretty ch ildre n amon g th e stars and
flowe rs.
’
Y ou have had bright dr e ams,my swe e t on e but te ll me
‘Un cle .
42 The Ir ish. i l l outlzly.
th e child’s simple faith wh en a be ll in th e n ear distan ce ran g out
fo r m orn in g sch o o l. In a m omen t th e ch amber was cle ared. A
fresh flo od o f sun ligh t poured itse lf in to th e ro om , as th ough to
con so le its occupan t for th e departe d ange ls.
”A gush of bird
music cam e thr ough th e ope n window. Th e pain te r re sumed h is
task . Th e labour of th e day we n t on unbroken ly in a place wh e r e
wo rk was praye r , an d praye r was work .
DAV ID BEA RNE .
DETHRONED.
HERE is a war like music in th e blast ;
Th e r ebe l winds h ave r ise n and discr own ed
Th e ag ed Ye ar , and str ewn upon th e groun d
Th e go ld an d cr imson o f hi s sple n dours past .
Po o r mo n arch ! h e h a th ca st h is h o n ours down ,
Sh ak e n with sto rm s an d pie rced with fr o sty spe ars ,
A nd fled to sa nctuary, and n ow we ars
In lieu of k in gly sta te th e fr iar’s brown .
De ath h ath en r o lled h im in h is h o use o f glo om,
Wh o fir st sto le summ e r from th e flowe r ing l e a ,
No r m uch , I th in k , h e ca r e s fo r life since sh e'
Was la id wi th a ll h e r r o se s in th e tomb .
But n ow kind He ave n do th ave n g e h is wo e s,
Co n fo un din g th o se wh o ca ll ed h im Fo r tun e'
s fo o l
Fo r , wh e r e h e dyin g l ie s, com e s h o ly YuleT o blanch h is m em o ry with sa in tly sn ows.
ANONYMITIES UNVEILED .
VL—FEM IN INE N ome de P lume IN CURRENT LITERA TURE .
HE care take n to make Haz e ll’
s A nnual wo rthy o f its se cond
n ame , A Cyclopedic R ecord o f Me n and T0pics of th e
Day ,
”is sh own in th e additions made in 1 889 to in formation
give n in 1 888 o n such a small matter as lite rary pseudonyms.
Th e pe rson re sponsible fo r this item h as n o t ove rlo oked th e
con tr o ve rsy which has e stablish ed that th e prope r Fr e n ch te rm is
n om de gue r r e , an d that th e more common fo rm has o n ly at mo st
bee n adopted fr om with out amon g Fr en ch write rs. Many also ar e
added to th e thre e hundr ed pe n-n ame s explain ed in th e 1 888
e dition . This list m igh t ve ry we ll h ave confin ed itse lf to mode rn
wr ite rs , as it purpo rts to do ; but it in clude s Swift and A ddiso n .
Is it r igh t to give“ Cl io ,
”as A ddiso n
’
s sign atur e He m arked
his con tr ibutions to The Specta tor by o n e of th e le tte rs which make
up Clio .
”
Haz e ll include s th e maiden n ame s used in auth o rship by som e
mar r ied ladie s. L e t us se lect a few of th e se , r epr e se n tin g bo th
ar t an d lite ratur e . Miss Doro th ea G e rard, o n e o f th e auth ors of
that fin e ta le , Re ata ,”is n ow Madame de L az ouski. The ar tist
wh o is still kn own as Mary Elle n Edwards (to be di stin guish edfrom Miss Be tham Edwards) marr ied twe n ty ye a rs ago Mr . Fr e e r
,
and afte r his de ath sh e be came Mrs. J C . Staple s. A n o th e r ar tist ,
wh o se il lustra tion s in th e magaz in e s, &c., ar e credited to A de la ide
Claxton ,
”has be e n fo r seve ral ye ars Mrs. Turn e r . Miss A lice
Have rs, th e artist, is n ow Mrs. Morgan ; an d h e r n o ve list-siste r ,
Miss Do ra Have rs, is Mrs. Bo ulge r , though bo th h e r maiden and
marr ied n ame s are disguised unde r th e curious pseudo nym o f
Th e o G ift —wh ich probably allude s to th e G r e ek m e an in g of
the se co nd half of h er full baptismal n ame , Th e odo ra ,”as th e
Basil o f Mr . Rich ard A sh e King ce rta in ly r e fe rs to his
sur nam e . Miss Braddon is Mrs. John Maxwe ll ; Miss Flore n ce
Kan ya t h as bo rn e two oth er n am e s in private life ; and Miss
Mabe l Co llin s ismarried . Th e commun ica tive paragraphs“ Ma inly
A bout Pe ople ,”in Th e Star , give us th e se particular s, but n o t th e
married n ame s of th ese two last . Th e privation is n o t ve ry tryin g .
44 The Ir ish Monthly.
L e t us cull from Haz e ll’
s late st list“ (which co n tain s some four
hundred name s) and from oth e r m isce llan e ous sour ce s, som e lite
rary n ame s of women , ch osen more o r le ss arbitrarily. To se cur e
som e degre e o f m ethod in our madn e ss, we group toge th e r , first, th e
ladie s wh o have taken masculin e n am e s. G e orge Sand (Madam e
Dudevan t) was, pe rhaps, th e first to s e t th is‘
exemple ; an d sh e an d
h e r n amesake G e o rge Eliot (Mrs. Cross, n ée Marian Evans) are th e
most famous. A n o th e r fem in in e G eo rge is Miss Jul ia Fle tch e r ,wh o , unde r the n am e of G e org e Flemin g , did some fin e lite rarywork .
Th e th re e Bron te siste rs to ok such n ame s as would have the same
in itials as th e ir r ea l n ame s, Cath e rin e , A n n e , and Emily be comin gCurr e r , A cto n , and Ellis Be l l. Th e first of th e se is hard to
r eco gn ise as Mrs. Nich o ls. Ire lan d h as some claim upo n h e r ; fo r
h e r fath e r was o rig in ally Patr ick Prun ty, a n ative of coun ty
Down— n am e supposed'
to be civiliz ed by th e ch ange , just as th efath e r o f Sydn ey Owe n so n (Lady Mo rgan ) was on ce McKe own ,
th e n Mao Owen , and, as Mac m ean s Son ,”fin ally Owe n so n , in
th e sam e way th at ce rtain Mcshan es h ave become Johnson s.
Fe rn an Caballe ro is th e masculin e -lo oking n ame of a true and
gifted woman , Ce cilia Boh l de Faber , th e Maria Edgeworth of
Spain , and pe rh aps some th in g m o r e . Raoul de Nave ry, an
e difyi ng write r of safe tales o fn o high orde r of m e rit, was a Fre n ch
lady, n o t long de ad, wh o se n am e we fo rget . Edward G arre tt is,
it se ems,Mrs. Isabe lla Mayo (n e
'
e Fivey) . We h ave re ad n on e o f
h e r wr itin gs but we h ave r e ad, with ke en pleasure , some of th e
A m e r ican ta les of Charles Egbe rt Craddock , wh o is in r e ality Min
Mary Murfre e (n o t a variation , we fear , o fMurphy, fo r we sh ould
be glad to claim for th e Irish race som e sh are in Th e Proph e t of
th e Smoky Mountains En n is G raham h as be e n sometime s
used as a n ame by Mrs. Mo le swo rth , but sh e is kn own best by h e r
r e al name,whe r eas Ho lme L e e is much be tte r kn own than
M iss Harriet Parr . Lucas Malet is Mrs. Harr ison . A n oth e r
very g ifted woman wh o has ch ose n to wr ite unde r a mascul in e , o r
No,n o t th e latest. Th e n ew edition fo r 1 890 appe ared o n D ecembe r 6th ,
1 889, an d ye t ch roni cle s facts wh ich o ccurre d o n Decembe r 3rd. Th e sketch o f
Ma rtin Farquh ar Tuppe r in th e body o f th e wo rk , me n tion s hi s de a th , which o nly
occurred o n No vembe r 26th . Th e Pa ll Ma ll G a ze tte , o f Decembe r std , repo rts an
in te rview with th e Rev . E. G . Price , wh o h as edi ted a ll th e vo lum es since
1 886 , and it oblig in g ly in forms us th a t h e is six fe e t four inch e s in h e igh t , an d fo rty
years o f ag e . He refe rs with spe cia l complacen cy to th e article o n wh ich our
pre se n t pape r draws with (we h ope ) sufficien tly explicit ackn owledgm en t .
A non 1,mities Um ai led. 45
no t o pe n ly fem in in e , n am e is Leade r Sco tt —MissLucy Barn es
(n ow Mrs . Baxte r ) daughte r o f th e fam ous Do rsetshir e p oe t, th e
Re v . ‘Villiam Barn e s.
O f Irish lite rary women , LadyWilde is, pe rhaps, mo re widely
known as Speranz a th an as the mo th e r o f Oscar Wilde .
Am o n gst th e n ame-disguises caused by marriage is th e ch ang e of
Miss Mary Laffan in to Mrs.Hartley. E . Owen s Blackburn s is
kn own in pr iva te life as Miss Casey. Our r e ade rs h ave long be e n
awar e that Mary o f Th e Na tio n was El le n Down ing , of Co rk .
Th e credi t of som e of Miss Rosa Mulh o lland’
s e ar ly sto rie s was
g ive n to an imagin ary Ruth Murray.
” Me lusin e is Miss
Skefli ngto n Th ompson . Almost th e o n ly n oms de plume am ongth e co n tri buto rs to THE IRISH MONTHLY are
“ M . E . Fran cis,
Eve lyn Pyn e ,”and A lice Esm onds .
”Th e first two wish to
main ta in th eir pse udonym ity but th e r e ce n t publica tio n o f
So n gs o fRem embran ce ,”allows us to r ecog n ise A lice Esm o nds
”
as Miss Mar gare t Ryan . Howeve r , a key to th e sign atur e s o f
write r s in th is Magaz in e , as far as its g en e ra l po licy o f sign ed
ar ticle s h as left an ope n ing fo r th e se r vice s o f a key, will be
fur nish ed in som e specml in stalme n t o f th e pr e se n t ser ie s ; an d th e
subj e ct n ee d n ot n ow be pursued furth e r . Y e t we can n o t r e frain
from in te rpre tin g th e in itials of two o th er gifte d wom e n , an English wom an an d an Ir ish woman . B . N th e autho r o f an ex
ce lle n t Histo ry of th e Je suits, is Miss Barbar a N e ave , n ow m arr ie d
to a Fr e n ch ge n tleman ; and Mrs. A tkin so n is th e S. to
whom we owe Th e Life of Mary A ikenh e ad, an d a gre a t de a l
m ore o f adm irable lite rary wo rk .
VIL—N oms de P lume OF LIT ER A RY MEN .
In th e preceding section we m en tio n ed m any wom en wh o
thoug ht fit to wr ite un de r th e disguise of mascul in e n am e s. We
do n o t re cal l, o n th e oth e r han d, any promin en t in stan ce of a
li te ra ry m a n ch o o sing to wr ite un de r th e clo ak o f suppo sed femi
O n e o f our late st discove rie s in this departm e n t co nce rn s th e
a uth or o f A Poe t’
s Praise ,”wh ich we comm e n ded warm ly be fo re
we h ad any idea that our homage was offer ed to a Cath o lic bish op.
The fo llowing paragraph in The A ve Ma r ia was a surprise to us
46 T he Ir ish Mon th ly.
He n ry Ham ilton ha s just brough t out th rough h is publish e rs, Me ssrs. G
P. Putnam So ns, New Yo rk , a m e trical translatio n of th e first four books of th e
JEn e id It is n o long e r a secre t , we be lie ve , th a t Hen ryHam ilto n is th e pen -nam e
o f th e Righ t Re v . Bish op Spal ding , o f Pe o ria , wh o h a s publish ed also two vo lume s
of or ig in a l verse—“ A me r ica and A Poe t
’
s Pra ise .
” His late st wo rk has be e nm o re favourably r ece ived by th e cr itics . He h as n o t a im ed at lite ralne ss, but ra th e r
to bring o ut th e spirit of Virg il’s imm o rtal poem in Engli sh form , and to th is end
h e h as wise ly ch osen di ffe ren t ve rse -fo rms.
Of som e two or th r e e hun dred false n ames and in itials which
can be tran slate d in to th e full n am e s of th e auth ors in que stion ,
th e fo ll owin g may be taken as sufficien tly nume rous samples.
A n stey, auth o r of Vice Ve rsa , isMr . G uthr ie ; B”
(of The Times) ,Lo rd Bramwe ll Cuthbe rt Bede
”
(auth or of Ve rdan t
R ev. Edward Bradl ey Lewis Car ro ll” A lice in
R ev . C. L . Dodgson Hugh Conway wasMr . F . J. Fe rgus ;
A r thur Lo cke r ,”it se ems, is in re alityMr . J H. Forbe s ; Owe n
Me r edith”is of course th e pr ese n t Lo rdLytton Shir ley
”is John
Ske lton Toby, in Punch , is Mr . He n ry W. Lucy ;Patr icius Walke r
”was th e prose sign atur e o f the poe t, William
Al lin gh am ,wh o has just died. It is hardlyworth wh ile picking out
any o th e rs o f th e se pseudonyms. Most wr ite rs wh o ar e wo rth
kn owin g , make th emse lve s kn own unde r e very di sguise .
VIII.—REAL NAMES o r AM ERICAN HUMOURISTS.
Th e Ph ilade lphia P r ess gives th e fo llowin g list, from which we
h ave blotte d out two that h ad got in to it by som e very stupid mis
tak e Pe te r Plymley [Sydn ey Smith ] , and Jam es Ye llow
plush [Thackeray] . Pe rhaps th e A me rican pape r in te n ded to furn ish a list o f all th e be st humourous write rs, and th ough t th ey all
be lon ged to th e Un ited State s except th e se two . A ny such list
sh ould in clude Emmanue l Kink ,”an e arly sign ature of Richard
Dowling , th e n ove list, wh o began by be in g an admir able humour
ist ; an d also A rthur Ske tch ley,”n am e ly, Mr . G eorge Ro se , wh o ,
with al l h is wagge ry, was se rious e n ough to sacr ifice An glican
e cclesiastical pre fe rm en t to become a Catho lic
Josh Billi ngs, HenryW. Shaw.
A ndrew Jack Down ing ,”Seba R . Smith .
A rtemus Ward,”Ch ar les Farrar Browne .
Bill A rp,”Ch arle sH. Smith .
G ath ,”G e orge A lfred Townsend.
A nonymities Unce iled!
Fat Con tributo r , A . Mi n er G r iswo ld .
Hawkeye Man ,
”R obe rt J Burdette .
Howadjii,”G e orge Wil liam Curtis.
Ike Marve l Don ald G r an t Mi tch e ll .
John Paul , Ch arle sH Webb.
John G e o rge H. De rby.
Mark Twa1 n Samue l L . Clem e n s.
Max A de ler , Ch arle sHeber Clark .
Eli Pe rkin s,” Me lville D . Lan don .
Pe tr oleum V . Nasby,”David Locke .
Bill Nye ,” Wil liam E . Nye .
Nym Crynli le , A ndr ew 0 . Wh e e le r.
Old Si,”Samue l W . Sm all .
Orph eus 0 . Ke rr,
”Robe rt H. N ewe ll .
Fe lig Wale s,
” William A . Cr o ffut .
Th e Dan bury Newsman ,
” J M . Bailey.
Mile s O’
Re il ly,”Char le s G . Ha lpin .
Pe te r Par ley, Samue l G . G o odr ich .
Ned Bun tlin e ,”Co lon e l Judso n .
Br ick Pome roy,” M . M . Pome roy.
Jo siah A lle n ’
s Wife ,” Mari e tta Ho lley.
O . K . Ph ilande r Do e sticks,” Mo rtim e r Th ompso n .
Mrs . Partin gto n , Be n jam in P. Sh e llabar .
Spo ope n dyke ,”Stan ley Hun tley .
Uncle R emus, Jo e l Ch an dle r Harr is.
Hose a Bigelow, Jam e s Russe ll Lowe ll .Fanny Fe rn ,
”Sarah Payson Willis.
G randfath e r Licksh in gle ,”Robe rt WV. Cr iswe ll .
M . Quad,”Ch ar les B . Lewis.
Hans Bre itman ,
”Charles G . Le land.
On ly a do ze n of th e se can , we thi nk , h e sa id to have mo re than
A m er ican reputation . Th e first of th em ,Mr . He n ry Shaw,
at o n ly Josh Billin gs,”but also Un cle Esek ,
”wh o se ve ry
wise an d grave sayings we have occasio nally h on our ed with a place
amo n g th e Winged Words”whi ch th is Magaz in e h as utte r ed
at close in te rvals during th e last e ighte e n ye ars.
THE REDBREA ST.
F my fr ie nds it we r e fo lly to te ll
Wh ich is de ar est, if de ar e st th e re be ;O f th e birds o f th e a ir , I kn ow we llTh a t th e R edbr e ast is de ar e st to m e .
Swe e te r music I n e ve r h ave h e a rd
Th an th e R ob in’s m ir aculo us powe rs ;
I fe e l like th e Mo n k with th e Bird,
Wh e n a h un dr ed ye ars se emed a few h ours.
N e a r ly a l l o th e r birds o n ly sing
Wh i le th e sun sh in e e n live n s th e e a rth
Joyo us m in str e ls, th ey fo llow th e ir k in g
Min e a lo n e h as n o music fo r m ir th .
So h e sigh s an d sings so r rowful stra in s,
Wh e n th e l ilie s a n d r o se s a r e fle d,
A nd th e lave n de r o n ly r ema in s,
Le n din g A utumn h e r sce n ts fo r th e de ad.
\Vh e n th e golde n l e ave s dr op o n e by on e ,
Or ar e swept by th e wind o ff th e spray,
\Vh e n th e fruit th at was h id from th e sun
Ha ngs un ripe o r sh runk up from decay
\Vh e n th e m ist, co ld a n d g ray,l ike a sh r oud,
Clin gs in fo lds r oun d e ach sk e le to n tr e e ,
A n d th e wh o le sky is o n e dism a l cloud,
Un til dusk se tt le s down o n th e le a
'
Wh e n o ur spir its, in Summ e r so h igh ,
A r e depr e ssed by th e se sad A utumn days'
Wh e n th e brigh te st gr ow g rave , an d a sigh
Th e fo r e bo din g o f so rr ow be trays,
L e t n a find out th e favour i te h aun ts
Wh e r e th e n o te s o f th e Ro bin a r e h e ard,
Fo r th e h e a r t g e ts th e comfo r t i t wa n ts
Fr om th e vo ice o f tha t inn o ce n t bird .
Th e r e’s th e blackbird pipe s boldly in Spr ing ,
A n d th e thr ush br ave ly se co nds h is so n gTh e n th e la rk m oun ts an d sin gs o n th e win g ,
A nd th e swal low,whi le da r tin g a l on g
—g
The Ir ish Month ly.
But , wh e n tr ia ls and so rr ows com e down ,
Wh e n th e de ar e st and be st must depart,And our life n eve r mo r e will we ar crown
Oh , h ow lon e ly th ey l e ave th e poo r h e art !
So rrow-laden , we wear ily wen d,
Ben t with sadn e ss, to h ide in th e wo ods,
Fo r we dr e ad our m o st in timate fr ie nd
Wh en oppressed with th e se te rr ible mo ods.
Wh e n th e h e a r t br e aks, its foun tain s a r e dried,A n d th e wo rn eye s deman d te ars in vain
G od al on e kn ows th e gr ie f we woul d h ide ,
He h as fe lt th e h e art’s bitte r e st pa in
He , wh o h id to b e sad and to pray,
Marks th e place o f our an guish and praye r ,
A nd He wi ll n o t r epr o ve , if we say
It is He bids th e Redbr e ast sing th e re .
R obin R edbr e ast , thy son g m ak e s us fit
Toc
’r e turn to our we ar isom e strife ;
A t thy vo ice we r e so lve to submit
To th e b itte r -swe e t ch alice o f l ife .
Th e r e a r e m e rcies an d pity divin e ,
Th e r e ar e te nder compassio n s un se en ,
A n d to sing o f th e se m e rcie s is th in e ,
A t th e seaso n wh e n so rr ows ar e k e en .
I h ave loved th e e , tam e bird, fr om th e fir st,
From th e time I str ewed crumbs fo r thy fo od ;
Th o ugh a r o ugh , cr ue l ch ild, a t th e wo rst,
Un to th e e I was g e n tl e an d go od.
0 my m o th e r’s de ar , favo ur ite bird,
With th e blo od o f th e Cro ss o n thy br e ast
Little fr ie n d, all thy plain in gs we r e h e ard,A s we wa tch ed h e r departur e to r e st .
G e n tle bird, it is we ll th ou h ast sigh s.
Fo r th ou br inge st to m in d th e dark bie r ,
A n d th e h o lie st m em o r ie s r ise,
Still bedewed with th e h e art’s saddest te ar .
Notes on N ew Books. 51
Ce ase Ce ase No r epin e r em I,
A n d th e tim e fo r such gr ie f is lon g o’e r ;
G o d, wh o died , le t Hi s own m o th e r di e ,
A n d abo ve th e r e a re par tings n o m o r e
Swe e test so n gste r , sin g ou—pay n o h e ed
To m y murmurs : fo r pe ace comes a t last ;
Th ou h ast sigh s, and thy br e ast se ems to ble ed
Fo r th e pa in s o f th e pr ese n t an d past .
Eve ry mourn e r wh o h ears th e e can te l l
How thy so n g , whi le its m e lody flows,So o th e s th e h e ar t with divin e m e rcy
’s spe ll ,
With a m e ssag e fr om He aven’s r epo se .
D . B .
NOTES ON NEW BOOKS.
l . Pr eceden ce must be gi ven thi s mo n th to a little bo ok wh ich
cann ot be criticised but on ly ann oun ced in th is Magaz in e , as it is
wr itten by th e Edito r . It is n o t a large o r profoun d wo rk , be in gm e r e ly a praye rbo ok in ve rse , which has tak en th e to o da r in g n am e o f
1 7m Ha rp of Jews fr om th e an agr am whi ch turn s th e word
I'h ch ar istia in to th e wo rds Cith ar a Ie su.
” It is th e first o f its
exact kin d, as fa r as we ar e awar e . Th e r e ar e bo oks of hymn s and
m e dita tio ns in ve rse ; but a r egul ar praye rbo ok , g ivin g morn in g
abla tion , Pate r , A ve , Cr e ed, Confite o r ; A cts o f Co n tr ition , Faith ,
Hope an d Cha rity Pr aye rs be for e and afte r Co n fe ssion and Com
mun io n ; th e Ro sa ry, th e Statio n s o f th e Cro ss, e tc. e tc.—th is h as a t
l e ast th e m er it o f n ove lty. Th e wr ite r,of course , n eve r a ttempted th e
ve rsifica tion of th e pr aye rbo ok as a se t task ; but th e various praye rs,
fo r th e mo st par t, found th emse lve s compo sed fo r o th e r purpo ses, and
many o f th em h ave a lr eady be en wide ly used . Th ey have be en
g ro uped to g eth er in th e ir pr e sen t fo rm by an afte r th ough t, which
mi gh t h ave be e n suggested (but was n o t) by th e fo llowin g ch aracte r
istically kin d n o te r e ce ived fr om Lady G e o rgian a Full e rto n after th e
n ublica tio n o f th e wr ite r’s e ar li e st bo ok o f ve rse , Emmanue l
27 Chape l Stree t
Park Lane , W.
Du n Fu m Ro san a ,
I have just rece ived th e l ittle vo lume you have kin dly sen t m e . Th e con ten ts
mam like ly to prove a treasure to many devout wo rsh ippe rs. I h ave already m et
52 The Irish Mon th ly.
in it with prayers easy to lea rn and th at will be very h elpful to devotion . Withmany grateful thanks for this we lcome g ift ,
I rema in
Yours sin cem lyG nom n z u m rcs .
Jame 7th
Four days late r , Kathl e e n O’Me ara wro te from Paris Your
Station s’h ave be e n copied in to th r e e praye rbooks
—o n e fo r e ach
m embe r of th e family—as an swe r in g a wan t th at we we r e expr e ssin g
o nly a day o r two ago som e sh o r t epitom e o f th e Way of th e Cro ss,
wh ich would save o n e’s h avin g to carry a la rg e bo ok in o n e
’s Visit in
th e afte rn o on .
”Th e praye rs h e r e re fe rr ed to by th ose two gi fted and
sain tly souls may be found with ma ny o th ers in The Harp of Jesus,which is publish ed in a ch eap, n e at, and co n ven ien t fo rm by Messrs.
M . H. G i ll an d Son , Dublin .
2 . We agr e e with Punch th at th e be st Chr istmas-bo ok o f th e
se aso n , th e on e th at ch ime s in be st with th e true Ch r istian Ch r istma s
spir it , is Th e Po o r Siste rs of Naz ar e th , an Ill ustrated Re co rd o f
Life at Naz ar e th House , Hamm er sm ith,Lo n don
,
”drawn by G e o rg e
Lambe rt , wr itten by A lice Meyn e ll , an d de dicate d to my littl e
daugh te r , Mo n ica . Th e publish e rs ar e Burn s an d Oate s, wh o
furn ish a h a lf-crown and a h a lf-guin e a edi tio n . Th e fo rm e r is a
mar ve l o f ch e apn e ss, but th e la tte r is we ll wo r th th e extra e igh t
shillin gs. Th e illustra tio n s a r e wo r thy o f th e ir g o od fo r tun e in be in g
e xpoun ded in Mrs Meyn e ll’
s pr o se . Th ey se t e ve ryph ase an d in ciden t
of co nven t life b e fo r e us as it is lived at Na z ar e th House—ch o ir and
kitch e n and infirmary an d wo rk -r o om , wash in g day an d ir on in g day,
oo al -skuttl e and co ll e ctin g van . How many go od th ough ts th is be auti
ful bo ok wil l put in to h e arts fo r wh om th e h o ly Siste rh o ods o f th e
Cath o lic Ch urch ar e n o t commo nplace th r ough a ble ssed fami liar ity.
3 . A n o th e r da in ty vo lum e is A Bo ok o f G o ld, and o th e r
Sonn e ts,”by John Jam e s Piatt (London : Ellio t Stock ) . Th e cove r
adds as a sub-title , A Quar te r Cen tury o f Son n e ts,”
and th e se lf
den ia l th at r efuse s to go b eyon d so sma ll a numbe r as twen ty-five is
a go od om en fo r th e pe rfe ctio n o f th e ch o sen few. Th e e ar li e r on es,
in subj e ct an d to n e , m igh t r emind us o f th e So nn e ts fr om th e
Po rtugue se .
”Pur ity a nd r efin em e n t br e a th e in e ve ry lin e . But our
favour ite out of all is, we think , th e te n th , th ough probably few wi ll
agr e e with us. Tha t bo ok of dual auth orship”
r e fe rr ed to could
h ardly be sen t fo rth m o r e grace fully.
4. Chr istian Re id is th e pe n-n am e of an Am e r ican lady, Miss
Fish e r, wh o , if our reco llectio n o f sun dry par agraph s in Am er ican
Notes on New Books. 53
newspapers do e s n o t play a s false , h as la te ly ch an ged th at n am e also
for an oth er in r e al life . Sh e r anks ve ry h igh amo ng th e Cath olic
write rs of h oti e n“
in th e Un ited Sta te s ; an d, th ough sh e do e s n o t h ide
her Ca tho lic pr inciple s in th e deve lopme n t o f h e r plo ts, h e r sto rie s ar e
real stories, wi th life lik e ch aracte r s we ll wo rk ed out . On e o f th e la te st
of th ese is Ph ilip’s R e stitutio n ,
”which will mak e many fr ie n ds for
its autho r in th e se coun tr ie s in th e e xce lle n t type an d pape r with
which M. H. G ill and So ns h ave produced thi s Dublin e diti on .
5. Wo r th m any do z e ns o f n ew bo oks th rown tog e th e r is th e
second, e nlarg ed an d rev ised e di tio n o f Lady Fe rguson
’s Sto ry of
th e Irish Be fo r e th e Co nque st” (Dublin Se aly, Bryors, an dWa lk e r ) .Th e work itse lf is adm irable in its co n ception and exe cutio n , tr acingIrish h isto ry fr om th e mythi ca l pe riod to th e in vasio n un de r Str o n g
bow, givin g th e best of th e le g e nds in vivid prose o r in th e m e tr ical
form in wh ich th ey h ave be en clo th ed by th e po e ts, such as D’A rcy
M‘G e e , A ubr ey de Ve r e , an d e spe cial ly th e wr ite r’s illustr ious
h usband, Sir Samue l Fe rguson , wh o se Co ngal”h o lds th e h igh e st
r ank in th e po e try o f our n atio n . Th e n ew edi tio n h as b e e n pr oduced
exce eding ly we ll by its Dublin prin te rs . Sever al maps o f an cien t
Ir eland e n able us to fo llow th e ba ttles and to ide n tify th e chur ch e s
and mo n aste r ies . Lady Ferguso n e nds th e pr e face to th is n ew edi tion
with th e wo rds I desir e to dedicate th is bo ok to th e be lo ved
mem o ry o f my husband.
” Th e m an wh o did so much fo r Ir ish
lit e ratur e sin ce h e wr o te Th e Fo rg in g o f th e A n ch o r”wh e n littl e
mo r e th an a boy would de sir e n o be tte r m em o ria l . It is a wo rk o f
imm en se r ese arch , de ep e n th usiasm , true e loque n ce an d po e tic fe e lin g ;an d th e wr ite r h a s dese r ved we ll o f h e r coun try.
6 . Ir ish Fairy Ta le s by Edmun d Le amy,M .P . (Dublin M . H.
G ill an d So n ) co n sists o f seve n sto r ie s,illustrated by abo ut twice as
m an y pictur es , te llin g us all abo ut th e Pr in ce ss Fin o la a n d th e
Dwarf, th e House in th e Lak e , th e L ittle Wh ite Ca t, th e G o lde nSpe a rs , th e Fa iry Tr e e of Do o r o s, th e En ch an te d Cave , a n d th e
Hun tsm an’s Son . A few n o te s a t th e e nd r e fe r to th e Old Ce ltic
Roman ce s”o f Dr . P. \V. Joyce , an d to Euge n e O
’Curry
’s Ma n n e rs
an d 0 1 15m o f th e A n cie n t Ir ish but th e se auth o r itie s affo rd a
v e ry scan ty po r tio n o f th e mate r ials wh ich Mr Le amy h a s wove n in toth e se th r illin g n ar ra tives . His fan cy is in exh austible , a nd h e se ems
to h av e i n pe rfe ctio n th e kn ack o f sto ry- te lling . On e peculiar ity of
his style is th e di r ectn ess an d r apidity o f th e n a rrative , wh ich do n o t
a llow digr essio n s and de scr iptio n s, an d which make th e substa n tive s
d escr ibe th em se lves with out th e aid o f a se t o f adj ective s . Th e li te r a ry
m e r it of th is ch ildr en’s bo ok is ve ry con side rabl e ; but in our day
54 The Ir ish Month ly.
some of th e be st of our lite r atur e is th at wh ich is in te nded for th e
youn g . A s far as we kn ow, th is is th e first title pag e which h as bor n e
th e n ame of Mr . Edmund Le amy, M .P . It will n o t be th e last .
7 . W e must group toge th e r th r e e bo oks, wh ich h ave th is in
com mo n, th a t th ey a re tran slated tal es. Siste r Mary Fide lis, a n
En g lish nun,wh o h as a lr eady give n us an exce ll e n t tran slatio n of a
cour se o fm edita tio n s e n title d G rowth in th e Kn owl edg e o f our Lo rd ,
”
tran sla te s f rom th e Fr e n ch Linda ’s Task , o r th e De bt o f Ho n our
(Lo ndo n Burn s and Oate s ) . Why n o t m e n tio n th e Fr e n ch auth o r
Th e tr an sla tio n is n o do ubt we ll don e , a id th e ta le is eminen tlym o ral but we h ave n o t b e e n much caugh t by it, th ough we h ave
given it a fa ir ch ance . Prin te r and binder bo th de se rve a spe cia l
vo te o f th anks . Mr . He n ry J. G ill,M .A .
, tran sla tes fr om th e G e rman
o f Wilh e lm He rch en bach two ta l e s, Th e A rm our e r of So lin g e n”an d
Wron gfully A ccused”(Dublin : M . H. and So n ) . Th e sto r ie s ar e
full of in cide n t, o f a kind th a t catch e s th e atte n tio n o f th e youth ful
r e ade r . In th is ve rsio n th ey r e ad ple asa n tly and n atur ally, with o ut
any unple asan t r em inde rs o f th e aph o r ism wh ich ide n tifie s traditor e
an d tr aduttor e . Larg e type an d ample margin h e lp to mak e out o f
th is Irish edi tio n quite a po rtly vo lum e , wh ich , we suspe ct, would
th row th e G e rman o rigin a l in to th e sh ade , e ve n with out th e e igh t
illustratio n s with wh ich W . C . M .
” h as embe ll ish ed it . Y e t many
youn g pe ople will pr e fe r—and we ar e in clin ed to agr e e with th em
— a
small e r vo lum e be a r in g o n th e title page th e n am e s of th e sam e
tran sla to r,an d th e same publi sh e rs and inde ed we .ve n tur e to add
th at th is is a case o f th e o ld sto ry, th e two Maguir e s is o n e”— th e
sam e g e n tl eman is tran sla to r and publish e r , n am e ly th e ex-M .P . fo r
Lim e r ick . Th e se co n d vo lum e from hi s pe n is Ch ase d byWo lve s,
a nd o th e r in structive Sto rie s, ch iefly tra n sla te d fr om th e Fr e nch ,
G e rm an , a nd Ita lian .
” Th e sto r ie s a r e th ir ty fo ur in n umbe r , wh ich
pr ove s th at e ach do e s n o t cla im a larg e sh a r e o f th e th r e e h un dr ed
pages . Th is var ie ty wi ll mak e th e bo o k m o r e popul ar , we ar e sur e ,
and its popul a r ity o ugh t n o t to pass away with th e Ch r istmas-box
se ason . Do e s th e adve rb chi efly”o n th e t itle -
pag e imply th at som e
o f th e se pr e tty little sto r ie s a r e o rigin al May’s Ch r istm as Tr e e
”
h as probably com e stra igh t from an Ir ish h e ar t. We e nd th is
par agraph with Ch r istmas Leg e nds,”tran sla ted from th e G e rman
by 0 . S. B . (Lo n don Washbo ur n e ) . Th e r e a r e se ve n o f th em ,ve ry
pious an d ve ry pr e tty, and bro ugh t out with th e g o o d ta ste th a t we
h ave l e a rn ed to expe ct from 1 8 Pa te rn o ste r Row. But , afte r e ndin g ,
we must add still an o th e r sto ry-bo ok Th e Jo lly Harpe r and h is
good fo r tun e , and o th e r amusing tal e s” (Dublin M . H. G ill and
Notes on NewBooks. 55
Son ). Th ere ar e th irty-seve n of th em , with pl en ty o f amusem e n t fo r
the reade rs fo r wh om th ey ar e in te nded. We ar e n o t to ld anyth in g
about th e misce llan e ous auth o rsh ip o f th is pleasan t Ch r istmas bo o k .
8. Since se ndin g th e fir st o f th e se bo ok- n o te s to th e prin te r , we
have re ce ived Th e Life o f Dom Bo sco , Foun de r of th e Sale sian
Society,”tr an slate d from th e Fr en ch o f J M . Vill e fran ch e by Lady
Martin (Lon do n Burn s an d Oate s) . 0 A few wo rds o f pr e face dated
from Mer r io n Square , Dublin , woul d n o t h ave be e n out o f place . Th e
name o f an o th e r Lady Ma r tin h as quite late lyfigur ed o n a ti tle pag e ;
but inde ed th e publish e rs and th e th em e o f th e pr e se n t wo rk sh ow
that it is n o t wr itte n by th e wife o f th e Que e n ’s l ite ra ry advise r
,Sir
Theodo r e Mar tin , but by th e wife o f an Ir ish Ca th o lic baron e t, Sir
Richard Martin . On e k n ows e n ough a lre ady o f th is h o ly Ita lian
priest, wh o did so much fo r th e young , to b e anxious for th e full in
formation g ive n in th is we ll writte n an d we ll arran g ed biography.
Nothing co uld be m o r e satisfacto ry th an th e g e t-up o f th e vo lum e .
The ch apte rs r ead ve ry n a tur ally and ple asa n tly, with n o th in g to r e
mind you th a t th ey a r e tran sla ted fr om th e Fr e n ch, except a n
occasion a l n am e whi ch th a t tyran n ical lan guag e turn s in to Fr e n ch , but
which ough t h e r e to be gi ve n in th e Ita lian fo rm . Th e Se raph ic
Saint is fo r us Fran cis o f A ssisi (n o t Ca n Cha teaun eufbe n ear Turin N ay, we doubt if outside Fra n ce Dom be a nyth in gbut a Be n e dictin e pr efix. I P romessz
'
Spast'
h as made us a ll familiar
with Do n A bbo ndio a nd we th ink th at th e subj ect o f Lady Mar tin’s
exce ll e n t wo rk was Do n Bo sco .
9. A n exce edingly in te re stin g l ittl e bo ok o f sixty pag e s is A
Shrin e a n d a Sto ry”by th e auth o r o f Tybo rn e ,
”Irish He ar ts
and Ir ish Hom e s, e tc . (Lo ndon Ca th o lic Truth So ci e ty) . Th e
five ter se a nd br igh tly wr itte n ch apte r s a r e full o f in te r e sting n am e s,
familia r e spe cia lly to Dublin Ca th o lics : Dr . B lak e, o f Dromo r e ,
Fath e r He n ry Youn g , Mr Jam e s Murphy, Lady G e o rgian a Fu il e r to n ,
and Miss Ell e n Ke rr . A gr e a t m any in te r e stin g a n d edifyin g par
ticula rs ar e gi ve n about m o st o f th e se , wh o se bo n d o f un io n wa s th e ir
conn e ctio n wi th St . Jo seph’s A sylum fo r Virtuo us Sin gle Fema le s
,in
Portlan d Ro w, Dublin . Th is is th e sh rin e” in que stio n
,a n d its
sto ry is ch armin gly to ld by th e A uth o r of Tybo rue ,”wh o in a n o th e r
sph er e of labour is kn own to h e r ch ildr e n as Mo th e r Magdale n
Taylo r .
1 0 . Th e large st an d, in its own way, th e b e st bo ok th at h as pr e
sented itse lf be fo re our tribunal th is Ch r istmas is o n e publish ed byth e Cath o lic Publicatio n Socie ty o f N ew Yo rk , an d ca llin g itse lf, with
perfect truth , G o od Th in gs fo r Ca th o lic R e ade rs : a Misce llany o f
Cath o lic Biography, Trave l , e tc., con ta in in g po r tra its an d sk e tch e s o f
56 The Ir ish Month ly.
em in e n t pe rso n s, and e n gravings r epr ese n tin g th e church and th e
clo iste r , th e state an d h ome , r ema rkable place s con n e ct ed with r e li
gio n , an d fam ous eve n ts in a ll lan ds and time s. Th e le ave s ar e so
ample , th at e ven th is l en gthy e num e ra tio n do e s n o t o ve rcrowd th e
title -
pag e . It is call ed seco nd se r ies ,”and it will provok e many de
mands fo r th e first se r i es . Th e pr e se n t vo lume , th ough printed in a
r oun d, r e adable type , co n tains a vast numbe r o f ar ticles, pr ofuse ly
illustr ate d . Bio g raphy is o n ly o n e o f th e m any ite ms, but we may
n ame som e of th e biog raph ica l sk e tch es : Mrs. A ike nh ead, St. Th oma s
A quin as, Mr s. Ba ll , Ba lme s, Madam e Ba rat, Bar on ius, Bayard,
Fath e r Be ckx, Ca rdin al Be to n , Bo ssue t, Fa th e r Th omas Burk e , Jam e s
Burn s, th e publish e r , Calde ro n , Car tie r , A rch bish op Oo rr igan , Cardi
n al Culle n , A ubr ey de Ve r e , Ken e lm Digby, R ich ard Doyle , Fath e r
Fabe r , Lady G . Full e rton , Mo th e r,Hallah an , A rchbish op Harm an ,
Dr . L in ga rd. D en is Flor e nce MacCar thy, Lo rd O’Hagan , R ev. C. W .
Russe ll , D .D .,Louis Veui llo t, Dr . Walsh , A rch bish op o f Dublin . W e
h ave r e ach ed th e e nd o f th e a lph abe t, but we h ave do n e so by jumping o ve r m any tim es. Th e po rtra its whi ch i llustrate th e se sk e tch e s
a r e , in th e five o r six in stance s in wh ich we a r e qua lified to judge , extr em e ly succe ssful . G ood Thin gs
” furn ish e s also in fo rmatio n on a
g r e a t va r i e ty o f in te r estin g to pics. It is a valuable and in te r estin g
additio n to a fam ily library.
1 1 . Fr om th e Un ited State s also come Vo lume s 1 3 and 1 4 o f th e
Ce n te n a ry Edition o f th e A sce tica l Wo rks o f St. A lph o n sus Liguo r i,admirably e dited and admirably prin ted and bound. Th e sam e in
de fa tigable publish e r s, th e Ben z ig e rs, h ave se n t n a th e seco nd vo lum e
o f th e Se rm o n s o f Fa th e r Julius Po ttg e isse r , S.J., tran sla ted fr om th e
G e rman by Fa th e r Jam e s Co nway, SJ . Thi s vo lum e co n ta in s se rmo n s
fo r fe stiva ls, fo r Le n t, and fo r th e Quaran t’Or e . Th e se disco ur se s a r e
full o f so lid ma tte r , pr opo sed with gr e at vigour . Be n z ige r h as a lso
pub lish ed m in ia tur e tr e a tise s o n Th e G o lden Praye r”
a n d o n Th e
Powe r o f th e Memo r ar e .
”A n o th e r pr e tty little bo okle t is St .
Th omas A quin as” by Fran cis 0 . P . Hays (Lo ndon R . Washbourn e ) .Mr Wash bo urn e is a lso th e publish e r o f Al l Souls
’
Fo rg e t-m e -n o t,
a praye r an d m editatio n bo ok fo r th e so lace o f th e sculs in purgato ry,tran sla ted from th e G e rman by Can on Mo se r . We must spe ak again
o f two v e ry diffe r e n t bo oks Fath e r A lbe rt Barry’s
“ Life o f Ble ssed
Marga r e t Ma ry”
(Lo ndon : Burn s an d Oate s), and So n gs in a Mino r
K ey by W . C. Hall, B.A . (Dublin Sealy, Bryors, and Walk er ).Th ey h ave o n e po in t in common—n ame ly; th at th ey ar e produced
with exce ll e n t taste .
58 Th e Ir ish Month ly.
j e cting arm, curved round th e margi n o f th e dark water , wi th its
lullaby music murmur in g pati e n tly fr om th e Bar , its lappin g waves
flingin g diam o nd circle ts pe rpe tua lly a t th e fe e t o f th e r ocks, an d
with its un ce r ta in glimpse s in to th e soft g lo om o f sil e n t gle n s,
sh e lte r ed fo r many a m ile un de r th e str on g arms o f th e m oun
tain s.
Th e r e draw th e cur ta in . G o back to yo ur rug , o ld dog . Wh a td o you kn ow abo ut it Th e se a is n o thi n g to y ou but a bro ad
sh in in g fascina tio n , towards whi ch your la zy spe cul a tin g eye s tur n
and r e turn . Y ou kn ow n o th i n g o f spir its cro ssin g , o f th e fata l
h o llows be twe e n wave s, o f th e wh ite cur l o f a squa l l spr e adin g , lik e
a pla gue-spo t , on th e br e a st o f a fair o ce a n . Ne ith e r do you k n ow
a nyth in g o f th e unsoun ded depth s o f th e h uman h e ar t, o f th e sh oals
a n d wr e cks in th a t sea , o f th e tr e ach e r o us r ocks an d diz zym a e lstroms ,
wh ich , at e ve ry br e a th we dr aw, be at out, and suck in,m o r tal an d
a las ! immo rta l lif e . A n d ao , th o ugh yo u sit th e r e , lo oki ng thr ough
m e , with th e a lm o st h um an sympa thy o f your eye s, you ar e o n ly a
dog , o ld fr ie nd, and th e o ld man must patch h is sto ry, and say h is say
a lo n e .
Mar gar e t A von and I we r e o ld man an d o ld wom an to g e th e r , and
ye t wh e n sh e wa s th e wedded mistr e ss o f Brack e n Ho llow,I was but
a yo un g lad g o in g to sch o o l , and used in vacatio n tim e s to r ide my
po'
ny ove r th e h ill s and h o llows o f G le n a rifie fo r a cup o f swe e t te a a t
Mistr e ss A vo n ’
s r oun d te a - tabl e,an d a g e n e r ous sh ar e o f th e cake s
an d m armal ade with wh ich th a t h o spitable bo a rd was wo n t to be
spr e ad fo r my de le ctatio n . But at le ast h alf my e rr an d th e r e wa s
to g e t a glimpse o f tiny Mary A von’s sl e epin g face , so fair a nd
plump, un de r th e blue can opy o f h e r co t . Fo r baby Mary A vo n
was th en to m e th e myste ry o f myste r ies, as sh e was in ye a rs afte r
wards th e pe ar l, th e ve ry sun be am ,th e blush - r ose o f wom an
h o od .
I will tr e ad ligh tly, an d but a few steps of thi s so litary by-
path o f
my sto ry. L e t th e r o se s m oul de r th e r e wh e r e th ey fe ll, sn apt fr om
th e ir stems so m any ye ars ago , and th e passio n-flowe rs sh r ive l in to
dust, an d th e de ad le ave s lie in sh iftin g m oun ds, stir r ed o n ly by th e
whi spe r o f m e lan ch o ly winds, undisturbed by th e fa ll o f e ve n th e
h o lie st fo o t . Mary A vo n fled fr om h e r h om e to be th e wi fe o f o n e
wh o brok e h er h e art and de se rted h e r ch i ld. Th e r e a r e days upo n
wh ich m any of th e ag ed can lo ok back , wh e n wo rds an d sce n e s wh ich
a r e burn ed in to m em o ry we r e first bran de d th e r e . Such o ld sca rs still
stin g , wh e n th e se dulled eye s g lan ce again to th e h our wh e n , a str ong
and be arded man,I almo st kn e lt to Margar e t A vo n in th at o ld r e d.
drawin g-ro om at Brack en Ho ll ow, and sued for Mary
’
s m emo ry an d
B racken Hollow. 59
Mary’s ch ild. But th e cr ags o f Lurg e don a r e n o t to b e toppled in to
th e vall ey by peckin g bi rds, n o r was th e we dge o f stem r e so lve to be
wrench ed from Margar e t A vo n’s soul by praye rs. Mary was go n e ,
and,as th ough sh e h ad n ev e r be e n , th e existe n ce o f h e r ch ild was to
r emain un r e co gn ise d . I to ok th e little o rph an h om e , an d if Hughwas wr on g ed, I a t le ast was a ga in e r by hi s lo ss .
Up to this da te I h ad kn own Marg a r e t A von as a larg e , come ly
matron , with pr o spe rity lyin g smo o th o n h e r br o ad fo r e h e ad, an d a
helpful mag ic lurkin g in th e palm o f h e r str on g , whi te h and wi th
all h e r actio ns, impulse s o f char ity, o f pr ide , o r of an g e r but th at
blow struck to th e r oo t o f h e r life . Th e tr e e did n o t fal l , n o r to tte r
it sto od o n, but th e sap was go n e . Ye ar s we n t by, an d brough t de a th
twice aga in to th e th r e sh o ld o f th e o ld h ouse , m akin g h e r a widow,
and be r e ft o f h er o n ly so n . Th e n th e str o ng lin e s h ad h arde n ed, th e
s oft curve s tigh te n ed, th e go od-hum our ed eye s gr own co ld, an d th e
firm mouth ha rd. Sh e becam e a gaun t woman , with a ben t masculin e
figure , an d a h arsh coun te n an ce . A s such I kn ew‘
h e r , still as a
friend, an d o fte n as pa tien t, about th e th e wh e n, a middl e -aged
bach e lo r,I foun d myse lf se ttl ed down unde r th is ro o f
, with th e
physician’s practice o f th e gle n s a nd vi llag e fo r my work , a n d with
Mary’s ch i ld fo r some thi n g to lo ve , some thi n g to k e ep my h e a rt
gr een . Fo r Ma rga r e t A vo n ,sittin g ste rn ly in th a t r ed drawing
-r o om
at Brack e n Ho ll ow, with h e r face from th e wo r ld, and h e r eye s fixed
pe rpe tua lly o n h e r desola te h e ar th , would n o t fo rgive th e de ad . Th e
o nly tie sh e r eco gn ised was th e ch ild o f h e r de ad son . Th e little girl
had be en bo rn in Ita ly, wh e r e h e r fath e r h ad passed all th e late r
years o f h is life . In th is gran dch ild, wh om sh e h ad n e ve r se e n,a ll
the wom a n’s sympath ie s with life we r e bound up. Th e ch ild was
said to b e de lica t e , an d lest sh e sh ould inh e r it h e r fa th e r’s dise a se ,
consumptio n , th e anxio us gran dmo th e r h ad de cr e ed, with bo ld se lf
denia l,th at sh e sh ould r e ma in abr o ad wi th th e Engli sh lady to wh o se
care h e r fath e r h ad e n trusted h e r educa tio n ,—sh ould be sun n ed and
ripe n ed by Italian sk ie s, ti ll th e dawn o f h e r womanh ood,an d th at
then , and th e n o n ly, sh o ul d G le n ar iffe be h e r h om e . A nd ye t th e o ld
woman’
s ye a rn in g to se e th e ch ild was pite ous, and I k n ew th at sh e
dreaded le st de a th migh t se a l h e r eye s befo r e th ey could b e sa tis
tied.
Ye a rs pa ssed . I was gr ey.
’
Hugh was a m a n , an d would so o n be
a docto r . A n ava l life would suit h im . I fe lt th at h e would go o ff
in a sh ip on e day an d l e av e m e . He h ad b e e n studying to o clo se ly.
I had sen t fo r h im ,in sistin g o n a h o l iday. We we r e ch a ttin g to g e th e r
in th e garde n . It was a brigh t May eveni n g , th e h awth o r n blo ssoms
wer e n o t ye t do n e , th e lilacs we r e in blo om . Th e sun was r ed o n h is
60 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
face , an d th e le d was as glad as a child at h is n ew fr e edom ,
Obse rvin g him with pride , I th o ugh t him m o r e r ema rkabl e fo r an air
o f in h e r e n t powe r an d a da sh o f frank n e ss, th an fo r m e r e h andsom e
l o oks. I th ough t I saw hi s ch a racte r in h is be ar ing and co un te nance .
pur e h on our e n n oblin g th e br ow,fide lity to truth we ll - ope n in g th e
eye , th e h o t g en e r ous tempe ram e n t ligh tin g th e wh o l e face with
e l e ctr ic glows an d Sparkl e s an d th e ca r e l e ss g a ie ty o f youth dan cing
i n l igh ts and sh adows o n th e to ssin g brown cur ls un de r h is straw h a t .
Som e on e spok e to m e at th e ga te . It wa s a m e sse n g e r fr om Brack e n
Ho llow,r eque stin g m e to visit Mr s A vo n . I le ft Hugh amusin g him
se lf with som e little fe llows on th e be ach,and we n t . Marga r e t h ad a
r e que st to m ak e . G race was o n h e r way h om e, was in En gland .
Fr i e n ds r e tur n in g from Italy h ad brough t h e r as far a s th e ir h ome in
Lo n do n . W ould I go an d fe tch h e r to Brack e n Ho llow
I th o ugh t, Mar ga re t A vo n fo rg e ts th a t I e m n o t still th e boy wh o
use d to e at h e r'
m a rmalade at yo n de r table fo rty ye ars sin ce , and
car ry h e r fo o tsto o l . an d g o o n h e r e rr an ds wh ith e r so e ve r sh e ple ased .
But th e n ext m om e n t I fe lt th is to be a ch ur lish th ough t fo r o n e o ld
fr ie nd to h a rbo ur towards an o th e r , a nd I pr omised to go .
Ne xt day I we n t . A few wo rds m ade Hugh unde r stan d th e
purpo se o f my journ ey. Beyo nd th o se few wo rds n o thi n g was sa id
b e twe e n us o n th e matte r . Of co urse th e lad k n ew a ll th e de ta ils of
h is own sto ry, but h is po sitio n was a subj ect wh ich h e n e ve r
appr o ach e d, n o r did Iwish to h e a r h im spe ak o f it. Iwas sur e o f h is fast
a ffection h e was eve n to o gr ate ful fo r a nyth in g I h ad don e fo r him
but I kn ew th at th e pr ide o f th e A vo n s sm o ulde r ed in th e depth s o f
h i s n a tur e . I saw i t wh e n h e co ur te o usly un co ve r e d h is h e ad to hi s
g ra ndmo th e r o n Sundays a s sh e cam e fo rth fr om th e villag e chur ch to
h e r carr iag e , with h e r eye s fixed on th e gr o und l e st sh e sh o uld se e
h im . I de te cted it in th e gn awing o f th e lip an d co n tr actin g o f
th e brows wh e n we sto od to admir e som e r ich bit o f wo oded landwith
a traditio n o f th e A vo n fam ily scr awle d o ve r th e gn a r led trunk o f
e ve ry o ld tr e e . A n d eve n m o r e fo rcibly h ave I se en it wh e n , bych ance , h e h as h e a rd h imse lf a lluded to by th e k indly pe asan ts
wh o compassio n a ted h im a s po o r Mr Hugh .
” I kn ew h e fe lt th e
stin g o f th e fir e h imse lf, an d dr e ade d th e o ccasion wh ich m igh t
stir it to a bla z e . I kn ew th a t h e wish ed a ll th e wo r ld to r eco gn ise
h im a s o n e wh o fe lt h imse lf sufficie n t to ca rve h is own fo rtun e ,
a n d was to o h igh-spir ited to claim any r e la tionsh ip wh ich was so
c rue lly ig n o r ed .
1 we n t upo n my mi ssio n . I made my way to a gay h ouse in a
fa sh io nable par t o f Lo ndo n . I a r rived th e r e in th e m idst o f a br illian t
e n te rta inm e n t . I was expected, and we lcom ed . It was all out o f my
Bracken Ho llow. 61
way, and I sh ould h ave yie lded to th e inclin ation o f fatigue and r e
t ir ed quie tly an d a t o n ce , but th at my curio sity to se e G race woul d
n o t re st ti ll m o r n in g . Wh e n I made my appe ar an ce amo n g th e
gue sts, I found‘
th em e n gage d in witn e ssin g th e pe rfo rman ce of
charade s. I to ok my place as a spe cta to r , an d quick ly h ad MissG race A vo n po in ted out to m e am ong th e pe rfo rm e rs . Th us
,fo r th e
fir st tim e , I saw h e r in wh om afte rwa rds I h ad so stran g e an in te r e st.
M em o ry h as odd wh ims i n h e r de a lin gs with th e m a te r ials
furn ish ed to h e r . Som e sh e lays by in dim scr o lls , se ldom to be
Ope n ed an d with di fficulty. Oth e rs a r e spr e ad, faul tle ss ch a rts, pe r
pe tual ly visible , and ye t ma rk ed o ut in such dull in k th a t th ey a r e
li ttle b e tte r th an b la nks . Wh i le , a ga in , som e tr ivia l ch an ce be come s
at o nce a pictur e , pa in ted in impe r ish a ble co lour s, glowin g with un tad
ing life , r e fus in g to g row pa l e with tim e, o r to be dark e n ed by
sh adows .
I s e e h e r n ow distin ctly. It was a th o rough ly Ital ian face , dark
and cl e ar , with br igh t l ips a nd a r ich ch e ek . I h ad n e ve r se e n anyth in gs o som b r e ye t so lustr ous as th e eye s. Som e br i llian t dr ape ry was
fo lded r ound h er h e ad lik e a turban, g iving an o r ie n ta l efie ct . I do
n o t kn ow wh a t th e ch arade was ; I n e ve r th o ugh t o f askin g . Th e
idea m ust h ave b e e n som e th in g about a slave a slave lo aded with
sple nd o ur , a n d ye t ch afing un de r a se n se o f de grada tio n an d captivity.
A t l e a st so sh e , in h e r actin g , se em ed to r e nde r it . Sh e we n t th r ough
a str a n ge pan tomim e , wr e n ch in g at th e g ilde d ch a in s th a t sh ack led
h e r wr ists, flin gin g h e r j ewe ls passio n at e ly o n th e g ro und, an d spe ak
ing fo r th sh am e and de spa ir fr om h e r dumb face with te r r ible r e a li ty'
.
I fe lt i t un accoun tab ly str an g e to se e h e r th us fo r th e fir st tim e,acting
with such a pite ous mim icry o f truth in th is gay cr owd, dr e sse d with
such m agn ifice n ce , and expr e ssin g so vividly h e r h a tr ed o f h e r se lf,
h e r b e auty, and h e r ado rnm e n ts. I sa id,h ow can this g ir l act so
un le ss sh e fe e ls it 7 Wh a t tr oubl e s h e r Why is sh e so wr e tch ed
A n d th e n I smi led a t myse lf fo r a fo o lish o ld man o f th e m oun ta in s,
wh o was be h ind th e ag e , and k n ew n o th ing o f th e cunn in g o f such
cle ve r di splays. But, my be autiful Miss G race , I sa id, h ow will th e se
fan ta stic accomplishm e n ts th r ive a t Brack e n Ho llow?I saw h e r n ext at a di stance in th e ba llro om ,
afte r th e pe rfo rman ce
h ad e n ded . Sh e was th e ce n tre o f a g roup o f evide n t adm ir e r s, and
was l aughin g and spark ling a ll o ve r with m e rr im e n t . He r dr e ss was
a ro b e o f som e thi ng wh ite , which flash ed about h e r a s sh e m o ved
an d I r emembe r th at h e r h air was boun d with some th ing blo od-r ed,
li ke co ra l . I saw our h o ste ss .m ove towards h e r , fo r th e purpose , I
kn ew, o f acqua in tin g h e r with th e fact o f my arr iva l. He r ch e eks
h ad be e n flush ing , h e r lips sm iling , but all at on ce flush a nd smil e
62 The Im’
sh Mon th ly.
v an ish ed, le avin g h e r pa l e and still . Sh e turn ed abruptly away from .
th e disappo in ted gr oup, and slowly fo llowed th e lady m e sse n g e r from
th e ro om . A minute afte rwa rds I was in tro duced to h e r in a dim
a n te - r o om , wh e r e th e so ftly- sh ed ligh t was ye t sufficie n t to sh ow m e
th e shr inking step, th e pa in ed lip, th e whi te ch e ek , and th e o n e rapid
t e rr ified glan ce fr om eye s th at we r e in stan tly ave r ted and obstin ate ly
r e fused to m e e t mi n e aga in .
Wh a t was it Co n scie n ce win ced . It was true th at I h ad ia
dulg ed an unwa rran table pr e judice aga in st th is gi rl and could it b e
a lso true th at th e r e may arise , with out th e commun ica tion o f a wo rd,
with sca rce th at o f a lo ok , som e swift subtle in stin ct, passing from
o n e spir it to a n o th e r , warn in g o f th e existe n ce o f di slik e o r distrust ,
e ve n as such an in stin ct is sa id in o th e r in stan ce s to h e rald th e
appro ach o f fai th o r o f love
Our gr e e tin g was sh o r t an d embarr assed . I h ad lo ng sin ce for
g o tte n th e m o r e po lish ed fo rms of addr e ss be twe e n ladie s and
g en tlem e n o f th e wo r ld. I could h ave spok e n a k in d wo rd to thi s
frigh te n ed ch i ld h ad I m e t h e r a t h om e amo ng th e m oun ta ins, but
h e r e in th ese courtly ch amb e rs th e m e r e spo n tan e ous go od-will o f
n a tur e se em ed out o f place . I saw h e r glide back to th e ba ll- r o om
with a blan ch ed, cowed a spe ct, but wi th a som e th in g o f pr o ud r e se rve
th at fo r e bade obse rva tio n . Sh e se a ted h e rse lf at a di stan t table an d
afie cted to turn ove r som e drawin gs, but h e r face was o fte n ave r ted
to th e sh utte r ed win dow be side h e r , as th ough sh e studi ed som e
r eco rd o f abso rbin g in te r e st wr itte n o n th e blank o f th e pain te d
wo od . A nd so , de spite my fo rm e r de te rm in ed in diffe r e nce to eve ry
thi n g co n ce rn in g Miss G r ace A von , I r e tir ed th a t n igh t hl led with a
troubled pe rplexity, an d str an g e ly in te r e sted in th e own e r o f th e co ld,
damp, li ttle h an d th at h ad fo r a m om e n t touch ed m in e , and th e
sombre eye s th a t h ad sh unn ed m e with an expr e ssion so much lik e
pain and fe ar scarce ly h idde n un de r th e ir l ids.
We accomplish ed our jour n ey in safe ty, but with out efiectin g
much m o r e pr o g r e ss towards fr i e n dsh ip th an we h ad m ade o n th e
e ven in g o f our first acqua in tance . A n impe n e trable r e se rve sh e a th ed
th e g ir l . On ce o r twice I de te cte d h e r studyin g my face with a wist
ful, que stio n in g e xpr e ssio n in h e r eye , a s th ough som e burde n som e
se cr e t h ove r ed o n h e r to n gue , an d sh e tr ie d, un se e n , to soun d m e,to
discove r wh e th e r o r n o t I m igh t be trustwo r thy to r e ce ive th a t wh ich
sh e h ad to te ll . Thi s wa s th e ide a wh ich impr e ssed m e at th e tim e ,
an d from wh ich I could n o t fr e e my th ough ts. It se em ed an absurd
fan cy, fo r wh at tr oubl e coul d sh e h av e?A n d ye t th e impr e ssio n
would n o t be sh ak e n o ff, but clun g to m e with a n n oyin g te n aci ty.
I assur e d myse lf th at sh e was on ly timid, an d shy o f appe ar in g .
B racken Ho llow. 63
among n ew fri e nds . It will we ar away, I said ; an d I tried to win
her confide n ce and to be as kindly towa rds h e r as th e th o ugh t o f
Hugh would suffe r m e to be .
I th ough t th e wo ndr ous visio n o f our gl en s will wak e h e r up, fo r
I fee l th a t sh e h as a soul z and wh o h a s e ve r se e n our G le n ar ifie
wi thout e n t husiasm , with its m ists and br e ak e rs, i ts h e a th e ry crags
and mossy kn o l ls, its vivid r a inbows and thunde r in g fa lls— e ve n
in its win te r aspect, wh en eve ry m oun ta in th at se a rch e s its sky
is wh ite fr om base to cr own , wh e n e ve ry pur e pe ak stan ds lik e
a sinl ess so ul expe cting its palm , and wh e n th e cry o f h un ted
waters le a ps from crag to crag , an d is lo st in th e appa llin g gusts
blown la n dwar d fr om th e lips o f implacable se a sto rms. A nd h ow
much m o r e in summ e r , wh e n th e go lde n sh e ave s stan d upo n th e
sunny slope s, l e a ni n g th e ir h o t sh oulde r s again st o n e an o th e r,an d
waiting' fo r th e h a r ve st-h om e wh e n th e cun n in g b lackbird scarce
knows h is way th r o ugh th e labyr in th s o f fo l iag e , an d wh e n th e r e is a
hidde n par a dise in e ve ry fa r n o ok wh e re th e youn g a sh e s be nd to th e
wate r un de r th e ir secr e t, an d dr ip, dr ip th e ir myste r io us whi spe rs a ll
day, till th e sun g e ts tir ed se a rch in g fo r th em am o n g th e th ick e ts, an d
the mo o n se nds a silve r tok e n flo a ting down th e be ck , o n th e cr e st o f
a t iple t .
A s we e n te r ed th e gle n s in th e fading sun se t, th e h ills smil ed
seren e ly, a nd th e se a u s a str e tch o f pale go ld . Th e cry o f th e
moun ta in e e r,as h e passed from h e igh t to h e igh t skyward, se ar ch in g
fo r str ay l ambs, fe ll in dr e amy ech o e s th r o ugh th e e th e r , an d we
could h e ar a t in te r vals th e an swe r in g bl e at o f a sh e ep fr om som e
perilous le dge alo ft, wh e r e it lo ok ed to our upturn ed eye s l ik e a sn ow
flake dr ifted wh ite upo n th e br illian t h e rbag e . It wa s to m e a
mom e n t o f exquisi te be auty a n d pe ace but th e n in my ca r th e h o r se s’
fe e t we r e tro ttin g to th e music o f Hom e, swe e t h om e 1
”wh e r e as
Miss G r ace A vo n h ad be e n nur sed un de r Ita lian skie s, a n d b eh e ld
our wi ld h igh la nd sce n e ry with a*
stran g e r’s eye s . So I fo r ebo r e to
distur b h e r m e dita tio n as sh e sa t, quit e s till , h e r ve il just fo ldedabo ve h e r brows, h e r pa le lips fast sh ut, an d h e r h e avy dark eye s fixed
blindly o n th e dimm in g h o r iz o n .
A r rived a t Brack e n Ho llow a touch in g pictur e m e t our eye s. Out
in th e purple twiligh t. sown with bla z in g sta rs, gr owin g fr om th e
heavie r sh adows be h in d, an d fr am ed by th e fr own im,r do o rway, a tall
ben t figur e sto od. A sh ak in g , with e r e d h a n d g r a spin g a s tick , a
rugged face so fte n ed with ye arn in g lo ve , a h a rd- lin e d m outh nu
wontedly r e laxed an d quive r in g , and fr o z e n eye s m e l tin g with fo r e ign
mo istur e . So I saw Ma rgar e t A vo n , a nd in spite o f fide li ty to Hugh ,Iwas to uch ed to compassion fo r th e woman wh o , h avin g withi n h e r
64 The Ir ish Month ly.
r ills of ten de rn e ss so warm, could h ave snfie red pride to pe tr ify h e r
l ife , and turn h e r to th e th in g o f ston e I h ad kn own h e r fo r th e man y
past ye ar s.
So sh e sto od with h e r on e sh r ive l led h and str e tch ed fo rth in e ag e r
g r e e tin g . I fe l t G race’
s fin g e rs slip from my a rm , and be fo r e I could
pr eve n t h e r th e stran ge g ir l h ad sun k upo n h e r kn e e s a t h e r grand
mo th e r ’s fe e t,with h e r face to th e flags o n th e th r e sh o ld.
My ch ild, my de ar , my dar li ng I wh a t is th is quave r e d fo rthth e po o r o ld rusty vo ice , whi le th e sh ak in g h and tr ie d to drag upward
th e be n t dusky h e ad fr om wh ich th e bo nn e t a nd ve il h ad fa llen . Be
n o t fr igh te n ed, my lo ve , but we lcom e , a th ousand tim e s we lcom e,to
yo ur po o r o ld grandm o th e r’s h om e ,
—your po o r o ld grandm o th e r .your
poo r o ld lo n e ly grandmo th e r 1”
sh e k ept o n r epe atin g , wh ile G race ,
cr e epin g to h e r a t las t with a so b, suffe r ed h e rse lf to be ga th e r ed to
th e o ld wom an’s h e ar t . I le ft th em sittin g o n th e h e a r th in th e r ed
drawin g- r o om , G r ace with h e r face bur ied in Margar e t
’s go wn , and
th e o ld h and passin g fo n dly ove r th e thi ck cur ls.
Two m o rn in gs a fte rwa rds I wa s sittin g by th e ope n win dow in th e
sun , r e adin g th e L ance t. Hugh was stan din g at th e bo okcase ,
po r in g in to a bo ok . Th e pa r lour do o r was ajar , and th e h a l l doo r
wide ope n ,as it is th e fashi o n fo r G le n ’
s h all do o rs to sta nd during
th e day. I saw a ph a e to n , wh ich I kn ew,dr aw up a few pe rch e s
away, an d in it I saw two figur e s, wh ich'I a lso r e co gn ise d . Th e
youn g e r spr an g fr om th e step, an d cam e quickly towa rd th e co ttage .
Sh e passed in a t th e ga te , in a t th e ope n do o r ; a tap cam e o n th e
pan e l outside , a nd th e r e sh e sto od be fo r e us G r ace A vo n .
N eve r h ad anyth in g so br igh t g ladde n ed o ur sobe r little parlour .
Th e whi te dr e ss,th e black g o ssam e r sh awl h an g in g fr om h e r arms,
th e slouch ed h at, with its r o se -co lour ed r ibbon , crown in g th e r ipe face
a n d clo udy cur ls, a ll made up a pictur e wh o se r ich swe e tn e ss was a
fe ast to th e eye . A glam our o f e n ch an tm e n t se em ed to e n te r th e ro om
with h e r , a south e r n br e e z e stir r ed in th e m o tion of h e r g own , a
str eak o f Itali an sun sh in e se em ed to fo llow in h e r wak e th r o ugh th e
do o r . I th ough t Ma ry’s h a ir was just o n e sh ade dark e r th an th e
laburn um blo ssom s,an d Mary
’s eye s we r e th e colour o f fo rg e t
-m e
n o ts ; but thi s is a be autiful woman .
”A s sh e e n te r e d, Hugh star ted,
an d lo ok e d up with a h asty glan ce o f h one st and arde n t admira tion ,
wh o se warm th surpr ise fo rbade h im to mode ra te . Th e yo ung lady
se em ed to r e se n t thi s in vo lun tary h omage o f po o r Hugh’s ; sh e dush ed,
r e tur n ed hi s bow stimy, a nd h avin g de live r ed h e r m e ssag e , fo llowed
m e fr om th e r o om .
Wh o is h e sh e ask ed, abruptly, in th e Ha ll .I was angry fo r Hugh , and fe lt h ar sh ly towards h e r at th e
momen t . I an swe r ed brusque ly
66 The Ir ish Mon { h /y.
h an d and placin g it firmly on my own a rm ,
“ my de ar ch ild, you must
n o t distre ss yo urse lf so de eply abo ut th is, it is n o t your fault .
”
Sh e gave m e a pite ous glan ce , be n t down h e r h e ad , and bur st in to
a passion of te ars,sobbing vio le n tly, with h e r fo r eh e ad again st my
sle e ve .
It is a stran ge , waywa rd, an d I be lie ve g e n e r ous n atur e , I
th o ugh t. as I we n t o n my way, h avin g se n t h e r back to th e h ouse .
R e turn in g past th e gate s, and hudin g myse lf in a diffe r e n t m o od
fr om th a t in wh ich I h ad r e fused Ma rgar e t A vo n’s invita tio n , I tur n e d
into th e ave n ue , an d walked al o ng by th e soft, n o ise le ss turf. So on I
was sta rtled fo r th e seco nd tim e th at n igh t by se e in g a sligh t figur e
m o ving amo n g th e tr e e s. It was passing to and fr o , to and fro upon
th e gr ass quite n e ar me . I stopped wh e r e a tr e e h id m e fr om th e
dan g e r of be ing se e n . He ave n kn ows I di d n o t m e an to be a spyupon th e po o r g ir l , but I was de eply in te r e sted in h e r . Th e m o o n
sh on e larg e an d cle a r down th r o ugh th e br an ch e s o n th e mo ssy r o o ts
an d trunks, a n d o n th e r ich wilde rn e ss o f th e un de rwo od, th rowin g
dim flittin g sh adows ove r th e impatie n t wh ite figur e th a t paced and
paced, and wo uld n o t we ary n o r r e st . Wh ile I sto od, wi th a fe ar an d
a; fo r ebodin g o f I kn ew n o t wh at ste a l ingupo n m e an d m ingling with
th e sympathy wh ich h ad be e n k e e nly awak en ed, th e figur e suddenly
pause d in its wa lk , th e arms we r e dun g abo ve th e h e ad in an attitude
o f abando nm e n t, an d a loud groan ing wh ispe r r e ach e d m e thr ough
th e cle ar sti ll a i r
No t my fault—n o t my fault O G od, pity m e
I we n t h om e .
PA RT II .
Th e n ext tim e th at G race came to th e co ttage sh e gave h e r h an d t o
Hugh with an e ag e rn e ss th a t m ade th e brave fe ll ow blush an d
tr emble lik e a g ir l . He r vo ice was ve ry swe e t th a t day, a nd h e r
ma n n e r v e ry so ft and subdued . A fte r sh e h ad g o n e , Madge , my o ld
se r van t, gav e it a s h e r emph atic opin io n (de li ve r ed to th e ea t o n th e
ki tch e n h e ar th ) th a t Miss G r ace ’s sm ile would co ax th e birds 0 11 th e
bush .
” Th at e ve n ing Hugh sat fo r a lo n g , lo n g tim e sta ring out a t
th e bay with an expr e ssion o n h is face wh ich I h ad n e ve r se e n th e r e
b e fo r e . A n d I th o ugh t Oh , Hugh , Hugh , my de ar lad ! is it fa te d
th a t th is wom a n sh a ll br in g e ve n ye t m o r e tro ubl e upo n us
A bo ut th is time Margar e t A von h ad a slicg h t illn ess, and G r ace
Bracken Ho llow. 67
had an errand to th e villag e o n h er h o rse almo st e ve ry day—fo r
books, fo r m edi cin e , or fo r th e gra tificatio n of som e wh im o f h e r
grandmo th e r , wh o in sisted o n th e gir l’s ridin g e ve ry m o r n in g , lest h e r
health sh oul d suffe r fr om th e clo se a tte ndan ce upo n h e r wh ich G rac
m disposed to give . But Marga r e t did n o t k n ow th at Hugh was a t
the co ttage , o r sh e would a ssur edl y n eve r h ave se n t G race can te rin g
up to its po rch m o rn in g afte r m o rn ing , with ch e eks g lowin g , lips
sta rlet, an d eye s sparklin g with th e h e a lth ful exe rcise . I sh ould h ave
spoke n of h is be in g th e r e , o n ly fo r th e fe a r o f agitatin g h e r
dange rously by m e n tio n ing a n am e wh ich fo r so many lo n g ye ars h ad
been a fo rbidde n o n e be twe e n us. A n d so G r ace cam e and we n t, an d
I soon saw h ow Hugh’s eye s flash e d wh e n th e cla tte r o f th e we l l
known h o o fs soun de d in o ur e ars th r ough th e ope n wi ndow, an d h ow
eagerly h e h urr ied to th e ga te to h e lp h e r fr om h e r saddl e .
A t last I said to h im o n e day
Hugh , my lad I th ink you h ad be tte r g o back to your wo rk .
He , kn owin g ve ry we ll wh at I m e an t, m e t my eye s fran kly, an d
a id
Y es ; I th ink I bad.
A nd h e we n t .
Ou Ma r g ar et’s r e cove ry h e r first ca r e was to in vite v isito rs to
Bracke n Ho llow. Th e h ouse was so o n fille d,a n d ba l ls an d pic
-n ics
and boa tin g partie s passed th e summ e r days and nigh ts ga ily fo r its
inmate s. I n e ve r j o in ed in th e ir amusem e n ts, but I lo o ke d in n o w
and aga in ,just to se e h ow our yo un g Ita lia n r o se b lo om ed o n th e
mounta in - side and, findi n g h e r pa l e a n d we a ry- lo ok in g , an d subj e ct
to her o ld str an g e m o o ds, I o rde r ed h e r to r e n e w h e r exe rcise o n h o rse
back. But h e r gay gue sts fr om town di d n o t car e fo r r idin g , th eyfound th e G l e n r o ads to o ro ugh .
“ We ll, th e n .
” I sa id, you must r ide a lo n e . We ca n n o t h ave
gmndmamm a br e akin g h e r h e ar t a bout th o se pa le ch e eks .
”
An d a ft e r th at I h ad m any an e a rly visit fr om G r ace , wh o would
arrive a t my do o r o f m orn ings wh en I was sittin g down to my e igh t
O’
clock br e akfast, an d flash in to th e r o om , cryin gWill you give m e a cup o f your te a , do cto r Th o se la zy pe opl e a t
the Ho ll ow wil l n o t h ave br e akfast fo r two h o ur s to com e .
”
Sh e h ad som e sui to rs am o n g h e r gay vi sito rs . Ou o n e o f th e se
a han dsom e, wea lthy fe llow
—I th ough t Ma rga r e t A vo n lo o k ed with
favour , th ough I sca rce ly imagin ed th a t sh e co uld co n templa te pa r t
ing with h e r pr e cious ch ild so so o n . But a ll th e se fin e pe ople se em e d
only to we ary G race , and sh e evide n tly r e garded as so ma ny bo oms
the stray h ours spe n t with me an d Madg e and R ough .
Hugh h ad be e n gon e two m o n th s, wh e n o n e m o r n in g I h ad a n 0 1 e
‘68 Th e Ir ish Mo nth ly.
to say th at h e h ad tak e n a dislike to h is wo rk , h ad g ot h eadach es,a nd must h a ve a day
—ii o n ly a day— in th e G le n s to r e fr esh him . I
sh o ok my h e ad o ver th e le tte r . Ne v e r h ad Hugh tak en a wh im lik e
th is be fo r e . I l ifted a vase of flowe rs arranged by G race yeste rdaym o r n in g , lifted th em
, br e a th e d th e ir swe e tn e ss, and sh o ok my h ead
a ga in . Da n ge rous, I sa id ; dan g e r ous 1” But; fe el in g th at I
c o uld do n o th in g, I was fa in to apply myse lf to th e Lancet, and try to
fo rge t my pe rplexitie s.
La te th a t e ve n in g . in th e m idst o f th e first sh owe r o f a th un de r
sto rm, G race’s ste ed flew to th e do o r , an d G r ace h e rse lf cried with
comica l distr e ss
Docto r docto r wi ll you tak e m e in an d dry m e
I l ifted h e r , laugh ing , fr om th e saddle , and car r ied h e r in a l l
dr ippin g wi th r a in . Madg e , with many Me rcy m e -s l"and He ar t
a live s l”h e lped to fr e e h e r fr om h e r dr e nch ed h abit, an d afte r sh e
h ad r e - appe ar ed to m e , ar rayed in a wr appe r o f pink pr in t be lon gin gto Madg e
'
s daugh te r , wi th h e r limp h a ir brush ed we t from h e r fo r e
h ead, and h e r face as fr esh as a n ewly-wa sh ed r o se , afte r this I sa id
Now, my de ar , you a r e sto rm -stayed fo r th e n igh t. I h ave sen t
back th e se rvan t to say so to your gr an dmo th e r . L e t Madg e se t fo rth
h e r be st te a -cups an d pr epa r e h e r m o st de lectable g riddle-cak e s, an d
le t us mak e ourse lve s as so ciable as possible . Your gay fr ie nds mustspar e yo u to a s till to -m o r r ow.
Sh e laugh ed, a n d te a rs flash ed in to h e r eyes, wh ich A pril-lik e
con tradi ctio n o f m o o d was a tr ick o f h e re wh en much ple ased. Th e
n ext m inute sh e sa id abruptlyDocto r
,if I we r e to b e tur n ed out by my g randmo th e r , and to
c om e to yo u a be gga r , wo uld you call m e my dea r ,’and g ive m e a
n igh t’s lodg in g til l I sh ould find som ewh e r e to go to
“ Y e s,”said I, laughi ng a t h e r e arn e stn ess and pe rh aps a cup
o f te a , to o , if you we r e a g o od g ir l . A nd wh o kn ows but I m igh t
s e nd you to fe tch my slippe r s, a n d in sta l you beh ind my te a-
po t-
a s
h ousek e epe r an d sto ck in g-dar n e r to a sin g le o ld g e n t leman
Sh e sa id, e ag e r ly, Would you and th en turn ed away and
we n t o ut of th e ro om . No t lo n g a fte rwards I h e ard h e r putting much
th e sam e que stio n to Madg e , in th e kitch e n .
Madg e , if I we r e a beggar a nd cam e to th e back do o r , would
.you give m e a bit o f th at cak e , an d call m e Miss G race , dar ling ,’an d
l et m e sit h e r e and nurse pussy o n my kn e e
A nd th e n I h e a rd Madge’s sta r tled r e jo inde r ,
Fo r th e Lo rd’s sake , Miss G r ace To be sur e I would, with a
h e art e u’ a -h a lf 1”
Wh at can fill h e r bra in with such fan cies I th ough t. How could
Bracke n Ho llow.
h e r g ra n dmo th e r eve r turn aga in st h e r Un le ss,inde ed—and th en
m y th o ugh ts wande r ed away to th in gs po ssible in con n ectio n with
Hugh . But, n o h e r own two gran dch ildr e n
He r e my r edaction s we r e in te rrupted by a kn o ckin g at th e do o r . I
sta r te d to my fe e t, an d flun g away my pape r . It was Hugh’s kn o ck .
I saw th e ir m e e tin g th at n igh t o n th e brigh t sanded h e arth o f
Ha dg e’
s kitch e n , whith e r Hugh h ad rush ed to sh ak e o ff h is we t
g r e a tcoa t, an d fr om th at h our I m ade up my m in d to o n e th in ga in e vitable . G race m ade our te a th at n igh t and butte r ed our cak e s
,
a n d a fte rwards th ey two r e ad po e try to g e th e r a t th e table , lik e a pa ir
o f yo un g fo o ls (I give th e n am e in a ll ten de rn e ss) , a pair of wise ,h appy fo o li sh ch ildr e n .
But th e n ext day br ough t th e cavali e r be fo r e -m e n tio n ed to con duct
M iss A vo n h om e . He tr e a ted m e an d Hugh with th e a ir o f a supe r io r
b e i n g , an d I co uld n o t but sm ile as Hugh , h avin g co n ducted h imse lf
t owa rds th e visito r with much dign ified h auteur,fin a l ly flun g th e
g a te , an d mutte r ed som e th in g fie rce be twe en h i s te e th wh ich I could
n o t h e a r .
A ft e r th at little adven ture th e r e was an e n d o f G race’s visits to th e
co tta g e . He r g randmo th e r h e ard o f Hugh in cide n ta lly fr om th e
c av a li e r , and G r ace was o rde re d to tur n h e r h o r se’s h e ad in a diffe r e n t
d ir e ction from th e village wh e n sh e we n t o n h e r r ide s. So we saw n o
m o r e o f h e r fo r som e tim e but Hugh h ad h is co n so la tio n in h e ar in go f th e dismissal o f th e cavali e r , wh o , fo llowed by th e r e st o f th e
v isito rs, to ok h is way from Br a ck e n Ho llow soo n a ft e r .
Hug h’s day
”le n gth e n ed in to som e we eks
,and h e h ad n e ve r
o n ce se e n G race sin ce th at n igh t . Mar ga r e t was gr owin g ve ry we akly,
a n d I was obliged to visit th e Ho llow r e gul a rly. Ou th e se o cca sio n s
it st ruck m e th at G race was lo ok in g ill an d de j e cte d, I in var iablyfo un d h e r se a ted patie n tly by h e r grandmo th e r
’s side . Po o r Marga r e t
sa id h e r ch ild was th e best o f nurse s. On e eve n in g sh e accompan ied
m e to th e h all -do o r . A utumn wa s wan in g fast, th e sun se t g la r ed upo n
th e m oun ta ins wi th a fr o sty fir e , th e air was disturb ed by th e con stan t
r ust l in g of de ad le aves h aun tin g th e e a r th in se a r ch o f a grave . G race
wo r e a pa le gr ey dr e ss, and th e br igh t co lour was g o n e from h e r
ch e e ks and lips as sh e sto o d o n th e th r e sh o ld ga z in g towards th e
h o r iz o n , with dull da rk eye s just lit by a r e d r efle ctio n from th e
we s te rn sky. A lth ough n o t o f a po e tic tempe ram e n t, I could n o t but
th in k sh e lo ok ed m o r e lik e a spirit th an anyth ing e lse much to o lik e
a spir it to pl e ase my pro fe ssion a l eye s .
I th ough t it r igh t to te ll h e r th at h e r gran dm o th e r’s disease was
such as m igh t extinguish life sudde n ly a t any tim e . I th ough t it on lyn a tura l th at sh e sh o uld cry, but we h ad n o sce n e . Th e tr oubl e was
70 The In ah Mo nth ly.
str o n g and g en uin e , but con tr o lled. A s sh e gave m e h e r h and a t
partin g , sh e sa id
Do cto r , if sh e we r e go n e , migh t I n o t do as I pleased wi th th e
prope rty wh ich sh e says will be min e
I said I be lieved sh e mi gh t .
A nd if I ch o se to give it to some o n e wh o h as a be tte r r igh t to it
th an f h ave , would you h e lp m e to r e tur n to Ita ly I be li e ve I coulde arn my br e ad th e r e o n th e stag e .
”
I to ld h e r sh e was a fo o li sh child, and h ad be e n m ope d to o much
in th e sick r o om . I made h e r promise to tak e a lo n g walk o n th e
m o rr ow.
Next e ve n in g I found Margar e t on h e r co uch in th e drawin g -ro om
a lon e . Sh e h ad se nt th e de ar ch ild fo r a r amble,sh e said. Sh e h e r
se lf fe lt m uch be tte r . I sat a lo n g time by h e r sofa . Th e po o r o ld
lady was in a go od h umour and commun icative . Sh e discussed with
m e th e afia ir o f th e cavali e r,in wh ich , as I h ad gue ssed, G r ace h ad
pr ove d unman ag e able .
Do n o t wo n de r ,”sh e said, a t my a nxie ty about it. I am ve ry
o ld. I may go any day. I sh o uld lik e to se e th e de ar ch ild h appily
se ttled be fo r e I clo se my eyes. He is a fin e youn g fe llow,and it would
be a suitable con n e ctio n fo r th e A vo n fam ily. But h e will come again ,
h e will come aga in . Sh e will so o n tir e o f th is dull l ife . It must
come r igh t . I h ave se t my h e a rt o n it . A nd th en
A y l” I th ough t , and th e n But that th en th e futur e was
destin ed n e ve r to brin g fo rth .
G ive m e your arm , de ar fr ie nd,”sh e sa id, an d tak e m e to th e
doo r . I lon g fo r a br e a th of th e fr e sh air .
”
We we n t to ge th e r to th e do o r , and sto od quie tly lo oking out in to
th e mild fr e sh dusk , th e de eply tin te d sh ade s o f a h ighl an d twilig h t .
Impalpabl e e ch o e s flo ated dr e amily in th e air , stray n o te s from dr owsy
birds dr opped down from sta rtl ed n ooks a loft th e tr e e s se emed
wh ispe r in g an audible h ush o n e to an o th e r , and n o w a nd aga in a
brown le af h o ve r ed r e luctan tly to th e gro und .
My eye s we r e b e tte r th an Margar e t’s, and I was th e first to se e
two figur e s com in g slowly from am o ng th e tr e e s. I passed my h an d
o ve r my eye s, and lo ok ed aga in . Y e s,th ey we r e sur e ly comin g , G race
a nd Hugh . Quick ly I saw th at h e was a lmo st carryin g h e r , and th a t
h e r a rm h un g h e lple ssly by h e r side . A s th ey appro ach ed th e h ouse ,
I saw wh a t was th e ma tte r . Th e gi rl’s l e ft a rm was broke n . I
b e li e ve th at surpr ise at se e in g Hugh a t first pr eve n ted Margar e t ofr om
o bse rvin g G race’s accide n t. In my own anxie ty I did n o t h ow
h e r face gr e e ted h e r g randso n ,but pre sen tly I h e ard h e r say in a
h usky vo ice—th at pitiful , quave rin g vo ice wh ich a lways will be tray
B racken Ho llow. 7 1
t h e em o tion o f th e ag ed, n o ma tte r h ow str on g o r ste rn m ay be th e
May I ask , sir , wh o ar e you
I gla n ced a t Hugh . Hi s eye s we r e wide an d brigh t, h is m outh
pa l e a n d firm . N eve r h ad h e lo ok ed n oble r n eve r h ad h e lo ok ed
m o r e lik e h i s mo th e r : Som e touch in g ech o in th e o ld lady’s vo ice
b a d e m e h ope , despite th e h ard un cour te ousn e ss o f h e r wo rdsf How
w o uld Hugh be h ave
H e u ncove r e d h is h e ad de fe r e n tially, a nd an n oun ced h imse lf as
Hug h D e sm o nd .
A t th e n am e h e r mouth twitch e d omin ously. Po o r o ld Marga r e t
sh e h ad a strugg le be fo r e sh e an swe r ed .
Th e n , sir , I will tro uble yo u to com eZn o fur th e r you ar e n o t r e
quir e d h e r e 1”
He saved m e,mo an ed G r ace ; but fo r h im , I sh ould h ave
be e n br ough t dead to yo ur do o r .
”
D e a d dead Mar g ar e t r epe a ted in a h urr ied,te r r ified vo ice ,
an d I.
th ough t sh e gla n ced wistfully a t Hugh . But th e lad lo ok ed
d efia n t, an d th e o ld spir it would n o t b e so e asily que n ch ed . I think
i t d r e w a n acce ssio n o f bitte rn e ss a nd str e n gth fr om Hugh’
s car e le ss
in d ep e n d e n ce o f be a rin g . Sh e sa id gr im ly : Y ou h ave do n e we l l,
sir , b ut you h ave do n e e n ough . We will trouble you n o m o r e . Y ou
m a y g o .
I will fir st place myco usin G race in a le ss pa in ful po sitio n ,sa id
th e b o y, bo ldly, an d a t th e sam e tim e h e carr ie d th e girl past h e r in to
th e p a r lo ur , an d laid h e r o n th e so fa .
A n d n ow I wil l o bey your h o spita ble comm an ds,m adam
,h e
sa i d ,bowin g to h e r with th e sam e sli gh tly sco r n ful de fe r e n ce , wh e r e
sh e s to o d tr embl in g by, with th e frown gath e r ing black e r on h e r
bro w s e ach seco n d .
G o I”
sh e wh ispe re d h o ar se ly, po in tin g to th e do o r with h e r
sh a k in g fin g e r .
Oh f wait, wa it l”m o an e d G race . But h e was go n e .
Sh e r a ised h e r h e ad . Sh e sa t up, le a n in g upo n h e r so un d a rm .
He r h a n d, wh ite an d damp with th e dew o f ag o ny, g r a sped th e
cush i o n s wi th fie rce e ffo rt . He r suffe rin g s m ust h ave be e n a lmo st
in to l e rable , but th e r e was som e th in g in th e wi ld, da rk eye s lo okin g
from h e r palli d face , th at to ld o f m e n ta l pain to wh ich m e r e physica l
to r tur e wa s little .
Wh a t h ave you do n e sh e cr ied in a k in d o f passio n a te wa il .
Y o u h a ve dr ive n away th e o n ly cr e atur e wh o h as a r igh t to r e st
unde r yo ur ro o f, your o n ly grandchi ld. Fo r m e , I am n o th in g to you
n o th in g , n o th ing ! I so lemn ly swe ar th at I am n o t G race A vo n . G rac e
A vo n died twe lve y e ar s ago 1”
72 The Ir isia Mon t]: lg/
Sh e go t up with h e r wh ite we t face , a nd br ok e n a rm sh e waved
m e o ff sh e shr ank away, a nd cr awled r a th e r th an wa lked fr om th e
r o om . I l ed Marg ar e t to a ch a ir . Sh e did n o t spe ak , but h e r face
wo rk ed pite ously. Sh e h ad g o t a so r e , so r e blo w. I ra ng fo r a trus ty
se rvan t, an d fo llowed G race . A t th e bo ttom o f th e sta ir s I found my
po o r ch ild, str e tch ed stiff an d in se n sibl e , with h e r face buri ed in th e
mat . I ca r r i ed h e r up to b ed. It was lo n g be fo re th a t swo o n gav e
way.~ Wh e n it did, th e r e wa s vio le n t i lln e ss and much da n g e r . La t e
th a t n igh t I sto od by Ma rg ar e t’s b edside . It sh oo k m e with troub l e
to se e h ow my po o r o ld fr i e nd h ad ag ed and a lte re d dur in g th e pa st
few h ours. Fr om th a t be d I kn ew sh e wo uld n e ve r r ise aga in .
Don’t se nd h e r away sh e wh ispe r ed. No t ye t. I would n o t
tur n out a do g with a br ok e n l e g . L e t h e r g e t we l l . But tak e h e r
away wh e n sh e is b e tte r . I can n o t see h e r . My h e a rt is br o k e n .
”
A nd sh e turn ed h e r po o r fa ce to th e wa ll. Oh , ste r n so ul Oh ,
in exo r abl e will th e r e tr ibutio n h ad com e .
I fo und m yse lf wo nde r ing much just th e n th at Ma rga r e t sh ould
h ave so quick ly adm itted a n d compr e h e n de d G ra ce’s str a n g e co n fe ssio n ,
th a t sh e h ad n o t r e cc-ived it slowly and un de rsto od it with difficulty .
But I afte rwards kn e w th a t sh e h ad lo ng suspe cted th e g irl o f h avin g
som e se cr e t troubl e , som e th in g th at pr e ssed h eavily on h e r co nscie n ce ,
wh ich sh e , Margar e t, co uld n o t an d da r e d n o t divin e . There fo r e i t
was th a t G r ace’s sh o r t ve h em e n t de cla r a tio n cam e upo n h e r , a s upo n
m e , with all th e crush in g we igh t o f truth .
I we n t back to G race , and th e r e , in th e de ad o f th e n igh t, with
th e lamp be twe e n d e burn in g dim , an d th e sh adows lurkin g black in
th e co rn e rs o f th e big o ld- fash io n e d ro om , I h e a rd all th e ta le o f thi s
po o r g ir l’s life and suffe r in g , a n d unwi llin g wr o n g
-do in g . Th e pa in
could n o t fo rce h e r to k e ep sile n t till to -m o rr ow ; sh e must spe ak, sh e
would co nfe ss. Sh e wr ith ed upo n h e r pill ow,sh e bit h e r po o r lip, but
sh e would go ou.
I was a po o r little hungry, wr e tch ed, h a lf—n ak ed ch ild
,sh e sa id,
be ggin g in th e str e e ts. A kind- lo o king Eng lish lady to ok me by
th e h and and br ough t m e h om e to h e r h o use . Sh e clo th e d and fed m e,
a n d k ept m e with h e r . Sh e taugh t m e,an d I love d to l e arn , and I
was v e ry h appy. Sh e a lways spo k e o f my k ind grandmo th e r wh o pa id
h e r fo r takin g ca r e o f m e , an d wh o supplied a ll my pr e tty fr o cks, an d
toys, an d swe e tme a ts a nd to ld m e th a t o n e day I sh ould go acro ss
th e se a , and live with th a t go o d gran dm o th e r . Sh e se eme d ve ry
a nxious th at I sh ould fo rgct aa ll about my ch ildh o od be fo r e com ing to
h e r , an d about th a t day wh e n sh e first found m e in th e str e e t and
brough t m e h om e . But I could n o t fo rg e t. I r emembe r ed it a ll
di stin ctly, and, as I gr ew o lde r , th e m emo ry o f th at par t o f my life
74 The Ir ish Mo nth ly.
will cling to h e r fa ithfully, and n urse h e r an d lo ve h e r ; and wh en sh e
is gon e I will g ive up eve ry pe nny wh ich sh e be que ath s m e to th e
r igh tful h e ir , and go away and try to e a rn my br e ad upon th e stag e
and pe rh aps th e docto r will pity and fo rg ive m e , and h e lp m e to car ry
out th e plan o f my n ew life .
I was th inkin g o ve r a ll this to -ni gh t o n th e r ocks. I was sitting
o n th e edg e o f a ba nk ; it gave way, and I fe ll from a go o d h e igh t
down upo n th e sto n e s . I must h ave fa in ted fr om th e sh o ck a nd pain .
Wh en I r eco ve re d I th ough t myse lf dyin g , and I was n o t so rry. I
h ad suffe r ed so much , an d I th o ugh t, n ow my tr o ubl e s must e nd, a nd
th a t G o d would pa rdo n m e fo r th e wr o n g I h ad so unwilli n g ly do n e .
A n d just th e n I saw Hugh’
s face . My eye s an d se n se s we r e bo th dim ,
a nd I th ough t it was lo o k in g at m e down from th e sky, a nd th e n it
cam e h ove rin g n e ar e r and pla in e r , an d a t last I saw it be side m e . He
lifte d m e up ; I sca rce ly kn owh ow we g o t h e r e . Y ou kn ow th e r e st .
It was ve ry wr o ng to spe ak so sudde n ly ; but I coul d n o t ke ep si le n t
wh e n I saw h im tr e a ted so .
”
Th is was h e r pitiful sto ry.
Fo r lo n g I scarce ly le ft th e h ouse , passin g co nt in ually from o n e
sick r o om to th e o th e r . A t last o n e day I ca r ried G race down to th e
ph a e to n , an d dro ve h e r qui e tly to th e co ttag e , wh e r e Hugh a nd Madge
wa tch ed fo r n a. A nd th en G r ace lay fo r m any days o n o ur little
par lour so fa,with h e r bandag ed a rm an d h e r wh ite ch e eks. an d a ll
h e r th ough ts filled with th e po o r o ld lo n e ly lady lyin g ill a t Brack e n
Ho llow. A n d Hugh wen t abo ut th e ro om li k e a woman , a nd m e n de d
th e fir e , with out n o ise , and r e ad h is bo ok qui e tly in th e co rn e r , a nd
wh e n sh e was able to e n joy it, r e ad it alo ud to G race . A n d G race
sa id to m e o n e day, Do cto r , Hugh do e s n o t kn ow a ll . o r h e wo uld
n o t be so go od to m e . I h ad ra th e r you would te l l h im . A nd I sa id,
My de ar , Hugh k n ows e ve ry wo rd th at yo u to ld m e . He r e h e is
I will l e t h im spe ak fo r h imse lf .
”
A n d a s Hugh came in I we n t o ut, ca llin g Ro ugh fr om h is lazyh aun t be side th e so fa . A s I put o n my gr e a t
-co a t,an d tur n ed my
face towa rds th e gle n , I kn e w ve ry we ll wh a t would h appe n b e fo r e I
cam e back . Ou my r e turn Madg e m e t m e a t th e do o r with a wa rn ing\Vh ish t, sir !
”a nd o n e n te r in g th e pa r lo ur I fo un d it filled with
de ep r e d ligh t fr om th e pe a t fir e , th e cur ta in s drawn , th e so fa a r ran g e d
by a te nde r h an d, a nd G race sle epin g so ftly, with a lo ok upo n h e r face
wh ich caused m e to co n gra tulate myse lf upo n my gift o f pr oph e cy.
N o t v e ry lo n g afte rwards Hugh an d G race we r e wed, an d a day
was fixed fo r th e ir depa r tur e fo r India , Hugh h avin g go t an appo in t
m e n t th e r e . Marga r e t A vo n lay expe ctin g h e r de a th but sh e would
n e ith e r se e n o r fo rgive h e r grandch ildr e n . Sh e would n o t e ve n ye t
In flee Hospice for Me Dying . 75
re lent. G race sto le in o n e daywh ilst sh e slept, an d k issed h e r with e r ed
cheek ; and th e n ext day th ey le ft m e a lo n e .
They h ad be e n go n e some we eks wh e n o n e e ve n ing Ma rgar e t se n t
fo r me . Sh e was ve ry we ak a nd ve ry g e n tl e .
Dear fr ie n d,
”sh e sa id, I h ave be e n dr e am in g much abo ut
Mary. I fe e l de a th com in g , an d Iwan t to se e th o se ch ildre n . Se nd
them to m e .
”
Alas, a nd a la s ! th ey we r e fa r away, and I h ad to te l l h e r so .
It is my pun ishm e n t,”sh e sa id . My life h as be e n a ll wr on g .
God forgive m e 1”an d sh e tur n ed h e r face to th e wal l .
Q0
l fl fl
He r grave is gr e e n . Fo r two ye ars th e o ld h ouse h a s b e e n dark
and deso la te , a nd n ow it will aga in b e fill ed with life . Th a t l e tte r is
not a dream ; it is th e re with its se a l and its many po st-ma rks . Th ey
are coming h om e .
I h ave scr ibbled away th e n igh t . I draw th e curtain . Darkn e ss
vanes, and th e se a g rows visible . Red ligh ts ar e strugg lin g in th e
east . G od be wi th th e past It is an o th er day.
R . M .
[We are glad o f th e oppo rtun i ty wh ich a n acciden t affo rds to us of re s
cuin g from th e pa g e s o f a fo rg o tte n Ma g a z in e on e o f th e ea rli e st ta le s o f a n ove l ia
wi th who se ma ture wo rk our reade rs a re h appily familian—Ed. L IL ]
IN THE HOSPICE FOR THE DY ING.
TO Mary
’s Ho ste l com e str an g e trave lle rs,
Out o f th e ni gh t, out o f th e n igh t an d ra in ,
Stumbl in g and fa in t , an d sick to de ath with pain ;
Each br in g e th h e r e h is cr o ss th at n o o n e sh a r e s
A nd r e sts h im h e r e so swe e t, a nd fo rthwith fa r e s
Out in th e n igh t, th e sta r le ss n igh t aga in .
On ly, I thi n k , His Face m ak e s dayligh t pla i n
Wh o tr ave ls down b e side th e se wayfa re rs .
Je sus, 0 Life , it is th e tim e o f Birth !
Th y Sta r is in th e Ho use o f B ir th fo r Th e e ;
Thy Mo th e r’s Expecta tion drawe th n igh .
Slay Th o u th is de ath th at slaye th all th e e ar th ,
Or ope n G a te s o fHe ave n ,th a t we may se e
How De ath isBir th , an d th o se n ew-bo rn wh o die
KATHAR INE TY NA N .
De cembe r 1 3th , 1 889.
TIze Ir is}: Mon th ly.
A SKETCH FROM LIFE.
T was some m o n ths sin ce I had se e n o r h e ard o f h e r . Th e
repo rt of h e r iln ess, an d th e n , a few days afte r , th e n ews o f
h e r de ath came upon me as a sh o ck . Sh e was about th e las t
pe rso n with whom I asso ciated th e ide a of de ath .
I me t th e fun eral at th e cem e te ry. Unl e ss wh en close ly
r e lated to th e de ce ased, o r wh e re I can be o f som e use to th e
familyy l h ave a r epugn an ce to atte ndi ng fun e rals in a carriage .
Th e quie t o f on e’
s own th oughts is mo st fitting o n such occasion s .
In a carri age , ofte n with th o se o n e do e s n o t kn ow, th e co n ve rsatio n
quickly falls from a few commonplace s r egardin g th e ch aracte r,
prope rty, and fam ily o f th e de ce ased , in to gen e ra l to pica
busin e ss o r po litics ; an d laugh ing and jokin g o fte n supe r ve n e , o r
th e n ewspape rs ar e produced an d r e ad .
Th e m o rn ing was harsh and co ld. We warm ed ourse lve s a t
th e stove s in th e waiting ro om at th e ceme te ry gate , and looked a t
th e ph o tograph s o f m onume n ts th at hun g on th e walls. We we r e
a mixed company se ve ral o f th e Ho spital nurse s (som e o f wh om
h ad wre ath s to lay on th e coffin ) , a few of th e comm itte e , two
Catho lic cle rgym e n , alth ough sh e was a Pro te stan t, and it a
Pro testan t ceme tery, several gen tlem e n I did n ot kn ow. Withth e fun e ral cam e m or e o f th e committe e an d som e o f th e docto rs .
Th e re was som e th in g awful to m e about fun e ra ls, wh e n first , as
a boy, I atte nded th em . Now, unl e ss wh ere my fe e l in gs ar e close ly
co n ce rn ed, I fear th ey h ave be come te rribly commonplace . I have
n ow wa lked be hind such an army o f re lative s and fr ie nds to th e ir
last bodily r e sting place s, ye t through a ll th ey have n o t lo st th e ir
so lemn ity, an d th e con ve rsation that go e s on at th em grate s upo n
m e . I do n ot unde rstan d why it is upo n such occasion s that pe o ple
cann o t ke e p th e ir m ouths shut, if e ve n o n ly for a few m in ute s. If
it is con ve rsation th ey wan t, and n o t th oughts about th e de ceased,
why do th ey atte nd Emme t’s words co n stan tly recur to me on
such tim e s G ran t me th e charity of your sile n ce .
”Y e s, ough t
we n ot at le ast to gran t th e de ad th e ch ar ity of our sile nce Sile n ce
is on m ost of th e so lemn occasions of life th e expre ssio n o f th e
d eepe st fe e ling .
A Sketch from L ife . 77
The morn in g was, as I h ave sa id, h arsh and co ld. A s th e
clergyman re ad th e se rvice , we sh e lter ed ourse lve s fr om th e bitte r
wind as be st we could behin d th e tombsto n es r oun d th e grave .
She had died o f typhus, caught in th e disch arge of h er duty, an d.
it was no t th ought safe to h ave th e ce rem ony in th e ch ape l .
What a r eve r e n ce we sh ould h ave fo r all th ose rite s, h owe ve r
diverse th ey m ay be , by wh ich pe 0p1 e of diffe r e n t cre eds,and in
diflerent to ngue s, and of diffe re n t race s, and diffe re n t n ation alitie s,
console and support th em se lve s as th ey lay th e ir lo ved on e s in
the ground.
The se rvice was soo n ove r , th e grave filled ih , such of us as
were intimate e n ough said a few words to th e be r e aved re latives,
and we hurried o ff to our da ily life .
Howe ver . it is n o t th is fun e ral I de sir e to dwell upon , but th e
fresh , bright pe rson ality of th e pe rson wh o had be en take n from
as. 38 was on th e co ffin : sh e must h ave be en about 26 wh e n
first I kn ew h e r . Sh e was L ady Supe rin tende n t of a h ospital in
which I h ad be e n on e of th e committe e .
I think I se e h e r n ow—with h e r fre sh bright complexion , blue
eyes, go ldeu h air , th e ple asan t expr e ssion o f h e r face , th e at tim e s
saucy to ss o f h e r h e ad. Sh e dr e ssed simply an d in good taste ; o n
the h ospita l premise s invariably in som e n e at wash in g m ate r ial ,spotlessly cle a n . Sh e was a pleasin g pictur e as
,in answe r to our
summon s,sh e cam e in to th e bo ardr o om fo r a few minute s
’conve r
sation an d coun se l at th e clo se of e ach of our m e e tings.
How h e r eye s wo uld dilate , what a surprised tur n sh e would
give h e r h e ad , if we had anything to sugge st in th e dir e ction th at
it was just po ssible som e thing m ight be go in g n o t altoge th e r to
our min d in h e r departm en t . Rusty o ld fogie s, and m arr ied m e n
aswe we re fo r th e m o st part , it was impo ssible e n tir e ly to ste e l our
hearts an d pre se rve a Spart an firmn e ss, if, as at tim e s it was
perceptible th at th e blue eyse we re g e ttin g mo ist. Must I con fess
that a t tim es it is just po ssible that sh e man aged us as much as we
managed h e r
Y e t, upon th e wh o le , h e r man agem e n t was everythin g that
could be de sired, and, upo n h e r death , th e uppe rmost fe e lin g was
how difficult it would be to fill h e r place . Wards, laun dry, sto re
moms, kitch en , e ve rythin g was kept in th e be st of o rde r . Inde ed,
we often had to complain th at, in h e r de sir e for comple te n e ss,
she led us in to un n ece ssary expen se . He r con tro l o ve r th e
7 8 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
nurse s, if at time s arbitr ary and wayward, was complete an d
co n siderate .
Sh e was exce lle n t in h er tr e atm e nt of th e cases o f po o r gir ls
that had go n e astray, wh ich in evitably cam e be fo r e h e r in such a
mixed in stitutio n . On e swe e t, attractive,foo l ish cr e atur e , I
r emembe r , wh o was wh e edle d in to a marr iage ,”wh ich turn ed out
to be n o marriag e at all , and wh o was th en de se rte d. How our
Lady Supe rin te n de n t stood by th at gir l , an d tr ied to sh ie ld h er ,
and lo oked after th e child, and th e n to ok h e r in to h e r se rvice .
It was in th e wards , an d amon gst th e sick an d (lying , th at sh e
sh o n e m o str—m or e particul ar ly with ch ildr e n ,fo r wh om sh e occa
sion ally bought toys out o f h e r own po cke t. He r fre sh , brigh t ,
ch e e ry pre se n ce was in itse lf e n ough to wo rk a cure in th e
patien ts— th at is, wh e n som e n egle ct by a nurse , o r provoking act
o f in subordin ation did n o t call out h e r quick tempe r .
A n d sh e was abso lute ly fe ar le ss— n ow tuckin g th e clo th e s r oun d
a patie n t lyin g in sm al l-pox o r typhus again , liftin g th e h e ad o f
a ch ild to ssing in scarlatina an d se ttlin g th e pillows unde r it. I'
h ave se e n a stray lock fr om h e r h a ir fallin g on th e feve r ed face o f
o n e as sh e be n t ove r it.
In th e patie n ts sh e h ad o fte n a provoking en ough se t to dea l
Sur e , wh at do you m e a n Onl v fo r th e like s o f us you
would’
n t be h e re ,”was th e r e j o in de r o f on e to h e r r emo n stran ce
regardin g th e un n e ce ssary trouble be in g g ive n .
Wr e tch ed, disso lute wom e n , me n broke n down afte r debauch e s,
r icke ty ch ildre n , th e o ffspr in g o f vi ce ,— a life o f m ise ry be fo re
th em , and th e probability th at th ey we re , pe rh aps, m o r e like ly to
h and on th e ir idiosyn crasie s than to brin g up vir tuous ch ildr en ,
such we r e tho se with wh om sh e h ad too ofte n to deal,and for
wh om som e of th e m ost valuable live s 1 n th e commun ity ar e n eces
sar ily be in g stake d. It was in th e pr e se rving o f such lives, in
case s o f typhus, that sh e lost h e r own .
How h ad sh e e ve r come to immure h e rse lf in h o spita l life 5"
Sh e pro fe ssed to sco rn the o rdin ary se ekin g of women afte r
sph e re s, and used jokingly to declare , that to be cour te d and m arried
was woman’
s o n ly true place . Re forms an d so cial questio n s, weree n tir e ly outside th e circle o f h e r sympath ies . Sh e did n o t trouble
h erse lf about doctrin al matte rs ; and as fo r po litics, sh e kn ew
n othing about th em . A t h eart, I imagin e , sh e was a con se rvative .
A Ske tch from L ife .
‘
79
She visited Englan d o fte n , and o nce th e'
Contin e nt , and e ve n
the Antipodes, par tly fo r busin e ss purpose s. I ce rtain ly n e ve r
expected to see h e r back from th e se lon ge r excursion s. I fe lt sur e
she would captivate som e on e . But back sh e always came , and
settled down quie tly to th e dul l routin e o f h e r dutie s.
She was fo nd o f th e th e atre an d music. He r parlours we re
mode ls of da in ty, refin ed comfo r t. He r salary was go od I o n ce
urged he r to lo ok fo rward to th e future , and to save . In de ed,
Ihave n o n o tio n of it,”sh e said . 1 will e n joy myse lf wh ile I
can ; and th e n , you m ay depe nd, I’
ll get some on e to take care
ofme .
”
Y et sh e did save seve ral hun dr ed pounds, I was to ld ; but sh e
left n o will , and I be lieve it we n t away from th ose n ear e st to h er ,
to re latives wh o cared, pe rh aps, l ittle about h e r .
.
She spe n t mor e th an on e e ve n in g a t our h ouse . Sh e was plea
sant company, a go od talke r , an d played th e pian o in an o tf-hand
mann e r—n o t ve ry de ep music, but live ly waltz es and th e like .
Iwill n o t so on fo rg e t o n e o f h er an e cdo te s, of an e n counter
with a cabman . He demurr ed afte r sh e h ad e n te red th e cab and
told him wh e re to dr ive ; h e was sorry, but th e truth was, h e was
engaged . Sh e to ld h im n o t to be fo o l ish ; po sitive ly declin ed to
leave , and to ld him to dr ive ou. Wh e re at h e sulk ily shut th e
door with a bang , and grumblin gly exclaim ed : Oh , I se e you
are on e of th e cle ve r o n e s,”and dr ove off.
She h ad appear ed so comple te ly pro of against in fe ction all h e r
life, that it appear ed alm o st un n atural that sh e sh ould succumb to
it at le ng th .
I o fte n th ink o f h e r ; wh e n I do , it is n o t in conn e ctio n with
fllness or fun e rals . I like to th ink of h er in h e r best days, as sh e
lit up th e feve r-str icke n wards of th e h o spital with h e r pre se nce ,
as she lean ed ove r chi ldr e n and sm o o th ed th e ir pillows.
In summ e r eve nin gs, lo n g be fo r e I kn ew h er , sounds of music
and sing ing used to com e pl easan tly from th e Ope n win dows of a
house on our road. I afte rwards le arn ed th at it was sh e and h er
broth e rs and sisters that we r e th e musician s. Th ey re sided th e re
with th e ir m o th e r . Th e tr ouble s of life h ad n o t ye t scatte r ed th e
family. I like to th in k of h e r wh e n I h ear music waited out o f
open windows on summe r e ve n ings.
A LFRED WEBB.
80 The Ir ish Maui]: 131 .
THE PRAYER OF SAINT ATTY.
‘
A LEG END OF A CHONRY .
ING Co n n o r made an edict o ld
A r oyal palace I will bui ld ;
Tr ibute I o rde r o f th e g o ld,
Fr om e ve ry clan and craftsman’
s guild
Tith ings of scarl e t an d o f silk ,
Curtain and scr e e n o f r e gal wo o f,
De ep-udder ed h e ife rs, r ich in milk ,
A n d bron z e and timbe r fo r th e r o o f.
From L eyn ey’s lo rd, in tok e n due
Of fe alty, I wil l o rda in
A hundr ed masts o f ash an d yew,
A hundr ed o aks of pithy gra in .
Sain t A tty, k e ep us safe fr om sca th ,
A n d sh ie ld us in th e ba ttle crash !
Fo r r o of o f r oya l h ous e o r r a th
We will n o t r e n de r o ak o r ash !
Th us lowly prayed th e Layn ey clan ,
Wh il e san g th e birds in bush an d brak e ,
A s fast th ey muste r ed, h o r se and man ,
To face th e fo e by G a ra’
s lake .
Fo r , wr o th'
at h e ar t, cam e Co n n or’s clan
A h , Ch r ist th ey m ade a h o r r id fr o n t,
With r ed spe a rs br istling in th e van ,
A nd sh ie lds to brave th e battl e -brun t.
Fr om win g to wing in wrath th ey r o lled,
Cr e sted with h e lme ts all afir e ,
Of burn ish ed bro n z e o r bur n ing go ld,
To mar tial m e asur e s o f th e lyr e .
Sain t A tty is th e lo vin g name of th e people of A ch o nry fo r Sain t A ttracts ,
th e patron ess of th e diocese .
82 Tim 1 l?l Mon th ly.
Y e a , ble ssi ngs bro k e from eve ry lip,
To G o d and to His sa in ts abo ve ,A n d h ands th at came fo r de adly gripWe r e m in gled in frate rn al love .
G a in st sca th o r scar our battle -sh ie ld
Is A tty, sa in t o f Layn ey’s clan
Th ey san g ,as h om eward from th e fie ld
Th ey h ie d, un sca th ed, h o rse an d man .
Fo r in h e r ch ape l in th e wo o d
Th e bodin g wa r h ad A tty se e n ,
A nd fo r th e pe ople o f h e r blo od
Made praye r amid th e fo r e st gr e e n .
A n d m e n do say that on th at daySh e save d th e Leyn ey clan from sca th
,
Such po we r th e r e is wh e n lowly pray
Th e pur e o f h e a r t and k e e n o f fa ith .
A nd still wh e n autumn g ilds th e l e a ,
A nd scyth e s a r e sh r ill in m e ado ws r ipe ,
Th e rur a l pag e an t yo u m ay se e
Spo r tin g with j o cund dan ce a nd pipe .
Th e villag e wome n you may ma rk
In L eyn ey, a t Sa in t A tty’s we ll ,
Er e ye t h a th tr i ll e d th e r ise n la rk
In g o lde n m e ad o r dewy de ll .
Pu mas J Com ma .
WA LTER CRANE A ND DENNY LANE
A RT EDUCATION.
HERE is hardly any edito r ial san ctum wh e r e th e in te lligen t
scissors departme n t is such a comple te blan k as th at from
w h ich our Magaz in e issue s. Th is indepen de n ce o f bo rr owed
m a tte r is due , par tly to th e lim ited n umbe r o f its pag e s, and partly
to th e un lim ited n umbe r o f its fr ie n ds. N e ve r th e le ss, we h ave
o c ca sio n a lly co n de sce n de d to r e scue fr om oblivio n obse r vatio n s
th a t se em ed to us sufficie n tly n o tewo rthy for such a distin ctio n ,
e v e n th ough th ey m igh t h ave pre viously be e n in pr in t in th e
e ph em e ra l co lumn s o f som e lo ca l n ewspape r . Such an exceptio n
m us t be m ade in favo ur o f a le tte r and a.
spe e ch in co n n e ctio n with
th e distr ibution o fpriz e s last De cembe r , at th e Crawfo rd Mun icipal
S ch o o l o f A rt , in Co rk . Th e He ad Maste r , Mr . W . A . Mulligan ,
h ad in vite d Mr . \Valte r Cran e , an d, wh e n th e latte r was un able to
com e from Lo n do n , Mr . Mulligan sugge sted that a le tte r fr om h is
pe n would be th e n ext be st e n courag em e n t in place o f th e wo rds o f
h is lips. Mr . Cran e complied with th e r e que st . A f te r expla in in g
th e se circum sta n ce s,an d e xpr e ssin g h is be lie f th at th e wo rks th at
wo n pr iz e s in th e Co rk Sch o o l of A rt we re o f a h igh stan dard, Mr .
Cr a n e proce eds
Now, I am n o t on e of th o se wh o ar e at a ll satisfied (a s po ssibly
y o u m ay be awar e ) with th e pr e sen t state of th in gs, e ith e r in A r t,
Po lit ics,o r b o cicty, and if, as r egards A rt, I W e r e a sk e d wh at was
th e be st way to le arn som e th in g about A rt, I sh ould say in th e
wo rksh op of a g ood craftsman , o r in th e studio o f a go o d a r tist ;
fo r A rt of any kin d r equir e s actua l dem o n str at i o n ; 1 t can n o t be
ta ugh t by rule o r pr ecept— it is n o t a m atte r o f in var iable and
abso lute pr in ciple— th e r e is always r oom fo r individual ch o ice , and
fo r th e deve lopm e n t o f ind ividual th ought and fe e lin g . Natur e
is n o t a fixed quan tity. Pe ople o ften say such and such a wo rk is
l ike n ature but n ature is always chan ging if it we r e n o t so I
d oubt if th e re would be any art. But, as th e se aso n s ro ll by, an d
w ith th em th e page an t of life with all its in te n se human in te r e st,
84 Th e Ir ish Month ly.
though ts and ide as are kindled in th e m ind so we would cast
th em in som e graphic o r plastic sh ape befo re th ey fade . Nature is
impartial ; in diffe ren tly sh e give s yo u n oble and base , tragedy and
com edy, sign ifican ce an d in sign ifican ce . It is for th e artist to put
th e puz z le to ge th e r , to brin g h armony out o f discord, o rde r out o f
chao s, and to tran sfigur e with th e light of beauty and po esy th e
commo n e st things.
It was sa id (I thin k by John Ruskin ) of Rembrandt, that h eh ad qualitie s by wh ich h e could m ake a h ay barn sublime . It is
ve ry much a questio n of tr e atme n t. In fact,in tr ea tme n t and
se lectio n m ay be sa id to lie the who le secr e t of A r t. I look upo n
A rt, in its true se n se , as a lan guage wh ich is capable of expressin gth e high e r life , thoughts, an d aspiratio n s of a pe ople , as we ll as
its fam iliar joys and so rrows. No r is this powe r of expressio n
limi ted to ce rtain forms, such as pain ting an d sculpture , but may
be asso ciated with th e things o f daily use and circum stan ce s— the
fe e ling for h om e and our h ouseh o ld go ods—th e sacr edn e ss o f our
h e arth s—wh ich , alas , h as be e n so rude ly an d ruthle ssly ign o red o f
late in so many case s by th e powe rs that be—wh ich , in fact, our
mode rn e co n om ical system can find but little r o om fo r anywh e re ,
it appears to m e .
Now Ir e land has a gre at future be fore h e r . My fr ie nd
William.
Morr is h as we ll sa id that tim e s o f go od A r t h ave be e n
time s o f h ope and, bear in g in m ind that n e ith e r n atur e s n o r
men live by bread alon e , and th at th e h igh e st expre ssion o f
individua l life—as of social and n ation al life—must be fin allysough t in A r t , we shal l se e h ow impo rtan t a matte r it is, wh at is
life without be auty and refin eme n t A nd h ow can we have be auty
and refin em e n t without se curity o f living and some le isure and
fre edom Even am id th e anxious and fe ve rish existe n ce o f th e
pr e sen t , th o se of uswh o h ave eve r kn ocked at th e go lde n gate o f th e
House o f A rt kn ow what a san ctuary is th e re . Havin g re gard to
th e tra in in g of eye , h an d, an d mind, which th e practice o f any
form of A r t n ece ssitates , and th e qualitie s o f patie n ce , o f fo resigh t,o f m e th od, of care , and o f pe rse ve ran ce , wh ich it calls fo rth in
dealin g with de sign or mate rial of any kin d or even in th e many
problems th at have to be so lved in th e process o f simply an d
hon e stly drawing from n ature ; h avin g regard to its m o ra l and
in te lle ctual e ffe ct , and to its be ar in g o n th e h appin e ss an d social
we lfare o f individuals or pe eple s. I do n o t h e sitate to say th at an
educatio n in A r t is th e be st of education s.
A r t Educa tion . 85
Mr . Cran e’
s le tte r e n ded with som e grace ful expr e ssio n s of
goodwi ll , and th en Mr . De n ny Lan e proposed a we ll de se rved vote
o f thanks in th e fo llowin g appropriate te rms, o f wh ich we are -
glad
to make our own . we r e it on ly fo r th e sake of g ivin g h is h igh
opinion of th e Ir ish sculptor , Mr . Lawlo r , o f wh om many o f h is
countrymen h e ar n ow for th e first tim e . But, be side s, th e auth o r
of Kate of A raglen”has th e kn ack of m akin g such th in gs
lite rature :
Y ou h ave h e ard to -n igh t th e wo rds in wh ich Mr . Cran e has
sent us a gre e tin g acro ss th e se a,and I can n o t r e fuse th e r eque st of
your maste r to thank h im fo r h is ki nd th ough t o f us, an d , in
re turn , in th e o ld-fash io n ed way,which h e lo ve s so we ll , to wish
him A‘m e rry Ch r istmas an d a h appy N ew Ye a r .
’A lthoug h I
have n eve r m e t Mr . Cran e , I h ave lon g kn own h is wo rks, an d
spent many an h our with th em—with h is I’ r m P ippa , and h is
Masque of F lowe rs, with h is F airy Ta le s, and e ve n with h is Baby’s
Opera . Pe rhaps it may be that a seco nd ch ildh o od r e semble s th e
tin t, for I know it is ve ry ple asan t , th ough youm ay h ave lo st your
admira tio n o f bre ad and jam , th at you can still re ta in your
love o f pictur e bo oks—a love wh ich h as n e ve r wan ed with m e , an d
o f th e se bo oks n o n e h ave g ive n m e gr e ate r. ple asure th an tho se
which have sprun g from th e fe r tile fancy o f h im who has wish ed us“ G od spe ed to -n igh t . If humour which is fan tastic witho ut eve r
being fo rced , if grace of form an d ch arm o f mo tio n,if an o ld wo r ld
sentimen t, wh ich h as lo st n o th ing o f its se ntime n t be cause it is clad
in a garb o f an tique qua in tn e ss, if h arm o ny o f hue and simple
schemes o f co lour , wove n to ge th e r in to a h a rm o n ious tape stry , ar e
to be va lue d. wh e r e ar e we to find th e se qualitie s be tte r un ite d thanin the wo rks of Wa lte r Cran e A g a in and ag ain h a ve I go n e
back to his books,wh ich I bought ye ars ago fo r my ch ildr e n , an d
every tim e I swa ll ow draugh ts from th at Fo n ta c’
ne (1c Jouve nce , that
pere nn ia l foun ta in of youth ,wh ich , I trust, bubble s up ye t amon gst
the o lde st o f us. A nd, turn in g my eye s away from th e se, my
memo ry flies back to th e pictur e bo oks o f sixty ye ars ago . I
mngratula te , an d I a lmost e n vv th e chi ldr e n of th e pr e se n t day,
who have prepared fo r th em such a grate ful fe ast, in place of th e
meagre and unwh o le som e far e pr ovide d fo r th em at th e tim e I
speak o i .
Perhaps in some co llectio n o f a n tiquities, you m igh t still find
86 The Ir ish Mo n th ly.
copie s o f th e ch ap-books of th re e sco re ye ars ago
—th e thre e
pe n ny pla in , an d sixpen ny co loured h isto rie s of Obi,o r Thr e e
F iugmwl Jack, o r o f Bamfl/ lde Mo o r e m c,th e 31 130 13 o r , mayh ap,
th e Histo ry qf’
B rwma n,th e R obbe r
,o r Napo leon
’s Ifook of Fate , by
which you could fore te ll with ce rta in ty what was go ing to h appe n
an art wh ich e ve n sto ckbro ke rs h ave lost, and by which a m an
m ight se cure a fo rtun e out o f wa te r-gas o r e lectric sugar . One
lo n g fo ldin g plate , co loured by a h an d that wande r ed un co nfin ed,
and o cca sio n ally le t th e blue o f th e co at stray in to th e apex o f th e
n ose , an d th e red o f th e pe lisse r ise as far as th e pupil o f beauty’s
eye . Bo ldn e ss an d br e adth we re n o t wan ting in th e to uch o f th e
artist, wh o re ve lled in th e primary co lour s ; but th ey ar e gon e ! and
n e ve r aga in can I we ep o ve r th e so rrows o f a Black-eyed Susan
who was prin cipa lly ye llow och re , as she par ted from a Swe e t
Will iam wh o was a ll Prussian blue , and wh o was regarde d with
e nvy an d j e alousy by an A dmiral o f th e Re d, who , regardless o f
expen se , was all ve rm ilio n . A las ! they a re gon e ! but in our
s orrow fo r th e ir lo ss le t us be co nso led by th e th ough t that a ll
pictur e-bo oks are n o t go n e , an d th at our we ll-wish e r to -n igh t h as
furn ish e d our ch ildr e n and ourse lve s with a pan orama whe re in a
long pr oce ssion passe s a lo ng . Our o ld fr ie nds, th e Sle eping Be auty
dan ce s alo ng with0
Blue Be ard, and th e Thr e e Be ars ga llan tly
e scor t Cin de re l la and G oody Two Sh o e s.
On e remark o f Mr . Cran e’
s h as struck m e much—o n e which
to a ce rta in exte n t gain s my assen t, an d, to a ce rtain exte n t
provoke s my disse n t. He says th e be st way to learn som ething
about A rt is in th e wo rksh op of a goo d craftsm an , o r th e studio of
a good artist.’It m ay be th e best way, but it would be un to t
tun ate for us if it we r e th e o n ly way. G o od A rt craftsmen can
h ardly rema in am on g a s ; wh e n th ey becom e capable th ey are
attracte d away to th e gr e at ce n tre s o f wo rk an d we alth , and so it is
with n e arly al l our pa in te rs and sculptors. On e of th e latte r h as
com e back amo ngst us, and I e m proud that I have 'be e n instru
m e n tal in wo o ing back to hi s'
n ative land my fr ie nd Mr . Lawlo r,
wh o stan ds in th e fr on t rank o f m ode rn sculpto rs, and who has
ge n e rously promised to aid us in our sch oo l ; but, as a ge n e ral
rule , th e m agic magn e tism o f we alth draws towards its cen tre
ta len t o f eve ry kind.
In o th e r tim e s it was n ot always so . A great artist we n t to
r e side at a co n ven t, wh ere h e re ce ived little more than bare
A r t Educa tion . 87
mhsistence , and e n joye d th e pr ivilege o f de co rating th e Chur ch
with works wh ich h ave r ema in ed a posse ssio n for e ve r . Many
such wo rks h ave I se e n , fo r instan ce , in Nurembe rg , wh e r e
Adam Krafit an d h is th r e e compan io ns, fo r th e lo ve of G od and
St. Laurence ,’de voted se ven years to carving th at won de rful
Sacraments Hans , an edifice o f ston e wh ich se ems to grow like
a beautiful plan t un til its topm o st frond expands its le aflets amidst
the gminin g o f th e roo f. Or in th e sam e city wh e re Pe te r Visch e r'
and his five so n s wrough t fo r e leve n ye ars at th at br on z e and silve r
shrin e of St. Sebald, a'
wo rk which h ad r emain ed un surpassed for
ce nturies. So , in th e Campo San to , at Pisa , did Be n o z z o G o z z o li
work fo r sixte e n ye ars to produce th e twe n ty- four wa ll pictur e s, fo r
each of which h e r e ce ived 66 lir e , o r £2 1 58 . So , in an e arlie r
day, did Duccio pain t th e fron t of th e gr e at a ltar-
piece of Sie n a ,
receiving wage s o f 1 6 so ldi, o r 8d . a day, un til h is e mploye rs put
him on pie ce wo rk, an d,wish ing to save mate r ia l
, got h im to
paint thirty- e igh t pictur e s on th e back o f th e pan e l , fo r wh ich h e
rece ived th e prin ce ly pr ice o f g o ld fior in s, o r e igh t sh illin gs
apiece . How diffe re n t from th e pa in te rs o f this tim e , wh o build
palaces, an d are paid fo r a pictur e by so many strata of go ld piece s
laid on its surface , and wh e n th e h igh e st artist, at th e in stigatio n
of Mr . Pe ars, blows opale sce n t bubble s m o re co stly th an th e
genuin e m o o n ston e s of th e min e .
Y e t , alth ough our city can se ldom r e tain a first-rate craftsm an
in the se n se used by Mr . Cran e , our sch o o l can te ach many of th e
principles whi ch unde rlie all ar ts and crafts, an d can prote ct us
from som e o f th e dan ge rous example s of wo rthle ss and un lo ve lycrafts. I n e ed n o t go back e ven so far as th e pe riod of sixpe n nycoloured chap
-bo oks to r e fe r to o n e art on wh ich m any an h our o f
precious tim e and many‘
an oun ce o f m o r e pr e cious wo o l was
wasted—I me an Be r lin woo l-wo rk . I shudde r as I th ink o f the
penaltie swh ich I suffered wh e n I saw, an d th e wron gs I did to myconscie n ce wh e n I h ad to praise , th e wo rks o f an am iable daughte r
presente d fo r my admir atio n by an ado rin g mamma . In th ose days
Iv as m ore o r le ss of a din e r - out, an d I h ad to praise , o r e lse Iwould n eve r be aske d aga in . No son g , n o suppe r .
’
To this daythere remain de eply grave n in my m em ory th o se wo ndr ous pro
duction s o f patie n t in eptitude . Th e troubadour with a se rrate d
nose who se r e n ad ed a love ly maiden ,wh ile h e accompan ied h imse lf
on an instrume n t of music wh ich puz z led th e beh o lde r . On e could
88 Tile Ir is/t Mon th ly.
n eve r make up h is m ind as to wh e th e r it was a str in ged instru
m en t o r a wind in strum e n t, fo r it was ce rta in ly e ith e r a gui tar
o r a be llows. A nd th e lo ve ly m a ide n h e rse lf, with a ch eve lure
that o utr ivall ed,though it ce rta in ly did n ot outstr ip , that lady
wh om we se e on all th e h oardin gs, an d wh o has fe rtiliz ed h e r h a ir
wi th Mrs. A lle n’
s h air r e sto r e r . Th at love ly maiden I can n e ve r
fo rge t as sh e displayed fr om h e r balco ny a ch e ek de eply pitte d
with madde r -lake an d an eye like th e ace o f clubs. I can n eve r
fo rge t h e r Sh e haun ts my m emo ry still L e t us h ope that th e
pr inciple s we te ach in our sch o o l , an d th e example s which we ca n
sh ow, will fo r th e future pro te ct the eye s of beh o lde rs and th e
co n scien ce s o f co rrupt cr iti cs fr om th e spo tte d feve r of co loured
wo o l .
Y ou ar e all awar e , as in de edMr . Cran e con fe sse s, that h e an d
h is frie nd Mr . William Mo rris, ar e a lmo st so cial democrats but Imust say that in th e ir A rts and Cr afts Exh ibition
’
last ye ar I
saw little with in the r e ach o f shallow purse s. Ne ar ly eve rything
was de sign ed fo r th e rich , an d, with th e exception of som e bo oks,
most of th e wo rks we r e me an t for th e we althy. I must con fe ss Iwas disappoin ted at th is, fo r I h ad h oped that in th e ir h an ds , at
least , art would have come down from th e ra ised dais of rank , and
h ave placed be low th e sa lt m any a fo rm in wh ich be auty was com
bin ed with use , wrough t in pewte r an d n o t in go ld: But I suppo se
it is on ly an o th e r in stan ce of th e truth that extrem e s touch .
’
Mr . Cran e h as spoke n o f our e ra in Ir e lan d as an e ra of h epe . G od
gran t his ome n may be true We are passin g th rough wh at ,
if n o t de eply troubled, are at be st turbid tim es. We ar e in fact
passin g th rough a r e vo lutio n,and le t us h ope that th e turbidity
we se e is on ly th at wh ich a lways accompan ie s fe rm e n tation,th roug h
wh ich th e juice o f th e purple grape h as to pass be fo re th e trouble d
must clarifie s in to th e ruby win e . Of th e capacity o f our pe ople
fo r art I h ave n o doubt ; of th e ir pati en ce and de votion I h ave
much . Th e se ar e qualitie s wh ich ar e fo rm ed, a nd co uld n ot h ave
grown up am o ngst our fo r e fath e rs, vexe d with pe rse cutio n , un able
to r e ap wh e re th ey h ad sown . G e n e ratio n s, with wh om r e ligion
was tramm e lled an d education pro scribed, le ave beh in d th em
t race s of th e e vils fr om wh ich th ey have suffer ed. L e t us ho pe
that a n ew day is dawn ing , that th e shadows are passing away,
a n d that as with o th e rs, in th e words o f Mr . Mo rr is, the e ra o f
h ope m ay also be th e e ra of a
90 Ti mIr ish Mon th ly.
I h ave a stro n g impre ssion th a t th e Jcen it m issio n ar ies wh o labour ed in th is
coun try pre vi ous to th e ir expulsio n by th e Ma rquis o f Pomba l , h ad tr an slated bo oks
in to th e lan guag e o f Se n n a an d Te tte ,fo r I fin d th at amon g som e o f th e o lde st
n a tive s po rtio n s o f praye rs—th c Cre ed ,
&c .—are rem embe re d in th e ir own t on gue ;
a nd th e se are always re fe rr ed to th e te achi n g o f th e Jcsuits—n o t to th e pr ie sts wh o
succe eded th em . I tr ie d to in duce th e pr ie st a t T e tte to se a rch fo r an y bo oks th a t
may exist a t G o a , but som e th in g pre ve n te d h im from visitin g h is n a tive place . I
th e n e n g ag e d a m e rch an t o f G o a to try and pro cure th e lo an o f any bo o ks, a nd
o ffe r ed to be a t all th e e xpe n se o f co pyin g th em but in t h is ca se to o I h a ve be e n
d isa ppo in ted . I fe e l anxio us to po sse ss som e m em o r ia ls o f th ese de vo ted pion e e rs
o f Ch rist ia n ity in th is la n d. Th is is o n e r e aso n fo r my se a rch an o th e r is , to im
pro ve myse lf in th e lan gua g e . I am n ow o n my way up to L ake Nyassa ,and h o pe
t o place a ste am e r on it , an d do som ewh a t to sto p a str e am o f slave s th a t
a n n ual ly flows from th a t re g io n towards th e Red Se a and Pe rsia n G ulph .
Y o u can sca rce ly co n ce ive wh a t diffe re n ce in influe n ce it m ake s wh e th e r o n e
spe aks th e n a tive la n gua g e we ll o r n o t . A n d th e h e lp o f a bo ok in m aste rin g th e
pa rticle s is ve ry g re a t . It h a s o fte n o ccurr e d to m e th a t, pro bably,
wh a t I fa il ed
to re a ch in G oa m ay be in e xiste n ce in th e L ibra ry o f th e Va tica n ,if I o n ly kn ew
h o w to g e t a t it. I da r e say you wi ll sm ile a t th e ide a o f my wr itin g to yo u o n
such a subje ct an d , to te ll th e truth , I h ave th ough t o f. writin g to you aga in an d
a g ain , an d as o fte n put th e th o ugh t a side . Now I do it a t la st , with som e th in g o f
just to e ase my co n scie n ce , an d po ss ibly you may be ab le to g ive m e a clue to
o bta in i ng wh a t I wa n t . A n } th in g pr in ted in th e lan guag e s o f Te tte , Se n na , o r th e
Ma ravi would be a g re a t bo o n . an d I wo uld take g o o d ca r e to prin t it , a nd re nde r
a ll h o n our to th em to wh om it may be due . Th e m iss io n o f th e En g lish Un i ve rsit ie s
is wo rkin g a t th e lan guag e , but it ta ke s a lo n g se r ie s o f ye a r s to r educe a diale ct
a ccura te ly. It to o k Mr . Mo ffa tt , o f Kur nman , a t le a st se ve n ye a r s o f h a rd labour
but n ow th ose wh o po sse ss h is bo o ks can spe ak flue n tly i n se ven m o n th s .
h h ould it be in co n ve n ie n t , pray do n o t tr ouble yo urse lf to wr ite any an swe r ,
a nd , in a n y case , e xcuse th e libe rty l h a ve t ake n in addr e ssin g yo u.
A nyth in g se n t to Mr . L e nn o x (‘
ouyn g h am ,Fo re ig n Oth e e , flown in g Stre e t ,
L o ndo n , will be fo rwarded .
I um, de a r Sir
Yo ur humble S e rvan t ,
Du nn L rvm o sr oxn .
Th e o th e r le tte r is date d from Lo rd Byron’
s o ld h om e,wh e re
Dr . Livin gsto n e lived fo r e igh t m o n ths,writing h is se cond accoun t
o f h is trave ls, the gue st o fMr . lVebb, th e A fr ican hun te r
Newste ad A bbey .
Man sfie ld,No tts .
,8th Ja nuary, 1 865.
MY DEA R Sm ,
Y ou we re k ind e n ough to m ake some e n quir ie s re spectin g tr an sla tio n s
m ade by Ca th o lic m issio n a rie s in Ea st A fr ica , and , fe a r in g t ha t you m ay h a ve be e n
un succe ssful , I take th e libe rty o f e n clo sin g pa rt o f a pro o f sh e e t , wh ich can ye t be
a lte r ed if you th in k th a t I h ad be tte r n o t s ay wh at I h ave advan ced . I tr ied a
Mo n sig n o r wh o visited G o a , th rough a m embe r o f th e fami ly with wh ich I am
l ivin g ,and h e , th in kin g th a t th e Po rtugue se h ad de stroyed a ny manuscripts th ey
m ay h ave foun d , gave me n o h ope o f succe ss . I th ink th a t th e unblush ing state
To a Sea -She ll . 9 1
m a ts o f th e Po rtugue se o ugh t to be n o ticed, o n th e sco re o f justice to th e memo
r ie s o f th e ea rli e r missio na r ie s . I fe a r th a t th e Po rtugue se th em se lve s we re
w o r t h le ss. No t a ve stig e o f m em o r ia l o r tradi tio n co uld I disco ve r a t Mo z ambique
o f S t . Fra n cis Xa v ie r ; and th e i r own deficie n cie s m ay h ave in duced th em to vilify
be tte r m e n . But if you th in k th a t I m ay do m o re h arm th an g o od by n o t icin g
th e m a tte r a s I do , I sh a ll e ste em it a favour if yo u kin dly m a rk o ffe n sive parts .
Y o u will , I trust , e xcuse my troublin g yo u th us ; an d if yo u can re turn
th e p r o o f a t a n e a r ly pe r io d ,I sh a ll e ste em it a favour to
Your s m o st sin ce re lyDav mm o sr om z.
Th e pro o f is pa r t o f an o th e r bo ok like my last an d I do n o t fo r a m om e n t
a sk y ou to e n do rs e anyth in g , but o n ly to say if my sta tem en ts a re to hea fl
'
e n sive to Ca th o l ics h e r e a t h om e .
”
TO A SEA -SIIELL
BROUG HT FROM NOR‘VA Y .
Y thy lips k iss’d m in e e a r do th list
To spir its o f th e se a
Th at lo n e ly dwe l l, O be aute ous sh e ll ,
Fa r fr om th e ir k in— in th e e
Th e ir vo ice s swe e t, secr e ts r epe a t,
Se cr e ts’twixt th em and m e .
Lo n g bur ied th i n gs th e ir wh ispe r br in gsBack fr om th e tomb , th in gs I
Have h e a rd an d se e n in th e ir dem e sn e
In blissful h our s go n e by,
Ou m o o nl it wave s, in dim se a -cav es,
By sh o r e s’n e a th No rway
’
s sky.
Me it de l igh ts to h e a r th e se spr ite s,
Th e wh il e th ey lo ve to te ll
Oi th at o ld tim e in th e ir de a r clim e
It sadde n s bo th as we ll
My br igh t dr e am’s o
’e r , th ey
’ll se e n o mo r e
Th e ir h om e and th in e , se a -sh e ll
G . T .
92 The Ir ial: Mo n th ly.
A MODERN CONVERSATION.
IWA S staying a few we eks ago with my fri e n d, Mr . Russe ll ,
n e ar Dublin . A m ong th o se wh o we r e staying in th e h ouse
were se ve ral th ough tful , cul tivated pe ople , so th a t I h e ard m any
i n te r e stin g subj e cts discussed . On e e ve n in g th e co n ve rsation
turn ed o n social que stio n s. I h appe n ed to be sittin g n e ar Mr .
Ta lbo t,an En glish Membe r of Par l iam e n t . Wh at a mun ifice n t
g ift th is is of Sir Edward G uin n e ss l”I said to him . It se ems
t o m e to sh ow th at pe ople ar e ge ttin g out o f th e way o f th inkin gwith th e Man ch e ste r Sch o o l . Th irty ye ars ago , in th e go od o ld
days o f la isse z-fa ir e , th is would h ave be e n rank h e r e sy.
”
Oh,o f course , we ar e a ll becom ing mo re socialisti c sa id
Ta lbot . But, you se e , h e is n o t go in g to paupe r iz e th e pe ople ;
th e fun d j s to be laid out an d th e lodgin gs h ir ed on str ictly busi
n e ss prin ciple s.
”
I do n’
t like th e th in g at all , said Hum e . Th e re was a
gr eat de al o f truth in th o se do ctrin e s of la zissoz-fa ir e . A s you say
tr uly, Ta lbo t, we ar e rapidly be com in g State So cial ists, and we
a r e for fe itin g our comm e rcial supr emacy at th e sam e tim e . Wh atm ade us great was h on e st e n e rgy an d in depe nde n ce , an d it is
thr ough efiemi n ate,sen tim e n tal ph ilan th r opy th at we are lo sing
o ur gr e atn e ss. Th er e is a Russia wa itin g to conque r us, whichh as n on e o f th is sickly se n tim e n t about it. Of course , I must ad
m ire Sir Edward G uin n e ss’
s g en e rosity ; but I can n o t h e lp con
n e cting th e gift in my m in d with th at sil ly h asco of th e dockmen’s
str ikes. It se em s to m e l ike a propitiatory sacrifice to appe ase an
in satiable demo cracy.
”
If you call it co n scie n ce -m on ey to o late pa id for ga in gotte n
from th e m ise ry and drunke n n ess o f th e po o r , you would be n eare r
th e mark ,"
sa id Woulfe,a young , pale
—lo okin g m an , wh o sat a
l ittle way o ff— at wh ich fe ro cious rem ark th e ladie s n e ar sh rank in
h o rror , as th ough fr om an e scaped co n vict .
My de ar Hum e,
”sa id Russe ll
, you ar e quite a pagan in
your views. Sure ly“
so cie ty is con stituted fo r th e go od o f all.
En e rgy and indepe nde n ce are adm ir able qua litie s, but th ey are
th e gifts of th e stron g th e weak have a place in socie ty as we ll .
Th e fortun ate and succe ssful in l ife’
s struggle r e ally h ave dutie s
94 Th e Ir is/e Mo nth ly.
No on e e ve r r e ads in Ire land, sa id Hume ; it would be
be n e ath our dign ity to be indebted fo r o ur ideas to o th e rs. But is
n o t your Land Le ague take n up with such problems, Miss
Mo o r e
Oh , ye s, po litician s an d lan d le ague rs doubtle ss h ave pr ob
l ems but I m e an,we do n o t se em to h ave any like wh at you have
in Lo n do n ,wh ich in te re st e ve ryo n e . I thin k we m an age things
be tte r h e re .
”
Y ou are quite r ight, Miss Mo o r e , sa id Russe ll . A part
from th e lan d que stio n ,our so cial co nditio n is much m o re simple ,
an d I th ink m o re h e althy, than En g lan d’
s. Y ou se e th e r e ar e n o t
th e huge m asse s o f populatio n in th e town s— an agr icultural com
mun ity is a lways much le ss complex th an a comm e rcia l o n e .
”
I o fte n th ink ,”sa id Mrs. F itz ge ra ld, h ow much h appie r , as
far as th e se th in gs ar e co n ce r n ed,'
pe op1 e we re in th e m iddle age s.
Th e n , o f course,th e r e we r e n o t th e se huge town s, a nd life was in
th e m ain rustic an d agr icultural .
Still,
”sa id Talbot, you co uld h ardly put back th e dial n ow.
Howe ve r m uch you m igh t wish it , you could n o t turn Birm in gh am
in to plough lan d an d Sh e ffie ld in to m e adow.
Th o r o ld Roge rs pr o ve s,”sa id lVo ulfe , by ca lculation o f th e
r ate of wag e s an d th e pr ice o f fo od, th at in th e fo ur te e n th ce n tury
th e labour e r s we r e fa r be tte r o ff than th ey ar e n ow .
”
1 a lways h ave my doubts about th e se. statistics, ca lculated so
lo ng afte rwards,
”sa id Talbo t. I do n
’t kn ow much about th e
m atte r ; but I h ave th e sam e doubts about th e h appin e ss o f th e
m edimval artifice r th at I h ave as to wh e th e r h e in te nde d all th e
symbo l ism we are taugh t to se e in h is sta in ed g lass win dows an d
m e tal wo rk .
”
Y ou ar e a sceptic, Mr . Talbo t , I se e,
sa id Mrs. Fitz ge rald .
Fo r my part. sa id IIum e,wh o h ad se eme d v e ry impatie n t
o f th e last r em arks, I um sur e th at a state o f war,l ike tha t
wh ich lasted r igh t th ro ugh th e fo ur te en th cen tury,and inde e d
dur in g th e wh o le m iddle ag e s, could n o t be a g o od o r n a tural
th ing fo r any class o f th e commun ity. Comm e rce and agr icul ture
we re a t a sta n d- still,an d n o on e ben efitte d but th e Fre e Compan ie s
a nd such r obbe rs. Fo r myse lf, I am grate ful to civi lization fo r
few th in gs so much as fo r th e security we a l l n ow e n j oy.
”
I suppo se all th e se th in gs ar e true ,”
sa id Mrs. Fitzge ra ld,
wh o se em ed distr e ssed atHum e’s impe tuo sity ; but I was re adin g
A 211 o dem Conve rsatlon . 95
th e o th e r day such a ch arm in g bo ok on Jack Cade’
s R ebe llion ,by
W il liam Mo rris. His picture is ve ry diffe re n t fr om your s, Mr .
IIum e . A n d th e n th e r e we r e th e mo n a ste rie s, wh ich did so much
g o o d to th e po or . Th ey we r e a sad lo ss. It se em s as th ough
pe o ple r e al iz ed i n th ose tim e s wh at Mr . Russe ll said just n ow about
bo th th e Sta te and th e r ich h avin g dutie s to th e poo r . Fo r th e
kin gs a nd th e gre at n oble s e ndowed an d suppo rted th e mo n aste rie s,
w h ich acted ,as it we re , as truste e s fo r th e po o r . In th is way, th e
ch a r ity ,h oweve r large ly, o r e ve n impro vide ntly, give n by th e r ich ,
w a s n o t impruden tly spe n t .
"
I wish I could be lie ve that, mutter ed Hum e to Talbot .
I almost th ink ,
”sa id R usse ll
, that we m igh t le ar n two
lesso n s from th e m iddle age s. First, th at e ve ryon e sh o uld r e cogn ise his duty towards h is fe llow
- citiz en s, and try to fulfil it h im
se lf, a n d n o t lea ve it o ve r to th e State to do and, se con dly,that
c h a r ity will be be st carr ied o ut by o rgan iz atio n s o f m e n who make
it th e ir vo ca tio n , and n o t by r an dom in dividual e ffo rt, o r e ve n di
re ctly by th e Sta te . Thank you,Mrs. Fitzg erald, I n e ve r th ough t
o f th a t be fo re . But I se e you are an en th usiast abo ut th e m o n as
te r ies . Do es n o t your fr ie n d, Mr . Ruskin , h o ld your views to o
Oh , ye s, inde ed h e do e s. He use d to say h e h ope d to die a
F r an ciscan friar at A ssisi .”
I always th ink Ruskin is like a m ode rn Plato , said Russe ll,
pre aching h igh ide als to a mate ria listic, soph istical wo r ld. Plato
puts th e se th ings we are talkin g about , so we ll . On ly,h e h ad n o t
th e sam e difficult pr oblems. Mo st of th e labourin g classes in h is
d ay we r e sla ve s that save d so much trouble . I was just r e adingth e R epublic
’
wh en you cam e,
”h e added, turn ing to m e
Russe ll always puz z le s m e,
said Hume to Ta lbo t, a man
o f h is se n se quoting Plato , an d a man of h is age r e ading G r e ek
But, se r iously, Mr . Russe l l,”h e con tinued, you do n
’
t accept
Ituskin’
s Po litical Econ omy, do you It is so puz z le-h e aded. He
takes a scie nce th at can be made almo st math ematica l in its accu
ra cy , and twists it about with quite po e tic disr egard o f facts and
ur e s .
'
A n d h is fun dame n ta l assumption s an d defin itio n s are
Th e re is some th ing in wh at you say, said Russe ll , th ough
n ot so much as yo u th ink , as Plato says. I quite admit that
Ruskin may be a poor ma th ematician,an d th at, as a system , h is
po litical eco n omy is weak . I lo ok upon h im as a proph e t,— with
9 6 Tbe Ir is): Month ly.
o ut h on our, as it se ems
, in h is own coun try,— wh o
, through var ious
figur e s an d allego ries, as I th ink th em,o r as you may say, with
a ll h is exagge ra tion an d hype rbo le , still se e s an ideal to wh ich h e
tr ie s to le ad us. Sure ly it is a gre at th ing in th e se days o f mate
r ialism to h ave s uch a man,wh o se face is ho t ben t down to e arth
l ike th e face of th e brute be asts, but is ra ised up to h e ave n , to th e
re g io n o f pur e ide als . Y ou must n o t quarre l with h is m eth od ,
but rath e r co n side r th e truth s h e te lls us o f, th ough on ly ha lf
se e n
hIigh ty Proph e t 3 Se e r b le st 3
On wh om th o se truth s do r e st .
W'h ich we are to ilin g a ll o ur l ive s to find .
’
I am sur e you ar e r igh t, Mr . Russe ll. sa id Mrs. Fitzgerald
e age rly ; th at is th e impr e ssio n h e a lways g ive s m e wh e n h e
ta lks. It is ve ry cur ious th at , in a ll h is wo rk in A rt an d such
th ings, h e se ems to be,like Wo rdswo rth ,
h e a r in g o fte n tim e s
Th e still , sad music o f hum an ity ,
No t h a rsh n o r g ra tin g ,th ough o f ample powe r
To ch aste n an d subdue .
’
He re ally th inks h is vo catio n is to spe ak to th e world on th e se .
so cial matte rs.
”
Y e s, sa id Russe ll , it is th e still , sad music of human ity
th at tr ouble s h im . Th e r e h e is diffe r e n t fr om Plato ,— inde ed a ll
m odem s ar e so diffe r e n t from th e G r e e ks. Th ey h ave n o t that
pe rfe ctly n atural , ch ildlike de ligh t in a ll th ings ar oun d th em wh ich
th e G r e eks h ad. But we can’
t go back in th e se th in gs th e wo rld
has be e n growin g o lde r,an d its ch ildish joys n o lo n ge r satisfy it .
We fe e l our in cr e ased r e spo n sibilitie s, an d I am glad to th ink that
we try in som e way to m e e t th em .
”
A s th is conve rsation wen t o n , I, n o twith standin g that I was
ke e n ly in te r e sted in it, fe lt m or e an d m o r e we ary from con stan t
trave llin g fo r se ve ra l days. Al th ough I h e ard wh at was sa id, I
could n o t ke ep my atte n tion fixed, an d many th in gs I h ave sin ce
fo rgo tte n . A bout th is tim e , to o , som e o n e began to play th e pian o , .
a n d Noctur n e s o f Chopin an d So n a tas o f Be e th o ve n alte rn ate ly
m in gled with th e vo ice s o f th e spe ake rs.
On e thing I am sur e o f, sa id Russe ll, th at
9 8 TIre Ir is]!
th e influe n c e o f fa ir sigh ts and sounds,’as Plato says. Childre n
a re a ll so much al ike , th at I th in k it we could ward off all bad
influe n ce s from th em , th e ch ildre n o f the po o r m ight e asily be
turn ed in to g e n tl eme n—g en tleme n in th e ir ide as and fe e lin gs, I
m e an , as m a ny o f th e pe a san ts ia th e coun try parts o f Ire land are
a lr e ady. I h ave se e n e oun trym e n in G a lway wh o se co n ve rsatio n
is r efin ed e n ough fo r a court .
But do es that m ake th em h appy said Miss Mo ore . I
e xpect fo r m o st of th em ig n o ran ce is bl iss ; wh ile I am sur e th e r e
a re som e wh o wo uld put th is educa tion you ar e g iving th em to
ve ry bad use . It is a dan g e r ous we apo n to fo rg e , r e ady for th e ir
h an ds. A n d as fo r th e ir refin em e n t, you m ay put a ve n e e r o f
culture o ve r th em, but th e o n ly e tfe ct .will be to de str oy th e ir
simplicity, a n d make th em awkward inste ad o f in te r e stin g .
”
But do yo u r e a lly th in k ,”
sa id l tusse ll , that they we re
m ade to pass th e ir live s in th ough tle ss ign o ran ce Th e re are few
th in gs to m e m o r e te rr ible th an to se e an En g lish laboure r with
th e sh ape , and pre sumably th e in te lle ct o f a m an,le ading th e life
o f an an ima l . Man is to o n oble a creature to be degraded in tha t
way. It is n o t th e work that is de grading , but th at wh e n wo rk
is ove r h e sh ould h ave n o th in g le ft to do . A t lea st h e m ight
k n ow th at h e h as a m ind an d soul . Eve ryo n e n e e d n ot be a
philo soph e r , but e ve ryo n e is th e be tte r fo r th inkin g a t time s ; and
fo r any impro vem e n t in th e labouring classe s, I am sure it is
e sse n tia l . t e n th ey be g in to th ink , th ey can be gin to impro ve
themse lve s, and such an impro veme n t will be lastin g . Y ou
unde r s ta nd, o f course , th at I m e a n by educa tio n ,
n o t a cr amm in gwith kn owledg e , n o t much bo ok- le arn ing , but g o od m o ra l and
i n te lle ctual influe n ce s. I wan t th e ch ildr e n to th ink we ll, and
though t is to be drawn o ut o f th em, n o t fo rce d in to th em . A ll
will depe nd o n th e characte r o f th e te ach e rs, and th e wo rk o f
te aching would n o t be to o humble fo r So cra te s h imse lf. I am so
c o n vin ced that go od influe n ce s will do e ve ryth ing With childr e n ,
that I sho uld like to take som e o f th em , t h ose o f th e crim in al
classe s at any rate, bodily o ut of th e slums o f th e citie s, and to
se ttle th em in sch o o ls in co un try place s, wh e re th ey could n e ve r
be brough t un de r th e e vil influe nces of h ome . Howe ve r , you wil l
th in k th is Utopian .
”
I em a fraid I do,
sa id Miss Mo o re . Th e ide as are
ch arming , but th e m e ans to r e aliz e th em se em ve ry in adequa te .
Th e In s]; Mon th ly.
ITEMS A BOUT IRISH PERSONS.
JA MES GILLAND ,
“ L OUG H IN E, J. C. D EA DY,\V. P. M t
’
LCHl NOCK ,
BA RTHO LOMEW Dowu n e , ETC .
,EH‘
.
1 . We we re about to place th e fo llowin g am ong our A n ony
mitie s Un ve iled,
”fo r n o an onym ity is mo re secure ly ve il ed than
th e auth orsh ip o f a poem wh ich is attri buted to th e wr on g man .
In th e sh illin g vo lume in wh ich G avan Dufiy, m ore th an fo rty
ye ars ago , co n de n sed with supr em e skill an d taste th e be st o f Th e
Ba llad Po e try o f Ir e land,
”h e gave Dr . Dr e n n an as th e auth or o f
“ R o ry O’Mo o r e
,an Ulste r Ba llad
,
” just as he assign ed to h im
Wh e n Er in first ro se,
”an d h e prefixed to th e po em wh ich fo l
lowed n ext,Samue l Fe rguso n
’
s Un a Ph e limy,”
an argume n t
drawn from th e fact o f two No rth e r n Pro te stan ts”wr iting , as
th e se did,a bout th e Irish affa ir s o f 1 64 1 . But this was a mis
take , wh ich I find ackn owledg ed in th e fo rty-first edi tio n . Y e t
h e do e s n o t n am e th e auth o r o f Rory O’Mo o re ,
”wh ich we n ew
claim auth or ita tive ly fo r Mr . Jame s G illan d, o fDun gan n o n . Many
o f his po ems appe ar in T/Je Uh tcr Magaz in e in 1 830 ; but th eyare assign ed to th e late Jame s G illand.
”Th ey o r ig in a lly ap
pe ar ed in Tim Bdfilxt Commem ia l Chr on icle , betwe e n 1 804 and
1 8 1 2 , and we r e sign ed Z . X .
”On e o f th e be st o f th e se is Th e
G rave o f Russe ll —n ame ly, Thomas Russe l l, who was e xecuted
tor h igh tre aso n at Downpatr ick o n th e?l st Octobe r , 1 803 . Wh e n(‘
rillan d died in h is e ar ly m an h o o d, in 1 8 1 1 , many warm tr ibute s
pa id to th e am iable ch ar a cte r and br igh t promise o f th is
youn g po e t o f Tyro n e , wh o h ad sung so we ll o f tho se th at placed
the ir trust o f o ld
In G od a nd Our L ady an d Ro ry O’Moo re .
2 . We m ay add h e re , tha t an o th e r swe e t Ir ish ba llad , LoughIn e , h as be en attr ibute d to th e Re v. Ch ar le s Davis, P .P.
,Bal ti
m o r e . We h a ve h is auth o r ity, fo r de nyin g th is. He attribute s
th e l in es to a Co rkman n amed O’
Brien ; but on th is a lso we h ave
h e ard doubts thrown .
1 02 T1)?Ir ish Mcn t/zly.
ah why was h e n o t bur ied like a Chr istian man in th e A bbey o f
A ssaro c , be side th e win ding sh o re s o f Ern e Th e th ird n ame is
Fan ny Fo rre ste r , daughte r o f Mrs. Elle n Fo rre ste r . Both o f
th em livin g in England, h ave sh own de ep po e tic fe e lin g and
warm Irish h e ar ts. we sha ll be g lad of an oppo rtun ity o f in tro
ducing th em to our re ade rs.
6 . s e N ation o f Decembe r 2 1 , 1 889 , ended an in te re sting re
view o f th e Irish Fa iry Ta le s o f Mr . Edmund L e amy,M ,P . ,
by puttin g fo rward th is bo ast fo r Wa te rfo rd To Sexton th
o ra to r , to Dowling th e n o ve list, to Down ey, th e succe sso r o f Lo ve r ,IVate rfo rd h as added an o th e r so n in Mr . Le amy, wh o will in cre ase
th e sto re o f our lite ratur e . But R ichard Dowling is a n ative o f
o f Clo nm e l . Can “Wate rford claim h is kin sman,Edmund Down ey ,
a lias F . M . A lle n
7 . Th e futur e biograph e r o f A ubr ey de Ve re will find copious
a nd va luable m ate r ials in th e A utobiog raphy of Sir He n ry Taylo r
a nd in th e Life o f Sir William Rowan Ham ilton . A n o th e r Irish
man wh o figure s we ll in Sir He n ry Taylo r’
s page s is Rich ard
Fle ekn o e , bran ded in Dryde n’
s satire , ye t capable o f thus apo stro
ph isin g Sile n ce
Sacred sil en ce , th e n wh o a rt
Flo odg a te o f t he de e
pe st h e a r t .
Byron was n o t an Ir ishman , th ough h e sh owed an Ir ish spir it
i n on e o f h is two fin e spe e ch e s. Howe ve r , we may h e re se t it down
that h ardly anywh e r e can th e r e be foun d a juste r o r m o re discr i
m in atin g appr e ciation o f Lo rd Byro n’s gen ius an d its lim itatio n s
th an in Sir He n ry Taylo r’
s in tr oductio n to h is Philip van A r te
r o ldc -wh ich , by th e way, Th om as Davis. in on e of th o se le tte rs
first publ ish ed in th is Magaz in e , sa id was be tte r wo rth studying
th an any play sin ce Shake spe are .
9 . In th e th ird part o f “ A n o nym itie s Un ve iled , in our
Numbe r fo r last Novembe r , pag e 6 1 0. Mr . D . Cr illy, M .P.,ma de
e nquir ie s about”
William Pembroke Mulch in ock and Barth o lom ew
Dowlin g afte r th e ir remova l to th e Un ited States. Kind corres
pe n de n ts have give n us inform ation about bo th .
Th ere are go od reason s fo r ce lebrating our day o f baptism
Pigeon lzo le Pa rag raphs. 1 01}
u th e r th an our birthday. The m em o randum about William Mul
ch in o o k says o n ly th at h e was baptiz ed o n th e 5th o f Ma rch, 1 820
le ft T ra le e fo r A m e rica in 1 849 ; r e turn ed to Ir e la nd abo ut th e ye ar
1 8 55 a n d died in Septembe r , 1 864 .
1 0 . A n o th e r co rr espo n de n t state s th a t Barth o lom ew Dowlin g ,
auth o r o f Th e Br igade at Fo n te n oy,
”we n t fr om Lime rick to
Boulo gn e in 1 848 , an d was in Co rk in th e two fo llowin g ye ars, an d
fo r so m e ye ars afte rwards in L ive rpo o l . But h is la st ye a rs we r e
passe d in Ca lifo rn ia , an d h e died o n th e 20th o f No vembe r,1 863 ,
in St . Ma ry’
sHospita l , San Fra n cisco , a tte n de d by Ir ish Siste rs o f
Me rcy, o n e o f th em a n ative of L im e r ick,like h imse lf
,th e ve n e r
able lady , Miss lteddan , aun t o f th e late Mo th e r Fran cis Br idgman , o f K in sa le .
PIG EONIIOLE PARA G RA PHS.
l . Th e fo llowin g appe a l com e s from th e Co n ve n t o f Me rcy, .
Cla r em o r r is
Th e r e is some th in g in the suffe r in gs o f fe e bl e o ld ag e , an d in th e
th e h e lple ssn e ss o f l ittle ch i ldr e n ,wh ich appe a ls stro n g ly to th e
te n de r sympa th ie s o f compassio n a te and g e n tle h e a r ts , wh o wo uld
pro cur e—fo r th e fo rm e r
,a quie t r e st a t th e clo se o f th e ir wea ry ba ttle o f
life ; fo r th e la tte r , a fr e edom from ca r e a n d so rr ow, in wh ich to
e n joy th e ir br ie f pe r iod o f un co n scio usn e ss o f th e str uggle th a t is
be fo re th em . To th e se te n de r h e a r ts we n ow appe a l o n be h a lf o f
piti ful l ittle cr ea tur e s, with pin ch ed an d pa llirl face s, sh ive r i n g , h a lf
clo th ed limbs, ba r e fe e t, blue an d bliste r ed with co ld, com in g , m a ny o f
th em ,m ile s to sch o o l , wh e r e th ey m ay spe n d som e h o ur s}in a wa rm
ro o m,a nd r e ce ive each th e pie ce o f br e ad wh ich we strugg le h a rd t o
pro cur e fo r th em . W'
e appe a l to th em o n be h alf o f ag e d po o r , lyin g
un m o uldy straw,a few rags th e ir bla nke ts, a tub b e side th emf in
th e ir be ds to ca tch th e ra in wh ich dr ips th rough th e ro ttin g r o o f o f
tha tch , th e ir o n ly a lte rn ative th e wo rkh ouse , wh o se g la r in g wh ite
wa lls h ave , in too many casos, added blindn e ss to th e ir o th e r suffe rin g s .
To pr o vide som e m e an s fo r t l. e ir i e l ie t, we h ave a n an nua l Baz aa r ,
1 04'
.Th e Ir ish Mo n th ly.
but th e place is s o o ut- o t- th e -way, and th e pe 0p1 e fo r th e m o st par t so
po o r , th at we h ave to depe nd ma in ly fo r i ts succe ss o n h e lp from
o utside . A ll o ffe r in gs o f m o n ey, fa n cy wo rk , o r pr iz e s fo r th e Baz aar ,o r g ifts o f cast o ff clo th in g , will be m o st g r a te fully r e ce ived .
”
a a s
2 . Te n nyso n’
s la te st vo lum e co n ta in s th e se l in e s to th e sn owdr op
Th e same th em e wa s sun g by o n e wh o a t th e time was ve ry n e ar ly
se ve n ty ye a rs yo un g e r th an th e L aufe a te , un de r circumstan ce s
th a t will b e found r e co un ted m in ute ly a t pag e 650 o f th e e igh th
vo lum e o f th is Maga z in e , in th e fo ur te e n th ch apte r o f “ Flowe rs fo r
a Ch i ld’s G r ave .
”I am fo nd o f co n tra stin g th e diffe r e n t tr e a tme n t
o f th e sam e subj e ct in th e h an ds o f diffe r e n t pe r so n s— sueh as Th omas
Mo o r e , a n d He n ry Kirk e \Vh ite To my Mo th e r —and,th e r e fo r e
,
side by side with th e o cto g e n a r ian’s sn owdr op, I place th e sn ow
drop o f an Ir ish ch ild wh o h ad h a rdly be gun h e r te e ns wh en sh e
wr o te th e se lin e s
A swe e t l ittle th in g is th e sn owdrop in Spr in g
In its sn owy wh i te r obe dr e ssed
A pe a rly g em o n an em e ra ld stem ,
W ith a dewdrop o n its bre ast.
Oh . a brave we e th in g is th e sn owdr op in Spring ,
Fo r th e Win te r'
s sca rce ly go n e ,
it lifts its h e ad from its fro z e n bed
A nd says , Br igh t Spr in g ,com e on 3
A n d a we lcom e we e th in g is th e sn owdrop in Sprin g ,
Fo r it h e ralds th e summ e r sun .
A t th e h t at wa rm ray it m e lts away
A n d th e sn owdro p’
s ta sk is do n e .
i i
3 . Nve la te ly r e fe r r ed to Mr .
"
Wilfr id Blun t’s n ewe st vo lum e , wi th
i ts -br ill ia n t but lax th e o ry a nd pr actice o f son n e t-wr itin g . It se em s
v e ry de sirab le to g ive th e coun te r -view o f a we igh ty auth o ri ty in
The We ekly R eg i ste r , of No vembe r 23 , 1 889
Ma ny , m any we lcome s,
Fe bruary fa ir-m a id ,
Eve r as o f o ld time
So lita ry firstl in g ,
Com in g in th e co ld tim e,
Pro ph e t o f th e g ay t im e,
Proph e t o f th e May time ,
Pr oph e t o f th e r o se s.
Man y, m a ny we lcom e s,
Februa ry fa ir-ma id.
’
1 06 The Im h Mon th ly.
Tim o thyHarringto n ,?M.P Mr Harri n gto n is a bo rn o rgan iz e r .
He h as much o f th e ir on spir it o f th e Am e rican boss,’da sh ed with
th e kin dli n e ss of a go od-h um our ed Irishman . His fr am e , h a rdy,
firm -se t, is capable o f any amoun t o f physica l o r m e n tal e ffo r t.
Throughout h is who le life he has never once tasted stimulan t, and this
p erhaps accoun ts to some exten tfor h is sp lendid he alth .
”
6 . A s la te as thi s Jan ua ry, 1 890, se ve ral ye ars after h e r de ath , I
n oti ce in T7143 A rgosy an it em call ed simply So nn e t, by Julia
Kavan agh .
” A Cath o lic Ir ishwoman , livin g ch iefly abr oad, Mi ss
Kavan agh , as far as I em awar e , sh owed h e r Cath o lic fai th o n ly
indir ectly by th e purity and wh o le som e n e ss of h e r fictio ns, an d h e r
n atio n ality n o t at a ll . But thi s last r e lic of h e rs, th e o nly piece o f
ver se th at I h ave se en fr om h e r pe n , . ta rus out to be a pious pictur e o f
th e A nnunciation , an d fo r h e r th e Ble ssed Virgin is n o t m e r e ly a
h igh ly favour ed on e ,” but full o f grace
A lon g th e mo rn in g sky th e A n g el cam e ,
A n d thr ough th e window like a sun beam passed ,
Silen t and brigh t. A sta rtled look sh e cast
Upon h is lon g wh ite wings and brow of flame .
Hail, full of g race sa id h e . Th e blessed name ,
L ike long-expecte d music com e a t last ,
By earth was h e ard . But wh e n with virgin sh am e
Pure Mary sh rank ben e a th th e h eave ns vast ,A ll throug h th e sad, long
-sufier in g world th e re ran
A th rob o f fear an d awe lest th is poo r ma id
Th e g re at bo o n sh ould den y to sinful man .
Beh o ld th e h andma id of th e L o rd ! sh e sa id .
Th en gladn e ss like a be lt th e e ar th did span
Th e A nge l smil edand back to h e ave n fled.”
Th is is n o t as po e tical as Ro sse tti’s so n n e t o n th e sam e subj ect,
but it is m o r e r eve r en t and m o r e full o f fa ith . A fte r a ll , Can ova did
n o t gr e atly exagg e rate wh e n h e said Th e re is n o r e al sublim ityo utside th e Ch r istian Faith ; n o r eal be auty wi th out th e Madonna.
”
OH READING AUBREY DE VERE’S “ LEG ENDS OF
ST. PA TRICK .
”
I
RIN sto od we epin g by th e wild se ash o r e ,
We epin g be cause h e r ba rds we r e passed away,
Th e ir h a rps all sile n t. Th r ough lo ng ye a rs n o r ay
Of ligh t h ad pie rced th e cloud of g r ie f sh e wo r e
Wrapped as a garm e n t r ound h e r . To deplo r e
De ep ca use sh e h ad be side h e r van ish ed day
Of so n g and music ; ye t fo r o n e swe e t lay
Sh e ye arn ed th e wave s a lo n e r epli ed No mor e
L o o n e ar o se , we ll skill ed , an d to ok th a t pa r t
Fo r h e r de ar sak e . He r glo ry br ie f, h e r wo e s,But m e e t h e r spir itua l life h e sh ows
In swe e t de ep-flowing so n g . Dr awn by h is art,
A s gl ides h is vo ice up thr ough h e r van ish ed ye a rs,
Hope with so ft win gs wipe s fr om h e r eye s th e ir te ars.
I r e ad, and, as I r e ad, upo n my e ar
A r o se a swe ll o f music. Thr ough th e wh o le
Sounded a de ep ful l ch o rd wh ich dr ew my soul
Past e arth un to h e r G od. Thy j oy, thy fe ar ,Thy h ope fo r futur e ye a rs, 0 Ir e lan d ! h e r e
A r e sun g to th a t de ar h arp wh ich lay so lo n g
In sil e n ce . Th is thy so n his g ift of so n g
Has pour ed aroun d thy sh o r es. Oh e ve r de ar
Sh all b e h is n am e to th o se wh om th ou do st ca ll
In truth thy so ns and daugh te rs . L e ! a smile
Be ams fr om th in e eye s e’e n as th e te ar -dr ops fal l .
Joy in thy so rr ow th a t th o u h ast th e wh ile
A Po e t still , wh o se vo ice fr om out th e past
Calls fo rth thy trust in G od, and bids th e e h o ld it fast .
M. F . M .
1 08 The Ir ish Monthly.
NOTES ON NEW BOOKS.
l . Salvage from th e Wr e ck ,
” by th e R e v . Pete r G a llwey, SJ .
(London 2 Bur n s a nd Oate s), is a wo rk o f r em arkable o rigin ality an d
a ttractive n e ss, and at th e sam e tim e ful l o f edifica tio n a n d instructio n .
Pe rh aps th e title is n o t quite h appy, and ce r ta in ly it stands gr e a tly in
n e e d o f th e explan atio n furn ish ed by th e sub-title : A FewMemo r ie s
o f Fr ie ndsDepar ted, pre se rved in Fun e ral Discour se s. It iswe ll kn own
th at Fa th e r G a llwey is an Ir ishm an wh o se wo rk h as la in in En g land ,
a nd ch icfly in Lo ndo n , W . Wh e n anyo n e ve ry emin e n t in Ch r istia n
vir tue and in de vo tedn e ss to th e Ca th o lic Faith h as be e n ca ll ed to h is o r
h e r r ewa rd, h e h as be e n ve ry o fte n in vite d to po in t th e m ar o f
th e life th us brough t to a clo se . Lady G e o rg ian a Fulle rton , be fo r eh e r turn cam e to be h e rse lf spok e n o f in th is way, expr e ssed
e arn e st de sir e th at Fa th e r G allwey wo uld publish a se le ctio n o f th ese
ve ry un co n ve n tio n al an d ve ry un fre n chy orac’
som funébr ea. He h as at
last do n e so,ch ichy th r o ugh th e pe r suasio n o f Fa th e r He n ry Co le ridg e ,
S.I ., o f wh om h e says m o st justly, th at h e may we ll be put a lo ng side
th e late Fath e r Fab e r o f th e Ora to ry as pr e- em in e n t in th e divin e wo rk .
of prom o tin g th e A po stle sh ip o f G o od Bo ok s. Fa th e r G a llwey may
n o t be quite pl e a sed with us fo r th inkin g , th a t th e pag e s th a t h e h as
found it n e ce ssa ry to add in puttin g th e discourse s to g e th e r ar e th e
m ost in te r e stin g a nd va luable po r ti o n o f th e vo lum e , wh ich con tai n s
n o th in g m o r e edifying th an th e la st twe n ty pag e s o f th e in tr oductio n .
Will th e auth o r dr aw th e pr o pe r co n clusio n fr om th is un doubte d fact,
a nd mak e up h ism ind to do h imse lf wh a t h e urg e s e a rn e stly o n o th e rs
L e t h im se t down o n pape r an d put in to pr in t, by i n sta lm e n ts, a s many
pe rso n a l sk e tch e s as po ssible , such a s fo rm th e substan ce o f Sa lvag e
fr om th e Wr eck .
”A s som e r e ade rs will sh ar e our disappo intm e n t at
be in g cut down to in itia ls in th a t par t o f th e in troductio n to wh ich we
h ave just r e fe r r ed, we h aste n to sh ar e with th em a lso a di sco ve ry th at
we h a ve made . In a subse que n t par t o f th e wo rk we fin d th at
“ M . to wh om we owe th e exquisite ly devo tio n a l bo okle t, A n
Hour b e fo r e th e Ble ssed Sacram e n t,”wa s Miss Mary lun in gh am e ,
an d h e r fr ie nd was Blan ch e Lady Fitz g e rald, wh o died an Ir ish
Siste r o f Ch ar ity. Mr G ladsto n e h as just sa id in The Sp eake r I am
dispose d to thin k th a t ladie s ough t n o t to be n am ed in pr in t with out
th e ir previous co n se n t .” Th is do e s n o t apply in th e pr e se n t case . Th e
subjects of th ese ske tch e s and fun e ral wo rds a r e ch iefly Eng lish m en
1 1 0 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
sk e tch e s o f n e arly all th e po e ts r epr ese n ted. It is n o t lo n g since we
r e comm e n ded to our r e ade rs Mr Dan i e l Co n n o lly’s House h o ld
Library o f Ir ish Po e ts”
an d h e r e come to us fr om th e sam e N ew
Y o rk a n o th e r large tom e devo te d to th e sam e subj e ct . Th ey diffe r
wide ly, h owe ve r , in th e ir co n te n ts an d we sh all so o n tak e occasio n to
compa r e th e po in ts in which o n e h as th e advan tag e ove r th e o th e r .
Th e pre se n t wo rk is th e se co n d editio n , gr e a tly e n larg ed, of a co ll ec
t iOn edi te d by Joh n Boyle O’R e il ly. W e sh a ll r e turn to it aga in .
4 . A n o th e r ve ry larg e and h an dsom e vo lum e is Th e Sto ry o f th e
Ir ish in Bo sto n ,
”e di te d an d compiled by Mr Jam e s Be rn a rd Culle n ,
an d publish ed in luxurio us styl e by th e firm of wh ich Mr Cull e n is th e
h e ad . Eve ry in cide n t and eve ry pe r son lin k ing to g e th e r Bo sto n and
th e Ir ish r ace h as be en sough t out with e n thusiastic dilige nce an d
ske tch e s an d po r tra its a r e g ive n o f a ll th e distin guish e d Ir ishm e n an d
Ir ish wome n con n ected with Bo sto n . It is an in te r e stin g , an d, in m any
r e spe cts, an am a z in g bo ok . We in te nd,with a ll due ackn owl edgme n t
,
to dr aw o n its abun da n t sto r e s fo r bio gr aph ical par ticul ars about a
gr e at m any o f o ur Ir ish r ace .
5. To a ttempt a r eview o f Th e R e n ew o f R eviews would be to
car ry r e vi ewin g to o far ; but we fe e l boun d to o ffe r a we lcom e to No . 1 ,
bo th fo r its own sak e , and fo r th e promise it h o lds fo rth fo r th e futur e
o f th is m arve llous sixpe n cewo r th . On e item o f th e first numbe r , in
wh ich it h as th e advan tag e o ve r its succe sso r s, is th e r epr oduction in
fac aimile o f autog raph le tte rs of a gr e a t m any o f th e mo st distin guish ed
m e n o f th e day. Th e m o st talk e d-abo ut bo ok just a t pr ese n t is LadyG . Full e rto n
’
s first n ove l Ellen M'
ddleton th e m o st ta lk ed- about man
is Mr Stan l ey. Th is bo ok an d th is car e e r a r e co nde n sed by Mr Stead
with adm irable sk ill, so as to sa tisfy th e cur io sity o f m o st pe opl e ; an d
th e se a r e o n ly two o f th e ch i e f dish e s in a ve ry g e n e rous and var ious
menu. A ye a r ly vo lum e o f The Review of Reviews, we ll in dexed, willbe a tr e asur e -h ouse o f co n tempo ra ry li te ratur e and o f in fo rmatio n o f
a ll k inds .
6 . Miss Mary Cath e r in e Cr owley is rapidly acquiring a h igh r epu
ta ti on as a wr ite r o f sto ri e s fo r ch ildr en . In an in te r e sting sk e tch o i‘
h e r g ive n in a wo rk wh ich we h ave just comm e n de d to our r e ade rs,
Th e Ir ish in Bo sto n”— a sk e tch m ark ed by in itials wh ich we ar e
g lad to ide n tify as th o se o f Miss Kath e rin e Co nway, acco rdin g to our
usua l po licy o f unve ilin g an o nym itie s—we find th at Miss Crowl ey
’s
lite ra ry activity is ve ry gr e a t and ve ry var ious ; but th e depar tm en t
in wh ich sh e is m o st favourably kn own is th a t o f ch ildr e n’s sto r ies.
We we re able last ye ar to g ive a co rdia l wclcom e to h e r Me rry
Notes’
on N ew Books. 1 1 1
He a r ts an d True ; and n ow an o th e r to o brigh t-co ve r ed bo ok con ta in s
Ha ppy- G o -Lucky, and Oth e r Sto rie s (N ewYo rk : D . J. Sadl ie r
a nd A m on g th e Pr e ss n o tice s at th e e nd, we n o tice th is Maga
z in e q uo ted as sayin g o f th e pr e vious vo lum e Th e r e a r e just h a lfa do z e n sto r ies in th is h andsom e qua rto , with its b ig type , a nd cove r
o f r e d a n d go ld .
”Th is h o lds go od pr e cise ly o f Miss Cr owley
’s n ew
b o o k, al l except th e '
co lour o f th e bindin g o f th e part icula r copy th at
l ie s b e fo r e n a . Th e style is as b righ t as th e cove r , and th e in cide n ts
a s n um e ro us as th e pag e s . W e h ope th is go od bo o k wi ll m ak e its
way in to a g re a t many Ir ish libra ri e s .
7 . Mr T. J. Live sey h as tr an sla ted ve ry w e l l from th e G e rm an ,
Fl o we r s from th e Cath o lic Ki n de rgar te n , o r Sto ri e s o f th e Ch ildh o o d o f th e Sa in ts
”by Fath e r Hattl e r , SJ . (Lo n do n : Bur n s Oa te s) .
Som e th i rty ch apte rs o f h o ly a n e cdo te s , n o t o n ly about th e youn g
sain ts wh o n eve r grow o ld, but a lso about th e e a r ly days o f o ld sain ts
wh o o n ce we r e yo un g . Th e bo ok is br igh te n ed with m any pictur e s
but it n eeded n o such h e lp to a ttr act youth ful eye s and to m ove
youth ful h ea rts .
8 . Th e Ligh t o f R e aso n , by Sebastian Wyn e ll Mayow (Lo ndo nKe ga n , Paul , Tr en ch is a so lid and o rth odox tr e a tise o n th e
fun dam e n ta l truth s of th e existe n ce o f G od an d th e divin e r eve latio n .
In th is ag e , in England and in th e Un ited Sta te s, such disse r ta tion s
must be tran sla ted out o f th e lan guag e o f th e o logy. A n exam in atio n
o f such a tr e atise would be o ut o f place in our pag e s ; but we can
gua ran te e th e exce ll en t spirit in whi ch it is wr itte n , an d expr e ss our
be li ef th at it will be o f use in g iving peace to many a doubtin g soul .
9 . A very difie r en t bo ok com e s n ext o n our li st Miss Pe ggyO
’Dillo n , o r , th e Irish Cr itic, by Vio la Wa lda (Dublin : M . H. G ill
an d So n ) . It is a live ly a ttack o n th e we akn e sse s e spe cial ly o f th e
wr ite r’
s fe llow-coun trywom e n . We h ave n o t be e n ve ry much im
pra sad by Miss Walda’s r efle ctio n s,—such o f th em as we h ave r e ad
in our bo ok -tasting capacity.
i 0 . So ngs in a Min or K ey : 8. Sma ll Vo lum e of Ve rse . By
William C. Ha ll (Dublin : Sea ly, Brye rs 85Walk e r ) . Thi s is on e o f
th e m ost taste ful pieces of Dubl in typo graphy th at we h ave eve r se e n .
Th e r e is a ce rta in r efin emen t in th e po e t’s ch o ice of th eme s, an d e ve n
in h is diction but we cann o t fin d anyth ing to praise ve ry warmly in
th e po ems th emse lves.
1 1 . Th e Pacific Coast Cath o lic Alm an ac”(San Francisco Dispen
1 1 2 Th e Ir ish Mon th ly.
br o ok and Co .) is exce lle n t. Th e lite rarymatte r is va ried and in te r e st
in g and th e i llustratio n s r emarkably we ll don e , e special ly th e
po rtraits . In som e r e spe cts it r iva ls th e admirable Ca th o lic FamilyA n nual
”
(N ew Yo rk : Cath o lic Publ ica tio n Socie ty), wh ich is far th ebe st th in g o f th e k ind in th e En glish la n guage . Th e h andsom e and
valuabl e vo lum e br o ugh t o ut in Lo ndo n by th e Cath o l ic Tr uth Socie tyb e ars almo st th e sam e n am e , but it is a wo rk of a diffe r e n t kind . It ,
to o , is e xce l le n t in its way, and do e s gre at credi t to Mr Jam e s Br itte n
and all o th e rs co nce rn ed in it .
1 2 . W e ca n on ly ca ll atte n tion to th e pr evious co ll e ctio n o f Th e
Pr o se Wr itin gs o f Th omas Davis, edited , with an In troductio n , by T .
W . Ro l le sto n , wh ich forms a r e ce n t vo lum e o f th e wo nde rful Sh illin g( lam e lo t Se r ie s (Lo ndo n Walte r Sco tt) . Th is book must se ll by th e
th o usand . It is produced admirably. Th e mo st str ikin g th in g in th e
wh o l e co lle ctio n se ems to be th e v e ry fir st—th e A ddr e ss to th e Dublin
Histo r ica l So cie ty in 1 840 . Th is bo ok will in cr ease th e we lcome fo r
Th e Life an d Le tte rs o f Th om as Davis,
” bySir Charle s G avan Duffy,wh ich is n ow passing th rough th e pr e ss.
1 3 . Th e Cath olic Truth Socie ty h a s added to its lon g list o f
pub lication s th r e e mo r e of Fath e r G e rard’s th o r ough ly de ligh tf ul
pape r s o n Nation al Histo ry in co n n ectio n with Scien ce a nd Fai th . It
h as a lso issued pe nny se le ctio n s from th e famous Fio r e tt i o f St .
Fran cis. With th at be loved n am e we may link Th e Francisca n
Tr e asury,”(Dublin : Jam e s Dufiy and So n ) . It is a ve ry b e autiful
co ll e ction o f praye rs and de vo tio n s edited byFath erJar lath Pr e nde rgast,
O .S.P .
1 4 . Me ssrs. M . H. G ill and So n h ave issued a shilling edi tion o f
Th e Po e t’s Purgato ry, and o th e r Po ems
” by Fath e r H. I. D . Ryde r ,
o f th e Or ato ry. It is wor th a gr e a t m any o f th e vo lum e s o f R ecen t
Ve rse”cr iticised occasion a lly in The A them m and The A cademy.
1 5. A t th e last m ome n t we r e ce ive two impo r tan t A ddr e sse s o n th e
Ir ish Un ive rsityQue stion , by th e Mo st R eve re nd Dr . Walsh , A rch
b ish op o f Dublin , r epr in ted (and r emarkably we ll prin ted) in a
p imph l e t of a hundr ed page s. Me ssrs. M . H. G ill and So n a r e th e
publish e rs .
1 1 4 The Ir ish Month ly.
Sylvia dr opped th e ch ain , andwith a crow o f de ligh t toddled to th e
o th e r side of th e ve randah , wh e r e th e m o r n in g glo rie s twin ed th e ir
graceful stems round th e ba tte r ed po sts . Ra ising h e rse lf o n tip- to e ,
sh e tried to r each th e pr e tty blossoms . But th ey gr ew to o h igh ; and
as sh e str e tch ed above h e r h e ad, sh e lo st h e r ba lan ce , and ro lled ove r
o n th e flo or . Sh e utte r ed a loud cry, and big te ars h opped down h e r
ch e eks .
Po or little m ite , you h ave in de e d falle n low, cr ied h e r fath e r ,
rush in g fo rward an d ca tch in g h e r in his arms. But you must be
plucky, de ar , an d n o t cry so e asily. Se e , papa will g ive you th e
flowe rs. So dry your eye s, my pe t.”
He gath e r ed a few glo rie s, and placed th em in h e r h ands .
Papa dea , papa de a , oh , o o dea ,”whi spe r ed Sylvia softly ; and
n e stlin g up to h im , sh e kissed and patted h is face . He pressed h e rl ovingly to h is br e ast, a nd warmly r e turn ed h e r ca r e ss.
My litt le g ir l must be brave . It is n o t go od to cry so easily.
Th e ch ild smil ed th r ough h e r te ars.
Me do od n ow, wa'
y do od .
”
Th at is r igh t . A nd n ow my pe t r e allymust go to bed.
‘
A n n e !
A do o r ope n ed, a nd a n e at-lo oking young woman e n te r ed th e
ve randah .
Y e s, sir . Sh all I tak e Miss Sylvia?” sh e ask ed . It is past h e r
usual bed-time .
Y es, tak e h e r , pl e ase . Sh e is tir ed and sle epy. A nd wh en sh e
is in bed, A nn e , I sh ould lik e to speak to you. I h ave som e thing
impo r ta n t to ask you.
”
Ve ry we ll , sir . Com e,Miss Sylvia .
Th e ch ild spra n g in to h e r arms, laugh ing and crowing with de ligh t .
Nigh t, n igh t, papa , sh e cr ied, sh akin g h e r little h and . Nigh t ,
m
He r fath e r k issed h e r again . G o od ni gh t, dar lin g ; and go to
sle ep quickly, fo r I wan t nurse .
”
I’
ll be back ve ry so on,sir
,r epli ed A n n e . Sh e
’s n eve r long
about go in g to sle ep.
”
A s th e baby disappe ar ed, and th e la st sound o f h e r m e rry prattle
died away, th e youn g man sigh ed h e avily, and flun g hims e lf down
upon a ch air .
“ Po o r dar ling ! It will be h ard to part with h e r . Sh e grows
m o r e e n gag in g , m o r e winn in g , e ve ry day. It will be a sad tr ial to
se nd h e r away, But it must be don e—it must be do n e .
”
He sigh ed again . His h ead sank upon his br ea st, and h e be cam e
lost in th ough t .
G e o rge A th erston e was th e on ly so n o f an English baron e t, and
A Str iking Con trast. 1 15
h e i r t o a fin e o ld place , and a co n side rab le amoun t of prope r ty in Lan
a ah i r e . But, unfo rtun ate ly, th e A th e rston e s h ad be e n fast-living ,
e xtr a vaga n t pe ople , and wh e n G e o rg e’s fa th e r succe eded to th e title
a n d e state s, h e found th e latte r h e avily mo r tgaged, and yie lding an
i n com e upon whi ch it was impo ssible to live in a nyth ing lik e th e style
b efitt ing his ran k . Fo r h imse lf, h e was n o t . ambitious ; but h e was
a n xio us tha t h is son sh ould o n e day pay o ff a ll debts, and tak e hi s
pla ce am on gst th e we l l-to -do . By go in g in to trade h e b e lie ve d h e
m ig h t accomplish this, and wh e n G e o rg e le ft college h e to ld h im h is
plan s , an d implo r ed h im to e n te r a m e rch an t’s 0 6 09 . But th e yo un g
man would n o t liste n to h is praye rs . He wa s n o t anxio us to m ake
mo n e y. He co uld n o t be ar th e drudg e ry o f th e city. His taste s didn o t l ie tha t way. He loved a fr e e , r o vin g l ife , and long ed to se e th e
wo r ld . His fath e r was bitte r ly disappo in ted, a nd b egg ed h im to
o m side r th e m atte r we ll . But G e o rg e was firm . So , findin g h im be n t
o n fo llowin g his own will, Sir Eustace gave h im wh at mon ey h e could
spa r e , an d a llowed h im to go wh e re h e wo ul d. Th e sum was n o t
larg e , but with it th e young man was we ll ple ased, and ce r ta in o f
tur n i ng it to good accoun t in th e distan t land to wh ich h e was g o in g .
80 b e th anked h is fath e r wa rmly, sa idf
go o d bye to h is m o th e r a n d
fr ie n ds, and sa iled fo r A ustralia .
On bo ard sh ip h e m e t Sylvia Ke nyon , daugh te r of an A ustral ian
se tt l e r . Sh e was Just e igh te en , with pale go ld h a ir , a de licate com
plexio n , an d so ft, appea ling blue eyes . Sh e was an in te r e stin gcompa n ion , a sympath e tic frie nd ; and in a few days G e o rg e
A th e r sto n e grew to love h e r ve ry de arly. Sylvia so on r e turn ed hi s
afie ctio n with a ll th e ardour of h e r fre sh youn g n atur e ; and th ey
be cam e e ngag ed. Th e m arriag e was so lemn iz ed som e six we eks la te r
at Melbourn e , and th e h appy couple sta rted a t o nce fo r th e Bush .
Th e h om e to wh ich G e o rg e A th e rsto n e carried h is br ide was pr e ttye n oug h in its way, but lo n e ly, an d iso lated from o th e r h abitatio n s.
Th e h o use was o ld, and h ad be en patch e d and r epair ed o n a ll sides .
Th e ro of was cove r ed with sh e e ts of bark , h e ld down by la rg e wo ode n
g irde r s . A h ug e vin e spre ad its le afy bran ch e s ove r th e wa lls, te n de rly
co ve r in g th e ir n ak edn ess an d de fe cts. A wide v e ran dah r an a lo n g
th e wh o l e fro n t o f th e dwe lling , a nd was th ickly g rown with go rg e ous
cr e epe rs . Be low th is was a h owe r garde n , its beds br igh t with m any
dowe rs . A row of bro ad- le aved tropica l plan ts sur rounded th e l ittl e
e n clo sur e , wh e r e som e o f th e tr e e s h ad be e n fe lle d and stumped, whi lst
oth e rs had be e n spar ed fo r sh ade and e ffe ct . Th en , beyon d, a s fa r as
eye could se e , we re vast pra irie s, with h e rds of cattle g ra z ing qui e tly,
o r lying campe d unde r th e tr e e s, and a be autiful ch ain of blue -pcak ed.
m oun ta ins str e tching away in th e distan ce .
1 1 6 The I r ish Month ly.
With in th e h ouse th ere was but a sma ll supply of anyth in g lik e
luxury. Th e walls we re cove r ed with illustra tio n s from picto r ia l
paper s. Th e fur n itur e was scan ty, and of th e poo r e st de scr iptio n .
But wh en Sylvia hun g up th e wh ite m osquito curta in s, and'
spr e ad
about th e many dain ty objects sh e h ad br ough t with h e r from
En glan d ; wh en sh e filled h e r bowls with flowe rs, and th e co rn e rs o f
h e r r o oms with plan ts an d fe rn s, th e place impr o ve d rapidly, an d ve ry
so on assum ed a comfo rtable an d h ome ly aspect .
Th e fir st yea r o f th e ir married life passed quickly by. A n d 1 1 1
spite o f many pr ivatio n s, and e nfo rced iso latio n fr om th e ir frie nds ,
th e young pe ople we r e extr em e ly h appy. G e orge was h ard wo rk in g
a nd industr ious . Sylvia h ad plen ty of occupa tio n , del igh te d in h e r
h o use , and fe lt proud o f h e r big , kind husban d. Th e fr e e coun try life
suited th em bo th th ey car ed n o th in g fo r socie ty, and h ad littl e to
t r ouble o r an n oy th em .
But all to o so o n th e r e cam e a ch an ge . Sylvia gr ew de licate . Sh e
lo ng ed fo r a fema le fr ien d ; and a s G e o rg e was obliged to le ave h e r by
h e rse lf fo r h our s to ge th e r , whi l e h e lo o k ed afte r hi s sh e ep, o r rode
o ve r h is farm , sh e be came lo n e ly an d disco n te n te d .
Th e n young A th e rsto n e and a n e ighbour in g se le ctor quarr e lledabout a pie ce o f lan d th at th e la tte r wish ed to se iz e and m ake h is
own . G e o rg e was fur ious but as h e h ad n o m on ey to buy
th e fie ld, h e was obliged to l e t it go . Th is in cide n t cause d
much an n oyan ce an d irrita tio n , a nd pe ace se em ed ban ish ed from
th e h om e ste ad . Th e n baby Sylvia was bo rn an d fo r a tim e
A th e rsto n e fo rgo t a ll outs ide wo rr ie s in th e joy o f po ssessin g
h is little daugh te r . Th e h appy m o th e r was n o lo n ge r lon e ly;
an d so o n gr ew stro ng aga in . Th e quarr e lsom e se le ctor be cam e
frie ndly, an d offe r ed to g ive back th e land a t a mode ra te pr ice . Thi s
ple ased G e org e , and h e wro te h ome fo r m on ey. Th e m an pr omise d to
wa it and e ve ryth in g lo ok ed brig ht o n ce m o r e , wh en sudde n ly th e
youn g wife caugh t a feve r , and afte r a sh o r t illn e ss expir ed in h er
husband’s arms. G e o rg e was wild with g r ie f, an d fo r som e time co uld
n o t be ar to lo o k upon h is ch ild . But by de gr e e s hi s h e art warm ed to
th e littl e creatur e ; an d h e soo n cam e to lo ve h e r with te nde rn e ss and
de vo tion .
G e o rge A th e rsto n e h ad, as we kn ow, go n e to A ustralia much
aga in st h is fa ther’s will ; an d eve ry ma il brough t le tte rs implor ing
h im to r e turn . But th e young man was obstin a te . Th e life in th e
Bush suited h im be st. He was h appy, so was his wife . He would
n o t go back to Eng lan d. But afte r Sylvia’s death eve ryth ing was
ch an ged . Th e littl e h ouse fe lt lon e ly. His h om e was n ot wh at it h adbe e n ; and h e was str ongly tempted to leave it all , and set sail for
1 1 8 T he Ir ish .Mo nth ly.
A cco rdin gly, a le tte r was wr itten an d de spatch ed to Sir Eusta ce
A th e rsto n e , an n ouncing h is grand-daugh te r
’s spe edy arriva l .
But afte r th is th in gs wen t o n as be fo r e . G e orge put o ff th e ev il
h our , and linge r ed o n amon gst th e h ewe rs, h is little on e a t his kn e e .
The th ough t o f parting with h e r was an guish , and h e k ept it away
from h im as lon g as po ssible .
A t last h e h e ard of an explo r ing party go in g far in to th e coun tr y,
an d h e gr ew fe ve rish ly anxious to jo in it. Be fo r e h e could do ao ,
h oweve r , it was n ecessary to place h is ch ild in saf'k e eping . He could
n o t tak e h e r with him ,n o r co uld h e l eave h e r a lo n e in th e Bush . He
de cide d, th e r efo r e , to se nd h e r with out furth e r de lay to England .
But wh o was to tak e h e r He h ad so few friends. He kn ew o f n o
o n e go ing to Europe . Wh at was to be do n e He r e was a di lemma
th at h ad n o t o ccurr ed to him be fo r e . A nd as po o r little Sylvia fe ll in
tryin g to r e ach th e m o rni ng glo ri es, h e sudden ly r e aliz ed wh at a h e lpless atom sh e was.
If A nn e woul d go with h e r , all would be we ll ,” h e sa id
, as h e'
gaz ed out ove r th e th ick sh o rt couch grass, gre en with summ e r thunde r
sto rms. I h ave watch ed h e r we ll, as sh e sat th e re , h our aft e r h our ,
with my dar lin g in h e r lap, o r played with h e r r ound th e ve randah .
an d sh e h as a lways se em ed k ind, watch ful and trustworthy. My dea r
wife loved h er . Sylvia ado r e s h e r . I fe e l I migh t trust h e r ; if o n ly
sh e would go . But sh e may h ave fr ie nds th at will r e fuse to part with
h e r Sh e may
Y ou wish ed to spe ak to m e, sir . Baby is asle ep,
so I came at on ce .
G e o rg e lo ok ed up at th e speak sr , and grave ly n o ted e ve rypo in t o f
h e r fo rm and face . Th e sur vey pl e ased h im . Sh e was exactly wh a t
h e th ough t : str on g and we ll -built, n e ith e r to o o ld n o r to o yo un g .
Sh e h ad a fr e sh , wh o le som e compl exion , a kindly smile , and an afie c
tio n a te m o th e rly expr e ssio n . Sh e will do , I thi nk ; and, if sh e will
o n ly co n se n t to go , I may safe ly trust my dar lin g to h e r car e ,” flash ed
quick ly th rough h is m ind as h e bade th e woman sit dhwn .
A n n e,
” h e said ge n tly, you a r e ve ry fond of littl e Sylvia, I
be li eve
A n n e’s co lour de epen ed ; h e r eye s grew br igh t.
Fo nd o f h e r?I love h e r as if sh e was my own ,Mr . A th e rston e .
I loved h e r swe e t m o th e r , an d on h e r de ath -bed sh e gave h e r to m e,
sayin g : A n n e , you h ave be e n a fai th ful se rvan t, b e tr ue to mych ildn eve r le ave h e r—tak e car e of h e r and love h e r .
’ I vowed to do it,
an d do it I will as lo ng as I live .
”
G e o rge lo ok ed at h e r gr ate fully. Th ank you. Y ou ar e a go od
woman,and—and—your words, your man n e r , encourag e me to ask
you a favour .
A Bir th ing Contrast. 1 1 9
A favour ! Oh , sir , it is gran ted be fo re youask it. Th er e is
no th ing I would n o t do for you and Miss Sylvia .
”
Th en will you be r eady to unde rtak e a lo n g journ ey to pleaseWill you leave your fr i e nds in Austr alia and go to En gla nd by
th e n ext steam e r fr om Melbourn e
An n e startled and tur n ed pa le .
To England ! Oh , Mr . A th e rston e , th at is a lon g , lon g way ;
and wha t woul d my littl e pe t do with o ut m e
I do not m ean you to go alon e . Sylvia sh all go with you.
Sylvia go with m e ! Would you oh , sir , would you par t with
your ch ild?“ Y e s, A n n e , I must. But on ly fo r a time . My fa th e r is lon e ly,
and implor es m e to send h e r to h im . I am go in g away from h e r e
far up coun try—and I cann o t tak e Babywith m e . So I h ave r eso lved
to se n d h e r h om e . Will you go with h e r?If you do , your wage ssha l l be doubled . I will bind my fath e r to k e ep you with my ch ild
always. No m a tte r wh at turn s up, h e must n o t par t with you o r
dismiss you from h is se rvice . Will th ese co nditio n s suit you Will
you tak e ch arg e o f Baby Sylvia
A n n e turn ed h e r h e ad aside . Te ars gath e r ed in h e r eyes, and h e r
lips trembl ed with em o tio n .
My dear maste r ,”sh e stamm e r ed pr e sen tly, you are to o go od .
Ev en if I did n o t love th e ch ild as de arly as I do , I would fe e l bound
to accept your ge n e rous offe r , fo r‘
I h ave a sick mo th e r depende n t o n
m e fo r h e r en tir e suppo r t, and I am anxious to e arn all th e m on ey I
am .
”
Th e n you will tak e my ch ild to En gland?In de ed, I will . Wh e n an d h ow yo u ple ase . A n d be h ave m e ,
sir , my wh o le life and stre n gth will be de vo ted to h e r , n o t because o f
your g en ero sity, but because I love h er , th e tr e asur e co nfided to m e
by my dying m istr e ss .
”
G e o rg e grasped h e r h and, and sh o ok it warm ly.
Th a nk you, A n n e—th ank you. Y ou ar e , inde ed, a goo d an d
fa ith ful se rva n t .”
I trust I am , sir , sh e sa id e arn e stly. An d if e ve r I se em to
fa il in my duty to you o r your chi ld, it will n o t be my fault. I sh a l l
n e ve r do so o f my own fr e e will .
I b e lieve you. I h ave full co nfide n ce in you.
Th ank you, sir .
A n d An n e cour tseyed and withdrew.
The Ir ish Month ly.
CHAPTER II .
S Y L V I A ’S x s c o a r .
On a h o t summ e r day, about a we ek late r , G eo rge A th erston e
stro lled le isur e ly down Burke stre e t . He , Baby Sylvia , and A n n e th e
fai th ful nur se , h ad arrived in Me lbourn e th e eve n in g be fo re .
A th e rston e h ad n o t visited th e m e tropo lis o f Victo r ia sin ce th e
h appy day o f h is marr iage an d h e fe lt sad and lo n e ly as h e we nded
h is way th ro ugh th e busy str e e ts,and r ecognised th e var ious po in ts o f
in te r e st th a t h e h ad se e n fo r th e fir st tim e in company with h is
be loved Sylvia . He gaz ed at th e impo sin g pile s o f masonry, church e s,
institute s and war eh ouse s, an d wo n de red at th e groups o f humble
li ttle sh ops, de vo ted to th e sal e o f fruit, toys and sugar-
plums, tha t
in te rven e,an d ar e a ll t h at r emain o f th e e ar ly shan ty days o f
Me lbourn e . He admi r ed th e lo fty dom e of Me ssrs. G o ldsboro ug h
an d Co .
’s wo o l pa lace , and th e n th ough t joyfully th at ve ry so o n h e
should le ave a ll th is glar e an d magn ifice n ce , th is push an d bustle , to
r eturn to th e de ligh tful so li tude o f th e Bush .
A s h e turn ed down Co llin s str e e t o n h is way to h is h o te l, h e h e ard
a quick step clo se b eh in d, and som e on e ca lled h im by h is n ame . He
l o o k ed r ound in surpr ise ; fo r in a ll th is busy cr owd h e did n o t
e xpe ct to m e e t a sin gle acqua in ta n ce .
A n e lde rly m an with a ca r e -wo r n face , th in and sh runk en in fo rm
a nd figur e , appro ach ed him e ag e r ly, and h e ld out h is h and.
My de ar A th e r sto n e , I am glad to se e you. Y ou look r emarkably
Ne il Can it r e al ly be you
Y e s, I do n o t wo nde r at your n o t kn owing m e . I am much
ch ang ed , A th e rsto n e .
”
Ch an g ed I sh ould just th ink you we r e . Wh at h ave you be e nd o in g to yo urse lf
No th in g . But th e fate s h ave be en again st m e . Eve rythi n gh as gon e wro ng with m e . I h ave so ld my h ouse an d land, and am
g o in g back to Englan d .
”
Is tha t wise
I am n o t sur e th at it is. But my wife is e ag e r to go .
Your wife—is sh e in Me lbour n e
Y e s. Sh e and my two ch ildr en a re at a sma ll h o te l just out o f
Bourk e str e e t . \Ve sai l fo r England to -m o rrow.
”
“ My de ar Ne i l,”cr ied G e o rg e , I am glad . I was lon ging to
m e e t a friend go ing in th e Cimbr ia .
1 22 T he Ir ish Mo nth ly.
sam e ste am e r as my Sylvia . Your fa te is in h er hands . Sh e will plead
foryou with grandfa th e r . Kindn ess to h er will be a powe rful pass
po r t to h is favour .
Th e n my life will be a brigh te r on e th an I eve r h oped fo r fo r
th e re is n o th in g th at can be do n e fo r yo ur chi ld th at I sh all n o t do .
But h e r e we ar e at our h o te l . I h ope you do n’t object to stair s, fo r
we have to moun t a good many. I’ll lead th e way.
Th e sta ir -case was n arrow and ste ep ; an d th e ro om in to wh ich
th e two g en tleme n walk ed un an n ounced was sma ll and dark . Th e
blinds we r e drawn down to k e ep out th e sun , and so close was'
th e dayth at th e wh ite mo squito curtain s we r e undisturbed by th e bre e z e ,
a lthough all th e windows we r e wide Ope n . Trunks o f eve ry sh ape an d
siz e we r e rang ed ro un d th e walls and th e ch airs and so fas we r e
str ewn with garmen ts larg e and small . Th e r e was n o o n e visible . But
sudden ly, fr om beh ind a tall scr e en , th e r e ro se th e swe e t, fr e sh vo ice
o f a ch ild, singing a pr e tty lullaby
Oh , hush th e e , my baby,
Thy sire was a kn igh t ,
Thy mo th e r a lady,
Bo th ge n tle and brigh t .
Th e r e, th at
’s my Madge , wh ispe re d Mr . Ne il . Just pe ep
roun d, and se e h ow sh e is takin g ca r e o f h e r siste r .
”
G e o rg e did as desired, and was ch arm ed with th e pictur e th at h e
saw be fo r e h im .
On e a low se a t,h e r lon g , we l l
-sh aped legs, an d n ea tly sh od fe e t,
str e tch ed out be fo r e h e r o n th e flo o r , sa t Madg e . Sh e wo r e a white
co tto n fr o ck , with sh or t sle eve s and low n eck . He r br own h air , wh ich
was th ick and wavy, was to ssed back from h e r face wi th out comb o r
r ibbon to co nfin e it, and h un g lo o se ly .over h e r sh oulde rs. Ou h e r
kn e e , h e r eye s clo sed, but h e r l ips smi lin g , lay a be autiful child o f
about two ye ars o ld.
G o to sle ep, dar lin g ; my Do ra must go to sle ep, cr ied Madge ,
in te rruptin g h e r so ng to r em onstra te with little wide -awak e . Po o r
Sissy h as wo rk to do . Se you must go to sl e ep.
”
Th e baby laugh ed an d pulled h e r siste r’s h air . Madg e h ugg ed
h e r to h e r br e ast and cove r ed h e r with k isse s .
Y ou se e ,”sa id Mr . Ne il, Madge h as th e tempe r of an ange l .
No matte r h ow th at ch ild to rme n ts h e r , sh e is a lways kind. Sh e h as
a h eart o f go ld, an d a wise little h e ad of h e r own .
”
Be for e G e o rg e h ad time to an swe r , th e baby caugh t sigh t o f h e r
fa th e r , and struggling off h e r siste r’s kn e e , ran fo rward to me e t h im .
A Str iking Contrast. 1 23
Naughty Do ra , n o t to go to sle ep,” h e cried, to ssing h e r in th e
Madg e ough t to wh ip you.
”
Madge gave a gro an o f h o rro r , and sprang to h e r fe e t .
Oh , fath e r , wh a t an ide a'
! I wouldn’t to uch th e darling fo r th e
I sh ould th in k n o t,” h e an swe r ed gaily. I kn ow you love our
put to o de arly fo r tha t . But you must n o t spo il h e r .
”
Y ou are mo re lik e ly to do th at, fath e r ,”sa id Madge grave ly.
Per h aps so . But it would n o t be won de r ful if we all spo iled h e r .
Isn’t sh e a be auty, A th erstone
Sh e ce rta inly is, sa id G e o rg e wa rmly. I don’t th ink I eve r
saw such a pr e tty ch ild.
”
“ Wh a t No t eve n your own?No t even my own . Sylvia is fair and da in ty lo oking . But th is
ch ild is a be autiful little cr e atur e .
”
So sh e i s ,”cried th e de ligh ted fath e r , and we ar e sll ve ry proud
of h e r . A r en’t we , Madg e
I em quite sur e you ar e, said A th e rsto n e , and I h e ar you are
a first-rate little mo th e r in your way, Miss Madg e . Now my po o r
Ba by is go in g to Englan d in th e sam e ste ame r with you. Will yo ube go o d to h e r Sh e is a lon e ly ba irn , and will h ave n e ith e r fath e r
no r m o th e r to lo ok aft e r h e r .
”
Ma dg e ra ised h e r la rg e grey eyes to h is face , an d'
lo ok in g at h im
I will be kin d to h e r . Sh e sh all be an o th e r littl e siste r . But
ar e yo u n o t afr a id to sen d h e r away from you
Afraid Oh , n o . Th e r e is n o th in g to fe a r .
Now, Madg e , don’t make us n e rvo us,
”cr ied h e r fath e r . Th e
fact is; A th e rsto n e , with all h e r wisdom ,my little gir l is a bit of a
cowa rd . Sh e h ate s th e sea .
”
Madg e shi ve r ed sh’
gh tly.
I do n’t lik e lo ng journ eys,
”sh e sa id . An d I do n
’
t wan t to go
to En gland . I lik e A ustra lia be st .
So do I,”an swe r ed G e o rg e . But I suppo se your fath e r h as
go od r e ason s fo r go in g .
”
Th e ch ild cla sped h e r h a n ds tigh tly toge th e r ; and as Mr . Ne il
mov ed away to th e window with Do ra , sh e wh ispe r ed sadly
He th in ks h e’
ll g et wo rk to do . a nd e arn mo n ey th e r e . But
h e’ll n eve r g e t it, po o r fa th e r
—n eve r . He r e com e s my m o th e r . So,
hush , n o t a wo rd to alarm h e r .
” An d puttin g h e r fin g e r to h e r l ip,
sh e we n t after Do ra , to ok h e r in h e r arms, and carr ied h e r out o f th e
Wh at a stran g e ch ild,”th ough t G e o rge . Sh e
’s ce rtai n ly o ld
1 24,
The Ir ish Mon th ly.
b eyo nd h e r ye ars. A nd as h e r fath e r says, sh e m igh t safe ly b e
trusted to tak e ca r e o f h e r baby siste r . Sh e is kind and gen tle , a n d
se ems wo n de rful ly grave and seda te .
A th e rsto n e , h e r e i s my wife ,”saidNe il , in a low vo ice .
wi ll find h e r much ch an ged. But do n o t pr e te nd to n o tice it.”
G e o rge bowed h is h ead to sh ow th at h e un de rsto od, and we n t fo r
ward to m e e t Mr s. Ne il. He lo ok ed a t h e r smilin gly ; but as h e put
h is h and in h ers, h e could scarce ly co n ce al th e so rrow h e fe lt a t th e
t e rrible ch ange th at h ad tak e n place 1 1 1 h e r sin ce h e h ad last se e n h e r
f our ye ars be fo r e . Coul d th is wan , th in cre atur e be th e h n o buxom
woman , wh o h ad be e n th e life and soul o f th e company o n bo ard sh ip?Cduld th is n e rvous, sh r inkin g lady be th e dash in g , m e rry Mrs. Ne il ,wh o h ad ch ape ro n ed h is Sylvia, smo o th ed away a ll difi cul ti e s, an d
h aste n ed h is m arr iage
We h ave h ad many tr ouble s, Mr . A th e rsto n e,
sh e sa id, and h e r
vo ice tr embled as sh e spok e . I dar e say my h usband h as to ld you.
”
Y es. But th e r e is a go od time com in g , cried G e orge e age rly,
wh e n you re ach Engla n d
A h ! If we e ve r do .
My de ar lady,”G e o rg e laugh e d n e rvously, Pray do n o t sug
g e st such a th ing . No wo nde r th e ch ild is fr ighte n ed a t th e idea o f
th e lo ng Jo urn ey, h e th o ugh t .“ With such a m o th e r , go od h eavens ,
it is n o t extrao rdin a ry sh e sh ould be pr ema tur e ly o ld .
”
“ I sugge st n o th in g , sa id Mrs. Ne il slowly. I lo ng to b e 03
to l e ave th is h a te d coun try. I h ave kn own co n stan t grindin g so rrow
a nd anxie ty e ve r since my r e turn to i t,th e ye a r you we re marr ied.
But you, to o , h ave b e e n in trouble . I h e ar yo ur swe e t youn g wife is
de ad . Why was sh e tak e n , I wo n de r , wh ilst I, a use less, wo r th l ess
in va lid, h ave be e n l e ft as a bur th e n to my po o r un fo r tun ate h usband
Ka te cr ied Ne i l r epro ach fully, My da r ling , do n o t ta lk so .
\Veak and de lica te as you a r e, yo u h ave be e n my comfo r t .
”
No,n o
,Joh n ; yo u would h ave be e n far be tte r with out m e . I
h a ve but incr e a sed your trouble s.
”
Kate , Ka te , I kn ow n o t wh a t to say to you. A nd, wringin g h is
h a nds , th e po o r h usband turn ed away.
Y ou h ave a ch ild, Mr . A th e rsto n e ,”
sh e r emark ed pr e se n tly.
An d sh e is com ing with us to En gla nd. Y ou lo ok surpr ised . But
I was in th e adj o in ing r o om th e fo lding do ors a r e sligh tly ope n , and
I h eard a ll you sa id to Madg e . Whyar e you se nding h e r h ome
To comfo rt my fa th e r , wh o is lo n e ly.
”
Quite r igh t . He h as grown r ich , I h e ar . Sh e will be his h e ir e ss.
I n eve r th ough t o f th at ,”sa id G e o rg e smi lin g . But I suppose
1 , h is son , will com e first . Sylvia wil l sure ly come afte r m e .
1 26 The Ir ish Month ly.
Madge an d Dora we r e walk in g up and down th e promen ade deck ,
watch ing with much in te re st all tha t was go in g ou. Wh en Madg e
saw A th e rsto n e and hi s ch ild, sh e smiled , an d takin g h e r siste r’s h an d
wen t to m e e t h im .
Do ra ,”sh e said, h e r e is a fr ie nd fo r you, a de ar little gir l to
play wit
Sh e to ok Sylvia fr om h er fath e r , kissed h e r te nde rly, and put h e r
down be side Do ra .
Th e two ch ildr e n stare d ‘
at e ach o th e r fo r a m om e n t, th en Sylvia
r an fo rward, put h e r r o sy l ips to Do ra’s, and str ok ed h er curlin g
h air .
Oh , you de a , sh e cr ied. Y ou pitty de a
Sylvia h as an eye fo r b e auty,”said G e o rg e smiling . I think
th ey will be fr ie nds .
”
Y e s, I em sur e th ey will, said Madg e . Sylvia lo oks a swe e t
l ittle cr e atur e , a nd Dora , th o ugh ra th e r passi on ate , is a lo vin g , afiec
tion ate chi ld.
”
“ I em sur e sh e is, and you a r e kindn e ss itse lf. A n n e , h e said.
turn in g to th e n ur se , wh o sto od b eh ind h im,arm ed with packages
an d wraps. Th is isMiss Madg e Ne il . He r fath e r is a n o ld fr iend
o f m in e ; and I wish Baby to be with h e r and h e r siste r as much as
po ssible .
Ve ry we l l, sir , r eplied A n n e , wh o se eye s we r e r ed with much
we epin g . It will be pl e asan t fo r me to h ave fr ie nds o f yours on
bo ard .
”
A n d it will be n ice fo r m e to h ave yo u, sa id Madg e with a frank
Mo th e r is an inva lid, and will be almo st a lways in h e r
Th at is sad fo r you. But I trust sh e will so o n grow stro ng e r ,
sa id G e o rge k indly. I h ope n urse and Baby may h ave a cabin n ear
your s.
”
Th ey a r e n ext to us, sh e r eplied . Will yo u le ave Sylvia withm e
,an d tak e A n n e down to se e wh e r e sh e is Sh e h ad be tte r g e t th e
be r th s r e ady a nd a rr a nge a ll h e r parce ls be fo r e we star t.”
Wise little wom a n, your advice is exce lle n t . But I th ink I
’ll
tak e my dar lin g with m e . Our mom en ts toge th e r ar e pr e cio us n ow.
Com e , A nn e .
Th e n liftin g Baby Sylvia , h e hugg ed h e r to h is br e ast, and carr ied
h e r down sta irs.
An d n ow, A n n e ,”h e sa id, wh e n h e h ad made all possible
a rr ang eme n ts fo r h is ch ild’s comfo r t, tak e car e o f my dar lin g.
Wa tch h e r n igh t an d day, and se e th at sh e wan ts fo r n o thi n g .
”
Trust me , sir ,”answe r ed A n n e with em o tion . I will do my
A Str iking Con tract 1 27
duty . Yo ur ch ild will be m o r e pr e cious to m e th an my own li fe . I'
ll
wa tch o v e r h e r we l l.
I b e l i eve you wil l . A n d n ow,I think , you h ave all you r equir e
Y e s , sir . Eve ryth in g .
V e ry we ll . A nd h e r e is a le tte r fo r my fa th e r , with h is addr ess
in ful l , l est by any ch an ce h e sh ould be pr eve n te d m e e tin g you. I
h av e t e l eg raph ed and wr itte n , but in case of accide n t it is we ll to h ave
th i s wi th you. A nd h e r e ,”takin g a lock e t and ch ain from h is n eck ,
is a po r tra it o f my de ar wife . Se e , I will put it o n Sylvia . Sh ow it
to my fa th e r , th a t h e may kn ow wh at my darling was lik e . But l e t
th e ch ild we ar it always.
”
Y e s, sir . An d I’ll te ach h e r to love h e r mo th e r
’s m emo ry.
Do . A nd may G od ble ss you.
”
A h e ll was h ea rd above . Mr . Ne il rush ed to th e cabin do o r .
A th e rsto n e , you h ave bar e ly time to g e t away. We are just 03 .
Co m e al o ng .
”
G od bless and pro te ct yo u, my pe t, cried G e o rg e in bro ke n
acce n ts. G o od-bye , my dear little Sylvia , my swe e t ch ild . Talk to
h e r o f m e , A nn e . Do n o t le t h e r fo rge t m e .
”
He pr essed th e little o n e to h is h e art o nce m o r e , k issed h e r ove r
and o ve r again . Th e n rush in g upstairs sa id a h asty go od-bye to Mr .
Ne i l an d Madge , and hurri ed o n sh o r e .
Th e ga n g-way was with drawn , th e an ch o r raise d
, th e rope s
pul l ed in , and th e go od sh ip Cimbr z'
a ste am ed o ut o f th e h arbour .
Th e n ext few days we r e passed in th e usual fash io n o n bo ard sh ip .
Th e wind was h igh ; th e ste ame r pitch ed an d r o lled, and almo st a ll
th e passe nge rs we r e laid low. Th e decks we re fo rsak e n ; th e di n in gm om but littl e fr eque n ted. A fte r a tim e , th ings lo ok ed br igh te r .
Th e wind we n t down ; th e sun sh on e ple asan tly an d th e h andsome
sa loo ns, a nd comfo r tabl e se a ts o n de ck we r e filled with a gay company,
a nxious to e n joy life , and mak e th e ir days o n bo ard th e Cz'
mbr c’
a pass
as quick ly as possible .
On e o f th e fir st to com e fo r th fr om th e se clusio n o f h e r cabin was
Madg e N e il . Sh e h ad suffe r e d much , and lo n g e d fo r a br e a th o f
fresh a ir . In th e passage sh e m e t h e r fa th e r .
W'
e ll , my‘
de a r . I am g lad to se e yo u,”h e cri e d
, kissin g h e r
tende r ly. Th ese h ave be e n m ise rable days . How is yo ur mo th e r
A nd my swe e t Do ra , h ow do e s sh e se em
Mo th e r and Do ra a r e bo th m uch be tte r, papa . Th ey a r e asle ep.
Will yo u tak e m e fo r a wa lk
Ce rta in ly, de ar . Come alon g .
He dr ew h is daugh te r’s arm wi th in h is own ; an l th ey wen t up o n
deck toge th e r .
1 28 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
A bout an h our late r , A n n e , lo ok ing as whi te as a gh ost, came up
th e sta irs carryin g Sylvia o n o n e arm, a nd Do ra on th e o th e r .
Madge flew to h er side in an in stan t.
How go od o f you to th ink of Do ra, A n n e . I th ough t sh e was
asl e ep.
”
Chi ldr en don’t sle ep fo r eve r any mo re th an big pe opl e , Mi ss
Madg e ,”
sh e an swe r ed pe ttishly.
Oh , I’m so so rry,
” began Madge .
Y ou n e ed n o t be . It was n o tro uble to bring h e r up, po o r lamb .
Pe rhaps th e se a-br e e z e s may do h e r and Miss Sylvia go od . Th ey’ve
brough t a fin e co lour to your ch e eks .
”
Y e s, h ave’n t th ey cried Madg e , kissm g h e r baby siste r .
I do n’t th ink I e ve r fe lt so we ll l n my life . 1 po sitive ly love th e se a
to -day.
”
We ll .we ll, I can’t say as I do ,
”r epli ed A n n e do le fully.
oh , de ar , Eng land’s a te rrible way ofi.
”
Oi course it is . Why, we h ave we e ks and we eks be fo r e n a ye t .
De ar , de ar ! How sh all we eve r ge t th rough it all I wish I’
d
n eve r le ft A ustralia .
”
Madg e laugh ed m e rr ily, and be gan to dance th e little girls about
o n h er kn e e . Po o r A nn e , but you’ll so o n ch an ge , I um sur e .
lo ok a t m e ! Wh e n I started, Iwas in such bad spirits . I h a ted go ing
to England. I was afraid o f th e se a . I fe lt th at som e th in g dr e adful
would h appe n to us if we le ft our h ome to wande r a im lessly ove r
Europe . I h ad a pe rfe ct h o rro r o f comin g o n bo ard. But n ow”
Y ou se em gre atly ch anged , ce rta in ly. Y ou lo ok br igh t and
me rry. Just as if you h ad h e ard some ve ry go od n ews.
”
Madge h id h e r face fo r a mom e n t ; th e n un cover ed it with a cry o f
He r e I am to th e babies .
”
Th ey laugh ed and crowed, and ca lle d Da in , da in .
Th e ir o rde rs we re obeyed ; and a live ly game e nsued . Th e n th e
littl e on e s g rew tir ed and r o lled o ff h e r kn e e , on to th e deck , wh e r e
th ey sa t bl issfully con te n t, munch in g a couple of h ard biscuits .
Wh at a pre tty pictur e th ey mak e,
”said Madge .
” “ I n eve r
saw such a pa ir of dar lings. Bo th so lo ve ly and ye t such a con trast ;
I h ope th ey may always be fri e nds.
”
Th a t’s n o t lik e ly,
”r eplied A n n e , sh aking h e r h e ad wise ly.
Your m o th e r says th e ir live s will be as gr eat a co n trast as th e ir
lo oks . Miss Sylvia is go ing to a splendid h ome . Sh e will be a g re at
h e ir e ss.
Wh ilst my poo r Dora’s fam ily is cer ta in ly n ot rich ; and sh e will
n eve r h ave any for tun e , but h e r own bon n ie face .
”
A nd a righ t h andsome on e th at wil l be . But I would n o t despa ir ,
1 30 Th e Ir ish Month ly.
0
I kn ow n o thin g o f h er h isto ry, said An n e , re le asin g th e
strugglin g Sylvia from h e r arms . Wh en I kn ew h e r sh e was ve ry
h appy, but h ad a sad expr essio n , po o r de ar . Sh e was an o rph an ,I
fan cy, fr om wha t I h ave h e ard . So , un le ss o n h e r fa th e r’s side ,
Sylvia h as but few r e lation s . No n e , in de ed, th at I eve r h e ard o f
I’m afr aid we h ave n
’t any e ith e r ,
”sa id Madge sigh in g . If
a nyth in g we r e to h appen to papa and mamma , Do ra and I would be
utte r ly fr iendl ess and forlo rn .
”
Why, Madge , h ow so lemn you lo ok ,”cr ied h e r fath e r , comin g
up at th at m om en t . I left yo u smil in g and br igh t. I fin d you
Laugh in g and me rry, papa dear ,”sh e exclaim ed . Eve ryth in g
lo oks pr om ising fo r na n ow ; ao , o f course , I em gay. A nd se e , a re n’
t
th o se ch ildr e n we ll?Th ey ar e as r o sy as possib le .
Th ey ar e , de ar ,” h e an swe r ed, sm il in g . A nd e ven A n n e lo oks
fr e sh e r th an wh e n sh e came o n board. Your m o th e r, to o , h as
improved mar ve llously. We sh all h ave h e r quite str o n g be fo r e we
r e ach En glan d.
”
Quite cried Madg e joyfully. A se a journ ey is a wonde r ful
cur e fo r fain t h e ar ts and tir ed bodie s. But, papa , take A n n e round
an d sh ow h e r al l th e be auties o f th e sh ip.
”
Ve ry we ll . Com e a lo ng , A n n e .
”
But Baby Sylvia ,”cr ied A n n e . I can
’t carry h e r abo ut . I am
to o un ste ady on my fe e t, and I do n’t like to le ave h e r .
”
I’
ll tak e ca r e o f th e pe t,”said Madge . Se e , we th r e e sh a ll h ave
fin e gam e s tog e th e r . Pe ep—o—Sylvia ! Pe ep
— o—Do ra ! Run o ff
and practise your se a- le gs , A n n e .
80 A n n e wen t away to explo r e th e sh ip, and Madg e m oun ted
guard ove r th e babies.
(To be con tinued. )
A SHAMR OCK.
(FOR A Fa rarm’
s A LBUM .)
THERE ar e th ough ts swe e t pe rfum e br ea th in g ,Brigh t and sag e and full of be auty,
Culled fr om past and pr ese n t ag e s,
O’er thy album ’
s pag e s str ewn .
From th e rich domain s of fan cy
Lovin g h ands with ca r e h ave gath e r ed
Eve ry bud o f swe e te st m e a n in gTh ey we r e plan ted a ll to o so on .
Else I migh t fin d some stray blossom
With fr esh dew o f th ough t upo n i t ;
Y e t I fa in with thy fa ir ga rland
Would o n e tiny fie ld-fiowe r twin e
On e gre e n spray o f n ative sh amrock ,
Fragran t with h isto r ic mem’r ies,
Ou e ach l e af in le tt e rs go lde n
Fa in I’d wr ite a gift divin e .
Faith , firm Faith , br igh t , stro n g , e ndur ingFaith , th at life
’s fie rce sto rms and passion s
Sha l l pass by, and le ave un clo uded ;
Be th is blessin g th in e fo r aye .
Hope , th a t glimmer e th th r ough darkn e ss,Ch arms th e pr e sen t, gilds th e future ,
With warm rays o f He ave n'
s glo ry,
Imagin g ete rn al day.
Lo ve , G od’
s crown of bliss, outsh in ing
A ll th e joys e’e r kn own o r dr eam ed o f,
Pe rfect as thy fair e st vision ,
Be th is tr e asur e thin e , to ke ep.
In thy inmost h eart close fo lded ,
May it eve r walk be side th e e ,
Safe wi th out r egr e ts or sh adows,
Fears to frigh t, o r tears to we ep.
In th e pages ye t ungarn ish e d
W’
ilt th ou g ive my sh amr ock we lcome
On ly fo r th e fe rven t wish e sFo ndly wre a th ed r ound th e stem
Tribute to thy grace and beauty,
A nd th e m e llow ligh t of kin dn ess
Th at illum e s thy gen tle spir it,
A nd thy h eart, thy pur e st gem .
HELENA
81. Patr ick’s Ere
,1 887 .
The Ir ish Jl o n fh ly.
IN A QUIET STREET.
AVING arrived at th e time of life wh en on e’
s own in di
vidual comfo rt appe ar s to be th e chie f atta in able go od,
be in g by n atur e bilious and som ewh at, irritable , and by pro fe ssion
scien tific an d literary, I have made up my m ind that quiet, th em o st abso lute that can be pro cured with in e asy re ach o f e ve ry
wh e r e , is th e on e th ing n e edful for m e . It was afte r due de libe ra
tion ,th e re fore , th at I de cided o n giving up my comfo rtable but
n o isy quarte rs in Pall Mall , and accepting th e o ffe r o f a fr ie nd o f
m in e , who assur ed m e that his quie t little h ouse in th e quiete st of
quie t stre e ts was abso lute ly mad e for m e .
This desirable r e siden ce h as bee n let to m e (furn ish ed) fo r six
m o nths o n appr oval, th at I may e n sure its sui ting m e befor e
fin al ly agr ee in g to take it o ff my fr iend’
s h ands. (N .B .- Though
I em a man of scien ce , I kn ow how to ke ep my eye s ope n . )Th e re is a little library at th e back— th e very th ing fo r a
lite rary m an— with cupboards an d bo ok-case s, and a be autiful
place for my be loved wr iting- table in th e window. It h as ,
h oweve r , o n e dr awback , which , to a pe rso n o f my age , tempe ra
m en t, and requirem en ts, is somewh at se rious : th e r e is n o ligh t .
My n e ighbour on th e le ft, wh o is of an artistic turn of mind, h as
built a large studio at the back o f his h ouse , wh ich e ffect uallyshuts out fr om th e back o f m ine any gleam o f sun sh in e th at doe s
man age to filte r through th e grime an d fog of a Lo ndon win te r .
We ll, th er e is n o th in g for it but to m ove my wr iting
-table to th e
di n in g-ro om be ing , thank h e ave n a bach e lo r , I have only my
o wn con ve n ience to con sult,and th e stre et is so quie t I am n o t
l ike ly to be disturbed. It is qui e t ; th e distan t r oar an d rattle o f
th e oute r world sound fain tly in o n e’
s ears, like far away waves,
a nd make o n e r e lish all th e m o re o n e’s own pe ace an d se cur ity.
Hal lo wh at’
s that A stre e t-sin ge r , by all that’
s h o rr ible !
Two str e et- singe rs, men , e n to n ing a patr io tic, o r rath e r incendiaryd itty, e ach to th e tun e th ey love be st , and with a n oble disregard
o f time of any kind. Th ey are both extreme ly h o arse , but, with a
laudable de sir e to aton e fo r th is, ye ll with all th e ir m ight, th e
v o ice o f o n e o f th em giving way with a pe cul iar quave ring crack
a t all attempted h igh n ote s. Th e re is a ch orus to o , som e thing
1 34 The Ir ish Mo n th ly.
Jackson bows grave lyI desir ed them , sir , to le ave this n e ighbourhood, and th ey
m ade answer that this were a fr e e oouatry, sir-that were what
they said.
”
Th e re’
s the oborus again , th is time the singe r with th e cracked
vo ice two go od bars ah ead, and seve ral semi-ton es above h is com
pan ion . I explode“ Te ll th em to be 0 11 th is ve ry in stan t, or I
’ll give th em 1 11
e harge as public nuisances.
Jackson retire s somewh at pre cipitate ly, and ste rn ly lo oking out
o ver th e blind I have th e satisfaction o f se e ing my pe rse cuto rs
slowly shuifle off with many a lowe ring glan ce in my dire cti on .
I bre ath e fre e ly o nce m or e and re turn to th e kn o tty po in t
which I was revo lving in my brain wh en first ann oyed by th is
in te rruptio n . Con found it all ! th ey’re at it again ,
in th e ve ry
n ext str e e t, th e wo rds indistinguishable , it is true , but th e tun e , or
tun es, distinctly audi ble , and th e ch o rus r ecurring with m adden ing
pe rsisten cy. Oh ! for th e ro ar and racke t of a th ousand cabs and
carriages to drown th e ir abomin able voice s ! Oh ! to be for on e
brie f de lir ious momen t a special Co nstable with a go od stout
tnm ch eo n , and to come face to face with those fe llows in an unruly
m ob ! Wouldn’t I pay th em out, th at
’s all I
’
d make the ir h eads
ache fo r th em ,I kn ow, as th ey h ave made min e do tod ay.
Som ewh at sooth ed by th e se r eflections, I lay down my pen and
se ek oblivion in a cigare tte an d th e m orn ing pape rs. I come upon
som e rath e r alarmin g statistics wh ich fo r a m omen t excite a languid
in te rest : on ly so many th ousan d po l ice in London to so many
hundr eds o f thousands of th ie ve s, vagabo n ds, roug hs o f al l den omi
n ation s . G racious me ! hundr eds of th ousands of rascals like th ose
outs ide th ere—high time som e th ing was don e .
Th ey are gon e at last ; n ow to wo rk again . A h me !
th e re is n o pe ace for th e wicked . Be fore an h our has passed, th ere
is an o th e r o f th em ; a woman th is time , with a wre tch ed ch ild in
h e r arms wh ose fe eble wai l m ingle s with h er singing . Singing do
I say Th e r e is 'n o distinguish able tun e , and n o in te lligible
words, but a sort of low exh austed be llow—yes, that is th e on ly
te rm for it—like a fog-h orn h e ard a long way off, or like an an imal
in pain .
I appro ach the window in wrath , in tending to dispatch h e r
myse lf ; sh e looks up eage rly. Her rags flutter in th e cutting
In a Quie t Str ee t. 1 35
N o vembe r blast ; h e r face , and that of th e child, are pin ch ed a nd
blue with co ld, and with a slow m on oton ous making to an d fr o ,
a nd an appe aling glan ce at my face , sh e con tinue s to em it tho se
un utte rably do le ful sounds. Ipause for a m ome nt with a shudder
tha t thin g out th ere is a woma n , a woman as truly as is th e Que eno n h e r thron e , o r as was my blessed young mothe r wh o died
'
so
lo ng ag o , and wh ose memo ry to me is so sacred ! Still gating at
th e wr e tch ed face , out of which th e m omen tary h ope is begin ningto fade , stran ge th oughts come to me . There is a picture o f
mate rn ity, I say to myse lf, ther e is a moth er with h er child, to
som e pe ople th e beau ideal of al l that is beautiful , and charmin gan d (I had almost said) divin e . What has h e r mo th erh ood be e nto this cre ature A n addition al burde n , a hard, unwish ed-for ,
un l ove ly care . What will be th e fate o f h e r wretch ed o ffsprin gTo struggle onward, through pain , and dirt, and sin , and shomi
n a tio n of e ve ry kind, till it become s a repe titio n o f its m o th e r .
Woman’
s weakn ess, I say to myse lf agai n , a little sardon ically,
wh at capital is made out of woman’
s weakn ess in our wo rld, bo th
by th e de er creature s th emse lve s, and th e ch ivalrous o f our sex !
They must have th e best of eve rything , and take preceden ce eve ry
where , and be con tradicted in n oth ing—because of th e ir woman ’
s
weakn e ss. A ve ry difie ren t sto ry h e re , I trow. This woman ,
be ing a woman , is th e refo re th e e asie r to hustle , and bully, an d
in sul t—if a thing so degraded is con scious o f in sult. Sh e take s
prece de nce of n o on e , except th e po licem an wh en h e de sire s h e r to
mo ve on ; and stay—that is a ve ry ugly bruise upo n h e r ch e ek ,
the h an diwork of som e cowardly. brute of a husband, I fancy.
Evide n tly woman’
s we akn ess is at a discount in h e r class ,o i life .
We ll, th ese are ve ry fin e se n time n ts, and I em co n scious that th ey
do me h on our , but th ey are rath er embarrassing all th e same . A fte r
th is I can n o t ve ry we ll th re ate n h er with the po lice , which was my
o r ig in a l in te ntion ; and n e ith e r can I stand h e r be llowing unde r
mywin dows constan tly as sh e ce rtain lywill do if I give h er alms
what is to be don e A fte r some reflectio n I ring again .
Jackso n , th ere’s th e re
’s an oth er stree t-sin ge r
Jackso n looks at me with a que stion ing glan ce , th en out of th e
window at th e woman , th e n at m e again .
I wan t to ge t rid o f h er ,’I re sume fain tly, and I th ink th e
be st way would be to g ive h e r h alf-a-crown on condition that sh e
promise s n e ve r to sing in th is stre et again .
”
1 36 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
This is weakn e ss enge nde red by my reflecti on s of a little wh ile
Jackso n r etire s slowly, cre aking th e doo r as h e closes it in a
mo st irritating fash ion . Sudde n ly, just as. I begin to breath e
fr e e ly, h e ope n s it again .
Did I understand you to say’m;f-a -cr own , sir
Y e s, sharply, h alf-a -crown , an d be quick about it.
Th e doo r close s, th is time mo re promptly, and I fe e l th at I
h ave fall en for eve r in Jackson ’s estimation . He n e ve r had any
opin io n of my tailor , I kn ow, n o r o f my win e-merchan t, but fo r
myse lf pe rson ally h e had a ce rtain regard ; n ow I em convince d
th at h e con side rs m e a foo l .
We ll , so I em . Oi course , th e woman turns up in about a
we ek , and the infliction is a te rrible on e . Sh e lie s in wait for m e
wh e n I go out, and follows m e half-way down th e stre e t, begging ,
be side s makin g th e air hideous with h e r vo ice at a ll tim es an d
season 3 . I h ave thr eate n ed th e po lice se ve ra l tim es an d sh all be
obliged to ca ll th em to my assistance , I se e , be fo re I can ge t r id bf
h e r ; an d yet I hardly like . Po oh , n on se nse I
A s to th e ban ds and barre l- organ s, and Italian gir ls with
accordian s an d tambour in e s, th is would appe ar to be a favour ite
r e so rt of th e ir s. I dare say th e r e we r e just as many in'
Pa ll Ma ll ,
but someh ow th e din and clatte r th e re was so un ive rsal I did n o t
n otice th em .
Be side s, th is’e re stre e t is so quie t th ey like s it, sir , obse rve s .
Jackson , to wh om I make th is remark . Th ey th inks th ey can
be’e ard better and th at it ain
’t so fatiguin
’on th e vo ice .
”
Th e deuce th ey do
Y e s, sir , it’
s th e quie tn e ss as do e s it, adds Jackson , with a
grim pleasure in th e kn owledge th at th is statem e n t—r eflecting as
it do e s o n my pe rspicacity— is un palatable to me .
Howeve r , n o twithstanding all th is, my life would be be ar able
if it we re n o t fo r my n e ighbours. Th e gen tleman on th e left is,
as I say, of an artistic turn, and h is studio re nde rs my library
practical ly use le ss, but h is taste s ar e in n ocuous, n ay comm e ndable,
in compariso n with th ose of th e fam ily o n my right . Th ey are
musical (save th e m ark a ll of th em , and be in g a large family,
my e ven in gs ar e in con seque n ce , pe rfe ct burde n s to m e . I don’
t
like go in g out much at n ight n ow un le ss som ebody o r some thingmake s it worth my wh ile ; I catch co ld rath er e asily of la te
,
1 38 The Ir ish Month ly.
way that is n o t on ly irritatin 3 , but positive ly lowerin g to on e’
s
s e lf-r e spect . A nd ye t I do n’
t eve n know th e ir n ame , and as fo r
th em , I don’t suppose th ey are awar e of my existen ce .
Re turn ing h ome on e afte rn oon at dusk, and walkin g o n th e
side o f th e str e e t opposite to my own house (as it is very muddy ,
and th e crossing is a little way down ) all of a sudden som e thin gcatch e s h o ld of my leg with an e cstatic exclamation of de ligh t. I
say some th ing , but I ought to say somebody, th ough th e perso n is so
extrem e ly small that my mistake may be excused. I lo ok down ,
startled and considerably put out if th e truth be to ld, and see.
wh a t
appears to me to be a little bundle o f white fur affection ate lyembracing my kn e e .
What is all this P I cry crossly.
Th e n t h e bundle , promptly de tach ing itse lf, reveals a little
round chubby face with two large , startled eye s.
Oh , please e jaculate s th e own e r of the face , Ifought you
was my papa . I was go ing to k iss you,”sh e adds ser iously.
A t this jun cture, a bre athl e ss n urse arr ives with a sim ilar
bundle of white fur cling ing on to h e r, and m ingle s pro fuse
apo logie s to me with scoldin gs to h e r litt le ch arge .
I fought,”
re ite rates th e child, that he was my papa
po in ting a m inute finger at m e but,”
after a pause durin g
which shescrutin ises m e n arrowly, I’m very glad h e isn
’
t .
”
Oh , fo r shame , Missy ! Y ou se e , sir , sh e do set such sto re
by h e r papa , and h e do make such a fuss with h e r .
”
He re, th in king th e sce n e h ad lasted long e n ough , I mutte r
s ome th ing indistin ctly and pass o n ,but h ear , as I withdraw,
the
n urse’s in dign an t commen t o n my ungraciousn ess
Oi all th e cro ss-grain ed, ill-tempered
-well, Missy how you
co uld take such an ugly o ld ge n tleman fo r your papa bea ts me
A n oth e r man would ha ve tr eate d th is little in cide n t difie r en tly,
a nd would ve ry like ly have put in fo r the kiss in te nded for the
much -be loved papa , but n o t I. Faugh l Fan cy, kissing a th re e
year- old babyNext m o rning , as I em at breakfast, I see th e nurse ry de tach
m en t from ove r th e way sallyin g forth two nurses, two pe rambu
lato rs, and, gracious go odn e ss ! thr ee children , al l apparen tly th e
same age , o r ve ry n e ar it . I fee l a sort o f con temptuous com
passion fo r my double Oppo site . Po or wre tch I would n o t be in
h is sho es for some thing , an d to th ink that I migh t have be en ,
In a Quie t Str ee t.
if n o t in h is sh oe s, at least in some o f th e sam e sort, h ad I be e n
weak -m in ded and so ft-h earted as many are
A s , cup in h an d, I um sti ll abse n tly lookin g out o f th e window,
somebody ste ps h ast ily out o n th e balco ny of No . 1 3 and call s out
an in jun ctio n to th e nurse s be n e ath—a ve ry pr e tty somebodyt hough I em a wom an -h ats r , I can se e that. Big eye s, and pink
and -wh ite face , and sun ny-lo ok in g h air th at falls in to charmin g
r ing s a n d little cur lin g ten drils about a love ly brow. Tongs o f
I say to myse lf, but som e how I don’
t fe e l quite so so rry
for my double as I did just n ow.
My double inde ed Why, the r e h e is be side h e r , waving h ishan d and gr in ni ng at his progeny. Ugh No t a bad lookin gfe llow
,in your bro ad
-sh ouldered style , but n o t a bit like me a
good twe n ty ye ars young e r to begin with , I must con fe ss.
Now h e sa llies fo rth , and my atten tio n is again distracted from
my bacon and e ggs and my Sta nda rd ; the sun ny h e ad is in th e
drawin g-room window n ow, an d gives a little sm iling no d as th e
husban d looks up from th e stre e t. Sickening sen tim en ta lity I call
it wi th a ll tho se childre n to o , th ey ough t to be ashamed of th em
se lve s I get used to this pe rfo rm ance in time , h owe ve r , as it is
repe a ted e ve ry morn in g . In th e afte rn o on about h alf-past four
the h e ad appe ars in th e win dow agam—I can just se e it defin ed
again st th e red blin d th rough wh ich the lamp sh in es so ch e e r ily.
Th e shutte rs o f tha t win dow are n e ve r clo sed at th is time of day.
Pre se n tly th e lord and maste r may be disce rn ed comin g down th e
stre et and th e pan tomin e of th e morn in g is repe ated— upward
glance , downward smile (mo st l ike ly—it is to o dark to se e cle arly)then a flash o f lamp
- ligh t as th e blind is push ed to on e side , and
the h ead van ish es.
It is irrita tin g , the way in wh ich I watch th is performan ce
‘
day
after day, almost lyin g in wa it for my bro ad- shoulde red n e ighbour
as his spouse do e s, and fe e ling vexe d an d surpr ised if h e is late . I
sit in the dusk rath e r th an allow my blinds to be dr awn before th e
customary pe rfo rman ce has take n place . I flatte r myse lf, n ow
that I am so lving kn o tty que stio n s with in myse lf, n ow th at I em
resting my overwrough t m ind, and I am 1 n r e ality do in g n e ith e r
the on e n or th e oth e r , but idly speculating about my o pposite
In fact th e co n founded quie t o f this stre e t is th e cause of the .
change in my characte r . Livin g , as I used to do , in a crowded
1 40 T11 8 Ir ish Mon th ly.
th oroughfare , I n oticed n obody because I couldn’t n otioe every
body. He re , on th e con trary, everybody and e ve rythin g force
th emse lve s upon my atte n tion , and excite my in te re st be cause th e re .
is so little to distract m e . A s, for in stan ce , that wre tch ed singingwom an . I read with th e greate st complacen cy th at hundreds suchare starvin g in Lo n don . I brush with abso lute oe llousn ess past a
sco re of th em perhapswh en I take a sh ort- out through a by waybut because this miserable un it come s under my immediate n otice
in this empty stre e t, be cause in th e stilln e ss h e r wre tch ed quave ring vo ice is distin ctly h e ard, I become a ve ry m ilk-sOp.
To re turn to th e pe ople at No . 1 3 . Comin g h om e on e n igh t
from th e th e atre , I obse rve th at th e husband- I have to call h im
so because I don ’t kn ow h is n ame—is walking down th e stre et
imm ediate ly in fr o n t o f m e . He has a latoh -key , and I have n o t,
co n seque n tly, wh ile I am waitin g for Jackson to let m e in I watchh is m ovemen ts with my usual vulgar curiosity. He is a p e at
youn g man ,I perce ive , for afte r h e has ope n ed th e do or h e remain s
a considerable time po lish in g h is fee t on th e mat at th e thr e sh o ld.
Here come s a little flying figur e down th e stairs, flutte rin g wh ite
drape ries, h air ve ry brigh t by gas- light, outstr e tch ed arms, fao e
sparklin g with smiles —h an g it all ! How glad sh e is to se e h im
A nd h e, gre at ove rgr own cre ature , push e s th e do or to , or partly to ,
with o n e arm and rece ive s h e r in th e o th e r . Th ey don’
t n o tice
me , but I se e them .
~
Humph ! That so rt of th in g aggravate s m e
ao , turn ing round, I tre at Mr . Jackso n to a rousing peal of th e
be ll th at br in gs h im to th e do o r with a spe ed ve ry un like h is usual
maj e stio tre ad .
Curious h ow a tr ivial in cide n t like that take s h o ld of mym ind .
A s I step in to th e h all , a vague fe e ling of lon e lin ess come s o ve r
me . Th e primn e ss, and tidin e ss, an d sile n ce of th e h ouse ar e
more n otice able than usual . I pause for a mome n t and gaz e at
my n eat, tr im ,n ewly
- oarpe tted sta ircase with a ce rta in disgust.
N0 flyin g figure Iwr e to be gladde ned by my approach . Th e re is
n o on e in this h ouse to take n o tice of my go ings and com ings
e xcept Jackso n , an d Ice is n ot like ly to fall upon my n e ck . Ha !
ha ! I laugh grimly at my own wit , and re tire to my san ctum
somewh at con so led .
A bo ut a mo n th or so afte r th is occurren ce I n otice th at th e
daily prog ramm e of par tin g and gre e tin g is n o t carried out as
usua l. It is true my bro ad-sh ouldered fr ie nd or e n emy, for
March . 1 43
andshe we re fir st conscious of th e tremors and wonder and de lir ium
i f their young lo ve ;'
the strains o f that ve ry waltz , or one like it ,a ny have h e lped th em to discove r th e ir tendern ess on e fo r the
«her. We ll,we ll , h e is alon e to h e ar it n ow. Kn e e ling by th e
batwhere on sh e lie s, h e may h o ld h er han d, but it will rest pas
sively in h is , and th e te nder clin ging clasp o f th e little finge rs is
nowon ly a m emory. Not a quiver of th e eye lids , n o t a motion o f
the lips in r e sponse to h is passio nate kisse s, his e cstasy of gr ie f ;
al
l still an d sil ent as th e grave which e ve n n ow is waiting for h e r .
h er fellow , po or fe llow, G od h e lp h im !
What an o ld foo l I am ! Wh at do e s it matte r to me A r e
there no t sco re s o f such dea ths eve ry day, and did I e verye t taker-ne of th em to h eart He re I am po sitive ly un happy about pe o ple
to whom I h ave n ever spoke n on e word in my life . A l l this ismandlin , sim ply m audl in—living in th is abominable little stre e t
has don e it . I sh all be fit for n o th in g if I stay here much longe r .
Confoun d it ! I’ll give up th e h ouse an d take rooms in Piccadilly
M. E. FRANCIS .
MARCH.
IE ! with your bluste r in g !
Ho ! with yo ur fluste r in g !F ie on you, thi nking of fr ig hting us, March
Scowl if you dare n ow,
Little we ca r e n ow,
Wh e th e r you’r e loving o r sligh ting n a
,March !
Sur e wh e n your brow is all dark with th e frown
Sull e n and black , an d th e te ars dr oppin g down
Wh e n you wa lk with a flin g an d a toes of th e h e ad,
A nd th rough din t o f h o t tempe r yo ur ch e ek flush e s r ed
Kn owing you we ll n ow,
Faith we ca n te ll n ow
Th e re’s little cause to be gr ievin g us, Ma rch .
Unde r your whin in g
Your blue eyes ar e sh in in gY un th ie f of th e world fo r dece ivin g na, March !
1 44 Ti m Ir isk Mon th ly.
Bo lde r a nd bo lde r n ow,
Turn th e co ld sh oulde r n ow,
Sn owing and blowing—O sh ame on you, March
,
But it’s your n atur e ,
Y ou obstin ate craytur e ,
I’ll n o t h e th r owing th e blame on you, March !
Som e times, in spite o f th e wrath in your eye ,
Th e smile o n yo ur lip g ive s bad tempe r th e lie
A n d sh amin g th e gr owl in your vo ice wh e n you spe ak,
T h e dimpl e s o fme r rime n t dan ce in your ch e ek
0 but yo u’r e cute n ow,
Hiding th e truth n ow,
C utting your cape rs a nd givin g n a, March ,
Sco lding a nd ple asin g ,
Warn ing and fr e e z in g,
Y o u th ief of th e wo rld fo r dece iving us, March !
Up from th e ir n arrow beds,
Rai sing th e ir pur ty h e ads ,
T hough your we t blanke ts you th row o n th em ,March
Se e th e smal l posie s n ow,
Lifting th e ir n o se s n ow,
Sn iffing th e sun be ams ag low o n th em ,March .
Migh ty and proud as th e kin g o n h is th ro n e ,
Th e r e'
s a swe e t co axing way that you h ave o f your own ,
L ike a play-acto r takin g th e win te r
’s dark par t,
\Vith th e sm ile o f th e summ e r asle ep in h is h e a r t
So you may blow,n ow,
Ra in , h a il , and sn ow n ow,
L ittle your tr icks will be g r ie vin g us, March
\Ve kn ow your way n ow,
Sure it’s a ll play n ow,
Y ou th ie f o f th e wo r ld fo r de ce iving us, March
MA RY ELIZABETH BLAKE.
46 T he Ir ash Mont/dy.
dre am , and promised to se e wh e th er it could n ot be turn ed in to a
re ality. Some time passed, and th e arde n t nun was begin n in g to
fear that th e li ttle se ed thus sown would n eve r r e -appe ar abo ve
ground, wh e n an imme nse mass of corresponden ce was placed in
h e r h and, sh owin g that h e r fri e nd had be e n busy meanwhile in
obtain in g e ve ry scrap of in fo rmation sh e required fr om e ve ry
available quarter . Many difficultie s appeared in th e way, but
finally all van ish ed under th e h e lpful h and o f th e late Sir
Will iam Ewart, a gre at lin e n me rch an t, o f Be lfast, wh o , though a
Prote sta n t of th e Black No rth , was yet th orough ]y in sympathy
with th e pro je ct of th e South e rn Siste rhoo d. From h im cam e the
lo oms which we saw at work in a ple asan t uppe r ro om of th e con
ven t, and h e se n t a skilful wo rkman to se t th em up and to explain
th e ir myste r ie s to th e Siste rs. This fir st sce n e in th e Skibbe re e n
industr ial drama was sure ly a curious and de ligh tful me eting of
orange and gre e n , North and South , ve ry curious to those who
kn ow what Pro te stan t pre judica is in th e North of Ire land. Th e
looms we re se t up, and th e question r emain ed of a te ach e r to take
a we ave r’s class in h and. Th e nun s wish ed to h ave a wom an to
teach th e ir gir ls, an d a woman was produced wh o unde rsto od th e
art of we aving , but sh e pro ved le ss capable than was n e edful , and
in th e e nd a man arr ived fr om Be lfast to take th e matte r in hand
and ste e r th e bo at of th e adve n ture , which se emed in dan ge r o f
foun de r in g . From th e mome n t o f h is arr iva l th e m o vem e n t
march e d forward, th e lassies and e lde rly women learn ed to throw
th e shuttle and make th e prope r rhythmic m o tion with their fe e t,
and lin en cloth grew on th e lo oms to th e in te n se de light o f th e
Siste rs, the pride of th e ir pupils, an d th e edification of SirWi ll iamEwart, wh o pron oun ced th e specim e n s fo rwarded to him as
exce ll e n t beyond all h is expe ctat ion s.
On ly last May th e lo oms began to wo rk , and alr eady a good bit
o f mo n ey has be en e arn ed,an d h ope has sprun g up in many a po o r
h ome—th e h 0pe of e scape fr om hun gry po ve rty by m e an s of th e
flying shuttle and the go ld th at it will win . Th e de ath o f b it
William Ewart was a sad sh ock to th e commun ity h e h ao l
befr iended, but happily h is son has adoPted th e cour se his fath e r
h ad so n obly take n to h e art, an d prom ise s eve ry assistance in h is
powe r to th e weave rs o f Skibbe r e en . He will dispose of all th e
cloth s th ey produce , but, at th e sam e tim e , advise s them to try to
pro xi de a marke t fo r th emse lves outside th is coun try,a s
,in that case ,
th ey may, of course , h ope for h igh e r th an trade price s.
L inen We aving in Skibbe r em , 1 47
T h e prese nce o f this h ope ful industrial work m ake s a little
flutt e r o f joy all th rough th e ple asan t con ven t. A . refle ction o f it
se e m e d to be in th e ve ry sun shin e th at lay ye llow on the flo ors,
an d sh on e in th e faces of all th e sm ilin g Sisters, wh o e ach had some
fre sh accide n t o r in cide n t to te ll about th e daily expe r ie nces de
ve lo pe d in th e course of our we aving .
”One little de ta il o f th e ir
l arg e e n te rprise is th e conve rsion o f th e teach sr from Be lfast, th e
m ascu l in e perso n who was admitted in to the workroom o f th e con
ve n t w ith some awe , as be ing a man an d a h ere tic, but who h as
succe e ded in gain ing the respe ct and confide n ce of th e whole com
m un i ty . He,o n h is side , appears quite satisfied with h is position ,
an d is like ly to se ttle down under th e shadow of th e co nven t
wal ls , an d end his days in th e se rvice of th e Papist Siste rho od.
His co n ve rsio n m ay be regarded as doubtful , judg ing by th e sly,
compa ssio na te sm ile with wh ich , wh ile we examin ed h is clo th , h e
r e ga rd e d the mo vemen ts of on e o f th e Siste rs, wh o h ad brought a
fre sh flowe r fr om th e garden , and was placing it in th e arms of th e
ta ll statue of th e G ood Sh eph e rd, wh ich stood in a commandin g
po sit i o n at th e e nd of th e pleasan t, sun ny little facto ry.
“r
e must hope , h owe ver , that all th e de sires of th ese pur e and
h o ly h e arts may be gratified, an d that e very co ttage in th e n e igh
bourh o od o f Skibbe re e n may so o n have its lo om and its we e klywag e s fo r wo rk produced. Irish sisterho ods ar e at pre sen t eu
cour aged by th e Comm issio n e rs of Nation al Education to devote
the ir e n e rgies to industr ial objects. Some time ago th ey we r e
oblig ed to give all the ir efforts to th e task of con fe rr ing high-class
education on th e ir po or pupils, wh o , except in the case of a few
de stin ed to be te ach ers, were thus re ndered unfit to e arn th e ir
br e a d by the on ly means eve r like ly to come with in th e ir re ach .
Th e pupils le ft sch oo l , th e ir h eads a little turn ed, at th e be st, by a
sm a tte ring of'
m ental acquirem en t, an d with hands deplorably usc
le as , quite in capable of maintain ing th em in th e position of l ife
th e y cove ted . Now, th e evils of that state o f thin gs have l) ( e n
re co gn ised , and are to be coun te racted by th e en couragem e n t o f
industr ia l works i n co nn ection with th e Nation al Schoo ls. In th e
B lue Book for 1 888 , issued by th e Comm ission ers of Natio n a l
Ed uca tion , Miss Prende rgast’
s r epo rt o n industrial wo rk in th e
sch oo ls give s a gre at deal of in tere sting information as to th e pro
g r e ss already made . Th e Nation al Sch oo ls, to which a grant o f
sa lary in aid of special industrial instruction is available , ar e 425in
1 48 T[20 Ir ish Mon tkly.
n umbe r . A but 1 200 girls atte nd th em . Depar tmen ts of Industrial
Sch o o ls in con n e ction with th e r e co gn ised Nation al Sch oo ls numbe r
about 33, and are atte nded by n e arly 3000 pupils, 230 of wh om are
boys. Th e re ar e such departm e n ts in ch arg e of th e Siste rs o f
Me r cy, at Crum lin - ro ad,Be lfast ; at St. Malachy
’
s,A n trim ; at
C an al - str e e t, N ewry ; an d a t Ro stre vo r . A t Ca rrickmacross the
con ducto rs are lay te ach e rs. In Munste r th e re are industrial
cen tre s at K ilm sh, Kan turk, Kin sale , Skibbe r e en ,
and Passage
We st , a ll unde r Siste rs o f Me rcy. In Lim e rick, at SS. Mary and
Mun ch in’
s (St . Joh n’
s—squar e ) , and at A dar e , Mo un t St . Vin ce nt,
Braflf, St. A n n e’
s (Rathke ale l , and at St. Cath e rin e’
s (Newcastle
We st) . A t B lackro ck,Co rk , th e Ursulin e Siste rs conduct th e
in dustrial depar tm e n t, an d a t Bruit th e Siste rs o f th e Orde r o f th e
Faith ful Compan io n s. Th e re are ce n tr e s at Fe th ard and G a rr ick
o n -Suir . In Le in ste r th e industr ia l ce n tr es ar e Car low, Dublin ,
Warr e npo in t, Blackr ock , Bo o te r stown ,Roundtown , A thy, Kil
k e n ny, G o r e sbr idge , Clara , St . Jo seph’
s (L o ngfo rd) , Co o te - str e e t,Moun trath , Marybo rough , Moun tm e llick , Stradba l ly, and New
R o ss. Th e industrial ce n tr e s of Co nn augh t ar e a t N ewtown Sm ith ,
O ranm o r e , St. Vin ce n t’
s (G alway) , G o rt , and Ballinaslo e , all co nducted by th e Siste rs o f Me rcy an d th e Pr e sen tatio n Siste rs.
ROSA Mt'
m l o nm xn .
OTHER WORLDS.
NI) a r e th o se glo r io us sta rs unpe o pl ed a l l?
L i ve s th e r e n o th o ugh t o utside o ur h uman r ace?Me n scan th e h e ave n s do e s n o ce le stia l face
Turn wo nde r in g
‘
to o ur plan e ta ry ba ll
\Vh o kn ows if ye t to scie n ce it m ay fa ll
To fin d a br idg e o’e r in te r ste lla r Space ,
Th a t we th o se lo rds o f o th e r wo r lds m ay tr ace .
A n d m e ssag e se n d r e spo n sive to th e ir ca ll
O e r edulo us, yct in cr e dulo us He a r th e wo rd
By G o d r e ve al e d—Beyo n d th e fa r th e st star ,
In h igh e st h e ave n ,m o st lo vin g fr ie nds th e r e a r e ;
By o ur r epe n tan t sigh s th e ir joy isstirr’
d ,
W'
s strik e o ur br o aste,th e e ch o wak e s th e ir pra ise ,
A nd th ey h ave ch arg e to h a llow a ll o ur ways.
1 50 Tim Ir ish Mon th ly.
pre n tice at th e carpen te r’
s ben ch . He was twen ty ye ars o f age
wh e n h is first po‘
em , G ood-bye , was published in th e Be lfast
Examiner . He call ed th is h is “ lite rary baptism ,
”and yea rs afte r
wards h e wro te to me th at th e day on which th e m ode st little lyr ic
appe ared was th e h appie st'
of his life .
Some young fe llows, wh e n th ey take to po etry, affect lo ng ha ir
a n d an abstracted lo ok , and walk much by themse lve s. Th iswasn o t McManus
’
s way. Prosaic as it may appe ar , h e was a very
e n thusiastic Lan d Le aguer , and a membe r o f th e Nation al Band ;
a nd amon gst all th e boys th e re was n on e more willin g than
Paddy (as th ey ca lled h im ) to jo in in any good h e ar ty fun that
was go ing on . I have se e n h im ,in a battle o f sods, le ad h is side
with rare co o ln e ss and courage ; an d altoge the r h e was kn own to~be all th e re and a mo st de te rmin ed ch aracte r in e n gagem en ts
o f th is n ature . His e n joymen t of real , h e arty, br ee zy, rbugh-and
tumble life amo ngst h e althy, re ady-h anded boys was in te n se . I
r emembe r witn e ssin g a sce n e on e n igh twh ich gave h im great de light.
Th e Band h ad split into two h ostile camps, and o n th is particular
e ve n ing both parties we n t out o n th e Lough , e ach in a bo at of its
o wn , to e n te rta in th em se lves and th e town sfo lk with music on th e
wa te r . Th e boats co llided : a n aval e n gagem en t e n sued. Rud
de rs and flo or -bo ards, rowlocks, se ats an d o ars— all th e m ovable
fur nitur e of th e boats was immediate ly called in to r equisition , anda despe rate attempt was made by e ith e r side to swamp th e en emy.
It was n e arly comin g to hard blows, but th e humour .
of such a sea
figh t proved too much fo r some of th e combatan ts, and it ended in
n o thin g wo rse th an a un ive rsa l dr e n ch ing , th e temporary disap
pe aran ce of two fiddle s, an d an adjournme n t to te r ra firma,whe re
h ostilitie s we re n ot r en ewed. In th e m idst o f all you m ight have
se e n our po e t thirstin g fo r fight as much as any o f th em , and
de r ivin g from th e m imic warfar e th e kee n e st en joymen t imagin
able . A ll th e wh ile , though h e kn ew it n o t, M‘Manus was laying
in a sto r e of mate rial fo r future use , eve n as Ban im and Carle to n
and Kickh am in th e ir day. He to ok in stin ctive ly to th e study o f
human n atur e , as h e saw it ar oun d him ; and you m ight o ften
h ave com e upon him talking to o n e o f th e many ch aracte rs o f
th e town and distr ict, dr awin g h im out, and n o ting h is humorous
po in ts.
Th is was n ot h is o n ly study by any m ean s. He was a
passion ate lo ver of th e be autie s of e arth and sky to be see n al ong
A n Ulster P oe t. 1 51
t h e sh ores of Strangfo rd Lough . A nd th ey ar e n o m ean beautie s
t h ese . Th e sce n ery o f Stran gfo rd Lough , th ough th e wo rld do e sn o t se em to kn ow it, is among th e best in Ire land. Po rtafe rry
i s quite a place for a poe t to spend h is youth ia. Th e re is h ill and
va lley th e re , and wo odlan d and swift runn ing lough , twice as wide
a n d twice as n ice as th e Rh in e at many o f its be st place s ; an d
g re e n l ittle islands and o ld castle s, datin g away fr om De Courcy’s
t im e , dotted over th e sho re s ; and wild sea-bir tls, an d thre e m ile s
o ut th e re to th e e ast th e wave s o f th e Chan n e l rol lin g again st th e
r o cks o f A rdullah . Th ese th in gswere n ot lo st on young M‘Man us.
He dra nk th em in with th e wild thirst that th e Muse g ive s to eve ry
yo un g po et wh en sh e first wakes h is pe rceptive facultie s to all
t h in gs beautiful and true . Some o f his swee te st little bits we r e
i n spir e d by th ese . sce n es. Fo r in stan ce , h e thus de scr ibe s a lo ve lysum m e r
’day wh en h e paid a visit to Killyleagh , n o t un kn own to
th e r eaders of th e L ife of A rch ibald Hamilto n Rowan
A lo n g Lough Cuan 's castled sh o re ,
‘
A roun d th e win din g sapphire bay,
Th e wh ite -win g e d se agulls ca lmly so ar ,
The summe r .bre e z e s g e n t]y play ;
A nd blue smoke cur ls abo ve th e town ,
Flo atin g in eddyin g wre aths afar
Beyo nd th e distan t m oun ta in s brown ,
A cro ss th e wa il in g , wave -swept bar .
En ch an tin g Na tur e do n s to -day
He r fa irest robe s in Killyleagh .
Th e soft clouds, tin g ed with ame thyst ,
A cro ss th e br ig h t blue h eave n s pass
Th e pla cid o ce a n ,n ow sun -kissed ,
A ppe ars a mo lte n silver mass,
A n d ch ildre n o n th e g o lden sand
Play joyously in wild de ligh t ,‘Vh ile up th e sunn y sea - l wept strand
Th e star tled h e ro n wan ds his fligh t ;
A nd me ek -eyed ca ttle browse and stray
A m o ngs t th e fie lds of K illyleagh .
Is n o t this a pre tty pictur e o f a lazy summer even ing in som e
From th is o ld name of Stran gfo rd Lough th e writer of th is pape r to ok h is m m
ptume wh ich h e h ad at fir et appen ded to th e ve ry to uch in g e le gy In Memo ry
o f A n n ie ,”at pag e 36 of our se ve n tee n th vo lume (January, —Ed . I. M ;
1 52 T11 0 Ir ish Mon th ly
pe aceful se aside Irish village It is fr om a po em called The
Ruin ed Town
Ove r th e m oun tain'
s cr imso n cre st
Qui ve r t he sha fts o f th e sin kin g sun
So ftly th ey re ach to th e billow’
s bre ast
A pa rt ing kiss e re th e day is do n e .
1' i
Ple asan tly fa ll th e slan tin g be am s
Down o n th e stre e ts o f th e se a side town
\Vin dows mirro r th e 3 10win g g le ams ,
Ch imn eys ch a n g e to a go lde n bro wn .
Far in th e garden s th e sparro ws bide ,
Ch irpin g , ch irpin g amo n g th e le a ve s
Pro digal swallows in rapture s h ide ,
Twitte r in g , twi tte r in g un de r th e e ave s .
Th e re are som e ve ry fe licitous scen ic touch es, to o , in a’98
ballad, en titled Th e Dawn ing o f th e Day
It is e ven in g in th e summ e r , an d t he r ed departin g rays
Of th e sun’
s ma je stic g lo ry quive r in th e ambe r h az e ,
A nd th e wi ld-fowl h aste n h om ewa rd to th e ma rgin o fith e br o ok,
A n d th e sile n t so ng-bird n e stle s in th e le af- embowe red n o o k .
No t a spe ck o f fieccy vapour sh ades th e blue expo n se abo ve ,
No t a so ftly-bre a thin g z ephyr stirs th e tre e - tops in th e g ro ve
But th e fir st fa in t dew fr om h e ave n m o iste n s m eadow,h ill
, and bra e ,
A n d all n a ture is be toke n in g th e wan in g o f th e day.
Hark ! wh at so und is th is wh ich wake n s ro llin g ech oe s in th e g le i
Breakin g th rough th e so lemn sile n ce?"l‘
is th e tre ad o f ma rch in g m e n .
Se e th e dusky fo rms de sce n din g , mi rro r ed’
g a in st th e a zur e sky.
Wh er e th e ch asm -ch an n e ll ed m oun ta in lifts its h augh ty fo re h e ad h igh 3
See th e ma rsh a lled pikcs and muske ts, with th e g re e n fla g o ve r a l l ,
In th e bro ok - in de n ted vall ey wh e re th e sh iftin g sh adows fa ll ;
Se e , th rough h e a th e r , fum e , and ma rsh lan d, da rk de tachm en ts we nd th e ir way,
Round th e ban n e r brigh t to ga th e r a t t he wan in g o f th e day !
But why g roup th ey by th e moun ta in foo t with we apo ns wild an d rude
Wh at e n ch an tin g spe ll allur e s th em to th at stirle ss so litude ?"l‘
is th e blissful h our fo r re stin g , and wh a t ple a sur e se e k th ey th e re ,
Wh e n th e m a id awa its h e r lo ve r , an d th e ma tr on we eps a pray( r
A h , th e an swe r you may h ear it in th a t fa th e r’s stifled sigh s
Y ou m ay re ad it in th e blaz in g o f th a t pe e rle ss pe asan t’
s eye s"f ins to listen to th e ir le ade r , e re th ey pit th e ir dark ar ray’G a inst th e spo ile rs o f th e ir coun try a t th e dawn in g o f th e day .
Th e re fere n ce to th e stars in th e following ve rse of th is po em
1 54 TM Ir ish Month ly.
Kn ow you truly, kn ow you truly.we re sh e n e ve r to be fre ed ,
Sh e is wo rthy o f your wo rsh ip, wo rthy of your br igh te st dead .
But it is n o ordin ary de ed n o r any cold-bloo ded wo rsh ip that
will satisfy him
Th ink upo n h e r , th ink upon h e r , t il] th e blo od bo ils in e ach ve in ,
So th at , we re it spill ed to save h e r , it would me lt a circlin g ch a in
T ill th e te ars wh ich fill your eye li ds a t th e sto ry o f h e r wr o ngs
Fa ll as dr ops o fm o lte n iro n on h e r lash e s a nd h e r th ong s.
”
I pre sume to h az ard th e r emark th at we h ave h ere a po e t. No
m e re ve rse -wr ite r could h ave co n ce ived th e se darin g figur es.
It h as struck m e m o r e th an on ce that th e re was a r esemblan ce
be twe e n M‘Manus an d Da lto n Williams, e specially as th e com ic
an d th e tragic muse we re equally at th e service of bo th . Slieve
Do n ard, h owe ve r , had n ot th e light n imble to uch of Sh amrock .
”
He was m or e succe ssful in h is satirical pie ces ; but th ese are ch iefly
a imed at pe rsons o n wh om we are n ot disposed, e ven in such a
con text, to be stow th e immortality of th ese page s.
Our youn g Ulste r po e t on ly wr ote dur ing th e last two or th re e
ye ars o f h is br ie f life . A . se lection o f th e be st o f th e wo rk
h e h as le ft behind h im would make a dain ty little vo lum e ; and
th e pre se n t write r has n ot give n up th e h ope of such a m emorial of
Slie ve Don ar His ve rse s may be sought in th e files of Tim
B e lfast Examin er , Til e c elcly N ew, Y oung Ir e la nd, and T11 0
N a tio n ; but many of th em n eve r cam e un der th e eye of an edito r .
A mon gst th e se last may be reckon ed h is con tr ibution s to a lo cal
publicatio n kn own at diffe r en t pe riods as Tim Ce lt, Til e Por tafnrm'
N a tiona l Bann e r , and Tile L ough (Juan Month ly. McManus, th e
pr e se n t write r , and a mutual frien d, Mr . Hugh Doyle , n ow on th e
staff o f a Be lfast n ewspape r , we r e th e jo in t editors of th e se several
j ourn als wh ich , it is scarce ly n e ce ssary to say, h ad a brief th ough
brillian t existen ce . Th e po et- edi tor was by n o me an s to be de
pended on fo r pfin ctuality in fur n ishi ng his quo ta .
I think it was in th e win te r of 1 884 th atMcManuswen t to Be lfast
to wo rk at h is trade . He had be en ve ry h appy among th o se of
wh om h e h ad sun g in on e of h is lyr ics as th e boys of th e n o isy
town ; but som e of h is frien ds wonde r ed h ow h e would like th e
busy, bustlin g life o f a city. He did n o t ke ep th em long in sus
pe n se , for in a few we eks h e se n t a m e ssage h ome in on e o f h is
favour ite journ als
A n Ulste r P or t.
Oh , t ake me away to my own lo ved h ome
By th e soun din g se a .
t
Oh , take m e away to my lo n e ly co t ,
From th e o r im e -sta in ed town ,
Fo r I would n o t dwe l l in th is sin ful spot
Fo r a kin g ly crown ,
A n d a m o n arch’
s wea lth would a llure m e n o t
From th e sh aded sh o r e s an d th e h ills o f D own .
He suite d th e action to th e word and r e turn ed h om e . He
wo uld rath er have e nded h is days in Po rtafe r ry th an anywh e re e lse
in th e wor ld. But that would h ave be e n to o gre at luck fo r a po e t .
A h , po o r MoManus’s last days did n ot be lie th e n ame we h ave
ve n tur ed to g ive h im . How is it th at so m any of th ese so ns of
so n g have gon e down to th e ir grave s in so rrow much de epe r than
th a t wh ich usual ly accompan ie s th e de ath o f th e o rdin ary so lid,
so rd id citiz e n Think o f Sco tt dyin g broke n-h ea rted in h arn e ss,
Sk e l ly pe rish in g in th e waves o f th e G ulf o f Spe z z ia , th e suicide s o fTa n n ah ill and Ch atte rton ,
the dark r eason le ss closing ye ars of
Co wpe r . Th in k to o o f th e sad e n ding o f Po e , and o f th e pit
a by smal , th e gulf an d gr ave of Magin n an d Burn s.
”But Ir e land
h a s h ad m ore gulfs and grave s”o f th is sort of sorrow o ve r th an
th a t o f Magin n . What o f Man gan h imse lf,an d o f Callan an be for e
h im— Davis re sting to o e arly in Moun t Je rom e , Williams in th efa r clay o f Lo uisian a , an d th e grave th at r ises o
’
e r thy sward,
D e viz es Is th e re n ot some th ing h e r e to drop a te ar over It
is with wh ispe ring breath th at I n am e our humble n orth e rn oar
pe n te r in such go odly company ; but if h e h as n o claim to sit in
T a ra’
s h all with th e min str e ls, h im gran t a grave to , ye pitying
n o ble ,”
am on g those true souls wh o pour ed out th e ir ve ry h e art’
s
b lo od in so ng for Ire lan d.
Her e h e h ad hoped an d prayed to live and die
I wo uld rath e r live in Ire land—and th e th ough t com e s from my h ea rt
wo uld r a th e r to il in Ire la nd , o n th e ba re st , ble ake st part ,
Spurn ed by e ve ry villag e m ag na te , sm o te by e ve ry m in io n’
s h an d,
Th a n abide in pomp an d pa n oply in any o th e r la n d .
I wo uld ra th e r l ive in Ire land th a n wh e re pa lm s and o live s g row,
Noddin g g e n tly to th e music o f th e so fte st win ds th a t blow
Th a n wh e re any silke n lo rdl in g'
a fte r fle e tin g ple asure ro ve s,'
M id th e citron s an d ban anas, th rough th e sh ady o ran g e g ro ve s.
Tim Ir ivla Moutlzly.
I would ra th e r l ive in Ir ela nd —ay,a hun dred th o usand tim e s
Th an in a ll th e tropics’
lustre o r in be auty-h aun te d clim e s
Th an in a ll th e sta te ly sple ndo ur o f th e citie s in th e We st ,
O r wh e re temple s ca st th e ir shadows o n th e Tibe t'
s sto r ied br e a st .
I would ra th e r live in Ire la nd : fo r , al tho ugh th e spo ile r’
s bre a th
L ocust -like may swe ep h e r va lleys , spre ading ruin , dearth , and de a th ,
Still it can n o t ch ill th e sunsh in e , an d it can n o t ye t—th a n k G od I
s h th e murmurs o f th e r ive rs,ch ase th e sh amrocks from th e s od.
I would ra th e r live in Ir e land, th ough I live a life of ca re ,
A nd my e a rs fo r e ve r h e arke n to a pity-
ple ading‘
praye r
Th ough my eye s a re we a ry wa tch in g th e depa rt in g co wa rds'
fligh t ,
A nd iny brain is e ve r burn in g in th e n o o n -day and th e n igh t .
I would ra th e r live in Ire lan d , fo r my de a re st dre am s o f fam e ,
A ll my fo nde st aspira tio ns, we re comm in g led with h e r n a me
Pictured visio n s bo rn with boyh oo d and in h ope ful manh o o d pr iz ed .
Y e have kept yo ur n a ta l br igh tn e ss th ough ye n e’
e r we r e re a l is e d 1
I would ra th e r live in Ire land fo r th e fr ie nds you make ar e true
A h’tis sad to th ink I
’
ve bade to som e a lon g a nd last adieu)Th ough th e spe ctral gaz e o f fam in e bids all e a r th ly joys de pa r t ,It can n e ve r
ch ill th e kin dn e ss in a te nde r Ir ish h e a r t .
A n d I’
ll live in outrag ed Ir e la n d—po o r and h ate d , crush ed an d ban n ed
Th a t’
s a r igh t by He ave n g ran te d to th e lowli e st in th e la n d
But I'
ll wa it with g rowin g trustfuln e ss fo r th a t appro ach in g day
Wh ich will wake de ar Erin'
s sm ile , a nd wipe h e r te ars away.
N o t only to live in Ir e land but to die and be buried th ere . So h e '
h ad prayed in a po em which h e called My G rave , pro bably n o t
fo rge tting that that was the n am e wh ich Th omas Davis gave to h is
we ll kn own lin e s publish ed at th e ve ry outse t o f h is car e e r , in th e
third n umbe r o f Tire N ation (Octobe r 29, Forty ye am
late r McManus thus pictured th e grave h e would ch oose fo r
himse lf :
A way, away from th e dusty town ,
Wi th its woe ful wan t a n d its crime -cause d ca r e,
From th e g able s da rk a n d ch im n eys brown ,
Fr om th e sh adowed stre e t and th e stony squa re ,
Is a still , swe e t spo t wh ich th e ro se pe rfum e s ,
I‘Vh e re th e yew- tre e s wa tch and th e mo sse s cre e
p
o h th e re ,’n e ath th e br igh t laburnum bloom s
I h ope to r e st in my la st , last sle ep
A way from th e gla re
Oi th e str e e t an d squa re ,
In th e depth o f my ca lm , unbro ke n slecp.
1 58 The Ir isk Month ly.
A STORY OF A SAINT.
ALONG th e love ly Umbrian ways
St. Francis strayed a t e ve n tide,
Whi le li ttle birds sa n g ro unde lays .
Fra Pao lo , wa lkin g by h is side ,
With eyes full of love’s ge n tle be ams
,
G a z e d o n th e valley str e tchin g wide
Beyo nd Ch ias1 s limpid str eams,
Vl'
indin g'
from’
n eath th e moun ta in’s fe e t,
Like bro okle ts in a ch ild’s fair dr e ams ,
Wh e r e , sh imm e r in g in th e Summ e r h e a t,
A bove Subaso’s o live wo od,
G leam ed wh ite A ssisi’s stragglin g str e e t ,
With quain t o ld r o o fs, as r ed as blo od,
Sh e lvin g with in its crumbling wall,
O’e r wh ich th e lo fty be ll towe r sto od.
Sa in t Dam ian’s so ft and silve ry call
Th e A n ge lus in so lemn ch im e,
Swept down th e slope lik e dew’
s h ush ed fa ll
“Iith in a bindwe ed
’
s cups sclimb,
A r o un d th e ma iz e’s ripe n ing blade ,
A nd sigh in g th rough th e scen ted th ym e,
It floated o’
e r th e myr tle glade ,
Haun ted by ye llow-be lted be es,
A nd died am id th e pin ewoo d sh ade .
Th e Sa in t sank low upon h is kn e e s ,
Fra Pao lo kn e lt with clo sed eye
A n igh tinga le am id th e tr e e s
Broke in to little m e llow crie s,
A s if it kn ew tLe h our o f praye r
A n d fa in woul d add its liquid sigh s .
A sudde n glo ry fill ed th e a ir ,Its radiance stre am in g cle ar and br igh t
A r ound th e two m en kn e e lin g th ore n
A Sto ry of a Sa in t. 1 55)
Wh e n Fran cis, r ising inth e ligh t ,Saw flock s o f go ats a h e rdsman l e d,
A nd in th e ir midst a lamb , sn ow wh ite .
0 visio n o f G od’s Lamb , h e sa id,
Wh o m idst th e crue l crowds fo r m e
W'as m ock ed, an d spat upo n , and bled
But Pao lo spake Nay bro th e r , se e ,It is a little lamb outca st
Spendin g its days full dr e ar ily.
80 quick acr oss th e br idg e th ey passed ,
A n d h e wh o lo ved dumb thin gs th e be st
Bar te r ed his raim en t till at last
He bough t th e lamb , and o n h is br e ast
So ft placed th e tiny, tr emb lin g th in g ,
A s in a warm an d pe aceful n e st ,
A nd makin g e ach dusk coppice r in g
Love ’s Lamb , my loving th ough ts in spir e ,
"
His own swe e t so n g , h e’
gan to sing .
Uba ldo gle am ed a go lde n pyr e ,
A nd th e n swift darkn e ss hi d e ach h e igh t
A nd quen ch ed th e sunse t’s ruby fir e
A lad wh o th r ough th e purple n igh t
Th rummin g upon h is mando lin ,
San g joyously o f lo ve’
s de ligh t,
He ard th at rapt vo ice , th e g r ove with in ,
A nd,hush ed am id th e acacia blo om ,
Kn e lt ’
n e ath th e burde n of h is sin .
So this still eve , fr om out th e glo om
Th at r ests around th o se dista n t ye ar s,
Swe e t Sain t, th ou passe st through my r o om ,
Th e lamb stil l n e stling fr e e from fe a rs,
A nd, lik e th a t car e l e ss pe asan t lad,
Min e eye s fill ed with a m ist o f te ars,
I h ear thy caro l clear and glad.
CL EMEM ' J B . G a nr snm
NOTES ON NEW BOOKS.
1 . Blunde rs and Fo rg e ri e s : Histo rical Essays by th e Re v . T. E.
B ridg e tt! o f th e Co n gr egatio n o f th e Mo st Ho ly Rede eme r”
(Lo ndo n :
Ke gan , Paul, Tr e n ch , T rubn e r is a n extr em e ly valuable
additio n to th e l ite ra tur e o f h isto ry. Mr . G ladsto n e late ly expr e sse d
h is adm ir a tio n fo r Fath e r Br idg e tt’s extra o rdin ary acum e n an d
r e se ar ch ,”and h e pa id h im th e fur th er complim e n t o f be in g co n v me ed
by h is argume n ts and withdrawin g publicly a statem e n t h e h ad m ade
about a n inciden t in th e life o f Blessed Joh n Fish e r . But few h ave
such ca n dour a nd la rg e n e ss o f mirid and we fe ar th a t sim ilar
r e tractatio n s h ave n o t be e n m ade by Can o n Pe rry, Dr . Lyo n Playfa ir ,a nd o th e r wr ite r s wh o a re co nvicted o f h avin g blunder ed th r ough th e ir
ign o rauce o f Ca th o licm atte rs an d th rough r ash n e ss and se lf-sumcien cy.
Th e am o un t o f pa in stak in g r e se a rch tha t h as go n e to th e m aking o f
th is bo ok is in ca lcul ab le ; an d fo rtunate ly th e se stor e s o f m inute and
a ccura te le arn in g ar e se t fo rth in an admirabl e style th a t exactly suits
th e subj e ct- a cle ar a n d ple a san t style , equal ly r emoved from duln ess
and flippan cy. Th e first part o f th is wo rk con sists o f five e ssays o n
ce rta in “ blun de r s ” comm itted by wr ite rs g e n e rally of h igh auth o r ity ;
a n d th e se co n d pa r t is de vo ted to th e expo sur e o f ce rta in “ fo rg e r ie s.
”
Th e l o n g e st a nd in som e r e spe cts m o st impo r tan t discussio n in th e
vo lum e is th at with wh ich it co n clude s Robe rt Wa re , o r a Ro gue
a n d h is Dupes .
” Th is is particul a r ly in te r e stin g to Irish r e ade rs, fo r
m any o f R o be r t lVa r e’s fo rge r ie s r e gard Ir ish affa irs, an d th e man
h im se lf was th e unwo rthy so n o f th e we ll kn own Ir ish a n tiquar ian an d
an n a list, Sir Jam e s Wa r e . Fa th e r Bridg e tt fo r h is labo r ious in ve sti
ga tio n s de se rve s th e gra titude o f a ll wh o wish th a t h istory sh ould n o t
h e wh a t a famous wr ite r r epr e se n ted it as h avin g be e n fo r th r e e
ce n tur ie s— a co n spiracy again st th e truth . Th is ve ry le a rn ed and
in g e n ious vo lum e is in m any r e spe cts th e m o st use ful an d ce r ta inly
th e m o st g en e ra l]y in te r e stin g o f th e many wo rks th at Ca th o lic lite ra
tur e owe s to th e in de fa tigable R edempto rist wh o se ems to h ave tak en
th e sam e vow as h is i llustr ious Fo un de r about th e di lige n t employ
m e n t o f eve ry m om e n t o f
A s we wish th is n am e to be fam iliar to any r eade rswh o h we n o t a lready learn ed
to associa te i t with so lid le arn in g an d pie ty, we ven ture to a llude to a m istaken
n o tio n th a t we h ave kn own to h ave be e n e n t erta in ed th a t Fath e r Bridg e ttwas called
so in th e same way th at th e Ho n . an d Re v . G co rg e Spe n ce r was kn own as Fath e r
Ign atius. But n o . th is unusual fam ily n am e was bo rn e by h im as a Pro te stan t
stude n t a t th e Un ive rsity o f Cambr idg e , wh ich h e le ft to e n te r th e Cath o lic Church ,
a nd so o n afte r th e Re dempto r ist Orde r , so dear t o Lime rick and a ll Ire land.
1 62 The~
Im rk Mon tidy.
quatr a in s and o th er fo rms. Th r e e o r four branch e s of th e subj ect a r e
\
a lso tr e a ted in sh o rt lyr ical pie ce s, as was do n e a lso in Parts I. a n d
II. Inde ed, we.
a r e n o t sur e th at th e po e t was we l l advise d i n
s epar ating , by lo n g in te rva ls th e publicatio n o f th e th re e po rtio n s o f
h is n o t ve ry lo ng po em . Ma ry of Naza r e th can n ot be sa id t o
thr ill th e h ear t ; but it ple ase s bo th th e spir itual and ar tistic taste .
4 . Seve n article s o f Cardin al Man n ing on Nation al Educa tion a r e
j o in ed tog e th e r in a small but va luable bo ok—a r ticle s m ain ly, by
wh ich , dur in g th e last nve ye ars, His Em in e nce h as de scribed th e
un equa l an d in adequate state o f th e l e gal pr ovisio n s fo r Natio n a l
Educa tion in Englan d. Th e vo lum e is pub lish ed by Bur n s a n d
O ate s .
5. Mr . R . Washbourn e h as br ough t out with h is usual ca r e a n d
g o od taste a tr an slatio n by M. 0 . IL, o f Fa th e r Je n n e sse aux’s m ode r n
e di tio n o f an exce lle n t tr e atise o n Th e D ivin e Favours g ran ted to
Sa in t Jo seph ,”wr itte n with gr e at un ctio n a nd discr e tio n by Fa th e r
Steph e n Bin e t, S.J. , th e sch o o lfe llow an d l ife - lo n g fr ie nd o f St .
Fr a n cis o f Sal e s . Th e devo ut clie n ts of St. Jo seph , an d th o se wh owish to becom e such , will find so lid n ourishm e n t fo r th e ir de vo tio n in
t h e se 1 50 page s, divided in to fifte e n sh o r t and cle ar ch apte rs . Th e
t ran slatio n is ve ry go od. A n o th e r March Sai n t is th e Apo stle o f
Ir e la nd . It is e n ough to an n ounce a n ew e dition o f th e popular wo rk
o n St . Patr ick by th e Ve ry R e v. T. H. Kin an e , De an o f Cash e l (Dubli n : M . H. G ill and So n ) . Fr om th e sam e D io ce se an d th e sam e
Publish e r s come s St. Pa trick , Apo stl e o f Ir e land,” by th e Rev.
Ar th ur Ryan , Pr e side n t o f St . Pa tr ick’s Co ll e ge , Th ur le s. A brief,
a gr e e able , and ye t le arn ed sk e tch o f th e Sa in t’s life is fo llowed by a
n ove n a o f m edi ta tio n s, and commo n to a ll th e n in e days a ve ry e arn est
a nd practical praye r an d a ve ry m usica l hymn , with ple n ty o f rhyme
a nd rhythm , and r e ason a lso . With St . Jo seph a nd St . Patr ick we
m ay jo in St . Fr an cis o f A ssisi . Th ough h is feas t is n o t in Ma rch ,
but as far away as Octobe r , seve ra l bo oks abo ut h im h ave made th e ir
way to our libra ry table th is mo n th . N ewcastle - o n -Tyn e (Wa rburton
a nd se nds th e Encyclical o f L e o XIII . o n St. Fr an cis o f A ssisi
a n d th e Pr opagatio n o f h is Th ird Orde r , fo llowed by th e life of
Ble ssed Lucius, its fir st m embe r ; an d Lo ndo n se nds five bo oks
r e latin g to th e Se raph ic Sa in t. Mr . Washbourn e h as issued new
e di tion s, bo th o f Miss Lo ckh ar t’s exce l le n t tran slatio n o f St. Bonac
ve n tur e’s life of h im
, and o f a transla tio n of h is Wo r n amely,
h is le tte rs, m on as tic co nfe r ence s, can ticle s, praye r s and familiar
co ll oquie s. Th is last is a par ticul arly h o ly a nd be autiful book.
Fin ally, th e Cath o lic Truth Socie ty, in penny pamph le ts, furn ish es na
Notes o n New Books . 1 63
with Le gen ds o f St. Fran cis (from th e Fioratti ), th e Sayings o f
Bro th er G il e s, o n e o f h is fir st fo llowe rs, and Leg e nds o f Br oth e r
Juniper , an o th e r o f th em .
6. Th e Wo rlds Fa ir which is to be h e ld in 1 892 in Chicago , St .
Louis o r N ewYo rk“ , in h on our o f th e fourth cen te n ary o f th e disco ve ryof th e N ew Wo r ld
, will probably outstr ip a ll simila r ce l ebratio ns th at
our ha lf ce n tury h as eve r se e n . Th e fir st bo ok publish ed in con n e cti o n
with i t is Isab e lla o f Castile , 1 492 by Eliz a A ll en Star ,’Chicag
-o C . V. Wa ite and It is publish ed unde r th e auspice s
of th e Que e n Isabe lla Association , wh ich h as be en founded to secur e
for Isab e lla o f Spa in h e r prope r r e cogn itio n as th e patro n o f
Co lumbus , o n e o f its special obj ects be in g th e e r ection o f h e r statue ,which h as ve ry appr opr ia te ly be e n e n truste d to a woman sculpto r ,Harrie t Ho sme r
, wh o would be gr e atly surpr ised if sh e saw h e rse lf
styled th e Ma ry Redmond o f th e Un ited Sta te s. Th is mon ograph o n
Quee n Isab e lla h as be en wr itte n by th e m o st compe te n t of h e r sex,
Miss Star r ’ s ar tistic taste is se e n in all th e exte rn als of h e r bo ok . Th eycertain ly do th e se th ings we ll o n th e o th er side of th e A tlan tic.
7 . Bro th e r A z arias is th e r e ligious n am e of an Irishman , wh o , as a
Bro th er o f th e Ch r istian Sch o o ls, h as do n e som e n oble wo rk fo r Ca th o li c
educa tio n in th e Un ited Sta te s. In Ca th o lic li te ratur e h e h as made
himse l f fe l t ch i efly th rough h is co n tr ibutio ns to 2750 Catho lic Wor ld, a ndThe A me rican Ca tho lic Quar ter ly. To th e r ecen tly dece ased edito r o f
th e la tte r R e view Bro th e r A z ar ias dedicate s his latest publica tio n
Bo oks an d R e ading , which.
is so ld a t twen ty-five ce n ts fo r th e
houent o f th e Cath edral Library o f New Yo rk, and is n ow in a seco nd
editio n . It is a so rt o f h and-bo ok fo r th e R e ading Circles wh ich ar e
be ing o rgan ised amo ng Am e rican Cath o lics. This pamphle t of seven ty
pages is an e xce l len t piece of lite ra tur e , ful l of in te r e sting facts and
remark s, and marked by far mo r e n o ve lty and fr esh n ess th an it migh t
be supposed po ssible to l e n d to such a th em e . Th ose a t h om e h e re
who h ave anyth ing to say to th e guidan ce of youn g pe ople in th e ir
reading would do we ll to pro cur e th is lectur e o f Bro th e r A z ar ias a nd
a rece n t bo ok o f Maurice Fran cis Egan , o n English Lite ra tur e . Bo th
of th o se Ir ish Ame r icans pr a ise e arn e stly a bo ok by an Ir ishman ,
almost utte r ly unkn own at h om e , bo th man and bo ok Dio n and
th e Sibyls,”by Miles G e rald Ke o n . We a re so rry to say th at Br o th e r
Az arias is mistak e n in namin g A n n ie Ke ary among Cath o lic write rs.
Th e spir it of h e r Castle Daly and o th ers o f h e r stor ies is so go od as to
deceive o n e in to th in kin g h e r on e o f ourse lves. He r de ar e st friendbecame a Cath o lic a nd a nun , and r ema in ed h e r de arest frien d ; but
1 64 The Ir ish s th ly.
M iss Keary n e ver foun d h e r way into visible un io n with th e Cath o lic
Ch urch .
8 . Sa in t Cecilia’
s G a tes,” by Esm e ralda Boyle (Dublin : Jame s
Duffy is an o th e r link be twe e n th e o ld and th e N ewWo r ld .
M iss Boyle is a n ative o f th e Un ited Sta te s , with Ir ish blood and an
Ir ish n ame and h e a rt . He r da in ty l ittle quar to is full o f po e tic fe e l ing ,
a n d r eca lls vividly many h o ly sce n e s a ndmany h o ly m o ods . A gr e a t
m any of th e piece s ar e ve ry sh o rt an d n e ed a go od de al o f sympathy
t o e n able th e r e ade r to in te rpr e t th e wr ite r’s full m e a n ing .
9 . Th e se n o te s o n n ewbo oks a r e co nfin ed to th o se bo oks wh ich ar e
s en t expr e ssly fo r thi s purpo se by th o se wh o a r e co n ce r n ed in th e ir
succe ss. Th is m o n th th e m ajo r ity o f th e se n ew Publica tion s com e to
us from Am e rica . Be n z ig e r se n ds th e fifte e n th vo lum e of th e gr ea t
C e n te n ary Editio n o f th e A sce tical Wo rks o f St . A lph o n sus Liguo r i ,wh ich compr ise s th e tr e atise s th a t may be g rouped un de r th e titl
Th e Pr e ach in g o f G od’s Wo rd.
” Th e sam e e n e rg e tic firm ,as if to
sh ow n a th at th e ir e n te rpr ise is n o t co nfin ed to asce tic wo rks, h as sub
mitted to o ur in spe ctio n spe cim e n s o f th e ir sch o o l bo oks, a“ New
Prime r , an d a New First R e ade r ,” bo th compil ed by a Cath o lic
Bish op, Dr . G ilm our o f Cleve land. Th e pictur e s and th e artful
g ro uping o f small wo rds se em admirably adapted to coax th e youn g
s tude n t fo rwa rd. A n o th e r firm th at h as o n e fo o t in G e rmany an d
a n o th e r in th e Uni te d Sta te s—a wide r str e tch th an th e Rh odian
co lo ssus was able to compass—isHe rde r , o f Fr e iburg , in Bade n , and o f
St . Lo uis, in Misso ur i , wh o se nds us a r a th e r larg e Illustrate d Bibl e
Histo ry o f th e Old a nd N e w Te stam e n ts,
”tran sla ted from th e
G e rman o f Dr . Schuste r , an d r e vised by se ve ral cle rgyme n .
1 0. A n o th e r se t of Am e r ican publica tio n s, whi ch , as th ey h ave
trave lle d so fa r , must a t le ast b e m e n tio n ed,fo r th is is e n ough to
r e comm en d th em . Th e seve n th th o usand o f th e R ev . Th omas J
Je n k ins’
Ch r istian Sch o o ls (Murphy : Ba ltim o r e ) ; Th e Span ish
Inquisitio n , by Dr . Dwe n g e r , Bish op o f Fo r t W'
ayn e (Be n z ige r
Br o th e rs) ; and an extr em e ly e loque n t an d in te r e stin g l e ctur e o n
Cultur e a nd Practica l Powe r by an Ir ish -Can adian M.P . ,Mr . Nich o las
Flo o d Davin , publish ed a t R e gin a , in th e No r th We st Te rr ito ry. To
o ur frie nd, Mr . W . J On ah an ,C ity Comptr o lle r o f Ch icago , we owe
ve ry m any favours, th e la te st be ing copie s o f th e omcial r ecord o f
Th e Dedicatio n a nd Ope n in g o f th e Ca th o lic Un ive rsity o f A m e rica ,
Ncv . IS, an d of th e magn ifice n t
“ Souve n ir Vo lum e Illustr ate d”
(De tro it Wi lliam H. Hugh e s), wh ich is a wo rthy m em o r ial of th r e e
g r e a t eve n ts in th e hi sto ry o f th e Ca th o lic Church in th e Un ited
1 66 Th e Ir ish Mont/ dy.
Monday Mo rn in g in th e Po lice Courts, and A Day in th e Ofiico
o f th e Cath o lic Pr otection and Rescue Soci e ty, wh ich th rough th e
z ea l and en e rgy o f Dr . Vaugh an and th e e arn e st me n wh o ca rry o n
th e wo rk, is do in g much to save th e po o r Cath o lics o f th at gr e at
En g lish City,most o f th em o f course from our own de ar la nd . A n d we
a t h ome—ar e all o f n a acco rdi n g to our abili ty o n re scue b en t?"Do we do e n ough to support th e various in stitutions e stablish e d fo r
r e scuin g th e fa llen and savin g th e youn g from th e sad n e e d o f
r e scue
1 4 . Th e Secular oflice , be ing No te s compiled as a ge n e ral guide
to th e Divin e o ffice extra by th e R ev. E . J. Ryan (DublinM . H. G ill and So n ), will h ardly be in te lligible to any but th o se wh o
ar e accustom ed to th e r ecitation o f th e Divin e o ffice , and to th em it
will n o t be o f much in te re st o r utility.
1 5. Th e Bug le Call , an d Oth e r Po ems,”by A ugusta Clin ton
Win th r op (Bosto n W .H. Cla rk e and Cc.) is o n e o f th e m o st da in tily
produced vo lum e s th at eve n Bosto n h as e ve r se n t fo rth . On e is
furth e r pr e judiced in its favour from se e ing i t lovingly dedica ted
to a m an wh om we all r e ve r e , Olive r We nde ll Ho lm e s, and to LouiseCh andle r Moul to n
, wh om m any o f us admir e fo r h e r r ar e ch arm o f
style 1 n ve rse and pro se . In Miss Win th r o p’s po ems th e r e is g r e at
var ie ty of th em e and tr e atment . We pr e fe r th ose wh ich tak e th e ir
in spirati o n from pie ty. In m any o f th em th e auth o r , th ough an
A m e rican , sh ows a warm Ir ish h e a r t, G od ble ss h e r ! If we could
in dulg e in th e luxury o f quo tati o n s, we suspect th at our first ch o ice
wo uld fall e ith e r o n Swe e t Frie nd o r o n Th r e e Souls.
1 6 . A n o th e r Am e r ican bo ok must be our last th is mo n th . It is,
we th ink, th e first th a t h as come to n a fr om Milwauke e—“ R atio n a l
R e lig io n ,” by th e R e v . Joh n Co nway, Edi to r o f Th e No r th We ste rn
Chr o n icle . With a styl e as cle a r and bo ld as th e type in wh ich
{ Iofiman n and Company h ave se t up th e bo ok , Fa th e r Co nway
discusse s all th e que stio n s th at in te r e st a r e lig io us e nqui re r in a com
mun ity such as h e live s amon g—G od, th e Tr in ity, th e Divin ity o f
Chr ist, Miracle s , Fai th and Re aso n , Fa ith an d Physics, Faith and
Evo lutio n , th e Church an d th e Bible , th e Ve n e r a tio n o f th e Blessed
Virg in , and many o th e r po in ts o f do ctr in e a nd practice . Pl e ase G o d,
th e bo ok will be a h e lp to many an h o n e st se a rch e r after truth , and
will e n able its Cath o li c r e ade rs to give a r e ason fo r th e faith th at is in
th em .
1 7 . It is but r igh t th at we sh ould o ccasion a lly g ive a kindly
N otes on N ew Books. 1 67
g reetin g to th e magaz in e s and o th e r pe riodical publication s th at tak e
the trouble o f visitin g our e di to r ial san ctum m on th afte r mo n th, o r a t
o th er sta ted pe riods . Th e m o st dign ified o f th e se is The A me r ica n
Catho lic Quar ter ly Review (Philade lph ia : Hardy a nd Mah o ny) . In
th e late st numbe r th e pape r o f m o st ge n e ral in te r est is o n e in wh ich
Mo n sign o r Be rn ard O’R e illy de scribe s th e diplomatic e ffo r ts o f th e
British G ove r nm en t in its r e lation s with th e Ho ly Se e som e sixtyye ar sago . Many in te r estin g and importan t l e tte rs o f th e th e n R ecto r o f th e
Irish Co lleg e a t Rom e , wh o was afte rwards to be Ca rdin a l Culle n ,and seve ra l o th e r o rigin a l docum e n ts, ar e give n in th is a rticle
, wh ich
is only th e fir st o f a se rie s. Two o th e r Amsricau maga z in e s ar e mo st
punctua l in th e ir visits, The Catho lic Wor ld an d Tim A ve Ma r ia . Th e
fo rme r will allow n a to say th at it h as h ad a g r e a t lo ss in Fath e r
Hecke r , an d th e latte r wi ll a llow us to say th a t it h as h ad a gr e at gain
in Mr . Maur ice Egan . Fr om a gr e ate r dista n ce th an any o f th e se an d
a t rare r in te rval s com e s to na Our A lma M ate r, wh ich is n o t a m on th ly
n or even a qua r te rly, but a sch o o l a n nual e dited by th e stude n ts o f
St . Igna tius’Co lle ge , S.I .
,R ive r view.
”Th is is th e Je suit Co lle g e o f
Sydn ey, N ew South Wa les, wh ich , if we m ay judg e by th e picture s
given h e re o f th e co ll eg e buildin gs, ch ape l , cottag e h o spita l, swinn
ming ba th s, and e spe cia lly th e be autiful view of a ll to g e th e r as se e n
from th e r ive r , must be wo r thy o f . th a t vast A ustral ian co n tin en t .
Even to b e n igh ted Eur ope an outside rs th is vo lum e is o f gre a t in te r e st ;but wh a t must i t be to th e Rive rvi ewe rs th emse lve s, past, pr e sen t, and
futur e? Th e G e e lo n g G rumble”adds con side rable piquancy to th e
prese n t issue , which , we trust, will be abse n t fr om th e te n r emain in g
years of th is ce n tury : fo r we n e ed n o t ye t se nd our wish e s so fa r fo r
ward as th e Twen ti e th Ce n tury. It st r ik e s na th a t R ive rvi ew h as h it
on th e pr ope r m aximum (and m in imum ) of aca demic journ a lism .
Even 7 7m Fordham Mon thly and o th e r Am e rica n visito rs, with a ll th e ir
mer its, do n o t co n vin ce us th at such fr eque n t appe a rance s ar e use ful .
Theymust in te rfe r e with be tte r th ings. But inde ed we kn ow ve rylittle abo ut th e matte r . A t any rate it would se em th a t e ve ry larg e
schoo l, l ik e Clo ng owe s h e r e a t h om e , sh ould a t l e ast o nce each your
issue som e such r eco rd o f its proce edin gs. Th e se r eco rds m ay acquir every gre a t value in afte r tim e s. Our A lma Ma te r se ems to n a a n
e xce llen t mode l fo r such a co llege an nual . But, with a ll due r e spe ct
for Fo rdh am and R ive rvi ew and th e r e st, The Stonyl mrat Magaz in e
bears away th e pa lm for th e in te r e st it co n tr ive s to th row r o und its
local surr oun din gs. Howeve r , som e G e e lo n g grumble r would obj e ctthat th is m e r it is n o t due to “
a bon dfida sch oo lboy.
” Mo st decide dlynot
, and so much th e be tte r . Th e edito r ial ch air is to o sacr ed a n
institutio n fo r sch o o lbovs to m eddle with except un de r prude n t
1 68 Tile Irisk Mon th ly.
striction s. A s th ose wh o a r e in te sted in L ipp incott’s Magaz ine h ave
tak e n th e tr ouble to fo rward th e Janua ry and Fe bruary pa r ts, we mayseco nd th e ir wish to exte nd th e ir Eur ope an circula tio n , as Harp er
’s
Mantbly and The Oentm‘
yM a
gaz ine h ave do n e , by expressin g our wo nde r
a t th e vast quality of exce lle n t m atte r th at thi s Am e r ican pe r iodica l
furn ish e s for a sh i llin g . Th e m ost n o tice able co n tr ibution s a re from
Jul ian Hawth orn e , wh o inh e rits a gr ea t deal of his fath e r’s ge nius .
Indeed Nath ani e l Hawth o rn e is h imse lf a con tr ibuto r , h is sk e tch o f o n e
o f hi s sto r ie s be ing an n o ta ted and filled up by h is son . Our last wo rd
will be g ive n to Commercial Ir eland, an extr eme ly we ll pr in ted and we ll
e dited journ a l, which is true to its n am e and sticks to i ts prope r pur
po se . Busin e ss and adve r tisem en ts ve ry pr ope r ly o ccupy n e arly a l l
th e space ; but th e o ccasion al scraps of li te ra tur e ar e go od in th e ir
way, like th e grass wh ich gr ows in th e cr evices o f th e r ocks th at cove r
a fie ld in som e parts o f Co nn augh t, wh e r e sh e ep fatte n we ll, we ar e
to ld, o n wh a t se ems to be n o thi n g but ston e s.
DAMIANUS APOSTOLUS LEPROSORUM .
ORTE jace s victus, Damian e , invicte labo rum !Fato fun ctus abe s quo n unquam dign io r al te r
Vita pe rpetua , n e e te r e vo car e pe r emptum
Vo te .val en tve pr e ce s, n e e luctum tempus abegit,
N e e deside r ium m o ll it m ise rabil e n o strum .
Tu pa tr iam linquis, tu m o e sto s linqui s am ico s ;
Tu fe rs auxi lium quaar e n s confin ia mun di
Qua m ise ri m o rbo con fe cti epoque car e n te sMarceban t h om in e s passim , m edicin a n eque ullaN ec r equie s e rat usque ma li . R epe r ir e n equiban t
Co rpo ra qui cur e t m o rbo jam dedita m o r ti .
Hue solato r ades fe ssis suocur r e r e doctus
Et mul ce r e malum ,tam en omn e r e cide r e n e scis
—Nec da tur e t le n is vim l e n tae m o r tis amaram,
Temple De i monstr an s se cur aque te cta pio r am ,
Et Crux, una Salus, cwois spem r eddit ce cllis .
Se n e te , val e , pate r , h as h unquam r editurus ad e r as
Lux ce cidi t vi ta , famte tibi g lo r ia vive t
E te rnumque tuum r e co len t pia se cula n om e n .
H. A . m sox.
G lasgow“ Wood Co llage.
1 70 T11 8 Ir ish Mon th ly.
a ripple o n th e wate r . On e b eautiful star twin kl ed br igh tly at Madg e
th r ough th e po r t-h o le , an d myr iads bf little o n es co ver ed th e blue
firmam en t .
But sudde n ly a h a z in e ss cam e o v e r th e atm o sph e r e , a h e avy cur
ta in o f m ist fe ll abo ut th e sh ip, an d th e sh in in g plan e ts we r e h idde n
from vi ew.
“ How stran g e ,”th o ugh t Madg e . Is it a fo g?Or um
I g e tting sle epy?Pe rh aps a li ttle of bo th . Now,I must r e ally try
to fo rg e t e ve ryth in g an d go to sle ep.
”
Sh e clo sed h e r eye s , an d pr epa r ed to r est . But at th is mome n t a
crash wa s h e a rd—a h o rr ible gr in ding so un d , and th e n th e imm e n se
ste am e r sto od stil l,shudde rin g th rough a ll its par ts . Th en th e place
e ch o ed with crie s o f h o rr o r , and shr ie k afte r sh r iek r e sounded o n a ll
side s .
Wh ite with te r ro r Madge sprang fr om h e r be r th“ Mo th e r ,
”sh e cried,
“som e th in g dr e adful is go in g on . G e t up,
g e t up.
”
Mr s. Ne il star ed a t th e ch ild . But b e fo r e sh e could answe r a wo rd
th e cabin do o r was flun g ope n , and a wi ld te rr ified vo ice an n oun ced
th e awful tidin gs
Quick—to th e bo a ts—th e r e h as be e n a co llision—we ar e sink
in g fast.”
Madge th r ew h e r ulste r on ove r h e r n igh t-dr e ss, wrapped th e n ow
we eping Do r a in a clo ak, and clasped h e r in h e r arms .
Mo th e r,
”sh e cr ied in a vo ice of an guish ,
“r ouse yo urse lf, fo r
pity’s sak e r ouse yourse lf.
”
But Mr s. Ne il made n o r eply. He r wh ite face was set ; h e r eye sfixed and staring .
Madg e ! Madg e scr e am ed A n n e rush in g in with Sylvia .
Th e r e is n o t an in stan t to spar e . Se e , your fa th e r will h e lp your
m o th e r . Save yourse lf—com e , com e .
Mr . Ne il be n t o ve r h is wife and kissed h e r lovingly, th e n sta r ted
aside with a groan o f h o rr o r .
My dar lin g ,
”h e murmur ed in a ch oking vo ice , we can do
n o th ing fo r your po o r mo th e r n ow. G od h as tak en h e r to Himself
th is sh ock h as ki lled h e r .
”
Oh ! th at can n o t be, th at cann o t be . Mo th e r , spe ak to m e
spe ak An d, sobbin g bitte r ly, Madge dung h e rse lf upo n th e dead
woman’s br e ast .
To th e bo ats—ch ildren and wom e n fir st, cr ied th e Capta in .
Fo r G od’s sak e
, be quick . Br in g n o th ing—th ink o nly o f your live s.
Quick , we ar e sinking fast .”
0
Mr . Ne il caugh t Do ra in h is arms, an d , r a ising th e a lmo st nu
co nscious Madg e , bo r e h e r out o f th e cabin up to th e deck .
A Str iking Contrasf. 1 7 1
Th e re a ll was in wild confusion . Th e fog e nve loped everyth inglik e a pall, an d n o th in g could be se en at two yards
’distan ce . Th e
l owe r decks we r e co ve r ed with wa te r . Pe ople we r e run n in g about
d istr a cted with te r ro r . Me n1
fand wom en gr ew de l irious as th ey clun gto th e r igg ing . implo r ing th e sailo r s to h e lp th em .
Th e capta in alo n e r ema in ed ca lm . He n eve r fo r an instan t fo rgo th is duty. Th e bo ats h ad all b e e n lowe r ed ; an d by th e gle am o f th e
Be n gal ligh ts, bur n ed by th e ch ief e n g in e e r , h e saw th a t th ey we r e
fill e d as fast as possible with th e un fo r tun ate wome n and ch ildre n .
A s Madg e appea r ed o n th e sce n e clin gin g to h e r fa th e r’s arm
, sh e
was quickly se iz ed and flun g , m o r e de ad th an al ive , in to th e n e ar est
bo a t
He lp, h e lp,”
sh r iek ed A n n e . A n d, r e lie ved o f hi s daugh ter’s
we igh t, N e il turn ed, and taking Sylvia fr om h e r, dragged h e r up th e
In a n instan t sh e was h urried away. Th e r e was just r o om -fo r
o n e m o r e in a h e avily lade n bo a t, and in to it sh e was thr own .
Th e ch ild—my maste r’s ch i ld,
”sh e scr e am ed. I cann o t go
Wi th o ut h e r .
”
Mr . N e il made a step fo rward,tr ipped o n a rope , was jo stled ruth
les sly by th e cr owd, and fe ll on th e slippery deck .
Th e chi ldre n—th ey must go in th e se bo ats, cr ied a sa ilo r ; and,
ca tch in g th em roughly,'
h e dung o n e to A nn e and th e o th e r to Madge .
Fath er , fa th e r , come with us,”
cri ed Madg e , as by th e flar e o f a
to rch sh e saw poo r Ne il str ugglin g to hi s fe e t . Oi wh at use is life
to us wi th out fath e r o r m o th e r?Oh ! com e . L e t him com e, I pray,
I implo r e . My fa th e r , myBut th e sa ilo rs h e eded h e r . n o t, and push ed quickly ofi to sea .
Th e th ick fog h id th e sinking sh ip from view ; an d with a shr iek o f
an gui sh Madg e fe ll fa in tin g to th e bo ttom o f th e bo at.
Th ank G od we ar e gsafe , murmur ed A n n e , wr appin g h e r clo ak
close ly ro un d th e ch ild wh o clung to h er in spe ech less te rr o r in th e
o ther boa t . “ Th ank G odjwe ar e saved.
”
“ 80 youmay say,”answe red o n e o f th e m e n . We we r e th e last
to le ave th e sh ip. Sh e is gon e—all on bo ard h ave pe rish ed.
”
Row for your live s,”cr ied an o th e r ; dimly th rough th e fog I se e
a ligh t. It is a steame r . Row, boys, if we r each h er we ar e safe ; if
n ot, we must pe r ish of co ld and hung er .
Th e men fe ll to wo rk , r owing wi th a ll th e str en gth of th e ir brawny
a rms. Fortunate ly th e sea was comparative ly smoo th , o r th e bo at
wo uld h ave be e n swamped . Th e m e n pull ed fo r th e ir live s, an d n o t
a wo rd was spok en . An n e , with th e baby clasped to h e r bre ast, two
oth e r women , and a boy of ten , cro uch ed in th e ste rn .ve e r ing anxiously
fo r m e signs of th e savin g sh ip.
The Ir ish Mo nth ly.
Fo r some tim e n o thing could be se e n ; and, imagin in g th ey ha d’
be e n de ce ived, th e m en hurle d curse afte r curse at th e ir comr ade s.
Th en all a t o n ce a cry o f joy we n t fo rth . Clo se be side th em ,
r isin g like a gh ost o ut o f th e fog , was a large ste ame r alm ost m o tio n
le ss upon th e ca lm wate r s .
Th e sh ipwr eck ed party sign alled wildly. Th e ir sign als we r e se e n .
R0pes an d ladde rs we r e lowe red, an d m e n , wom en and chi ldr e n we r e
so o n in safe ty o n bo ard a h om eward boun d ve sse l .
Th ey we r e all kindly tr e ated, pro vided with fo od and clo thin g , an d
se n t to bed .
Much exh austed, we ak and numb with co ld and te rr o r , A nn e gav e
th e baby to th e stewarde ss ; an d, beggin g h e r to a tte nd to its wan ts,
stagg e r ed to a be rth , wh e r e sh e so o n fe ll in to a de ep sle ep.
Ea r ly n ext mo rni ng sh e awoke , and sittin g up, ca ll ed loudly fo r
th e ch ild .
Pray do n o t be un e asy, sa id th e stewarde ss, sh e is fa st asle ep
just be side yo u. Se e .
”
Sh e r a ised th e coun te rpan e o f th e n ext be rth , and sh owed a love ly
in fan t fast asl e ep, with o n e little rounded arm thr own above h e r h e ad .
But th e h air was a rich auburn th e lo n g eye lash e s th at swept th e r o sy
ch e eks we r e dark ; th e n o se was sh o rt and dain tily fo rm ed ; th e pout
in g m outh was like a cupid’s bow. In o n e wo rd
, it was n o t Sylvia
A th e rsto n e th at lay befo r e th e distracted nur se , but little Do ro thy
Th e r e was an o th e r , gasped A n n e , clutchi n g th e woman’s h an ds .
A n o th e r—fair—de lica te . Oh , say. th e r e was an o th e r .
”
A las ! n o , my po o r soul , th e r e was o n ly o n e . Th e o th e r must
h ave be e n drown ed . Th is is th e o n ly baby brough t o n board last
n igh t. Th e r e we r e ch ildr e n of six,e igh t , an d te n . But o nly o n e
baby, and h e r e sh e is.
”
Dr own ed—mype t—my Sylvia . Oh , maste r—maste r !Wh at sh a llI do
A n d, wild with grie f, A n n e flun g h e rse lf back , we epin g o n h e r
pillow. Hour afte r h our sh e to ssed fr om side to side in passio n a t e
de spa ir . Wh a t was to be don e?Wh e r e could sh e go to with th is
m o th e r le ss, fath e rle ss, pe nn ile ss babe?Sh e h ad n o mo n e y , n o
clo th e s, n o h om e . If sh e we r e to go with this little stran ge r to h e r
ma ste r’
s fath e r , and te ll him th at hi s g randch ild was de ad, wh at
would h e say?Wh a t woul d h e do?Cast th em bo th from h is do o r
- and th e n We ll , th ey m igh t se ek a r e fug e wh e r e th ey could
starve by th e road-side , o r go to th e wo rkh ouse .
Th en a te rrible tempta tion to ok possession of th e un fortunate
nurse ; and in h er h our of extr eme n e ed, sh e yie lded to it.
1 74 Ti m Ir ish Monticly.
" He r e,sir , h e r e .
A nd a woman , as whi te as de a th and tremblin g in eve ry limb , .
stagg e r e d fo rward and placed a love ly little g ir l in lh is arms .
My Sylvia , my swe e t little pe t,” h e cried with em o tio n , a nd
pre ssin g th e chi ld to h is h e ar t h e co ve r ed h e r with k isse s.
" We lcom e ,
my da rlin g—a hundr ed tim e s we lcom e .
”
Th e n turn in g to A n n e , h e sh o ok h e r warmly by th e h a nd .
Th ank you, th ank you fo r your love and car e . In th e midst o f
dang e rs and sh ipwr eck you h ave n o t fo rgo tte n my little o n e . I sh a lln e ve r fo rg e tyour goodn e ss, n eve r . Com e , your troub le s ar e at an e nd .
Y ou sh all live with an d nur se my pr e tty Sylvia as lon g as sh e r equir e s
you an d th en—we ll th e n you may do wh a t you ple ase—live as you
l ik e ; I will always lo ok afte r you and give you a ll you m ay r equir e .
G od ble ss you, an d th ank you.
”
A nn e could n o t spe ak fo r emo tio n . Sh e was touch e d. by Sir
Eustace’s k indn e ss, and lo n g ed to te ll h im th e trouble . But sh e dare d
n o t do ao . It would be r isking to o m uch . Se,sh e sa id n o th in g , an d
fo llowed h im quie tly on sh o r e ; and th us sh e and th e o rph an ed Dora
found a comfo r table h ome .
CHA PTER V.
CA ST UP BY THE SEA .
Me anwhi le , Madge an d Sylvia we r e suffe ring sadly. Th ey clun g
to ge th e r so bbin g an d sh ive ri n g . Th e fo g was damp an d co ld, an d
th ey we r e th in ly clad. Madg e , always un se lfish , pr essed th e little
o n e to h e r br east, an d cove r ed h e r with h e r ulste r . In th e dr e adful
dar kn ess th at surr ounded th em , sh e kn ew n o t wh ich o f th e ch ildr e n
sh e h e ld in h e r arms. But itmatte r ed little wh ich—sh e loved th em bo th ,
a nd fe lt ce rta in th at th e o th e r was som ewh e re n e ar with A n n e Dan e .
Th e ide a of th e boats be in g separated an d th e ir inmate s losing e ach
o th e r, n eve r e n te r ed h e r h e ad . Sh e was stun n ed, daz ed with mise ry,
a nd th ough t n o t o f th e futur e .
Fo r many lon g h ours th eypitch ed about upo n th e sea . It was co ld
a nd dark . No friendly sa il cam e -n e ar th em th ro ugh th e n igh t . A
barr e l o f biscuits and a k e g o f wa te r was all th ey h ad to k e e p th em
a live ; an d th eywer e probablym iles an d m ile s fr om land. Th e sailo rs
cursed and swo r e and quarr ell ed amongst th emse lve s, and po o r Madge’s
h e art was sick with in h e r as sh e liste n ed . Th en by de gr e e s sh e be gan
to r e aliz e th e sad fate th at was h e r s—th e utte r de so latio n th at h ad
fa lle n upon h e r , h e r mo th e r de ad, h e r fath e r swept away to a wate ry
g rave , an d sh e left alon e to face th e crue l wo rld o r per ish of co ld and
A Sh i ft ing Con trast. 1 75
hunge r , with a baby in h e r a rms—a fa ir , de lica te baby. Fo r as th e
morning dawn ed sh e saw it was n o t h e r siste r sh e h e ld to h e r h e art,
but Sylvia A th e rsto n e . With th e m o rn in g l igh t th e ir m ise ry be cam e
mo re in te n se . A ga le spran g up, th e fo g cle ared away, a nd th e
sea , tha t h ad be e n so ca lm , gr ew sudde n ly wild and tempe stuous . Th e
trail bark was to ssed unm e r cifully fr om side to side . Wave s br ok e
over h e r an d fill ed h e r with wate r . Th e n it se em ed as th ough all was
over—as th ough all must pe r ish . Som e on e flung a life -be l t ove r
l lsdge’s h e ad, a nd in a mome n t sh e was strugg ling fo r li fe in th e m idst
of the ang ry b il lows.
Tha t day, at n o o n , two ladie s sat o n th e be ach at a little se a -side
place som e m ile s from Plym outh . Th ey we r e o ld and thi n , with car e
worn face s tha t spok e of much suffe r ing a nd gre a t anxie ty.
“ We ll , siste r ,”sa id sh e wh o from a ce rta in a ir o f comman d se em e d
to be th e e lde r o f th e two , th e re is o n ly o n e way out of our difi cul ty.
We can n o lo ng e r do th e wo rk ourse lve s a nd a ttend to our sh op. Since
that and h o ur wh e n we h eard th a t we h ad lo st our fo rtun e s th r o ugh
the dish o n e sty o f our guardian s, and came to ek e o ut an existe n ce in
this lo n e ly v illag e , I have n o t fe lt so we ak and in capable ; you to o
are fail in g in h e alth ; and so th e o n e th in g se rtain is, we must tak e
a servan t .
I suppo se so , Ma tilda ,”r eplied h e r siste r sigh in g . But wh e r e
shall we g e t o n e fo r th e mo n ey we can ofie r?Th e ma ids about h e r e
ask such e xo rbita nt wag e s.
”
“ Se th ey do ,de ar . But we must wa it a nd watch . Wh o kn ows
someth in g may turn up.
Th is was a lways Miss Matilda’s cry n o mat te r wh at h appe n ed, n o
matter wh a t wen t wro ng—som e th in g would sur e ly turn up. A n d so
these two kind-h e ar ted ma ide n s h ad go n e th r ough l ife , livin g o n li ttl e ,
pinch in g and scr ewin g , always h o pin g th at som e th ing would turn upthat th e ir squan de r ed fo r tun e—squande r ed by wick ed and di sh on e st
guardian s—m igh t on e daybe r e sto r ed to th em , o r th at th ey by th e ir own
on efio rts sh ould becom e r ich and prospe rous . But in spite o f th e ir
industry a nd a tte n tio n to th e ir sh op th in gs did n o t n o t m end, n o th in gof any co n seque n ce e ver turn ed up ; and n ow a s th ey gr ew to o o ld and
feeble fo r th e ir wo rk , th ey wer e as po o r and un succe ssful as on th e
first day wh e n th ey h ad take n up th e ir abode in th e little villag e bythe sea .
“ Le t us go h om e , Barbara , said Ma tilda afte r a tim 9 . It is
dinn er-h our , and some o f th e village rs m ay come ro und to th e sh op .
”
Barbara sigh ed, b ut r o se imm ediate ly. It is so r e fre sh in g h e r e ,
Matty. Th e se a lo oks grand to-day.
”
“ G rand . Y e s ; but dang e ro us . Th ink o f th e sh ips and
1 76 m Ir ish Month ly.
But wh at is th at sh e cr ied in suddeu exciteme n t. Wh at ar e
th o se m e n ca rryin g?Bab , Bab ! It is some on e wh o h as be e n
drown ed . Wh o can it be?”Th e fish e rm en laid down th e ir burde n as Miss Matilda pr esse d
fo rward to que stion th em .
’Tis a little lass, Ma’am
,sai d o n e , dr awing down th e clo th th a t
co ve r ed th e gi r l . A little la ss, with a baby in h e r a rms.
”
Poo r ch ild ! Is sh e dead
No , n o . Th e life’s in h e r ye t.
Th e n , why do you waste tim e in r e sto ring h e r?Bring h e r in too ur h o use . Carry h er in at once . Come , you can lay h er o n my
be d
Y ou ar e a go od woman,Mi ss Matilda . G od will r ewa rd you.
Com e ; waste n o time .
”
Th e m e n rai sed th e str e tch e r and fo ll owed th e o ld lady in to th e
co ttag e . Th e bed was wa rm ed, r esto ra tives appl ied, an d in a sh o rt
tim e Madge an d Sylvia we r e sle epin g pe ace ful ly, wh ils t Miss Ma tilda
wa tch ed be side th em with lovin g anxi e ty.
Matilda ,”wh ispe r ed Ba rba ra , ste aling up to th e bed
-side an d
g az in g a t th e ch ildr en in alarm,
it was fo o lish to tak e th em in .
W e ar e po o r . How can we fe ed an d clo th e th e se un fo rtun a te waifs?”Miss Ma tilda raised h e r eye s towards h eave n . A be autiful smile
played r ound th e corn e rs o f h e r mouth, and illum in ed h e r with er ed
coun tenan ce .
G od sen t th em to n a,
”sh e sa id simply. I em glad ; h appy to
sh e lte r th em and save th em fr om star va tio n—o r th e wo rkh ouse . We
a r e po o r , as you say ; but be lieve m e , siste r , G od is goo d—som e th in g
will sur e ly turn up.
”
CHAPTER VI.
A CRUEL su m mon .
In a few days Madg e was h e rse lf aga in . Th e damp n igh t air ,
th e te rro rs o f shipwr e ck , and th e crue l struggle with th elan gry waves,h ad do n e h e r but small in jury. Th e o ld ladi e s wh o h ad so k indlytak e n h e r ia , tr eated h er with such te nde r car e and con side ratio n
,
th at in a sh o rt tim e sh e was o n ce mo re r e stor ed to h e r usua l h ealth
a nd str e ng th . But poo r little Sylvia dr o oped and pin ed. Th e co ld
a nd fa tigue , th e lon g expo sur e sh e h ad endur ed, h ad sh ak en h er
de l icate fram e and left h e r v e ry fr agile . Th e chi ld g r ew pale and
My de ar , we must, and beh ave m e it will be fo r yo ur go od an d
Oh ,h ow h ow?sobbed Madge .
In thi s way. Y ou will be able to wo rk an d e a rn yo ur br e ad.
a nd a t th e sam e tim e educa te yourse lf, wh ilst sh e wil l be h appy and
we ll tak e n car e o f.”
But wh e r e is sh e to go
To th e Orph an ag e a t Plymo uth .
Madg e gasped .
To th e Orph an ag e . Oh , Miss Barbara .
We ll , de ar , it is a ll we can do fo r h e r . A n d it is on ly th ro ugh
th e kind influe n ce o f th e Squire ’s wife th at we can man a g e e ve n th at .
Y o u te ll us th e ch ild be lo n gs to r ich pe opl e-th a t h e r g randfa th e r is
we althy, but yo ur in fo rmatio n is vague ; b eyo nd th a t, a nd th at h is
n am e is A th e rs to n e , yo u kn ow n o th ing . Se h ow a r e we e ve r to g e t
a t h im P
We must find h e r g ran dfa th e r in tim e .
In tim e, pe rh aps. But th a t m ay m e an ye a rs, o r n eve r . A dve r
t isem e n ts h ave be e n put in th e pape rs . But n o n o tice h as be e n tak e n .
A nd sur e ly if anyman we r e in doubt as to th e fa te o f h is g ra ndch ild ,
h e would h ave made a fuss, adve r tised, put de tective s o n th e track,
a nd”
He th inks sh e is de ad, I suppo se . But o n e day we sh all fin d h im
o ut . How I wish I kn ew h is n am e and addr e ss ! But papa a nd A n n e
a lways spok e o f h im as Mr . A th e r sto n e’s fa th e r
, an d I. n eve r th ough t
o f a skin g wh e r e h e live d. He was in En glan d, th at wa s e n ough fo r
m e But n ow,Miss Barba ra , I
’d g ive th e wo r ld to kn ow mo r e .
Y e s, it wo uld be a ble ssin g , de ar . But n ow,as yo u do n
’t , a nd
as we can n o t fin d h im , th e ch i ld must be pr ovided fo r . Se Mati lda
and I h ave ar ran g ed to tak e h e r to th e Orph an ag e at o nce , to mo r rowo r n ext day.
”
Po o r little Sylvia , po o r little pe t.
A nd Madg e be n t h e r h e ad an d wept bitte r ly ,
My de ar , sh e is n o t go in g to pr iso n . Sh e will be k indly tr e a ted,a nd ca r e fully tra in ed. Y ou will be allowed to visit h e r a t ce rta in
tim e s, an d you will be a ble to tak e h er little th in gs b ough t out of
your wag e s.
”
My wag e s
Y e s . Siste r an d I h ave be e n th in kin g th at , wh e n th e ch ild is
g o n e , you wo uld be an xious to e a rn som e m o n ey, an d so we th ough t
yo u m igh t be o ur se rvan t . A t le a st , yo u m igh t h e lp n a in our wo rk .
”
De ar Miss Barba ra , I’ll do anyth i n g you wan t,
”cried Madg e ,
with str e am in g eye s . Y ou and Miss Ma tilda h ave be e n so go od to
A Str iking Con trast. 1 76‘
me . I’ll wo rk all day
— an d—an d—n ow— I se e my da r lin g must go
But, oh , it is h ard—so h ard, fo r sh e is a ll I h ave .
”
It is h a rd , I kn ow,de ar e st . Sh e h as tak e n th e place o f fa th e r ,
mo th er , siste r ,”r eplied Miss Ba rba ra , g e n tly. But liste n , ch ild ; if
yo u wo rk we ll in th e m o rn in gs a t our h o use wo rk , you sh a l l g o to
sch oo l in th e afte rn o o n s . Th e o rgan ist wi ll te ach yo u music, if h e
fin ds yo u h a ve ta len t, and th e Squir e’s daugh te r , Miss Tranm e r e , h as
o ffer ed to te ach you Fr e nch . Y o u ar e a lady bo r n , we se e ; an d we
a r e r e so lve d to do a ll we can to give you a lady’
s educa tio n . Our
fr ie nds are m o st g e n e r ous, and a nxious to h e lp n a .
“ Y ou ar e goo d, yo u a r e go o d,”murmur ed Madge . Miss Bar
b ars , h ow can I eve r th an k yo u
By wo rking we ll , an d givin g up your little siste r as ch e e rfully
a s yo u ca n . A n d th a t r em inds m e, de ar , o f som e th in g I must te ll
yo u. We all th in k th a t baby’s sto ry n e ed n o t be to ld at th e Orph an
a g e , or in th e vill ag e . It is us e l e ss, and may cause h e r an n oyan ce as
sh e grows o lde r . It is e n ough to say sh e is an o rph an ,with out
m en ti on in g h e r r ich gran dfa th e r . Fo r wh o kn o ws if th e auth o r iti e s
h e a rd o f h im , th ey migh t r efuse to admit h e r , an d th en wh a t sh ould
we do
Just as you ple ase . I don ’t suppo se it m a tte rs.
A n d th en th is m in iatur e an d go ld ch a in . Y o u h ad be tte r k e ep.
th em fo r h e r till sh e g rows up, an d yo u t e ll h e r h e r sto ry.
Till sh e grows up?Is my da rlin g to be po o r all h e r life th e n
Pro bably. I se e n o ch an ce o f a nyth ing e lse .
Po o r little Sylvia
A nd , Madge , th e Squir e’s wife thin ks Sy lvia to o grand a n am e
sh e says we sh ould ca ll th e ch ild som e th in g m o r e simple .
”
Madg e dr ew th e baby to h e r br e ast, and kissed h e r passio n ate ly.
V e ry we ll ,”
sh e said . We ar e two lo n e ly, de so la te wa ifs .
S h e h as take n my siste r’
s place— sh e sh a ll tak e my siste r
’s n am e ,
Th a t is simple e n ough , e ve n fo r a pen n ile ss o rph an .
”
Do ra Ne il . Y e s, th a t will do adm irably.
”
Th e n Miss Barba ra bowed h e r h e ad, an d le ft th e ch ildr e n alon e .
Th e n ext day Sylvia was carr ie d to Plym outh , an d admitted to th e
O rph an age as Madg e’s siste r , little Do r o thy Ne il .
CHAPTER VII.
a s nvsm n ox.
A fte r th is Madg e becam e in valuable to th e two old ladi e s . A t
n o o n , eve ry day, sh e we n t to th e village sch o o l ; o n ce r tain e ve n in gs
1 80 The Ir isk Month ly.
sh e r e ce ived music lesso n s from th e o rgan ist, and fo r thr e e h ours e ach
we ek sh e studied Fr e nch with Miss Tranm e r e , th e Squir e’s a e com
plish e d daugh te r . But th e r e st o f h e r tim e was de vo ted to th e se rvice
o f h e r kind be n e facto r s . Sh e made th e beds, and swept th e flo o r s ;
sh e co ok ed th e din n e r , and wash ed th e pla te s an d di sh es—did eve ry
th ing , in fact, th a t a ma id- o f-al l -wo rk migh t do . But Miss Barbar a
h e lped as much as po ssibl e . A nd ao , th ough o fte n tir ed and weary,
th e girl was n eve r taxed beyo nd h e r str e n gth .
Madg e was cle ve r,an d m ade r apid progre ss wi th h e r studie s.
Sh e was br igh t , in te ll ig e n t, an d o rde r ly ; and as sh e gr ew o lde r a nd
str o n g e r , sh e to ok upo n h e r th e e n tir e man agem e n t o f th e cottag e an d
its fe eble inm ate s . He r employe rs be gan gradual ly to lo ok to h e r fo r
dir e ctio n . Wh a te ve r sh e wish ed was r igh t . Wh ateve r sh e wan teddo n e was do n e .
Unde r h e r car e ful a rr ang em en t th e little sh op n e ar th e b e ach
b ecam e m o r e attractive ; th e sto ck - ia -tr ade m o r e use ful and like ly to .
s e ll . Th e o ld ladie s th emse lve s se em ed to grow youn g e r , in ste ad
o f o lde r . an d quit e e n joyed pape r ing up th e m any parce ls th ey we r e
ca lled upo n to mak e . Fo r th ey we r e do in g a go od busin e ss,a nd
to ok mo r e m o n ey in a we ek n ow th an th ey h ad do n e in a mon th
be fo r e Madg e cam e to live with th em .
A n d th e g ir l h e rse lf wa s ve ry h appy . Sh e led a busy, active lil e ,
and kn ew th a t sh e was lo ved by h e r de ar o ld fr ien ds .
A nd so th e tim e passe d quickly by. A n d wh en Madge was twe n ty,ta ll
,stro ng , and straigh t, sh e h ad but on e troub le in th e wo rld, an d
th at wa s th at sh e was still fo rce d to l e ave h e r siste r—h e r darlin gDo ra— in th e o rph an ag e .
True , sh e saw h e r o fte n ,and Do ra se em ed we ll car ed fo r an d con
t e n t. But sh e lo n g ed to h ave th e child with h e r , to surroun d h e r with
th e m an y comfo r ts th a t lo ve a lo n e can sugg e st.
Thi s, h oweve r , was impo ssible ; an d sh e tr ied n o t to r epin e . Till
Do r a was o ld e n ough to e arn h er br e ad som e way, it was be tte r sh e
sh ould r ema in wh e r e sh e was ; and th is fact Madge made th e littl e
g ir l un de rsta nd as so o n as sh e was capabl e of do in g ao .
Th e e ven ts o f th at awful n igh t, wh e n th e ch ildre n h ad lost eve ryo n e an d e ve ryth in g be lon g in g to th em ,
r o se fr eque n tly in po o r
Madg e’s m ind an d fill ed h e r with so rr ow.
If we co uld o n ly h ave found my darling’s grandfath e r , h ow
d ifie r en t would h ave be e n h e r lo t,
”sh e would th ink e ach t ime sh e
l e ft th e o rph an ag e .
’Tis crue l to se e h e r be in g brough t up in such
a seve r e séh o o l , wh en sh e sh ould h ave eve ry luxury tha t m o n ey could
buy. Howeve r th e ch ild, if n o t actua lly h appy, is co n te n t . Sh e
k n ows n o th in g o f wh a t m igh t h ave be e n—I h ave spar ed h e r that pa in ;
1 89, Tlee Ir ish Mon thly.
pan io n s ; subj ected to a tr ea tme n t wh ich , th ough n o t actually crue l o r
se ve r e , is trying to on e of h e r fr a i l con stitution .
”
Pl e ase ,”
sa id a swe e t vo ice ,“coul d you te ll m e th e n am e o f
th is sto n e
Madg e lo ok ed up, h e r eye s fill ed with te ars, but could n o t spe ak
fo r a m omen t . Sh e was struck~dumb wi th aston ishmen t.
Be fo re h e r sto od a da in ty little lady o f about te n ye ars o ld. Sh e
h ad a b e autiful face , large lumin ous dark eyes, th ick ch e stnut h a ir ,
th a t gr ew in cluste rin g cur ls r o un d h e r fo r eh e ad ; a clea r,fr e sh com
plexio n , an d a m e rry laugh ing m outh . Sh e was dr e ssed in pur e
wh ite . A br o ad Le gh o rn h at and dro oping fea th e rs sh aded h e r fromth e sun . He r pr e tty fe e t we r e co ve r ed with th e n e a te st o f bo o ts ; h e r
tiny h ands in th e so fte st o f Swe di sh g love s.
Madg e was filled with won de r . Such a fa iry as th is was an un
usual sigh t in Oldpo r t, a nd sh e could n o t imagin e wh e r e sh e h ad
com e fr om . Som e th ing in th e little girl’s expr e ssion se em ed familiar ;
ye t n eve r in h e r li fe h ad sh e e ve r se e n h e r be fo r e . Sh e was abo ut
Do r a’s h e igh t and ag e , but much m o r e h e althy. A nd, alas ! h ow
(l ifie r e n tly attir ed . A n d as a visio n o f th a t be lo ved ch ild,clad in h e r
co ar se o rph an’s un ifo rm ,
r ose be fo r e Madge , sh e sigh ed h e avily.
Y ou se em sad,”said th e li ttle stran g e r ge n tly. I am so rry I
disturbed yo u .
”
No , n o ,”cr ied Madge , you on ly sta rtled and surprised m e . I
d id n o t kn ow you we r e n e ar m e till you spo ke . Wh at did you ask
m e
I wan ted to kn ow wh at th is ston e was called .
Madg e sm iled.
I do n ’t. th ink th a t is a sto n e . It is only a pie ce o f glass, or o f a
soda wa te r bo ttle , probably, th at h as be e n kn ock ed about in th e sea
and wash ed ov e r th e sto n e s an d r o cks till it h as g o t wo rn in to th at
sh ape .
”
R e al ly. Th at’s ve ry cur ious. Th ank you ve ry much . I will
put th is am o n gst my tr e asur e s . G o od-bye . I se e nurse beckon ing tom e . I must g o . May 1 k iss you
A nd be fo r e Madg e h ad tim e to r eply th e ch ild sto oped and kissed
h e r o n th e lips ; th e n , with a sm ile a n d a bow, flitted o il ove r th e
shingle .
Madg e turn ed to lo ok afte r h e r ; an d just above th e beach , on th er o ad, sh e saw a carriage a nd pai r . Clo se b e side it sto od an e lde r ly
woman , wavin g h e r h and and ca llin g to th e l ittle g irl .
Miss Sylvia , we ar e late . Com e quickly, ple ase .
Madg e gr ew pal e as de ath , and started to h er fe e t .
Sylvia Wh at did th e'
woman m ean?Why did sh e ca ll th e
ch ild by th at n ame
A Str iking Confirmi t. 1 83
M iss Sylvia , de ar m e , do h ur ry. Th e r e is g o in g to be a thunde r
s to r m . Quick , quick .
"
Y e s, A n n e . I’m comin g . But A n n e
,A n n e
, th e sto n e s h ur t my
Th e woman stepped down upo n th e be ach , and gave th e chi ld h e r
h a n d .
M adge h ur ri ed fo rward, an d gaz in g at th e nurse , said fa in tlyA r e you
— ca n yo u b e A n n e Dan e
Th e stran g e r looke d a t h e r in ama z em en t .
Y e s . Why do you ask
B e cause —Madg e tr embled , an d h e r to n gue se em ed tied to th e
r o o f o f h e r m outh h e r vo ice was low an d h o ar se , h e r wo rds indi stin ct
Beca use , if yo u ar e Ann e Dan e wh o was wr ecked in th e Cimbria ,wh o , o r wh a t is th at child?
A n n e becam e livid, and ga z ed wildly r ound. Th e rain cam e down
sudde n ly in gr e a t th ick dr ops .
Miss Sylvia ,
”sh e cried, jump in to th e carr iag e—quick .
Th e little gir l did as sh e was to ld . An n e fo l lowed h e r a t o nce ,
a nd as sh e clo sed th e do o r , sh e sa id to Madg e“ I am A n n e Dan e . I can n o t th ink why you ask ; but I was
w r e ck ed in th e Cimbria . A n d th is ch ild is Miss Sylvia A th e rsto n e .
”
No,n o , sh ri eked Madg e , run n in g towards h e r with o utstr e tch e d
a rms, sh e is n o t—sh e can n o t be—Sylvia isBut sh e talked to th e wind. Th e carriag e h ad wh ir led o ff do wn
th e r oad, and sh e was alo n e . Th e ra in n e w fall in to rr e n ts, th e
thun de r crash ed loudly o ve r h e r h e ad ; and, fe e lin g da z e d a n d
bewi lde red, sh e ran o n to th e co ttag e .
Th a t e ve n in g Madge could th ink o f n o th ing but th is stran g e
m e e tin g . Sh e r e lated a ll th at h ad h appe n ed to th e two o ld ladi e s,and to ge th e r th ey ta lked it ove r . a nd wo nde r ed wh a t it a ll m e an t .
Miss Ma til sa id Madg e , th ough tfully,“ I h ave h ad a
r ev e la ti o n to d ay I n ow kn ow wh a t I n eve r befo r e suspe cted . A n n e
Dan e was sav e d from th e wr eck , an d is do ing we ll . Th a t is e vide n t ,
a n d is n o t, afte r all , so ve ry wo nde rful . But th e ch ild—Sylvia— th a tis wh a t I can n o t, can n o t unde rstan d .
’
We ll , de ar ,”an swe r e d Miss Matilda , it is po ssible th at th er e
may be an o th e r Sylvia A th e rston e , daugh te r of an o th e r son . Sh e , o f
co urse , woul d be th e o ld ge n tl eman’s g ran dch ild as we ll as our po o r
darlin g , and
Th at is n o t probable , fo r sh e is, I sh ould say, just th e same ag e
—and—but, oh , Miss Ma tilda , a wild, a str an g e ide a h a s ta ke n
pesse ssion o f m e . A nn e h as dece ived Mr . A th e rsto n e , defrauded th e
r ea l Sylvia of h e r r igh ts, andput an o th er—a str an ge ch ild in h e r place .
”
My dear Madge . But wh at ch ild Wh o
T/l t’ 1 m}; Mon th 131 .
Y ou kn ow I to ld you th a t my little siste r Do ra was th e sam e ag e
as Sylvia
Y e s. But sh e was drown e d, r emembe r .
How do we kn ow \Ve th o ugh t A n n e Dan e was dr own ed , but
sh e’s n o t .
”
Th e n you th ink
I th ink , I be li e ve , cr ied Madge in great excitem en t, th a t
Do ra was n o t dr own ed, but th a t A n n e an d sh e we re saved to ge th e r
an d th a t th is ch ild , th is pr e tty little gir l I saw with h e r to d ay, is n o
o th e r th an my siste r , Dora N e il .”
De ar,de ar ,
”cried Miss Barbara ,
“ wh a t a str an ge ide a But h ow
can we pro ve such a th ing , e ve n if we kn ewwh e r e to fin d th ese pe ople
Madge paced r e stle ssly up an d down th e little parlo
How,inde ed How,
in de ed sh e murmur ed . But it sh a ll
b e do n e . Fr om this h our I sh all devo te my life , my time,my
e n e rg ies , to fin di n g Mr . A th e rston e , and pro ving th at h e h as be e n
de ce ived. My dar ling Sylvia sh all be r esto r ed to h e r r igh ts . Justice
sh all be do n e , an d
Th a t will be a difficul t task , de ar , sa id Miss Ma tilda .
h ow,livin g in th is sma ll , quie t place , ar e you to accomplish it
I sh a ll le ave th is quie t place . G o
Miss Matilda lay back in h e r gh a ir , and burst in to te ars .
Will you le ave n a, Madg e?Le ave us, wh o love you, to r un
o ve r th e wo r ld afte r such a sh adow?Madg e kn e lt be side th e o ld lady, and puttin g h e r arms r ound h e r ,
kissed h e r te nde r ly.
No,de a r . I
’ll n eve r le ave you. Do n o t fre t . So lo n g as you
r equir e m e , I’ll stay with you h e r e . But I kn ow—I fe e l ce rta in th a t
som e day o r o th e r I must, I will r e sto r e my poo r dar ling to h e r
prope r positio n in life . Th e th ough t th a t my siste r, my pr e tty
inn oce n t Do r a , is usurpin g h e r place an d defr audin g h e r of h e r r igh ts
is bitte r—ve ry bitte r to m e .
But you ar e n ot quite ce rta in th at it is so , dear . Do n o t wo rryabout i t, an d some thin g will sur e ly turn up.
”
Th e yo un g gir l smiled, an d pr e ssed Miss Matilda’s h and.
Th a t is n o t th e plan I go o n, ge n e ra lly. I am n o t fo nd o f wa it
ing fo r som e th in g to turn up. But I must be con te n t to do so n ow.
My fir st duty is to you and Miss Barbar a . Th e r efo r e we must fo rge t
th is stran g e episode , and go on as if it h ad n eve r h appen ed .
”
Miss Ma tilda dr i ed h e r eye s, and lo oked lovingly at Madge .
G od ble ss you, dar lin g . Your wo rds r e lieve me gr e atly. I
th ough t you we re go in g to leave us, and I fe lt sad an d sick at h e art
Y ou a r e th e on e brigh t spo t in our lives, Madge . With out you wesh ould di e .
”
1 86 The Ir ish Month ly.
to -day—I and—my poo r Dora —and n owyou are go ing to le ave us.
A nd bowin g h e r h e ad th e gir l sobbed a loud.
Madge .
” A pair of arms sto le about h er n e ck , and a little face ,
surrounded with a h alo o f sh o rt go lden cur ls, was laid fon dly again st
h e r br e ast. Y ou must n o t we ep, dearest. Miss Matilda is h appie r
than we ar e .
Why, darlin g? A nd Madge clasped th e spe ake r tigh tly in
h er arms.
Because sh e is leaving th is we ary wo rld, and go ing h ome to
G od. Sh e looks so h appy, so peaceful, since sh e r e ce ived th e last
sacram en ts, I em sur e sh e is go ing straigh t to h eaven . Oh , Madg e ,Madg e , wh at a h appine ss it would be to go in h e r place
—o r with h e r .
”
But, Do ra, you ar e n o t unh appy, love?No t n ow,
Madge . No t wh en I am wi th you.
Madge sigh ed, and kissed th e girl passio nate ly.
Would that I could k e ep you always, pe t. A nd, pe rh aps, so on
I may be able to do ao .
”
I could wo rk, dear . I em small and th in . But I can sew
be autifully.
" A nd, with a shudde r , I do so ha te th e orph an age .
”
But th ey ar e n o t un kin d to you th e r e?No , n o t exactly ; but th ey ar e rough and rude . A nd you se e I
em no t lik e th e Ioth e ra, Madge .
"
No , de ar e st , n ot at all lik e .
Th ey ar e , for th e most par t, big , h ea lthy girls , str on g and ta ll ,
and well made , wh ilst I,” —and th e poo r chi ld h id h er blush in g
face . I—oh , Madge , I em deformed .
My dar ling , wh o to ld you so
Th e gir ls. Th ey laugh a t m e and call me humpy.
Wh at a sh am e cr ied Madge , with damin g ch e eks. But do .
n o t m ind th em , da rlin g ; it is n o t true . Y ou are small an d fragile .
Your sh oulde rs ar e a little round because you ar e weak . Th at crue l
sh ipwr e ck in jur ed your poo r spin e ; but th e docto r says if you could
lie you would outgrow it an d become as stra igh t as anyon e . Th a t
n igh t upon th e sea was—n ear ly kill ed you, my de lica te ch ild ; and
so
But Madg e could say n o mo r e . Th e sigh t of th ose appealing eye s, .
th e sad spectacle o f Do ra’s th in , ben t little frame , was mo re tha n sh e
could be ar , an d sh e so bbed bitter ly.
“ Eve n you, with all your love , cann ot dece ive me , sa id Dora sad]y .
I kn ow I em n o t like o th e r gir ls. I used n ot to mind it so much .
But n ow, sin ce you to ld me wh o I am—sin ce I h ave h eard wh at I
ough t to be , eve rythin g se ems h arde r . I kn ow it is G od’s will , and
I try to be ar it ; but still
A Str iking Con trast. 1 87
Oh , Do ra, Do ra , I would die to make you h appy. But wh at can
I d o A nd Madge pressed th e gir l to h e r h e a rt .
L e t m e stay with you,”
ple aded Dora . Do n o t se nd me back
to th e o rphan ag e .
”
My darling , if it laywith m e , Iwould n ever par twith you again .
But yo u see our po or o ld fri e nds.
”
A r e we qui te depe nden t on th emQuite . We have n ot a penny in th e wo rld except wh at th ey g ive
But you work we ll fo r th em , Madge—swe epin g and dusting and
co okin g , wh e n you ar e fit for much bette r th in gs. Th e ma tro n says
yo u are ve ry we ll educated, and th at you are wastin g your time h e re .
Sh e says you ough t to go out as a gove rn ess.
”
Do ra,”
said Madge gravely, I am n o t wastin g my time . I do
werk for my dea r frie nds ; but th at is because I th ink it r igh t. Th eywe r e go od to me in my ch ildh ood—th ey took me in wh e n I was
re scued an ppy waif from th e se a , and loved and car ed fo r me
a ll th ese y Th e r efo re , I can n o t - I must n o t dese rt th em in th e ir
o ld age . We r e it n o t so—h ad I n o t th is sacr ed duty to pe rfo rm, I
sh o uld cer tain ly be out in th e wo rld se eking fo r some trace o f th at
crue l , dece itful woman wh o h as robbed you, my pe t, o f your birth
Bn t sh e do es n o t kn ow I am alive , perh aps. Do n o t be too hard
on h e r , Madge .
”
Sh e must kn ow. I fe e l sh e kn ows. Th er e was guilt in h e r face
tha t day o n th e beach . If sh e h ad n o th in g to fear , Do ra , why did sh e
n o t spe ak to m e?Why did sh e hurry th e chi ld away Sh e kn ows,
o r fo r som e r easo n dr e ads to kn ow, th at you are a live . But som e
day som e happy day, sh e sh all be unmask ed, and you, my pe t, sh all
be r ich an d“ I don ’
t wan t to .be rich , Madge . I only wan t to be with you.
And and—th is fin e rich g e n tleman , my g randfa th e r , would n o t ca r e
to ackn owledge a po o r li ttle cr eature bro ugh t up in an o rphanag e as
his gra nddaugh te r . I em sur e h e would n o t .”
But h e must. He sh al l, cr ied Madge fie rce ly. If on ly I
could find him—if o n ly I could fin d h im . But I am ti ed h e r e , Do ra ,
and kn ow n o t wh at to do .
”
Do n o th ing , dear est. Forge t th e wh o le affair . Forge t th at such
persons as A n n e Dan e and th e se A th e rs to n es exist ; and le t us co nside r
what we ca n do to earn mon ey and be independe n t. I am n ea r ly six
teen , Madg e ; an d I long—I cann o t te ll you h owmuch—to leave th e
omhm sefi’
Iwill spe ak to Miss Barbara in a day o r two . For th e prese n t,
1 88 The Ir is]; Month ly.
wh ilst Miss Ma tilda is ill, you a r e use ful, a nd sh e l ik e s to h ave you.
Sh e sen t fo r you, Do ra—I would n o t h ave da r ed to do se , my dar lin g .
”
“ I sh all go up to th e Cour t to -m or row mo rn ing , an d ask Miss
Tranm e r e for som e wo rk . I can sew be autifully, Madg e ; an d I
in te nd to be a dr e ssmak er .
”
Po o r little Do ra—po o r little Do ra, murmur ed Madg e , h ow
d ifle r e n t—h ow diffe re n t sh ould h ave be e n your fate .
Y ou must n o t complain , Madg e ; G od h as, a fte r all , be e n ve ry
g o od to n a . He gave us k ind frie nds ; fo r a lth ough poo r , our de ar
o ld ladie s h ave loved an d wa tch ed ove r na we ll .
Y ou h ave a swe e t lovin g n a tur e , my dar ling , cried Madg e ,
dr awin g th e gir l towards h e r and kissin g h e r te nde r ly. Y ou a r e
a lways goo d and patie n t . But I fe ar your life a t th e o rph an ag e h as
n o t be en a h appy o n e .
”
Y e t n o t un h appy. Had I b e e n—we ll , stro n g e r”
- Do ra blush ed
d e eply an d a l ittle r ough e r , I would sure ly h ave g o t o n be tte r .
Still, de ar , I was n eve r un k in dly tr e ated .
”
“ Y e t you lo n g to le ave th e place , e ve n a t th e r isk o f wan ting
much and wo rking h ard. Oh,Do ra . Do ra , you h ave suffe r ed much .
But be lie ve me , de a r e st, I wa s po we r le ss to pre ve n t it .”
Of course . I kn ow th a t we ll , my dar li ng siste r , sa id Do ra
ca r e ssin gly.
“ A n d n ow th a t I am a lmo st a wom an,I fe e l I must wo rk
a nd do wh at I can fo r myse lf. So if you will a llow m e , I’ll stay with
you h e r e , and se ek wo rk in th e villag e .
”
Y ou sh all do so if I can m an ag e it , de ar e st ; an d I kn ow our
frie n ds will k e ep you if th ey can . Miss Tra nmo r e would h e lp you to o .
Howeve r , we sh all se e . I must g o in n ow,Do ra ; Miss Ma tilda m ay
be awak e , pe rh aps.
”
Y es, sh e h as slept lon g this afte rn o on . But stay fo r a mom e n t.
Madg e . Th e r e com e s th e postman—h e m ay h ave some th in g fo r you .
”
I th ink n o t, dear , sa id Madg e smi lin g . A le tte r fo r m e is an
un h e a rd of e ve n t . We ar e utte rly fr ie ndl e ss, you and I, Do ra ; out
s ide th is sm all villag e th e r e is n o t a cr e atur e kn ows o f our v e ry
e xiste n ce .
”
Th e n An n e Dan e is n o t th e crue l h ard-h e arted woman you som e
t im e s make h e r out,’said Do ra r o guish ly. If sh e do e sn
’t kn ow
A nn e Dan e . I fo rgo t h e r fo r th e mome n t. But sh e do es n o t
car e to r emembe r . In fact“ A le tte r fo r Miss Madg e Ne il,
’said th e po stman , a r egiste r ed
l e tter . 80 , ple ase to sign th is pape r .
”
Th en , as th e gir l complied with his r eque st, h e touch ed h is ha t,
sm iled at th e lo ok o f surprise o n h e r face,and bidding h e r g ood
e ve n in g ,”passed on .
1 90 The Ir ish Mo nthly.
b e en be fo re . To live with you h as be e n th e dre am o f my life . Th is
co ttage always se emed a small paradise to m e . So , Madg e , Madge ,
A n n e Dan e is my be n e facto r afte r all . A nd Dora’s swe et silve ry
la ugh te r rang out on th e e ven in g a ir .
I am th an kful to h e r fo r h avin g made you h appy, da rlin g ,
a nswer ed Madg e grave ly. But, oh, th e years of h appin e ss sh e h as
r obbed you o f.”
Do n o t be un just, de a re st . It h as n o t be en a lto ge th er h e r fault ,
r ememb e r .
”
Oi course n o t . Sh e did n o t caus e th e sh ipwr eck , o r our separ a
tio n in th e bo ats. Howe ve r , some day we sh a ll kn ow a l l. Come
n ow, dea r , and se e if Miss Matilda still sle eps.
”
A nd Madge kissed little Do ra’s ea rn e st, pleadin g lips, and dr ew
h er in to th e co ttage .
(To be con tinued.)
LINES BY ST . PRUDENTIUS.
St. Prude n tius, wh o h as be en called by Be n tley th e Chr istia n
Horace ,” was bo rn in Spain in 348,but h e did n o t e xe rcise or , pe r
h aps, discove r h is po e tical g ifts un til h e was ove r fifty. He h ad be e na gr e a t bar riste r , and h e ld h igh mi litary command . He dedi cated
hi s la tte r ye ars to th e de fe n ce o f Ch r istian ity and th e glo ry o f th e
ma rtyrs. Th e fo llowin g stanz as ar e th e last of a lon g hymn to th e
m ar tyr , St . Eulalia
Carpite purpur eas Vio las, In your te eming baske ts bringSanguin e osque cro oos m e tite ; Flow ’
re ts o f th e ea rly spr ing ,
Non care t his g e n ia lis hyems, Wh ile th e th aw un binds th e fields ,
La r a t e t arva tepens g laciss A n d th e g e n ial win te r yie lds
Flo ribus n t e nm n le t oa la th o s. Blood-red crocuse s to view,
Min g led with th e vio le ts blue .
But, whi le youth s and ma iden s vie
Mun era Virgo pue rque da te ; Wre aths of bloom in g flowe rs to tie ,
A st e go se r ta , ch em in medic , I, amid th e joyous th rong ,
Te xts fe ram pede dae tylo , Wil l pre sen t my wr ea th of songPoo r and with er ed it may be ,
Y e t a festive g ift for me .
Sic ven er ar ier ossa libe t , Wh ile we thus with n ature’
s bloom
D eck h e r bo n e s and alta r -tomb ,
Illa , De i sita sub pedibus , Sh e , be n ea th th e fe e t of G od ,
Pro spicit h aze , populosque sue s G ua rds th e land th at once she trod ,Pl eased our simple fa ith to se e ,
G ladde n ed by our me lody.
T. E. B.
Russian F ie ld .
RUSSIAN FIELD .
WHEN Brown in g , in more th an on e memorable passage ,described music, h e did it as much with th e exactn ess and
knowledg e o f a musician as th e inspiration of a po et. A nd, o n‘
the oth e r hand, in many o f Schumann’
s cri tiques we have as fin e
a n e n thusiasm o f th e post as an e stimate and precision of a com
poser . But in his we ll kn own descr iption of a Chopin Nocturn eA rthur O
’
Shaughn essy conveyed rath er th e effect produced than
the esse n ce of th e th in g . His attempt to embody emo tio ns
awaken ed by a fascin ating musica l fo rm ,in which
, to use Sh e lley’s
line , music and m oo nligh t and fe e ling are on e ,”was clever . By
a re ve r ie full o f poe tic vistas, h e produced someth ing o f th e fan
tastic image ry o f a No eturn e , at once wistful and wayward ; se iz in gits evan e scen t ideas of be auty and evolvin g from its cade n ces a
though t or an emblem. In a dre am , picture sque in sugge stion , h e
wove an arabesque of fancy, de licate as frost-work carved in ivory ;
fixing in words an ill usion of delight, or subtly tran sfigur ingemo tio n in to metaphor . A refin ed po em was th e re sult, a po em of
colour , pe rfume , some witch e ry, and e ven ecstasy.
’
But as reflex of a Nocturn e th e co lour is n ot glowing , th e per
fume to o little se nsuous, th e witch e ry n o t we ird, th e e cstasy to o
calm. N e ith er ChOpin’s en igmatic in te rwe aving of languor and
frenz y,n or h is tende rn e ss of r epose and re stl e ssn e ss of un fulfil led
desire : n e ith e r th e pathos of his yearn ing n o r th e ardour of h is
appea l are brought n e ar to na in th e po em . O’Shaughn e ssymissed
that touch of th e impassion ed joy in Love of Claroh en’s song in
Egmon t, and th e full -h earted anguish of G re tch en in Faust, which
a re eve r pre se n t in true Nocturn es. Nor di d h e compass Chopin’
s
masterful pe n e tr ating me lan cho ly, fraught with a reckle ss vivacityunequa lled in poe try or music, save in th e Son atas of Bee thove n .
Music and Moon ligh t con tains an exquisite allego ry of perfect fulfilmen t
41nd immo r tality, unde r th e symbo l o f th e phmn ix and th e aloe . It hasbe en objecte d
t hat myr rh mo re corre ctly symbo lise s th e Bird-bride th an an alo e . It would have
be e n tr ust to th e A rabic fable , but sacrifice d ha lf th e fable . O’Sh sngh n essywish ed
t o de clare , n ot on ly th e immorta lity of Chopin’s fame , but also th e perfection to
wh ich h e had br ough t th e Nocturn e . To presen t th e se two ideas h e grafted, on
sh e A r abic, an A frican myth in wh ich th e aloe is an emblem of th is consummation .
1 92 The Ir ish Mo nth ly.
Perhaps few who have be en moved by th e e n chan tment with :
which Prin ce Karo l won and lost Lucr e z ia Florian i,’remembe r
th at th e form which Ch opin e laborated, with th e de ep art of a e on
summate musician , h e owed to the child of a bruta l fath er , th e
pupil of a rapacious maste r , th e victim of a crue l mise ry—to an
Ir ishman wh ose h ome was Russia .
On e th ousand e igh t hun dred and e leven was a come t year ; o n e
th ousand e ight hun dr ed and e le ve n was th e cradle year o f many
gre at men of Europe ; it re-e ch oed with th e sounds of Lyr e and
Sword, an d an n oun ced pion e e ri ng spirits to th e future . This ye ar
appe ars in th e histo ry of Europe an spir it-life rich with promised
splendour . On e th ousan d e ight hundred and e leven was th e fata l
year of Fr an z
Th e birth o f John Fie ld was brough t about, it would appe ar ,
with out aid o f e ith e r com ets or cradle years, n o r any special ove r
flow of a spirit-life
’s bespe akin g sple ndour . Rath er was it like
un to th at of a great musician and piquan t write r : Pe ndan t lea
mo is qui précédér en t ma n aissance , ma mere m e réva ~
po in t, comm e
oe lle de Virgile , qu’
e lle allai t me ttr e eu m onde nu ram eau de laurie r
Que lque douloureux que so it ce t aveu pour mon amour-propre , jedo is ajouter qu’
e lle n e crut pas n on plus, comm e Olympiss, mere
d’A lexandre , porta dan s son se in nu tiso n arden t . Ce la e st fo rt
extraordin air e , j’e n conviens
, mais ce la e st vrai . Js vis le Jour
tout simplem en t, de s sign e s précurseurs eu usage dan s
le s temps po étique s, pour an n on ce r 1a ve nue des prédestin ée de la
glo ire . Se rait-ce que n o tre époque man que de po ésie P”i
In such wise , mode stly, John Fie ld, on th e 26th July,
put in a person al claim on th e e arnings of a Dublin vio lin ist, h im
se lf th e so n of a church o rgan ist. Th ey we re a family of musica l
tradition s, and th e pro spect of a prodigy which Joh n’
s e arly talen t
fore shadowed dete rmin ed th e par e n ts to push possibil itie s to th e
utmost. Th e grandfath er to ok th e ch ild in h and for teach ing , th e
fath er moun tin g guard o ve r practice . Th e practising was r igorous,
con tinuous, exh austing ; th e le ssons in ce ssan t, prolonged, and
severe . Rebe llion on ly in tensified th e exactions, un til th e lad put
G eo rg e Sands’study of jsalouey in to wh ich it may n o t be impe rtin e n t to read
Ch opin in Prin ce Karo l , th e A bbé L isz t in A lban i , and th e ladyhe rse lf in a t asia . .
‘l' Ramann : L ife of Lisz t , VOL ] , 1 1 . l .
I Be rlio z : Mémo ires, vo l . 1 , p . 1 .
1 94 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
from a se n sitive lad’s dread of be ing alon e in a fore ign capital wh ose
language h e did n ot. kn ow. In any case , once se ttled in St. Pe ters
burgh , Clemen ti se ems to have treated h im less as a pupil'than as
a musical automaton to sh ow off th e value of instrumen ts in the
sh op‘
h e h ad open ed. A nd at th is hackwork h e was made a drudge
r ath e r than a servan t. Th e shr inking , dre amy youth was scan ti lyc lo th ed, kept indo ors for we eks for wan t of a hat, suffe ring acute ]y
through th e Russian win te r for wan t of a top-ooat, wh ich Clemen ti
would n ot buy h im . A n d this while h e was r e ce iving large sum
for dutie s h e left Fie ld to fulfil .
We would gladly e scape be lief in this, yet Spohr , in his Se lls
biog ,’ is unmistakable . Speaking of 1 802-3 : I have a recolle ctio n
o f th e figure of th e pale ove rgrown lad wh o had out-run his
c loth es. A t th e pian o h e stretch ed his arms ove r th e key
bo ard, till th e sle eve s shrunk up to his e lbows, h is wh ole attitude
awkward and stifi in th e high est degree ; but, as so on as his touch
i ng instrumen tation began , everyth ing e lse was forgo tte n and we
be came all ear . Unh appily I could n o t express my emotion and
thankfuln ess o th erwise than by a silen t pre ssure o f th e hand, for he
spo ke n o oth er language than his own .
”A nd after this Spohr
h appen ed upon teach e r and pupil, with upturn ed sle eve s, to iling at
th e wash ing tub, scrubbin g stockings and oth e r lin e n ; an o ccasio n
C lemen ti improved by exh orting th e vio lin ist to do likewise for its
e con omy and saving of th e mate rial .Wh ere was e ve n th e flow of th e ill -favoured lad
’s spir it life
in such surroundings P What supple ness di d th e wr ists acquire inthis numbing co ld ; what se nsitive n ess o f touch h is finge rs gain in
a serubbing-tub P What artistic insight could h e gath e r from be
labouring out such an Italian’s idea of e con omy P Y et th e gen ius
o f Fie ld burst th e tramme ls of th ese days. During Clemen ti’s
absen ce in England, th e young player sh owed h e had talents that
would n ot be h idden , in somuch that on his re turn in 1 804 th e
maste r found his pupil had already become a teach e r .
Th e long year s of train in g we re at an end ; but o n ly at th e
beginn ing were th e spirits of reckless eman cipation and bitte r'
cynicism th ey left in trail .
His lessons brough t h im mon ey ; his playing fame ; but of
n e ith er th e on e n or th e othe r had h e be en fitted to appraise th e value
Vo l . 1 , p . 43 .
Russia n F ie ld. 1 95
I[i s success be came rapid, th e rewards bril liant an d e asily seized,
u n til from about 1 806 to 1 823 h e fe lt th e golde n ground ben e ath
h is fe et was so lid, and sto odwithout a rival in th e Russian capita l .
Though from Clementi he h ad the secre t of exquisite legato
playing , a fin e de licacy of touch and an unfailin g ce rtain ty in rapid
e xecutio ns, n e ithe r th e system of education h e unde rwe n t n or h is
n atural aptitude fitted him for th e large r forms of musical expre s
sion . Inde ed, h e se emed rath e r to breath e upon th e n otes th an
fing e r th em , eve n wh en playing with a strength that left h is
n uan ce s cle arly defin ed. His varie ty ofm odificatio n wasun limited ,
a nd h is resources of embe llishmen t exh aust]ess. To th is techn ical
pe rfectio n h e added a po etic en thusiasm wh ich , un ited to a dr e amy
m e lan ch oly, compe lled a fascin ation pre-emin e n tly h is own . He
led o n e , in th e wo rds ofHe in e , in to“a dre amland of po esy wh ere
t h e in te rpreters o f visions dwe ll .”Thus Fie ld ma de fo r himse lf a
styl e n o le ss th an Clemen ti had don e , but o f a difie r e nt o rde r . In
th e latter it was o f in te ll ectual pleasure in musica l th ough t—olear ,
r eg ular , correct ; in th e forme r it was a style of da in ty de light in
se n suous emotion—vivid, sen sitive , seducing a un io n of tenderness,
po e try, and charm . Th e full est expre ssion of th is h e pour ed forth
in his Nocturn e s, some doz e n of which even Chopin will n ever
quite obscure . Though a pian ist more than a compo se r , ye t th e se
de licious re ve r ie s will quicke n th e memory of him when His son atasan d e ve n h is co n ce rto s fall in to a nme r ite d n egle ct. Th e latte r we re
em in e n tly popular dur ing Fie ld’s life time , and o f the seven t h
Schumann wrote in hi s Neue Ze itschr ift : We are de lighted with
it ; can do n oth ing more re ason able than praise it e ndlessly”
I would allow th is artist to cover my eye s and bind my h ands, andw ould say n o th ing , save th at I ch oose to follow him blindly. .
A bo ve all , thou last movemen t, in thy divin e tedium , thy charm ,
thy de lightful awkwardn ess, thy soulful be auty, bewitching e n ough
t o kiss from beginn ing to end.
But th ere we re ash es in th e cupwealth h e ld to h is lips, thorns in
t he rose -crown fame pre ssed upon his he ad. R en own an d luxurywer e at command ; th e inte llect o f th e capital crowded his con ce rts,
its beauty thro nged his rooms, as a vampire sucked de adly at h is
h ea rt’s~blood. Dr ink marred and sloth ruin ed th e fair fulfilmen t .
A t the pin n acle o f his ambition h e cast his gen ius to th e winds , his
wed th to harpie s wh o made h is gen e ro sity a crime . For a
time his fame withsto od th e sh ock of his disso lute n ess. It
1 96 The‘
Ir ish Month ly.
se emed too strong to be shake n ; fo r his pupils waited while
h e drank, and th en played while h e slept. Suddenly, in 1 823
,
h e left for Moscow, wh ere again his ge n ius was victorious,
eve n more so than in St. Pe te rsburgh . Pe ople underto ok long
journ eys to he ar h im play, students, at twen ty roubles an h our
crowding his days and n igh ts fo r le ssons at h is h ands . Tho ugh we
do n ot h e ar o f ladie s makin g brace le ts o f th e str ings of his pian os,
as whe n Lisz t’s perso n ality proved as powerful as h is music, to be
a pupil of Fie ld was th en th e rage of young Russia . Still
firme r and more swiftly th e Syre n bound h er to ils about th is god
of th e mom en t. Th e spirit of re ckless eman cipation grew fie rce
with eve ry fe ll excess, till n atur e proving less lasting than his fam e ,
his h ealth broke down , and disease struck h im without remo rse .
He h ad mar ried a Mademoise lle Ch arpe n tie r , but th ey we re
separated with in a year . Te ach ing became impossible , friendsh ipimpracticable , as, n egle cted by everyth ing but h is debts, life laysh atte r ed in his grasp. A soured reckle ss man h e turn ed h is steps
towards home . Oh ! h ow sad it must be to die in a fore ign
land,”Chopin wro te .
Wh e n afte r twen ty-five ye ars
’
abse nce h e re appeared in Lo ndon rMosch e ler wro te His legato playing de ligh ts me , but h is
compo sitions are n o t to my taste .
‘ Noth in g .
is in mo r e glar ingcontrast than a Fie ld
’s Nocturn e an d Fie ld
’s man n e rs, wh ich
‘
are
ofte n cyn ical . A t a party he dr ew from his po cke t a m in iature o f
his wife, with th e r em ar k th at h e h ad o n ly marr ied h er because as
h is pupil sh e had n eve r paid h im , and h e kn ew sh e n e ve r
Th e n ce forth Fie ld was a.wan de re r . Le avin g London ,he wen t
to Par is in 1 833, th e ye ar in wh ich Chopin made h is impression i n
private circle s th e r e , Paris still vibrating with th e demon iac
powe rs of Pagani n i . But th e ch arm of his spe l l was broken . His
g e n ius was passing in to n igh t with n o star to illume it. The
morn ing of de eper harm on ic utte ran ce , of techn ical wo nde rs, was
dawn in g . Berlio z was girt for th e fray with classical fo rm alism ,
in wh ich fre e dom o f form and movemen t was to be wo n . Withall th e be auty o f his touch and e legance of exe cution , th ough h is
music cam e with h is h eart be twe en h is finge rs, Fie ld lacked spirit,
“ It is to be r emembe red that Mo sch eles co n fe ssed h e n e ver compreh ended.
Ch opin’s music
,n or could in te rpre t it, till th ey had me t. and h e h eard h im play it.
i Life an d Co rre spo nde n ce , vo l . 1 , p. 251 .
1 98 T140 Ir ish Month ly.
by h is use of th e damper pedal and an extended accompan imen t
o f scattered ch ords, which give th e playing a distin guishin g
peculiarity. Mr . Fin ch , in Ch opin , and oth er Musical Studi es ,
carried away by h is loyalty o f devotion to th e gre at Po le , h as
ascribed th e se two features to th e in ven tion of Chopin . In pre
se n ting this claim , which Chopin n eve r made for himse lf, h e ove r
looks th e un doubted fact that Fie ld repeate dly sustain ed h is
m e lody by an harmon ious substructure ofpro longed ton e . A nd n o
less was h e before Ch opin in th e harmon ies h e discovered in th e
use of wide spread in place o f massed chords, the in te rvals o f
which , h owever wide , h e completed by continuous use o f th e
pedal.
So far pe rfe ct, th ere fore , was th e n octurn e wh en th e younge r
o f Th e Dioscuri rece ived it, to embro ider it with his exotie
colour ings and his wonderful arabesque s ; gracing it with ex
e nriching it with n ew modulations, and de epen ing it with dr amatic
spirit .
But it was al re ady an ide alised musical dr eam wh e n h e
rece ived it from th e most pe rfect pian ist of his time .
”
D . Mon om e r s O’CONNOR .
A CALIFORNIA N ROSE.
NLY a ro se -tr e e blo omin gIn th e sco rch ing h ea t of Jun e ,
Dusty, and fain t, and dr o opingIn th e glar e o f th at summer n oo n ;
But a min e r’s eye s grew misty,
A nd his th ough ts far backwards flew,
To wh er e , by a co ttag e in Ire lan d,
A n oth e r such ro se -tr e e grew.
He pluck ed a blo ssom slowly,
A n d th e ye llow ar id plain
Faded—an d h e was stan ding
Ou Ir ish so il again ;
L isz t an d Ch opin .
A Ca lifornian R ose .
Wh ile inste ad of th e woode n statio n ,
Th e can on an d gulch be twe e n .
He saw his m o th e r’s co ttag e
A t fo o t of th e o ld bo r e en .
Th e bro ad plain lay be fo r e h im
In th e sun ligh t bare and r ed,
But h e saw th e h ill side r isingBehin d h is h ouse instead ;
A n d th e scen t of h awth o rn blossom s
Cam e fa in tly on th e br e e z e ,
A n d h e saw, wher e th e pin es gr ew thick ly,
A lin e of rowan tr e e s.
Harden ed h e was, and r eckless,
In tha t fierce , mad str ife fo r go ld ,
Since h e saw th e rose s climbin gTo th e th atch so brown and o ld ;
Y e t a th ough t lik e ligh tnin g pie rced him
Oi his mo th er , with eye s grown dim
With watchin g , an d praying , and wa itin gIn vain for n ews o f him .
i
On e Sun day in Moyrh chur chyard,
A fter last Mass was sa id,
A group o f n e ighbours lin g e r ed
To h ear a le tte r r ead ;
Read ofte n thr ough th at mo rn in g ,
Now on ce aga in begun
A ddr essed to th e WidowNo lanFrom h er long un h ea rd-o i son .
A nd sh e , inside th e ch ape l ,
Th an k ed G od with praye rs an d tears.
Wh o h ad given n ews from h e r wande r e r
Afte r so many ye ars ;
But sh e smiled o’e r th e m e ssage se n t h e r ,
Se like hi s spe e ch o f yo r e
Fo r th is dr aft ple a se se nd a r osebud
From th e tre e be side th e doo r .
”
Macu nxu ROCK .
200 T11 9 Ir ish Mon th ly.
THE LIFE AND INFLUENCE OF S h iN l‘AUG USTINE.
PA RT I
0 th ose wh o will n o t, o r can n o t unde rstand, th e supe rnatura l
wo rk o f th e Church o f G od, th e r e appe a rs to be a dull
u n ifo rmi ty in th e l ive s o f o ur Ca th o lic Saints wh ich to th em is
un spe aka bly r e pulsive . Th a t sayin g o f St. Paul ’s, th e r e is but o n e
spir it , but man y ope rations o f th e sam e spiri is quite un in te l lig ibleto th em . No r can th ey b rin g th emse lve s to be li e ve that th e san ctifi
ca tion o f a soul is a wo rk o f infinite de sign , and th at th at de sign
v ar ie s in.
b e auty a nd o r ig in a lity acco rdin g to th e n atur e of th e soul
itse lf, an d th e m ission it is se n t to accomplish amongst m en . He r e
th e spir it bre a th e s, a nd beh o ld a z e al th at se ts a con tin e n t o n fir e—o u
th is soul th e spir it de sce n ds, an d b eh o ld a ch arity th a t search es out
a nd co n sum e s a ll g rosse r th in gs, an d like a flame po in ts ste adily
upwards—and h e r e again b eh o ld th e wh ite ve sta l lamp o f pur ity,
e n kin dled and k ept a live by th e sam e D ivin e br ea th . In o n e sa in t
th e spiritual and m o ral e leme n ts ar e so expanded and de ve loped th at
th e ope r atio n s o f th e in te llect appear to b e suspe nded ; and in an o th e r ,
you pause in un co n scious suspe n se to decide wh e th e r th e m o ra l and
spir itual beauty o r th e in te lle ctua l gr an deur r eflects mo r e glo ry o n th e
G ive r o f bo th . To th is la tte r clhss m o st ce rta in ly be lon gs th e gr e a t
Sa in t , wh o se n am e con se cr ate s thi s pag e—a saint wh ose love fe r G od
l ifted h im a lm o st to th e leve l o f th at be loved discipl e wh o saw th e city
o f G od in th e He avens, as A ugustin e saw th e city o f G od on th e
ea rth—a sa in t, wh o to d ay, afte r th e lapse o f fifte e n ce n tur ie s, wh ich
h ave blo tted out th e n am es of a ll h is co n tempo raries, except th ose
wh o h ave sh ar ed h is imm o rta lity by h aving be e n associate d with h im ,
is t e ach e r , pr oph e t, and in te ll ectual guide to le ade rs o f th ough t
th r ough out th e un ive rsitie s o f th e wo r ld—ah
, e ve n to fr am e rs o f laws
an d sove r e ign s o f m e n , wh o se wo rds mak e o r mar th e h appin e ss o f
n a tio n s . A n d h e r e at least n o compla in t can be made o f tha t wh ich
th e wo r ld calls m o n o to n ous and slugg ish tamen ess, which we ca ll th e
ca lm , un br ok e n pe ace , whi ch is th e r eward o f hi gh and sus ta in ed
sa n ctity ; fo r th e life o f St . A ugustin e is ma rk ed by such stri kinge ve n ts, an d h is gr e a t soul passed th r o ugh such extr eme s o f passio n
a n d doubt, th at th e pious can draw in spiration from h is h o lin ess, th e
sin n e r h ope fr om h is co n ve rsio n , th e ph ilosoph e r o r divin e, wisdom
fr om his le arn ing , and th e stude n t o f h uman ity will pe rpe tua lly fe e l
fr e sh in te r e st in th e strugglin gs o f a soul to disen thral itse lf fr om th e
fie rce promptin gs of passion and th e seduction o f in te ll e ctual pride .
202 The Ir ish Month ly.
pe rfection of iniquity, for th e h osts of darkn ess wer e marsh allin g th e irfo rces fo r th e last conflict with victo r ious Chr istian ity. Young ,arden t, impe tuous, A ugustin e was thr own in to th e midst of th e .
dissipation and vice of that A frican city, which , whilst R ome was
gradually be ing ch an ged in to a city of san ctity, bo rrowed its wo rst
vices, and made itse lf th e h om e o f its lascivious worships, and flun g'
Open its temples to th e de iti e s wh o se very n ames we re po lluti on , and
se t itse lf in angry an tagonism to th at r e ligion of sacrifice and pur itywhich a lr eady had lifted its conquerin g standard on th e se ven h ills o f
its an cien t rival.
It is rath e r dificult fo r us to un derstand th e exce sses to wh ich
men yie lded th emse lves fre e ly in th e se pagan citie s. Th ey we r e
demoniac ra th e r than human . A Ch ristian pre ach e r dar e n o t spe ak
o f th em in de tail , n or can th e imag ination dwe ll on th em with out sin .
We h ave som e picture s left us o f th e licen tiousn e ss an d sen sual ity,
th e fe stiva ls of blood and th e orgies o f unutte rable last, that charac
te riz ed ancie n t Rom e ; ye t Carth ag e was an o th e r and a mor e wicked
Rom e . Th e civiliz ation o f th e la tte r h ad pen e trated to th e conque red
province , an d unde r a warm e r sun h ad given bir th to vice , which even
to accomplish ed Rome was unkn own . A carn ival of vice in th e str e e ts
—vice de ified in th e templ es—vice in carn ated on th e stag e
—po e ts
con secratin g th e ir divin e ‘tal en t, and orato rs devo tin g th e ir sacr ed
gifts to th e embe llishm en t o f vice : such was th e n ormal condition o f
a city whi ch , in th e just judgmen t of G od, is to -daybut a n ame , wh ilst
its great r iva l assum es with justice th e proud title of e te rn al . In to
Car th age , thus se e thin g in sin , young A ugustin e was plun ged ; an d
in a sh ort M e , as h e path e tical ly te lls na, h e was ash am ed wh en h e
h eard h is compani ons boastin g of fiagitious actions, th at h e was le ss
guilty th an th ey. A nd ao , at th e e ar ly age of n in ete en , a victim o f
two de adly vices—ambition and se nsuali ty—h is fath er dead, h is
mo th e r we epin g and praying , A ugustin e commen ced to tr ead th e
win epr e ss o f th e sorrow th at is born o f sin , n ot kn owin g th at h e h ad
any hi gh e r de stiny th an to become famous in th e sch oo ls and law
courts—n o t kn owin g th at th e r e wer e high e r an d loftie r de ligh ts th an
ar e to be found in th e pursuit of sin . A nd so h e wasted th e mo st
blessed gift of G od—th e ye ars of youth , and th e stre n gth of buddin g
man h o od— in a little study and much ple asur e , dre ams of fam e and
de sir es th at rag ed an d could n o t be que nch ed, “a little folding o f th e
h ands to r est,
” in a sensual paradise ; and n ot a th ough t of h is
imm o r tal soul , n o r of th e G od in wh om as ye t h e be lieved, n o r of th e
tre asures of wrath h e was layin g up for himse lf against th e day th a t
was to come .
It was just at th is time , to o , th at h e embraced th e Man ich ean
The L ife and Influe iwe of St. A ugustin'
e .
h e r e sy, on e o f th e most singular inven tions of human fo lly that e ve r
cla imed th e creden ce of men . Its founde r , Man es, an e aste rn mystic,a slave by bir th , a painter by trade , a proph e t by pro fe ssio n , cla im ed,lik e Mah om e t in later time s, th at h e was specially deputed byHe ave n to br in g a fr esh r eve latio n to m e n . A n d as th e la tte r sh owed
his discipl es a cer tain bo ok wh ich h e de clared was writte n in Heav en ,so th e cr e den tia ls ofMan es wer e cer tain pictur eswhich h e pr e tended
we r e pain te d in th e ski es. He pe rish ed in a fea rful dea th ; but h is
discipl es, with all th e en ergy and en thusiasm of fa lseh o od, fill ed eve rycha ir o f rh e to r ic in Carth age , an d cla im ed as co nve rts some o f th e
m o st distinguish ed men o f tha t city. Th ey spok e of th e Fath er , th e
So n , and th e Paracle te , but with some myster ious mean ing in th ose
wo rds which n o Ch ristian could accept ; declar ed th e marr iage tie to be
im nmral , and win e th e in carn atio n of e vil and inve n te d some
th e o r ies of na tur e , which wer e to l e ra ted pa tien tly, because th ey we r e
to o gr o te sque to be refuted ; and lik e al l r e ligious ch ar la tans, th eywe r e fo r eve r cryin g truth , truth ,
”wh en th e truth was n o t in th em . a
If on e did n o t kn ow th e infin ite capacitie s fo r fo lly that lie laten t in
th e h uma n mind, we would be surpr ised to h e ar th at such a gr ea t
in te ll ect as th a t of St. A ugustin e n o t on ly em‘
braced th is stran ge
r e ligio n , but becam e for n in e ye ars its most able and z e al ous profe sso r .
But th e secr e t was th at th ese Man ich e an doctrin e s we r e ve ry flatte r
in g to h is pride , and ve ry favour able to th e indulgence of th e passion s
th a t con sumed him . Th e ir false h oo d and soph istry affo rded h im
ampl e ground fo r exh ibiting all th at logical power and rich e loquenceo f wh ich e ven th en h e was a maste r . Th e sever e doctr in e s o f
Chr istian ity left n o ro om fo r con ce its and sophism which h e coul d
build at pleasur e around th e loo se and ill -defin ed e rro rs which h e
pro fe ssed ; and h e n ot on ly h ated th at auste r e r e ligio n , eve ry syllable
o f wh ose doctr in es and di sciplin e upbraided him an d made h im
a sh am ed, but h e disliked th e simplicity o f th e Scriptur e , n o r would
h e be li eve th at th e wisdom o f th e Most Hi gh was r evea led in
la n guag e th at would n ot be to le rated in th e grammar sch o o ls o f
Ca r tha g e . He cr ied aloud fo r wisdom ,and wisdom fled far fr om
h im , for h e would n ot put his fe e t in to h e r fe tte rs, n o r h is n eck in to
h e r ch ai ns.
”
But it must n ot be supposed fo r a momen t th at A ugustin e dr ifted
h e lplessly al on g with th e to rr e n t o f in iquity with out a struggle . A
gr e a t soul lik e h is do es n o t yie ld itse lf wh o lly to abas eme n t with out
pro test ; th e h igh e r facultie s o f th e min d, n ot ye t destr oyed, declar ed
aga inst th is an imalism , and th e gr e at in te ll e ct was str ivin g with a ll
its m igh t aga inst th e darkn ess which e nve loped it. I kn ow n o thin g
mo re pitiable than th e spectacl e of a fin e soul warring against i ts
204 The Ir ish Month ly.
l owe r n atur e , if it be n o t th e spectacle o f a lo fty mind str iving vain lyto br eak th rough its spiritual darkn ess , and em e rge in to th e ligh t .
To kn ow wh a t is r igh t, and ye t be unable to do it to h ate wh at is
wro ng , and ye t b e unable to avo id it ; to lift o n ese lf brave ly out o f
th e slime , and th en to fall back h e lplessly—to figh t again st ove r
wh e lmin g passio n , and th en to yie ld sh am efully, and afte r a m ome n t
o f fie rce de ligh t to te ar and r e nd on ese lf with a r emo rse th at is h ope
l e ss and a de spair th at is h e lpless—snr e ly this is th e sadde st o f fates.
Y e t it finds its para ll el in th e spectacl e of a soul h o ldin g its h ands
fo r eve r befo r e its eyes to pe e r in to th e darkn ess, and search its way
in to th e li gh t, ye t eve rmor e turn in g away de spair in gly to a glo om th a t
is all th e de epe r because o f th e sudden gle ams o f fitful sple ndour . Y e t
in e ach sense such was n ow th e co nditio n o f A ugustin e’s soul . Lo ve
a nd ligh t ! love an d ligh t ! th is was th e e te rn a l cry o f hi s lips and
h e art. Love fo r an obj ect so h igh and sublim e th at th e in te ll ect
sh ould n eve r we ary in co n templatio n of its transcenden t exce llence
love fo r an obj ect so pe rfect th at th e co nscie n ce sh ould n e ve r scruple
its warmest attachm e n ts—love so stro ng th at eve ry fibr e o f th e h ear t
sh oul d cling to th e loved objse t, so th at De ath itse lf could n o t bre ak ,n o r tim e dim in ish , th e str en gth of its afiection—love so vast th at th e
soul m igh t e ve r wande r th rough i ts h appy r e alms with out exh austion ,
an d th e r e find its pe rfect r e st and fruition—an d 1 0 ! in an swe r to th is
hi gh demand th e r e was only th e love o f a pe r ish ing cr eatur e , and th e
l ow leve ls of sin an d de ath . Th e r e was som e ideal be auty for eve r
be fo r e him , be ck o n in g to him , attractin g him ,almost madden ing him
with th e impo ssibility o f r e ach ing it, and beh o ld ! wh e n h e str e tch edh is h ands towards it, it was a ph an tom ,
an d h e ~touch ed on ly th e on e
vo id o f wisdom , th e r iddle o f So lomon , Sitting o n a sto o l at th e doo r
and saying : Com e an d e at willin gly th e br e ad tha t is hidden , and
dr ink o f th e swe e t sto le n wate r ! A nd ligh t ! ligh t ! to unde rstand
himse lf, an d th e dr e ad e nviro nm e n t o f Natur e . Wh o was h e Wh atwas th is awful myste ry of life , in whi ch th e un se e n G od h ad placed
h im Wh at was th e secr e t o f th e grave?Wh o we r e th ose around
h im with th e marks fo r eve r on th e ir face s, and th e ve ils ove r th e ir
h e ar ts ; go od and evil, r igh t and wro ng , wh o h ath stated th e ir limits,wh o h ad defin ed th e ir na tur es?Would h e eve r se e cle ar ly Would
h e e ve r kn ow ce r tain ly?Would th is r e stle ss in te ll ect eve r r e pose
i n th e se r e n e co n templation o f truth so pe rfect th at it would admit n osh adow o f doubt o r de n ial?But to all th is impo rtun ate questio n ing cam e as an swe rs only th e
last wo rds o f a dyin g ph ilosophy, th e de vilry o f impo rted Roman
wo r sh ip, th e we ll-co in ed phr ases th at slippe d from th e lips of se ph ists
a nd po e ts. A nd with all th is hun ge r in his h ear t, th is wild unr est in
206 1 718 Ir ish Monthly.
conversion h ad n o t yet come—th e go ld was yet to be mor e tr ied and
search ed by fir e before it could r ece ive th e impre ss of its Kin g .
A nd day by day, n igh t after n igh t, prayers were asce ndin g befo re
G od’s thr on e for h im, prayers th at we aried and did vio le nce to
Heaven by th e ir strength and persistence . Th e re is som e th ing
almost supe rnatural about a mo th e r’s love . It is th e str ongest
reminder we h ave of G od’s boun dl e ss m ercy. It is so weak , yet so
powe rful ; so patien t and so pe rsisten t ; it h as such a supe rb con tempt
for th e logic of facts, and th e conseque nce of sin and punishm en t ; it
is so r eady to tur n vice into virtue , and to accept th e fain te st ave rsio n
fr om sin as th e promise of th e h igh est perfection ; it is so fai thful, so
per fect, so unse lfish , so true , th at n ext after G od’s love for us, it is th e
be st and h o li est thing we mortals possess. An d if eve r this be autiful
l ove existed in human soul, it sur e ly was in h e rs wh ose n ame is fo r
e ver inseparably conn ected with th at of St. A ugustin e—his sainted
moth er , Monica . How sh e watch ed ove r him in his childh ood and
boyh ood—h ow sh e strove by h e r example an d te ach ing to destr oy th e
e vil effects of h e r husband’s bad example on th e ch ild—h ow de eply
sh e sufie r ed as th e first r epo rts of h er son’s pe rversity came to h er
e ars—h ow fe rven tly sh e prayed th at h is h eart migh t be touch ed and
r en ewed un to pen ance—all thi s St. A ugustin e himse lf te lls na
, addin gh is own high appr eciation of h is m o th e r
’s unselfish devo tio n . A n d a
ce rtain r emorse was added to th e mo th e r ’s praye rs, fo r sh e
r em ember ed that sh e , too , h ad sinn ed by ambition , and pe rh aps had
be en instrum en tal in sacrificing th e purity of h er ch ild to th ose
longings afte r futur e fame wh ich sh e h ad sh aredwith him . Oh , if sh e
h ad on ly kn own h ow A ugustin e would be tempte d, if sh e could o n ly
h ave fo r ese en th e dan gers th at ar e str ewn in th e path o f th e young
and th e pitfalls th at ar e dug fo r th e ir eve ry foo tstep. We ll, it is use
less to be r egr e ttin g a past th at can no t be re call ed, an d, afte r all,
He aven is m e rciful, and sh e h as se en a ce rtain vision , in which sh e
h as be e n told th at th e migh ty gulf be twe e n h er and A ugustin e shall
be bridged ove r , and h e sha ll sta nd side by side with h e r , and th eysh all kn e e l to ge th er , and th e ir praye rs sh all mingl e , and th e m e rits o f
th e Migh ty Sacr ifice sh all be shar ed be twe e n th em , and h e sh all be h er
almon er , and th e peace o f th e futur e sh all wipe out th e m emo ry o f
th e past . Th e n sudden ly sh e is to ld th at A ugustin e , tir ed of G arth
ag e , is about to depart for Rome , a nd al l h er h ope s are in a momen t
sh atter ed, because now sh e be lieves th at h e is lost to G od, and lost to
h er for ever .
A nd ye t this step of qui ttin g Carth age , al th ough accomplish ed in
secrecy (Augustin e h avin g left in th e n igh t tim e , wh en his mo th e r
was praying in a n e ighbour in g church ), was th e first gre at step to h is
The L ife and Influence of St. A ugustine . 207
c o n ver sion ; for h aving open ed his sch oo l at Rom e , afte r : r ecoveri n gfr om a vio len t feve r , h e was so disgusted with th e conduct o f th e
s tuden ts and th eir h abits of deception and dish on esty, th at h e applied
fo r a cha ir of rh e to r ic in th e city ofMilan , and th e r e was r e jo in ed byhi sm o th e r . Now in this city was a man of G od,
”ch ose n like A n an ias
o f Damascus to teach and illumin e this great dark en ed in tellect th at
Attracted by th e fam e o f St. Ambrose as a preach e r , A ugustin e
w e n t to h e ar him and havin g h eard him and adm ir ed h is e loquen ce ,th e de ep truth s which h e preach ed, and against wh ich A ugustin e
wo uld h ave closed his e ars, gr adual ly sank in to his mind, and gave
th e fir st gr eat sh ock to th ose pr e ja dicea h e h ad conce ived again st
C a th o licity. Fo r , like all th ose wh o rag e again st th e truth , h e little
un de r stood it, and h e foun d th at it was n o t against th e Cath olic
r e lig ion th at h e h ad bark ed, but again st a ch ime ra inven ted by its
e n em ies.
’A nd th e r e , Sunday afte r Sunday, wh en St. Ambrose .
a scen ded th e whi te marble pulpit th at still is sh own at Mil an ,h e saw
b e n e a th h im th e widow and h er child, sh e calm, pati en t, praye rful
and th e young professo r , wh o se lectur es h alf th e youth o f Mil an we r e
a tten din g , mode st, externa lly humble , but pride fo r e ver stiffen in gh is n eck and ste aling his h ear t against th e first great act of lowly
a basem en t.
Ir r e ligion and vice , th ose twin gian ts th at eve r work in unison ,
gua rded th e por tals of his h ear t. If on e yie lded for a mom en t, th e
o th e r was a ll th e mor e al e rt . If th e powerful e loque nce of St.
A mbro se sh atte r ed eve ry argumen t wh ich in th e se cr e cy of his h e art
A ug ustin e h ad fashi on ed, h e r e was th e sad compan io n of his guilt to
yr o test against h is embracing tha t re ligi o n wh ich glo r ifie s pur ity and
vir gin ity and if eve r , and it was often , h is soul, ragin g un der its
base subje etion , clamour ed to be fre e from th e degradation of vice ,
h e r e was th e vain phi losophy th at captivated him and made h im
a shame d of th e simplicity of th e G ospe l, and th at doctr in e o f
h umility wh ich is a lwaye th e stumbling block to in te lle ctual pride .
Was th er e any h ope for him at a ll He r e , o n th e on e h and, was th e
h e r e sy which h e n o t on ly be lieved but pr ofessed pr ide th at waxed
str o ng er wi th every year of succe ss th e strength o f manh o od a lli ed
with th e str eng th of sin and above all, this illicit love , which was
c o iled around h is h eart lik e a se rpen t and on th e o th e r , on ly th e
pr aye rs o f his mo th er and th e Sun day sem e n of St. Ambr o se But
I am wr ong . Th e re was On e , omn ipo te n t, a ll wise , also with h im
a n d He wh o bade th e win ds and waves be still on th e se a o f G a li le e
wa s n ow about to calm th e tumul t of this migh ty min d. A nd in Hiso wn simple , Divin e way, He ch oose as His ministers a Pagan and a
208 1 714: Ir ish Monthbp
ch ild. A lipius, a dear bo som frie nd of A ugustin e’s, was a yo un g
Pagan , wh o in th e midst o f infamy had always worsh ipped puri tyand kn owing th e te rr ible to rtur e th at A ugustin e sufier ed, h e would
r e ason with h im. pre ach to him , exto l th e be autiful vir tue , pain t in
darkest co lours th e ha te ful vice . Madde n ed by his own h e lplessn ess,tor tur ed by h is passiona te de sir e to be fr ee , Augustin e would liste n
pa tien tly for a wh ile , and th en would rush away fr om h is frie nd,
cryin g : Le ave m e ! leave m e ! No t ye t ! n o t ye t An d hi s friend
would star e and wonde r at him ,an d b e sile n t in th e face o f such
an guish . Th e n th e r e cam e to th e soul of A ugustin e a ce lestia l visio n
o f Ch astity, clo th ed in whi te ligh t, with a glitter in g band o f childr e n
a round h e r—pur e , e th e re al, and divin e—and sh e po in te d to h e r '
ch ildr e n and sa id Beh o ld, wh at th e se are do ing , why canst th o u
n o t do lik ewise Th eyfth e un le arn ed—you, th e accomplish ed ; th ey,so weak in na tur e—you clo th ed in th e str ength of your manh o od“th ey so fr ail—you, so powe rful and th e visio n van ish ed an d le ft
h im in an agony of sh ame and so rrow. A t last, o n e day a trave lle r
cam e , Po n timanus by n am e , and to ld o f a wonderful sigh t h e h ad
see n—a dese rt pe opled with men , wh o led th e lives o f an g e ls, wh o
sacr ificed n o t on ly all sin ful love , but all legitimate h uman affecti o n
youn g m e n, ca lmly saying far ewell to th e ir aflian ced, and passing
'
fr om
th e gay citie s to th e silen t sands, and th e br ide s th at we r e to be , to
mo rrow e spousing th emse lves in mystica l uni on with th e Lamb, le av
in g al l th in gs to fo llowHim . A nd A ugustin e , n o t able to co n ta in
his emo tio n , fled in to h is garde n an d cr ied to Alipius Wh at ar ewe do in g Did you n o t h e ar Th e ign o ran t, th e un l
'
earn ed carry
th e kingdom of h eaven by sto rm , and we with our boasted scien ce
grove l o n th e ear th Is it n o t a sh am e th a t we h ave n o t th e cour age
to imitate th em Noble wo rds, A ugustin e , at last at last ! A nd
h e flings h imse lf under a fig tr e e in an guish , and h e , th e phil o soph e r ,
th e o rato r , th e professor , sobs as if his h eart would br eak wi th un
accoun table grief. A nd h e h ears th e vo ice of a ch ild in a n e ighbour
ing ga rden , sin gin g its play son g but h e has n eve r h e ard th a t
ch ildish m e lody be fo re . He listens, an d ca tch in g th e sin gular re
frain To lls, lege—to lle , lege Wh o eve r h eard a ch ild utte r
such stran g e words befo re But, gre a t G od !wh o kn ows, can it be
that th e se words ar e a h eavenly m e ssage to himse lf A nd, tremblin g
all over wi th emo tion , h e tak es up a book lyin g on th e gr ass be for e
A lipius, and open ing it by ch ance h e r eads Let us walk h on estlyas in th e day ; no t in r eve ll in g and drunkenn ess, n ot in chambe rin gand impuri ties but put ye on th e Lo rd Je sus Ch rist, and make n o t
provision fo r th e flesh in its con cupiscences A nd sudde nly, as wh e n
i n tr opical clim es th e sunshafts break upon th e darkn ess, and chase »
2 1 0 TIM Ir ish Month ly.
THE IRISH CISTERCIANS OF MOUNT MELLERA Y .
AMONG th e poemswhich th e Mother Prioress of Ston e Conven t
1 n Stafiordshire (Mrs. Dran e ) n ames Son gs 1 n th e Night,1 8 on e , 1 20 Return Qf tlw Flock, enshr in ing a very love ly and
mystical idea . Th e words of its name always come into my mind
wh en I think o f our Ciste rcian monks of Moun t Me lle ray, St.
B ernard’s monks, wh o ,wh en th eywere obliged to fly fr om Fran ce ,
brought to an Irish moun tain -side a rich store of blessings, equalto th ose rece ived from th e Island of Saints in early Christian days
by the fore fath ers of th e ir Order . In 1 831 th e monks of La
Trappe ar rived in Ire land se ekin g for a h ome , and they found it
o n th e side of the Kn ookme ildown mountain in Waterford, on th e
It has always been th e peculiar and ben eficent meth od of th e
Ciste rcians to se ek for a wildern ess, and h ere with praise and
prayer and un ceasing labour to weave th e ir holy spells
swamp, and rock, and barren tract, un til th e beauty and fruitful
n ess of th e prim eval Paradise is won back to th at particular spot
o f earth which has happily become subjeat to th eir to ils and th e irbe n edictions. St. Bernard n eve r ch ose a site more characte ristic
o f his in te n tion than did his followers wh en th ey first plan ted
cross and spade on the slope of th e greatWate rford moun tain . A
wealth of wild beauty, a splendour of form and colour ing were
th er e ; and th e high crags, round which th e eagles hung and
swooped, towered in that a eria l skyey region towards which th e
souls of G od- loving men yearn as sh owing mystic paths and
open ings in to th e high er and fairer regions in which th ey have
built th e ir eve rlasting home . Suggestive in th e very baren ess and
ruggedn ess of its n oble features, th e harsh mountain was more
de lightful than gardens and pastures to th e simple an d laborious
ascetic, and h e wen t to work upon its possibilities with an indomi
Th e difficulties most like ly to beset h im in th e very beginn ing
we re providen tially smooth ed out of his path . Th e courage and
e arn e stn ess, and perhaps even a touch of fascinated in te rest such
as a large-min ded Protestant migh t fe e l in the poetic tradition s 05
th e se devoted men , influenced Sir Richard Keane , th e landlord of
The Ir ish Cistercians. 21 1
t h e distr ict, to afford th em an opportun ity of becoming an
i ndustr ial power in th e coun try by giving th em a lease o f. six or
s e ve n hundred acre s of apparently un cultivable land on which to
e stablish th emse lve s under cloud and crag and be twe en bog and
sto n y wilde rn ess. But having n o mon ey, credit, or worldly goods
o f any description , in wh at way did th ey in ten d to proceed 1”
Wi th out visible weapon or instrument h ow were th ey to e ngage in
th e strugg le which was to cast out th e demon o i barren n e ss from
th e magn ifice n t Nature wh ich th ey had ven tured to approach
Every Ir ishman wh o can sh oulde r a pickaxe o r sh ove l can answer
th e question . A t a sign from th e ir parish prie st, th e big-h earte d
Waterford men and th e ir lads forgot th e sad truth th at it requireda ll th e ir own to il , humanly speaking , to ke ep th e wolf fr om each
par ticul ar cabin do or , and th ey rose up in a swarm ,and left th e ir
own fie lds behind th em to labour on th e moun tain on beh alf and
un der dir ection of th e pale-faced strange rs wh o had come to th em
for h ospitality in Christ, and in th e n ame o f th e early Sain ts of
Er in who had fasted and prayed with th em in th e ir fo re ign h omes
a s bro th e rs in th e days wh en Chr istiani ty was young .
Th at is more th an fifty years ago , and th e miracle h as been
wrought. Long patien t skill, unbroken endurance , h oly forbe ar
an ce , saintly frugality, h ave won again st th e savage force s of
Natur e ; spir it has conquered matte r ; rock, and m orass, and
sh ing le h ave dowered an d multiplied fruits unde r th e mystic sway
o f th e ir gentle and indefatigable maste rs ; and th e truth is made
man ifest that lie s hidden in th e reveal ed Word, assuring an
in credul ous wo rld that if it h as but faith it may move th e
m oun tain . Th e Waterford moun tain , with th e quain t n am e ,
th oug h n o longe r a savage mon ar ch , is still a kin g , enfoldin g in
h is purple a cultur e an d civiliz ation wh ich would put many a
n aturally te eming valley to sh am e . Th e wilds of Kn ockm e ildown
a re become th e gardens of Moun t Me lleray, acres of pasture and
cornfie ld, a land fl ewing with m ilk and hon ey.
Th'
e vocation of our Irish monks of L a Trappe in clude s manybran ch es of u se fuln ess and ben evolen ce . Our St. Be rn ard prays
for th e world, wh o e ith er cann ot or will n ot pray for itse lf, o r
which , praying and be in g anxious to pray, has n o t time to pray
e n ough ; prays for th e sui i ering , th e sad, th e shipwr ecked, th e
doubting ; for all especially wh o cry out to h im for th e alms o f h is
prayers. He is like th e watch -tower and th e beacon -light to th ose
2 1 2 The Ir ish. Mo nth ly.
o n th e high se as, who will soon er o r late r be on th e sh oals or th e
rocks, e ve n if n ow th e tide run s merrily and th e ship is tigh t and
safe . He is, be side s, cultivato r of th e so il, employe r of labour ,
teach er of youth , in structo r an d comforter of tho se who com e to
seek gh ostly coun sel of him , to wh om his h ouse is eve r open and
h is h ospitali ty with out stin t .
A t Cappoquin , thr e e mile s distan t from Moun t Me ll eray, th ere
is a comfortable in n , under good man agem en t ; and from this place
a de lightful car-drive on a summe r day will brin g on e to th e gate s
o f th e Mon astery, th rough th e ripe ni ng wh eat , on the go lde n
borde rs of which extends th e yet un tamed moo r , dark and for
bidding , or wayward, gracious, and invitin g , lavish of its crimson s
and purples, and tawny brown s to th e co lour -loving eye . On th e
ve rge of th e gre en pasture-lan ds th e mo or -fowl cry, and the bog
l ie s in all its suggestiven e ss, sul len , and path etic, and strong , as if
conscious of its own in trin sic worth and th e wealth it cove rs, unde r
a rugged exterio r , with all its po o ls of wate r alive and gaz ing in
th e sky lik e eye s that are n ow wistful , n ow m irthful , and n ow
shadowed with profoundest glo om .
Working in th e fie lds ar e foun d th e monks and th e ir agricul
tur al pupils. Outside th e gates you will se e th e guest-h ouse ,
wh er e a respected matron r ece ives ladi es wh o may come to se ek
spir itual h e lp . Th e Mon aste ry itself is a large , quadrangularbuilding , and th e church , th ough n ot remarkable in poin t of
arch itectur e , is in tere sting an d ven e rable as a r e ligious in terior .
Th e buildings are 1 62 ft . in length , 30 ft. in bre adth , 32 ft . high ,
a nd in clude dorm ito rie s, kitch en , chapte r-ro om , sacristy, and o th e r
apar tme n ts. Th e fourth side of th e quadran gle is filled in by th echurch
,1 80 ft. lo ng , 30 ft. wide in n ave , 52 ft. in tran sept, 30 ft .
h igh . Th e towe r is surmoun ted by a spire of wood sh e eted in
copper , and rises 1 40 ft . fr om th e ground.
Th e first thing th at stri kes on e on e nte ring th e door of Moun t
Me lle ray.
Mon aste ry is th e h ospitality of th e se frugal monks, wh o
th emse lve s n eve r e at but twice in twe n ty-four h ours, and whose
un varied m eals con sist of vege table s, po rridge , and brown bread
on ly. A r ece n t trave lle r up Kn ockm e ildown re late s that h is first
glimpse of a Trappist monk caught that gen tle asce tic in th e act
o f h astening fr om kitch en to guests’refe ctory with a te apot in h is
hand. Inde ed , th e ar rived gue st h as only to walk upstairs and sit
down at a plen tiful table , wh er e h is hunger will be satisfied before
2 1 4 The Ir ish Month ly.
Every class is represented in the Community, and all n eeds are
supplied from within . Th ey are farmers, tailors, masons, slate rs,bakers, brewers, shoemake rs, e tc. e tc. On e hundred stude n ts are
in th e boarding-scho o ls, coming from France and America , as we ll
as from all parts of th e thr e e kingdoms. Th e pension is only £30
a y ear . Music, art, elocution , are n ot overlooked in th e education
by th e monks is redacted eve n outdde th e Mon aste ry gates, as on e
se es by th e aspect of the usual Nation al schoo l , th e conven tio nal
baren ess and barre nn e ss of which is h e re a little relieved by th e
prese nce of a few flowerin 3 plan ts in th e windows and oth er little
signs of civilisation . A s a rul e n o thing is more dismally unsug
gestive o f r eal education than th e aspect of an Iri sh National sch oo l
scrupul ously conducted on th e prescribed principles.
I cann ot leave Moun t Me lle ray with out on e more backward
glance at Kn ockme ildown moun tain . Th e view from th e summit
ft. h igh ) I know to be magnificent as far as eye can reach
on every side , taking in th e rock of Cash e l, and th e ruins of th e
an cien t cath edr a l and home of its kings, the ocean and harbours o f
Youghal an d Dungarvan , and a vast extent of winding and pictur
e sque an d ch ar acteristic sea-coast . A bout th e middl e of last ce nturyred deer pastured on th e side s of Kn o ckme ildown , but th ey are
gon e . Wild plants and flowe rs grow about it, and on th e ve ryhigh est poin t is th e grave of a man , h is dog , and horse : a lover of
ligh tn ing and e le ctricity, a scien tific discover er—He nry Esleswh ose last r equest craved that h e might be so buried, close to the
clouds, th e h ome of his be loved lightn in g.
Wh en you visit Moun t Me lle ray and ascend Kn ockme ildown ,
the re 1 8 on e spot on which I kn ow you will pause and h old yourbre ath , wh ere a deep lake or tam ,
thre e -quarters of a mile in cir
cumfere n ce , li es m a basin sco oped out of th e moun tain wh ich rises
over it pe rpendicularly to a h e ight of 600 ft . Th e wate r is de ep,and dark , and co ld—n o sapphir e was ever darke r , bluer , co lde r
the sun do es n ot reach it on th e warmest summer day ; its chill is
so de adly that to bath e in it extinguish es life . Only th e eagle , asif fascin ated by its de ep
-set gleam, hove rs over it, dips and swoops,
but quickly rises again , and scre aming , soars in to the sun .
ROSA MULHOLLA ND
The Blessing of Dublin .
THE BL ES S ING O F DUBL IN .
FROM THE IRISH OF ST. BENEA N .
HILL and de ad
Lies th e Kin g o f Dublin’s son ,
A t his h ead
Sits gr ey A lpin , stem and still ;
N e ith e r eat n o r drink h e wi ll ,
Till th e earth h ave h ad h e r fill,
A nd Valh a l be won .
Patr ick came ,
Lauding loud of h o lie r things,
Flash ed th e dame
From th e Vikin g- eyes Can He ,
Make r of all thin gs, mak e be
Th at which is n o m o r e fo r m e
Thy Kin g of Kin gs
Speak th e word
L e t th e sove re ign de ed be don e ,
Th e n thy LordLord o f min e is—Lo rd of a ll ,Each a liegeman at his ca ll ,
Bows in battle , go ld in h all ,
For Iu'
m—my so n .
”
Patr ick prayed,
Moving as th e sun move s r ound,
Naugh t dismayed
Kin g and jarls thr ice fo llowed h im ,
Heard, with unde rstandin g dim ,
Oi th e mystic murmur ed hymn
Th e stran ge we ird sound.
Th en great dr e ad
Cam e upon th em , and, beh o ld !
Sto o d th e De ad
In th e ir midst, e r e ct, with ga z e
Fixed on th em in mute amaz e
Lit with r ed r e turn ing rays
Th e visag e co ld.
Th e Ir ish Month ly.
Sa id th e Kin g ,Standing with his wa rmen n igh ,
Fo r th is th in gWe ar e va ssals to thy Lo rd,Fo ll owe r s fast by fie ld and fiord,
True at trystin g , staunch at sword
Sea , sh o r e , o r sky
I pro n oun ceTribute to th is King of thin e ,
Each an oun ce
We igh ed a r igh t o f ruddy go ld
Eve ry ye ar sh all be th r ice to ld
From th e No r thman ’s Dublin h o ld
A t Mach a’s sh r in e .
”
Pa tr ick raised
His r igh t h an d in be n ediction ,
G od be praised !
If th e to ll be pa id each year ,No t th e wo r ld n e ed Dublin fear ,
Else , th r e e times th e G ae lic spea r
Sh all bring emiction .
G ift s e leven ,
G ue rdon s, in r e turn , sh a ll fall
Ih om h igh h e ave n
G o odly wive s th e wive s sh all b e ,
Th e m en live manful an d di e fr e e ,
Beauty still th e maiden s’ 1 9 0
Oi th e pur e proud G a ll .
Feats o f swimmin g
Mark th e youth , se a-loved, se a -stro ng ,
Brigh t h o rn s br immi n g ,
We lcome all to boun te ous boa rd
G ift o f war -tr iumph an t swo rd,
G ift o f trophi e s, many a h oard,
Mak e its '
glo ry long .
Champions brave ,
G allan t Ki n gs to b ear th e crown ,Ou land o r wave ,
G i ft o f comm e rce fr om all parts,
G ift o f eve r -wide n ing mar ts,
G ift in Church of r ever en t h earts
Ble ss stout Dublin town .
2 1 8 The Ir isk Month ly.
th e date assign ed to th e poem , it is man ifest tha t it is a te stimon y and tr ibute ,
bo rn e by Ir ish Churchme n , to th e early Ch ristian ity an d h igh quali tie s o f th e g re a t
Hi berno -No rse race , so g en e ra lly and so un scrupulously ma l ign ed .
Th e Black Bo ok o f Chr ist Church”te lls th a t St. Pa tri ck sa id mass in
c e rta in vaults, and fo re to ld th e e rection of th e Church . C h rist Chur ch was built
o ve r th e se vaul ts by th e No rse Kin g Sitt io , 1 038 . Th e existe n ce of St .
Patr ick’s we lls sh ows th at tradi tion co nfirms th e accoun t of his pre se n ce in Dublin .
Th e stran ge re fe r ence to th e last th re e fire s o f Erin is a po e tic allusi on to a
fin e wh en all Irelan d sh ould be a dese rt , save th r e e inh abited place s, of which
Dublin would be on e . Th is probably is th e m e an in g o f th e th r e e fires, born e on
t owe rs, in th e arms o f Dublin .
REV. C. P. MEEHAN .
R .I.P .
THIS learn ed priest and true -h earte d Irishman died on th e 1 4th
of March at th e Pre sbyte ry, SS. Mich ae l and John ’s, Dublin ,
in th e 78th ye ar of h is age and th e 55th o f his sacr ed min istry .
Th e n ewspape r obituaries h ave given an additio n al ye ar to hi s
prie stly life ; but h e certain ly was n ot o rdain ed before h is 23rd
year , and h e h imse lf read , with out co rr ectin g , th e date that we
a ssign ed to h is ordin ation—1 835— ia a som ewhat extended accoun t
o f his life and writings, which appe ared last A ugust in thi s Maga
z in e (volume xvn , page 427 ) That pape r dispenses na from th e
n ece ssity of dwe ll ing at prese n t at any le ngth on Fath er Me ehan’s
m o st useful lite rary labour s, and it also saves us fr om th e regre t
e xpr e ssed by som e po e t wh om th e A uth or o f Lo rn a Doon e
quo tes in dedicating a bo ok to a deceased friend
Prom itti man ibus , submitti Man ibus, iste
Lug e t , e t imm emo re m te m emin isse , libe r .
Th e fo llowing humble and amiable little n ote regards th e
a rticle in que stionDEA R F . Rnssmm,
Man y than ks fo r th e kind n o tice o f a ve ry in sign ifican t indi vidual . O i late
I h ave h ad in ce ssan t a ttacks o f dyspepsia , which make s m e r e ga rd your m emo ir as
m y epitaph—n o t wr itten with a pen o f iro n .
Eve r gratefully yours,
July 27th , 1 889 . C . P. M
We may quote an o th er o fFath er Me ehan’
s le tte rs wh ich be longs
to an e ar lie r date , fo r it implies that h is co rre sponden t was till th en
ign oran t of th e n ame o f th e A uth or of Th e Monks of Kilcrea ,”
o f whom a full account is given at page 325 o f our thirte en th
v o lume . The Feb . 20 of th e following le tte r must, th e refo re ,
b e five or six years ago . It r efe rs to some do cumen ts and verse s
a ppen ded to o n e of Fath er Me ehan’s works, probably h is Irish
F r an ciscans.
”Th e r e fe re nce to Cardin al Moran as Bish op o f
O m ry puts th e date still furth e r back .
Th e A uth o r of me Monks of K ilcr ea is Mr . A rthur G e rald G e ogh e gan ,
fo rme r ly an e xcise o ffice r , but n ow livin g re tir ed in Lo ndon .
Dr . Mo ran , Bish op o f Osso ry, h a s a copy o f Lyn ch’s L ive s of th e Ir ish
B ish ops.
’Th e la te Dr . Todd , foun d th e o r igin a l , if I mistake n o t , in th e
L ibra ry of R om e . His copy was, I think , purch ased by Dr . Mo ran .
I tr ansla ted th e epicedi um . Wh e n I was a chap in th e Roman Co ll eg e un de r
Padr e Divice (G od re st h im I tur n ed lo ts of Ovid’s Tr istia (th en our class-bo o k )
in to Italian ve rse . wh ich ple ased my be loved teach e r . Y ou kn ow th at th e Roman
m fi an s cast him out . I m e t him in L ive rpo o l wh en h e was g o in g to Ame rica ,
broke n -h ea r te d and pe rsecuted by th e villa in swh o ca ll ed th emse lves th e Battag lio n e
This is by n o means th e last time th at Father Me eh an will be
m e n tion ed in th e se page s ; but at prese n t we sh all o nly put o n
re co rd th e edifying fact that h e was pre emin en t fo r h is charity to
the poor , giving large ly out of his scan ty in come , an d fo r th is
purpose r efrain ing from expe n ses in which h is li te rary and an ti
qas ria n taste s m ight have e ngaged him . Thi s may be mo re to
h is advan tage n ow th an even the auth orship of The Flight o f
the Earls,”th ough such labours also are use ful and m e ritori ous.
May h e rest in peace .
INNOCENCE .
WHITE r o se must di e all in th e youth and be auty of th e ye ar ,
Th ough Nigh tin gale sh ould sing th e wh o le n igh t th ro ugh ,
Th ough summ e r br e e z e s wo o ,
Sh e will n o t h e ar .
Too de licate fo r th e sun’s kiss so h o t and passion a te ,
Or fo r th e rude car esses o i th e wind,
Sh e dr ooped and pin ed
Th ey m ourn ed to o late .
B irds car o l cle ar
Summ e r h as come ,”th ey say,
0 , joy o f livin g o n a summe r’s day
Wh ite r ose must die a ll in th e youth and be auty of th e ye ar .
DORA me an so s .
The Ir ish Month ly.
THE POPE ’S LAST POEM.
Th e Osserm to re Romano h as late ly be en allowed to publish
some verses which L e o XIII. wrote upon th e death of h is Jseni tbro th e r
,C ardin al Jo se ph Pecci . Th e po em take s th e fo rm of a
dialogue be twe e n th e living broth er and the dead . A nd first
dcfunctus loqm'
lur
Josm n .
Iustitiaa factum sa tis e st ; admises piavi ;
Iam cae li me templa te n e n t ste llan tia ; sed tu
Cum to t sustin e as, tam gran dis mun ia , debe s
Tan ta plura De o , quan ta ma jo rs tulisti .Sum e an imum fiden s cymbam duc aequo r in altum
Num in e propiti o tibi sin t cum fe n o re multo
Fe lice s in i ti pro re llig ion e labo re s !
A ttam en ut vale as o lim sublimis cae li ,
Ul tr ice s fugien s flamm as,attin g e re , pruden s
Mor ta li Ie sch in ,vi ta e dum ve sce ris aur a ,
Quidquid pe cca tum e st , lacrimis de le t e m emen to .
Joscn n t .
Dum vivam , fe sso sque re gat dum spir itus artus,
En i tar g em itu lacrimisque abste rge re culpas.
A t tu, qui Supe rum securus luce he arie ,
Con fectum ae rumn is , de vexa asta te laban tsm
Erig e , e t usque mem o t de cae lo re spice fratz en ,
Quem turbo h e n dudum pr em it h o n'idus , h o rrida da dam
Fluctibus in medii s commo ta proce lla fatig at .
Th ese lin e s h ave be en tran slated in The Table t, T he Da ilyChr on icle
,and Th e G lobe . By a str an ge oversight th e Editor of
The Tablet appe ar s to h ave admitted th e attempt of a fore ign er
wh o kmows English we ll e n ough to imagin e that past rhyme s
with be e r’st,
”an d that e stranged my past is se n se and a fair
e quivale n t for admissa piavi in what h e calls in prose th e
n e ce ssar ily stifien ed language of a ve rsed tran slation .
” Mo re
cur ious than th e phrase while th ou draw thy bre ath is th e lin e
so th e n may’st co o l thin e eye s in h eaven
’
s bree z e ,”wh ich stands
fo r th e Pope’
s simple expression that th oumaye st at le ngth beable to re ach th e h e igh ts of h e aven .
Th e Da ily 0 1mm icle has , it se ems, discovered in th e se lin es a
glar in g false quan tity -n ot me re ly false but glar in gly false , and
222 The Ir ish Monthly.
JoaomY ea , wh ile th e bre ath ye t fil ls th is fee ble fram e ,
Sh all gr oan and tear assoil my soul o f blame .
A n d do th e n , bro th e r , th e n in G od’s blast ligh t ,
Rai se m e low-dro opin g to thy spir it’s h e igh t ;
From Heaven lo ok down upo n me , bro th er de ar ,
Suppo rt my wearin e ss, my sadn ess ch e e r ,
While th e rough tempest’s powe r and wild se a
’
s
Toss my fra il bark an d drive me o nward still .
Th e allusion to purgatory in th e first lin e might be be tter
r epre sented thus
Ja stice is satisfied, clean sed e very stain ,
A nd n ow th e starry cour ts of h eaven I ga in .
FROM SHORE TO SHORE.
ORROW h a th built a palace in my soul ,
With windows givin g on Ete rn ity,
A nd th e nce I se e Tim e’s dr e ary wave s dr ift by,
Swo ll en with human tears , and onwards ro ll
To chi lling sh o r es of De ath , th e ir fina l goa l .
Dark bur th ens o n th e h e aving wa te rs lie ,
To ssed to and fr o be n e ath an iron sky,
Wr eck e d h ope s, wre ck ed h ear ts, wr eck ed live s th at o n ce
we r e wh o le .
Poo r ships ! so so o n de str oyed by envious wave s,
80 so on to foun de r e nvious ro cks be twe e n ,
Or e lse becalm ed fo r aye o n ar id san d
Ne ar th o se dim ga rdens fil led with nam e l e ss grave s
W’
h e r e in we lay to r e st wh at migh t h ave be e n
A n ch or n o t h e r e : th e r e is a Be tte r Land .
No tes on N ew Books . 223
NOTES ON NEW BOOKS.
1 . “ My Time a nd wh a t I’ve don e with it,
”by F . C. Bur nand
(L ondo n : Bur n s an d Oa te s) is a ve ry cleve r , a ve ry inter e stin g , but a
v e ry stran g e bo ok . A s fo r its cleve rn ess, th at is sur e ly to be expected
f r om th e A uth o r o f Happy Th ough ts, and th e Edito r of Punch .
T h er e is plen ty of wit an d plen ty o f in te r estin g in cidents. On e
w o nders h ow far it is an autobiography, as it is call ed o n th e title
page . Som e of th e ch ang e s in th e h e ro’s fo rtun e s agr e e with wh at is
k n own of Mr . Burn and h im se lf, wh o se po r tr ait is th e fro n tispiece o f
th is n ew popular edi tion . Th e story o rigin ally r an th rough o n e o f
t h e Lon do n maga z in es—Tcmple Bar , we th ink—an d th en r e appear ed
a s a th r e e -vo lume o r two -vo lum e n ove l . Th e publish e rs’adve rtise
m en t of th e. pr ese n t e ditio n r epre sen ts it as con ta in in g sk e tch es of
Public Sch o o l an d Un ive rsity life , and al so A nglican Semin ary life .
Th e public sch oo l in que stion is 1 16 doubt Eton , call ed Ho lysh ade bya n a llusio n to G ray
’s famous ode
He r Henry’s h o ly shade .
Bulfo rd and Cowbr idge ar e evide n tly Oxfo rd and Cambridge . G od
b le ss th e auth o r fo r th e unwo rldl in e ss an d cour ag e that h ave turn ed
t h e last pages of th is bo ok in to an explicit act o f faith .
2 . The Catho l ic Wor ld is giving e arn est e ncourag em en t to th e
formation o f Cath o lic Re adin g Circle s in th e Un ited Sta te s. Som e o f
t h o se in ter e sted in th e movem en t h ave drawn up a list o f go od sto r ie s
publish ed by Am e r ican Cath o lic publish e rs. Urie by Mo th e rR apha e l (A . T. Dra n e ) , wh ich is out o f pr in t a t h ome in Bur n s and
O a te s’s catal ogue , is h e r e assign ed to th e Vatican Library, New
Yo rk . A s th is list is co nfin ed to Am e rican publica tions and r epubli
ca tio n s, Miss Ro sa Mulh o l land is r epr e sen ted, n o t by Mar ce lla G race,
o r any o f h e r we ll kn own sto rie s, but by Hetty G ray, or Nobody’s
Bao'
m . With thi s sto ry two o th e rs ar e ascr ibed to h e r wh ich ar e n o t
h e rs at all Victo r’s L aur e l and Kathleen
’s Motto . How h as th is
m istak e occur red?Our Am e r ican fr iends ough t n o t to suppr e ss our
Ir ish auth o r’s n am e al to g e th e r
—as we h ad o nce to complain o f Mr .
N o o n an of Boston—n o r to ascribe to h e r bo oks wh ich are n o t h e rs,a s se ems to h ave be e n don e in th e pr ese n t in stance .
3 . It wo uld h ave be en an addition al r ecomm endation fo r an
A m e rican bo ok comm ended in our March n o tice s Rationa l R e li
g io n ,” by th e R e v . Jo hn Conway, Mi lwauk e e—ii we h ad m e n tio n ed
t ha t th e A uth o r was o n e of th e Dunboyn e students o f Mayn o o th n o t
m any years ago .
4 . A n oth e r Irish pr ie st, th e Rev . A r thur Ryan , Pr eside n t o f St.
224 The Mon thly.
Patrick’s Co lleg e , Thurles, h as given n a in a h andsome vo lume of
some th r e e h un dr ed pages,“ Se rmo ns 1 877- 1 887 (Dublin : M . H.
G ill and So n ) . Th ese thi rty disco urses ar e on a gr eat varie ty o f
sub] ects, and th ey a re all an imated by a ve ry e arn e st and practica l
spirit. Th ey ar e by n o m e an s e ith e r co ld o r commo nplace , and th ey
will furn ish use ful and pl e asan t spiritual re ading in Cath o l ic h o use
h o lds. Fath e r Ryan h as ve ry few compe tito rs in th is fie ld. Th e
po sth umous se rmons of th e R ev . Jo seph Farre ll (th e Ce r tain Pr o
fesso r a r e almost th e on ly o n e s we h ave h ad of late ye ars fr om a n
Ir ish pr ie st, till th is n ew vo lume from th e Pr esiden t o f Thurles . A n
Ir ish pri e stly h e art speaks th rough al l . Writin g on St .Pa tr ick’sEve ,
we must again r e commend an o th e r bo ok by Fath e r A rth ur Rya n
which we ann ounced last mon th St. Patrick , Apo stle o f Ir e land
(Dublin : M . H. G ill) . It co nsists o f a Life and a Nove n a . Th e
fo rm e r g ive s in fifty pag e s a v e ry car e ful and vivid summary o f al l
that is kn own o r pruden tly co n jsota r ed about th e car e e r o f our gre a t
A po stle . Th e praye rs o f th e Nove n a are ve ry fr esh and unconve n
tion al, an d could only h ave be e n wr itte n by a warm -h e ar ted Irish
pr ie st .
5. Scen e s fr om th e Life o f St. Be n edict, dramati z ed by a Be n e
die tin e Nun”(Lo ndon : Burn s and Oate s), is th e best piece o f lite ra ry
wo rk of this particular kind th at we h ave se e n fo r a lon g time . Th e »
conven t dr amas and edifyin g plays th at we h ave examin ed se em to
us ve ry poo r . Th is Ben edi ctin e Nun h as r each ed a h igh e r degre e o f
li te rary m e rit . It is a pity wh en go od th emes ar e spo il ed by pe rso ns .
who , n eve rth e less, will h ave a r eward on accoun t of th e ir go od in te n
tio n s . He r e,in additio n to go od in te n tions, we h ave conside rabl e .
capacity fo r dramatic blank ve rse .
6 . Th e be st collection of hymn s th at we kn ow is St . Patrick’s
Hymn Bo ok (Dublin : Brown and No lan ). It h as be en compil ed bya Missio n ary Pr ie st fo r th e use o f A ssociation s of th e Sacr ed He a rt,
Sodalitie s o f Ch ildr en of Mary, e tc. Be sides all th e be st hymn s o f th e’
usua l co ll ection s, it h as some th irty b e autiful hymn s th at h ave n o t
be fo r e made th e ir way in to a popular hymn-bo ok . Th e extr eme ly low
pr ice sh ows th at th e publish e rs r e cko n o n a verywide circulatio n .
7 . How is it th at in some small En glish town s exquisite specimens .
o f typography ar e produced, wh ich th e th r e e capita ls can h ardly r ival
To rquay furn ish e s th e latest example . Th e dain ty bo ok , wh ich Mr .
F . H. Hamilto n , using Dr . Crui se’s gr e at work with full ackn owledg
m en t, h as de vo te d to th o Imita tion of Christ and Th omas a Kempis, is
pr in ted a t To rquay. In e ve ry r e spe ct it is ve ry e legan tly produced,
and it is wo rthy of such car e . Th e fifth edition h as just be en publ ish ed byM .H. G ill and So n s, Dublin ,
and Burns and Oate s, Londom
226 The
.
Irish Month ly.
A l l th e se arrang em en ts to ok som e time to mak e ; but at la st th e y
we r e compl e te . Eve ryth in g was so ld . Th e co ttag e passed in to th e
h ands o f stran g e rs ; and Madge an d Do ra , h avin g pack ed up a ll th e ir
b e lo ngings, we re lo okin g fo rward e age r ly to th e ir much -talk ed- o i
Dur in g th e days o f th e sal e , and whi lst Madg e woun d up h e r
a ffairs, th e two gi r ls stayed at th e h ouse o f a r e spectable woman , wh o
h ad kn own th em from th e ir ch ildh oo d. Sh e h ad a mar r ied siste r wh o
l e t lodgin gs in Lon do n , and to h e r Madg e wr o te askin g if sh e could
give h e r a couple o f ro oms in h e r h ouse .
But wh en Mrs. Shin n e r’s r eply came , th e gir l was h o rr ified at th e
sum demanded for th e small accomm oda tion sh e r e quir ed It was
mor e than Miss Matilda h ad pa id fo r th e co ttage in which th ey had
a ll lived comfortably, and sh e fear ed sh e coul d n o t afford to spen d so
much upon h e r r o oms al on e .
Lo r’ble ss you, th at
’s n o th ing fo r Lon do n , said th e ir h o stess .
Just you wait, Miss Madge , till you se e h ow dear eve rythi ng is.
Y ou’ll be as to n ish ed .
”
But th e r e must b e ch e ape r place s th an thi s, sur e ly, r epli ed
Madg e . I must try and find on e, Mrs. Fle e t . I must, in de ed .
”
We ll , miss, tak e my advice and go th e r e first ; it’s a r espectable
place . A n d my siste r’s an h on e st woman . Y ou didn
’t ough t to go
wande r in’thro ugh Lon don , pr omiscuous lik e , you an
’ Miss Do ra .
Y ou didn’t ough t to , inde ed .
Pe rh aps n o t, Mrs. Fle e t, sa id Madge , sigh in g . It is a large
r en t, but I suppo se I’d be tt e r tak e th e r o oms fo r th e pr e sen t.
”
A n d sh e wr o te off e ngagin g th em at o n ce .
A nd n ow, my dar ling ,” Madg e said to Dora o n th e m o rn in g o f
th e ir departur e from Oldpo r t, we have two far ewe ll visits to pay.
On e to th e cem e te ry to place our last flowe rs upo n our fr ie nds ’ greys ;
th e o th e r to Miss Tranmo r e . Ar e you n ear ly r eady to start
Y e s . I h ave just fin ish ed,”°
answe red Dora . And sh e h e ld up a
b e autiful wr e ath of prim ro se s an d vio le ts. Is it no t pr e tty?Love ly, dea re st. Y ou h ave th e fin ge rs of a fairy. Y ou could
m ak e anyth in g , I be li eve .
”
“ I wish I could, Madg e . A nd I do h ope th at Mdm s . G arni tur e ,
o f London , may think as h ighly o f m e as you do . Miss Tranmo r e
says sh e h as promised to give m e ple n ty of wo rk if sh e finds I can doit we ll .
”
I am n o t un e asy about th at, Do ra . But I’
m afra id th e wo rk
r o om will try you. It is sur e to be h o t and stufiy. A nd you are n o t
stro n g , my pe t.”
No . But I th ink I sh all be able to be ar th e h eat o f th e ro om,
A Str iking Con trast. 227
f o r th e sak e o f wh at I sh a ll e arn , a n swe r ed Do ra , smiling .
l o n g in g to m ake pile s o f mo n ey for you, Madge .
”
A nd I am ben t o n g e tting you a fo r tun e befor e th e ye ar is out .
N o t by wo rk , but by r e sto rin g you to your r igh ts. Some th in g te lls
m e I sh all so o n find A n n e Dan e .
”
I am n o t so sanguin e , de ar ; A nd if you did fin d h e r , it would
pr o bably be of n o use . We h ave n o pr oo fs, r em embe r .
Th at’s wh at Miss Tranm o re always says. Sh e declar es A n n e
Da n e would n eve r confess o r ackn owledg e you as th e lo st child, and
th a t I may just as we ll n o t lo ok fo r h e r .
A nd I th ink sh e is righ t. Al th ough , I must say, I’d lik e to fin d
h e r , e v en if it wer e only to kn ow wh a t sh e h as be e n do ing all th ese
ye ar s, and h ow sh e was r ich en ough to sen d you fifty po un ds ; also
wh y sh e sen t it , and ye t will n o t wr ite an d let you kn ow wh e r e sh e is.
”
I kn ow wh e re sh e is, sa id Madg e qui e tly. I h ave kn own ita l l a lo n g .
”
Madg e ! Dora look ed at h e r in asto ni shm en t .
W e ll , de ar , do n ot open your eye s so wide . We bo th kn ow.
W e fe e l ce rta in that A nn e Dan e must be with Mr . A th e rston e . So in
th a t way we kn ow indi r ectly wh e r e sh e i s.
’
Y es, indir ectly. But th e r e m ay be any numbe r o f A th e rsto n es
in L on do n . Miss Tranmo re says it is an e n ormous place—a wilde r
n e ss, and th at people don’t kn ow th e ir n ext -do o r n e ighbours . In fact,
sh e says it’s like look ing fo r a n e edl e in a bun dl e o f h ay to se t out
to find anyon e th e r e , unl e ss you r ea lly kn owwh e r e th ey l ive an d wh o
th ey a re .
”
Pe rh aps so . But I may as we ll live in London’
as in Oldpo rt ,
A n d I am de te rmin ed to fin d An n e Dan e . If I could o n ly m e e t h e r
a n d co nfron t h e r with you, and th a t po r trai t o f your mo th e r , Do ra ,
s h e would be obliged to r ecogn iz e you as Sylvia A th e rsto n e . Th at is
th e o n e pro of we posse ss. A nd I don.
’t th ink it
’s a bad on e .
No ,”sa id Do ra, drawin g out th e m in ia tur e whi ch sh e always
wo r e roun d h er n eck since le avin g th e o rph an ag e , I can se e myself
th a t I em like it . Dear little mo th e r , you we r e pr e ttie r th an I.
Y our sh oul de rs we r e straig h t, your figur e we ll-fo rm ed . But still
your ch i ld is wo nde rfully like you. Wh at was my fath e r like ,Madg e
n
“ Tall an d n oble look ing , with , oh , such'
a k ind face and swe e t
g en tle eye s,”sai d Madge , with much an imation .
“ I was o nly a little
g ir l wh en I saw him, Dora , but I sh a ll n eve r fo rg e t h im . He was so
g o od to us all—so—so kind to fa th e r . 0 h , if I could but le t him se e
you, our trouble s would soo n be at an end, darling .
”
228 The Ir ish Month ly,
I wonde r wh er e h e is, Madge
Somewh e r e in th e Bush , dear . Fath e r said h e e n joyed h is fr e e ,car e less life th er e so much th at n o th ing would tempt him to g o
»
h ome .
”
It se ems strange th at h e sh ould lik e it so much .
No t at all , de ar . It is a glo rious coun try. If you o nly saw th e
flowe rs, Dora—th e exquisite fe rns, th at only grow in h o t-h ous e s
h e r e , growing by th e roads ide th e go rg e ous sca rle t lilie s thirty fe e t
h igh , th e sple ndid tr e es, th e be autiful birds. Oh , my de ar , if you
saw all th is, you would n o t wonde r th a t pe ople sh ould love A ustralia .
”
Pe rh aps n o t,”said Dor a th ough tfully. But if I we r e a fath e r
and h ad a littl e daugh te r in En gland, I think I would le ave eve n
th e mo st be autiful lan d to se e h e r , and tak e h er in my arms .
”
But h e may h ave h e ard you we r e dr own ed.
”
So h e may. But wh o th en is th e ch ild you saw with A n n e
Dan e I th ough t you beh aved sh e h ad taken my place—th at sh e
was
Th e r eal Dora Ne il . I some times th ink ao . But I may b e
wron g . I h ope I am . I could n o t be ar to th ink o f my siste r
usurpin g your place .
”
“ A nd I woul d rath e r th ink sh e did, de ar . I o fte n wo nde r wh at
th at littl e girl was lik e , Madg e , wh o se fate was so curiously mixed up
with min e . It would mak e me ve ry h appy to thi nk o f h e r grown up
tall and be autiful , en joyin g th e comfo r ts o f my grandfa th e r’
s h ouse ,
inste ad o f lying co ld and de ad at th e bo ttom o f th at crue l se a .
”
Y ou h ave a te nde r , loving h e art , my pe t . But r emembe r th at
if my siste r is r e ally in your place it will mak e it much h arde r for m e
to prove th at you ar e Sylvia A th e rston e , and pun ish A n n e Dan e .
”
Y e s. I kn ow th at, but e xcept th at I sh ould h ave mon ey to h e lp
you, I don’
t wan t to be Sylvia A th e rsto n e . I am n o t fit to be . a fin e
lady, and I am quite h appy with you.
”
G od ble ss you, my darlin g . Your love is ve ry pr ecious to m e ,
said Madge , drawin g th e fair h ead upon h e r b re ast, and kissin g th e
sen sitive lips. Your h appin ess is th e on e th ing I wish for . But I
h ave a duty to pe rform , Do ra , and do it I wi ll .”
De a r, stro ng , de te rmin ed Madge , an swe r ed Dora smilin g .
But come , de ar . Le t na go to th e ceme te ry at o n ce . Our h our s ar e
passing , and we h ave much to do .
”
Quite true , dear . We h ave n o t much time , and I must se e Miss
Tranmor e . I h ave seve ral thin gs to ask h er . So come alon g . I’ll
carry th is. A nd takin g th e wr e ath , Madge dr ewDora’3 h and with in
h er arm , and th ey left th e h ouse tog e th e r .
It was a warm day. On e o f th ose close , h e avy days th at some tim es
230 The Ir isk Month ly.
some way of! still , but, from th e mad action of lth s h o rse s and th e
swift pace at which th ey we r e go ing , sh e quickly r e aliz ed th at th eywe r e run n in g away.
Dora spr ang to h e r fe e t, an d, runn ing in to th e field wh e r e th e
plough was at wo rk , called loudly to th e men to come and stop th e
r un away h orse s .
Y ou ar e dr e aming , young lady. Th e r e is n o such a th ing about
h e r e ,”said on e o f th e labour e rs r ough ly. G o a long and leave us to
o ur wo rk .
Y e s, ye s, th ey ar e comin g down th e r oad. Quick , th e r e is n o t a
momen t to lo se .
” A n d catch in g hi s a rm sh e tr ied to drag him a lo ng .
He r esisted, an d push ed h e r aside with an oath . Th en , as th e
carr iag e turn ed a corn e r and came in to vi ew, sh e started away with a
cry of h orro r .
Th e r e , se e . If you will n ot stop th em ,I must.
” A n d sh e sped
G o od G od ! sh e’ll be kill ed,
”crie d th e man . G o back , miss ,
go back .
In a few stride s h e ove rto ok th e te rr ified girl , and th rustin g h e r
out o f hi s way, r an on to th e r o ad .
A s th e h o rses came madly o n, th e carr iage swayin g to an d fr o , its
o ccupan ts callin g loudly fo r h e lp, th e man jumped sudden ly from th e
h edge . Th e an imals swe r ved a little ; th e ir pace becam e l ess r apid ;
and m akin g a vio le n t e ffort h e spran g at th e ir h e ads, and se iz ed o n e
of th em by th e bridle . A t first h e se em ed powe rless to st0p th em ,
and was dragg ed al on g in th e dust . But h e h e ld on brave ly ; and o n
his fe ll ow wo rkman comi ng to h is a id, th ey at last brough t th e fran tic
cr e atures to a standstill .
Th e co achman , wh o h ad dropped th e r e in s an d was h oldin g on to
his se at lik e grim de ath , so on r ecove r ed h imse lf, an d jumpin g to th e
groun d, ran to th e h orse s’ h eads .
With in th e car r iag e we r e an e lde rly lady an d a young man o f
about twen ty o r twen ty-on e . Th ey we r e bo th wh ite and fr igh ten ed,
and th e ir vo ices sh o ok with emo tion as th ey th ank ed th e ir de live r e rs
Come up to Ashfie ld Park th is even in g , my m en , sai d th e lady .
Y ou h ave beh aved n obly. We owe our live s to you. My so n and
I ar e grateful , de eply grate ful ; an d we th ank you fr om our h e ar ts .
But you- we must give you som e r eward, some substan tial r eward, fo r
wh at you h ave don e fo r us.
”
Than k you, my lady, an swer ed on e of th e m en , bowi ng and
touchi ng h is h at r e spectfully. We only did our duty.
”
We ll , you did it n obly, brave ly,’ fsh e r epli ed smiling . A nd I
am inde ed th ankful for our e scape .
”
A Str iking Con trast. 231
Y es, Lady A shfie ld. I am truly th ankful th at my'
comr ade and
m e was able to save you an d hi s lo rdsh ip,” h e said. But h ad it n o t
b e e n for this little lass, your ladysh ip, we’d n eve r h ave se e n o r h e ard
a n yth in g till to o late , n o t with th e n o ise o f th e plough a nd th e
distan ce from th e r o ad.
R eally?cr ied th e lady, str etch in g out o f th e carriag e and
sh akin g Do ra warmly by th e h and. Th ank you, de ar , th ank you.
But you look ve ry wh ite . We r e you frigh ten ed?Y es ,
”sa id Do ra fain tly, and claspin g h e r h ands tigh tly tog eth er .
But , but, thank G o d you ar e saved . I did ve ry little , I assur e you.
I was to o weak and small to stop th e h or ses, an d I only just ca ll eda n d m ade th e men com e .
Y ou sh owed wonde rful pre se n ce of mind, de ar . Didn ’t sh e ,
Ch a r li e
Y e s, mo th e r , sh e ce rta in ly did . But I em afra id,”said th e
youn g m an kindly, that th e effort h as be e n to o much fo r h e r . Sh e
l o ok s il l an d fain t . If sh e is n o t to o n e rvous to trust h e rse lf in th e
car r iag e with na , afte r wh a t sh e h as se en , I th ink we sh ould dr ive h e r
h om e . Sh e se ems un able to walk , and th e h o rses ar e qui e t n ow.
A r e n’t th ey, Sm ith
Y es, my lo rd,”r eplied th e coachman . Th ey are r igh t en ough
Will you ge t in to th e carr iag e be side my m o th e r ask ed Lo rdA shfie ld, tur n in g to Dora . An d we
’ll drive you wh e r eve r you wish
Oh , please , I can’t,”sh e answer ed.
Wh at A r e you n e rvous?No . But I am waitin g h e r e fo r my sist er , and if sh e came and
fo un d me gon e sh e would be alarmed . I must n o t g o , ple ase . I can
sit an d r e st till sh e com es. So pray, pray do n o t m ind m e .
”
But th ese men would te ll h e r .
”
Oh , n o , n o , I would rath er wa it. I would in de e d.
"
Ve ry we ll . Y ou sh all do as you like . But I h ope you will
co me and se e my moth er to-mo r row.
Y es,”sa id Lady A shfie ld, ple ase do .
But I cann o t . We—Madge an d I go to Lon don this afte r
To LondonY es. We ar e go ing th e r e to live and work .
Is Madge your siste r
Y es, th at is .
” Dora blush ed as it sudden ly dash ed across
h e r th at afte r all Madge , h e r dar lin g Madg e , was n ot h e r siste r . Fo r
ye ar s, all h er life , in fact, sh e h ad called h e r by th at swe e t n am e , an d
232 1 756 Ir ish Mo nthly.
h ad forgotten that sh e was n o t so in r e ality. But n ow, with Lo rdA shfie ld
's inquir in g eye s fixed upo n h e r , sh e remembe r ed th at sh e
was n ot spe akin g th e truth in sayin g th at sh e and Madge wer e
Wh at is your n ame , dear asked Lady A shfield, wonder in g at
My n am e .
” Do ra paused, th en smilin g , sh e rai sed h e r beautiful
eyes to th e lady’s face . I am cal led Do ro thy Ne il .
”
Have you be e n long in Oldpo rtNo t long . I was bro ugh t up at B o rph an age . Madge
l ived in Oldpo rt with Miss Matilda an d Miss Barbara Par ry.
Th en you ar e o n e of th e ch ildr en saved from th e wr eck of th e
Cimbr ia som e fourte en years ago
Y es . I was a tiny chil d at th e fims.
Th e Cimbr ia. ! cr ied Lo rd A shfie ld. Why, th at was th e nameo f th e steame r in wh ich Sylvia A th e rston e was wr e ck ed.
”
Do ra star ted and grew wh ite to th e lips.
Y es, th e very same ,”r eplied hi s m o th er . Sh e and h er nurse
wer e for tun ate ly pick ed up by a passin g ste amer . This ch i ld and h e r
siste r we r e wash ed ash or e a t Oldpo rt . I h ave lived so much abro ad
th at I only h e ard of th em th e o th e r day. If I h ad kn own soo n e r , I
would ce r ta in ly h ave to ld Sir Eustace . He would sur e ly h ave h e lped
th em ,h ad h e be en to ld. Th e ve ry fact of th e ir h avin g be e n in th e
same wr eck with h is beloved grandchi ld would h ave made h im love
Y es, I am sur e it would, sai d Lord A shfie ld smiling .
truly h e ido liz e s hi s beautiful Sylvia .
oh , pray te ll me ,”asked Do ra in a sh akin g voice , do you kn ow
Sylvia A th erston e Oh , ye s, ve ry we ll .
But is sh e r e ally th e Sylvia I m ean , my Th e chi ld that
cam e h om e from Australia?In th e Cimbria . Y es.
An d,”con tin ued Dora e ag e r ly, was h e r nurse A n n e Dan e
Ce rtain ly,”an swe r ed Lady A shfie ld sm iling . But you cann o t
r em embe r e ith e r o f th em . Y ou ar e just about Sylvia’s ag e .
”
I am Sylvia ,”ro se to th e girl
’
s lips. But sh e sudden ly r eflected
h ow foo lish it would be to mak e such a statemen t to str ange rs, wh o
woul d pr opably th in k h e r mad . So sh e ch oked back th e words, an d
sa id in a lov vo ice :
Y e s, th e same exactly. I was sixte en my last birth day.
Y ou look youn ger ,”said Lady A shfie ld. But th en Sylvia i
tall and
34 1 713 Ir ish Month ly.
Oh , th ank you, cried Do ra , smilin g br i gh tly, Madg e will beso gla
A nd n ow, dear , te ll me , wha t is Madge gomg to do in Lon
Teach music. Sh e is so cl eve r .
” Th e gir l’s eyes sh on e wi th
'
proud deligh t. Miss Tranmo re says sh e plays mo st exquisite ly.
”
Wh o taugh t h e r?Th e o rgan ist o f th e ch urch and Miss Tranmo r e .
Th at is very go od . I may be able to ge t h e r some pupils . So
te ll Madge to come to se e me in Lo ndon n ext we ek . I sh ould like to
h e lp h e r an d you all I can .
”
Th ank you so much . Y ou a r e too kind, to o go od.
No t at all . Y ou saved our live s, rem embe r , by your pr e sen ce o f
mind. I wish I could be of r eal assistance to you. Wh at are you
go in g to do
Do ra blush ed de eply, and te ars rush ed in to h e r eye s.
Al as ! th e r e is n o t much I can do ,”sh e sa id sadly. I le arn ed
but little at th e o rph an age . But I am de te rmin ed n o t to be a burde n
upon Madge . I can sew we ll . I sh all try to be a dr essmak e r .
A dr essmake r ! cr ied Lo rd A shfie ld in a to n e o f h o rro r . Such
a thing is qui te impo ssible . Th e a ir o f th e wo rk ro om would kill
you. An d association with th e appr e n tices would b e tor tur e for you.
Y ou ar e n o t fit fo r such a life .
”
It is th e o n ly th ing I can do ,”sa id Do ra grave ly. It will be
tortur e I dar e say. But it must be don e .
But sur e ly th e re must be o th e r ways,” h e cr ied impe tuously.
It is n o t r igh t th at a young lady sh ould lowe r h e rse lf, and mix with
comm on work g ir ls.
”
Do ra laugh e d m e rri ly.
I don’t th ink I sh all mind th at, sh e s aid . Th e ch ildr en at
th e o rph an age were n o t ladies, and I go t on ve ry we ll with th em fo r
n e arly fourte e n ye ars .
”
Y e s, but th e n coun try gir ls ar e quite difier en t from th ose in
town . I do n o t th ink you sh oul d lowe r yourse lf in such a mann e r ,”
h e said e arn e stly. I do n’t, inde ed.
”
I sh all n o t lowe r myse lf, Lo rd A shfie l r eplied Do ra with
much digni ty. My fath e r was a g e n tleman , my m o th er a lady. I
sh all n o t fo rg e t wh at I cwe to th e ir n ame . But did I r e fuse to do
wh a t lay in my powe r , in o rde r to h e lp Madge ; did I sit idly by, lest
I sh ould lowe r myse lt bywo rkin g as a dr essmak e r , I sh ould fe e l
myse lf unwo rthy to be th e ir ch ild.
”
Brave ly spok en , de ar ,”sa id Lady A shfie ld appr ovingly. A nd
you ar e quite r igh t. No h o n e st wo rk can lowe r anyon e . A lady
A Str iking Con trast. 235
bo rn remains so , n o matter wh at h e r employme nt is. I always r espect
and h on our a poo r lady wh o wo rks fo r h e r own indepe nden ce , in ste ad
o f livin g in idl e n ess a t th e expe n se o f some h ard-wo rking fr ien
Why, mo th e r , you ar e quite e loque n t,”
cri ed Lo rd Ashfie ld .
A nd Imust co nfe ss I stand r ebuk ed. But all th e sam e , I do n o t
th i nk Miss Ne il ’s ch o ice of wo rk a go od o n e . Th e life will n o t suit
h e r .
”
Well, we must con sider wh at is to be don e , sh e an swe r ed.
Come an d se e m e soon , de ar ch ild, and I will h e lp you all I can .
An d n ow, A shfie ld, we must say go od-bye to our de live r e r . It is
la te , an d we have a long drive b efo r e us ye t. G ood-bye , little Dora ,
til l n ext we ek .
”
A n d drawin g th e girl towards h e r , Lady A shfie ld kissed h e r on
th e for eh e ad.
G ood-bye , Miss Ne il ,”sa id A shfie ld, ra ising h is h at , an d h o lding
Dora’s han d for a momen t with in h is own . I em ve ry grateful to
yo u fo r your go odn e ss to na th is afte rn o o n . I h ope we m ay so o n m e e t
aga in . Do n o t forge t my mo th e r’s addr ess, 1 6 Be lgrave Str e e t.
G o od-bye .
”
G ood-bye , said Dora fa in tly, and as sh e ra ised h e r large
e a rn est eye s to h is face th ey we r e full of te ars. G od must h ave se n t
yo u and Lady A shfie ld to m e to d ay. It will make eve rythin g easy
fo r Madg e an d m e , wh en we h ave such fr iends to lo ok afte r us in
L o ndon . G o od-bye .
”
Th e n Lo rd Ashfield stepped in to th e carr iage b eside h is mo th e r ,
a n d th e h o rses, n ow perfectly quie t, started at a b risk pace down
th e r oad .
Wh a t a swe e t face th at ch ild h as, sa id Lady A shfie ld, lo okin gb ack an d wavin g h er h and to Do ra . Sh e is r eally quite pr e tty.
Pr e tty ! h e cried earn e stly. Sh e is be autiful .”
Be autiful . Oh , n o .
”
Oh yes, mo th e r , sh e is be autiful,” h e in sisted . Th at simple
child has th e face o f an ange l .
CHAPTER X .
A BITTER DISAPPOINTMENT .
Dora’s accoun t of th e run away h o rses. and h e r co nve rsation with
Lady A shfie ld and h e r son , was liste n ed to with much in tere st byMadg e .
Th at afte r all th ese ye ars of waiting th ey sh ould at last com e
across pe ople wh o kn ew th e A th erston es and A n n e Dan e , was gr e at
2 36 The Iris}; Month ly.
h appin ess fo r th e g irl . A nd th e promise of h elp fr om a lady of
po sition filled h e r with h ope fo r h e r own success in th e arduous life
sh e was about to e n te r upon .
Sh e lon ged to se e Lady A shfie ld a t o nce to que stion h e r close lyabout A n n e Dan e ; to ask mo r e par ticular s about th e suppo sed Sylvia ;a n d if sh e sh oul d fin d it n ecessary o r use ful in car ryin g out th e gr eat
o bj ect sh e h ad in vi ew, to tak e th e lady in to h er confide n ce . But as
sh e an d Dora we r e obliged to go to Lo ndon th at aftern o o n , and LadyA shfie ld r emain ed a we ek lon ger in th e coun try, sh e was forced to
po stpon e th e much desir ed in te r view wh e th e r sh e wish ed it o r n o t.
Miss Tranm o r e h ad give n Madge a le tte r o f in troductio n to 8.Mr s.
Prim , wh o kept a sch o ol a t Ke n singto n , and r e quir ed a gove rn e ss to
h e lp h e r with h e r pupils. To this lady, th e r efo r e , th e gir l we n t on
h e r arr ival in town , and was imm ediate ly e ngag ed a t a very m ode ra te
sa lary. For th is sh e was obliged to tak e a larg e par t in th e teach in go f th e sch o o l . Sh e taugh t music to th e o lde r gir ls, and eve ryth inge lse in cludi ng th e e l emen ts of Fr en ch to th e small ch ildr en .
Th e h ours at Pen e lope Lo dg e we r e n omin al ly fr om n in e to four .
But wh en th e be ll rang fo r th e sch o lars to go th e ir way, th ey h an ded
th e ir fin ish ed exe rcises to Madg e , and whilst th ey rush e d chf ga ily to
th e ir h om e s, th e we ary gove rn ess had to sit down to co r r ect th e ir
wo rk , and m ak e up th e m ark bo oks acco rdin gly. An d so th e po o r
g irl so on fo und th at sh e h ad but little spar e tim e , as fo r o n e r eason o r
a n o th e r sh e n eve r l eft th e sch oolr o om till past se ve n , and it was
g e n e rally e igh t o’
clock be fo r e sh e go t h ome to Do ra an d supper .
So th e days passed qui ckly by. and it was with de ep r e gr e t th at
sh e was obliged to de lay still lo nge r h e r visit to Lady As hfie ld.
But a t last on e day, at th e e nd of h e r fir st mon th in th e sch oo l,
sh e was in fo rmed th at sh e migh t le ave e ar ly on th e fo llowing Saturd ay afte rn o on . Thi s was ple asan t n ews fo r Madg e , and sh e r e solved
to tak e advan tag e o f h e r h o liday and g o to Be lgrave Str e e t . 80 at
th r e e o’clock Do ra call ed fo r h e r a t Pe n e lope Lodge , and th e two gir ls
s e t out to g e th e r to pay th e ir m uch -talk ed- of visit to Lady Ashfield.
Th ey we r e bo th in g ood spir its an d much excited . Madg e h ad
d e te rmin ed to te ll Lady A shfie ld th e true sto ry of th e wr eck , and fe lt
ce rta in th a t in a sh o r t tim e h e r dar ling would be r escued fr om h er
pr e se n t wre tch ed life and r e sto r ed to h e r pr oper position .
Fo r much as Madg e h ad suffe r ed in h e r badly-
paid situation , po o r
Dora h ad suffe r ed infin i te ly mo r e . Th e h ours in Mdm e . G arn itur e’s
dr e ssmakin g e stablishmcn t we r e long and wear isom e , th e wo rk
m on o ton ous, th e r o oms h o t an d stiflin g , th e g irls vulgar, co ar se an d
fr ivo lous. An d swe e t de licate Dor o thy pin ed and gr ew thi n in th e
m wh ole som e atmosph er e . But sh e n eve r complain ed. He r h e art
238 Tim Ir ial), JIon f/zly.
anyon e I e ve r saw. Your sh oulde rs from we akn ess ar e round—o n e
pe rh aps a tr ifle , m ind I say a tr ifle h igh e r th an th e o th e r . But th at
is n o t r em arkable , and would disappe ar ve ry so on if you could r est
an d grow str o n g . Th e n your face , my pe t, mak e s up fo r eve rythin g ;
it is love ly.
'
Your eye s a r e th e pur est o f blue , your h air lik e
th r e ads of go ld.
En ough , Madge , cried Do ra , laugh in g . In your anxi ety to
comfo rt m e you a r e go in g to o far . But n o th in g you can say will
ch ange my opin io n o f myse lf. I h ave kn own it,
”— sighi.ng fo r
many ye ars . But I n eve r fe lt it so k e en ly as on th at day wh e n LordA shfisld spok e to m e , a n d I r e ad pity in hi s eyes.
Wh at a sh am e ! He is n o t such a h e ro a fte r a ll, th en , my dar
l in g . It was we ak and stupid.
”
Hush , Madg e , I cann o t liste n to you. Such words do n o t
de scribe h im . Th ey sh ould n eve r be used wh e n speakin g of him .
”
We ll , de ar e st, wh e n you ar e r e cogn i z ed as Miss A th e rsto n e
Th a t would make n o di ffe r e nce . I am as n e ar him as Do ra Ne ilas eve r I could be . But oh , Madg e , wh en I h e ard th at Sylvia
—fo rsh e will always be Sylvia to m e
—was tall and be autiful, I put'
h e r
n ext h im in my m ind, and I th ough t sh e wi ll lo ok we ll by h is side .
Sh e , if sh e is as go od as sh e is sai d to be b eautiful , will be worthy to
be h is wife .
”
‘Do ra , you ar e a dr e am e r . A nd in your dr eams you h ave given
this youn g m an to o h igh a place . Y ou kn ow n o th ing of h im , andye t
you h ave e ndowed h im with all k inds o f virtue s th at, pe rh aps, h edo e s n o t po ssess. Wh e n you m e e t h im aga in , you will probably fin d
h im full o f faul ts, a m e r e frivo lous wo rldlin g .
”
No ,”
r epli ed th e youn g g ir l gr ave ly, th a t could n eve r be .
With such a n oble face h e could n o t be th at . If we e ver m e e t
But h e r e we ar e at Be lgrave Str e e t. Oh , Madge , h ave you courage
to go in‘
P
Ce rtainly. I cam e to se e Lady A shfie ld, a n d if I can man age it
I will do so .
”
A n d wal k in g bo ldly up th e steps sh e ran g th e be ll , Several
mom e n ts passed and n o t a soun d was h e ard withi n th e h ouse . No
o n e appear ed to ope n th e do o r .
How stran g e ! sa id Madge . Wh er e can a ll th e se rvan ts be‘
r'
Perh aps th e b e ll did n o t r ing ,”sugg e sted Do ra . Try again ,
de ar .
Madg e did ao , and thi s tim e mo r e succe ssfully, fo r almost imm e
diate ly fo o tsteps wer e h eard com in g up th e h a ll . A chain rattled
n o isily, a bo lt was wi thdrawn , and a dir ty lo oking o ld woman put out
h e r h ead.
A Str iking Con trast. 239
Wo t does ye r wan t sh e inquir ed, star in g h ard at th e visito rs.
We wan t to se e Lady A shfie ld, ple ase ,”said Madg e
Lady A shfie ld ain’
t at’om e . Sh e
But sh e would like to se e na. Sh e to ld us to come .
I te ll ye r’e 1
'ain
’t at h om e . Sh e
’s in turrin
’
parts .
Wh e r e?ask ed Madg e .
“ I’m blest if I kn ow. Mrs. Downside , th e
’
ousek e epe r , kn ows,
but sh e’s h out. Sh e sends pape rs a nd le tte r s an d ca rds to some out
lsndish tur r in’
place . But I’m n o t much o f a sch o lard . So I don ’
t
righ t r em embe r it. Will you leave a card, m iss
Oh , n o , it do e sn’t ma tte r ,
”cr ied Do ra . We h ave n o cards.
But wh e n did Lady A shfie ld go abr oad?“ N ea r ly a mo n th ago .
’
Er fath e r took ill , and sh e we n t o ff all o f
a sudde n .
”
Wh e n will sh e be back sa id Madg e .
Do n’t kn ow. Not fo r many a mon th , I
’
m th inkin’. Pe rh aps
more n o r a ye ar .
”
Oh , Madg e , wh at a pity we did n o t come h er e at once , th e ve ryday afte r we ar r ived in Lo ndon ,
”cr ied Dora . I am so so rry.
”
Se am I, dear . But we could n o t h e lp it. I was obliged to go
to th e sch o o l first,”said Madge sadly. It was a cer ta in ty. Lady
Ashfie ld’s promised h e lp was n o t. Sh e h as probably fo rgo tten
'all
about n a.
”
“ I ca nn o t beh av e th at. A nd Lo rd A shfie ld—h e would n o t, h e
could n o t fo rge t .”
But , my de ar , h e could do n o thin g fo r na—a t le ast, pe rh aps afte r
all h e m igh t . Thr o ugh him ,Dora , we migh t fin d th e A th er sto n e s.
Te ll me , Madg e sa id, turn in g to th e o ld woman , is Lo rd A shfield in L o n don
No .
’E
’s a t Oxbridge o r o n th e co n tin o n g . I don
’
t r igh tlyknow,
”sh e r eplied . But
’o’s n o t in Lunn in ,
I kn ow th at .”
“ Th ank you,”sa id Madge . G o od morn in g . Com e , Do ra , th e r e
is no m o r e to b e do n e . L e t us go h ome .
”
oh , Madge , I am so disappo in ted .
” A nd , fo rg e tful of time and
place , Do r a bur st in to tears.
Com e, darlin g , you must n o t we ep, said Madg e so o th ingly.
I, to o , em bitte r ly, k e e n ly disappo in ted . But we must n o t give wayto de spair . We may com e acro ss th e A th ersto n e s som e o th e r way
A lways th ose A th e rston e s , Madg e ,”cried Do ra impatien tly.
hate th e ir n am e . I don’
t car e if I n eve r se e th em . But“ My dear ch il d
, you fo rg e t h ow much depe nds o n our findingth em . Of wh a t value ar e th e se A shfie lds exce pt as a m e an s to atta in
the end we h ave always h ad in view?If I th ough t th ey could n o t
h elpme to tha t, I sh ould n eve r wish to se e th em , I assur e you.
”
240 The Ir ish Month ly.
Madg e
Do ra’s vo ice was full of indignatio n , and h er eyes flash ed an grily,
as sh e lo oked at h er siste r . Th e n h er lips trembled sligh tly, and a
fain t co lour r ose to h e r pale ch e eks. But, o f course ,”sh e added
softly, th at is n o t wonde rful . Y ou do n o t kn ow th e A shfie lds as I
do .
”
We ll , dar lin g, we must bo th forge t th em as fast as we can ,
said Madge ch e e rfully. Come , Do ra , dry your eyes, de ar , and l e t
us go h om e to tea .
”
A s th e two g irls turn ed away and disappeared in to th e G r o sve n o r
Ro ad , a h a nsom dash ed up to 1 6 Be lgrave Str e e t, and a young man
spran g out an d r an up th e steps .
Th e o ld woman was standing at th e do or gaz ing about h e r , but on
se e in g th e cab stap, sh e fled in to th e h all, and began scrubbing h er
face and h ands with h e r apr o n .
’Is ludship, as I live . G o ody, G o o dy, an’ Mrs. Down side h out
for th e day. Wo th e ver sh all I do
Wh e r e is th e h ouseke epe r ask e d Lo rd A shfie ld as h e en te r ed .
Te ll h e r I wan t to se e h e r fo r a mom e n t.”
Pl e ase , ye r ludsh ip, sh e’s h out,
”said th e o ld woman , making a
low cur tsey. S-h e’s gon e fo r th e day.
”
Lo rd Ashfie ld walk ed up an d down th e h all .
Th at is mo st awkward. I h ad a m e ssag e to give h e r , a most
impo rtan t m e ssag e fr om my mo th e r .
Sh e’ll b e in by e igh t or h alf
-
past, yer ludship.
To o la te . I can n o t wai t. My grandfath er is dying . I h ave
many thin gs to do this afte rn oo n , and I must go by th e eve n in g m ai l
to Paris. I am ve ry so r ry n ot to se e Mrs . Downside . It maymake a
considerable diffe r en ce to th o se po o r gir ls, h e murmur ed . I can
n ot ge t th at ch ild’
s love ly, pal e , sad face out of my th ough ts. Sh e
h aun ts m e , and ye t I am powe rle ss, utte rly powe rle ss. Our gra titude ,our se emin g fo rge tfuln ess, is te rr ibl e , an d yet. But th ey maycom e . I must give th is woman my me ssage . Pe rh aps sh e mayde live r it pr ope rly. A n d to mak e quite sur e I’ll write from Paris.
Lo ok h e r e , Mrs.
”
Partr idg e , my lud.
We ll, Mrs. Partr idge , I wan t you to give a'
Ime ssag e to Mrs.
Down side .
Y e s, my lud.
Y ou ar e to give h er thi s pack e t, and te ll h e r th a t Lady A shfie ldwish e s h e r to give it with h e r love to two young ladie s wh o m ay call
h e r e any day. My moth e r do es n o t kn ew th e ir address, anIs on e dark and th e o th e r fair , my lud
On e is fair , certain ly. Fa ir as a lily
242 The Ir ish Month ly.
THE LIFE AND INFLUENCE OF SAINT AUGUSTINE.
PART II.
I am Thy se rvan t, O Lo rd, and th e so n of Thy h andmaid : Th ou
h ast brok e n my bon ds asunde r . To Th e e will I otte r a sacr ifice o f
praise .
” Such ar e th e Ope n in g words o f th e Fifth Book of th e Co n
fe ssion s.
” Eman cipated at last, as David fr om h is sin , as th e ch ildr e n
fr om th e furn ace , h e must sin g a can ticle o f g ratitude to hisDe live re r ,
and lay upon th e altar an oblatio n o f pra ise and praye r . An d sur e ly
it eve r a human oblatio n could be an aton emen t to th e Most High fo r
sin , it was th e n oble o ffe r in g th a t St. A ugustin e n ow made . He la id
h is h e ar t and in te llect on th e altar o f th e Lo rd. Pur ityfill ed th e on e ,
faith exalted th e o th e r . He h ad found th e Be auty, e ver an cien t, eve r
n ew,after wh ich h is soul h ad thi rsted ; and except th e in spir ed me lodies
o f th e Psalmist, conve rt to o like A ugustin e , th e r e is n o r e co rd o f human
spe ech so b eaut iful , so exalted, so sublim e , as th ose so liloqui es an d
m editation s in wh ich h e pour ed fo rth th e e cstasi e s o f h is soul towards
th e gr e at Invisible Be in g , wh om unkn own h e h ad wo rsh ipped an d
loved . I do n o t know if th e r e be any r e co rd th a t the ve il o f th e
Unse en was lifted fo r St . A ugustin e as fo r St. Paul and St. Joh n . But
I find it difficul t to un der stand th at anythi n g less th an th e vision of th e
Ete rn al could h ave in spir ed a human h e art with such seraph ic love
as th at whi ch cle ar ly bur n t in th e h e ar t of our sai n t, an d winged with
ce le stial fir e e ve ry lin e h e wr o te , every wo rd h e utte r ed. A nd, ye t som e
h ow,we are a ttracted mo r e by th e oblatio n o f h is in te ll ect th an by th e
sacr ifice of hi s h e art, an d by th e stupendous wo rk th at in te ll e ct aecom
plish edwh en th e ligh t o fDivin e Faith was sh ed upo n it. Th e hi sto ry o f
th e Ch urch is full of examples o f m igh ty m inds th at we r e barr en and
fruitl e ss til l th e sun sh in e o f Fa ith fe ll upon th em ; but St. A ugustin e
stan ds fo r eve r as th e m o st brillian t te stim o ny o f th e powe r of pur ity
a nd faith to br ing fo rth th e dowe rs an d fruits o f g raceful e loque nce andso lid wisdom wh ich th e Church o f G od tr e asur e s e ve n m o r e ca re fully
th an h is co rpo r al r e lics, and wh ich an un be lieving wo rld would n o t
willin gly le t pe rish . A nd th e sin gul a r fact is o n r eco rd th at, alth ough
St . A ugustin e spe n t th e b est years o f h is life in h e re sy, wh e n h is m en ta l
powe rswe r e fr e sh and vigo r ous, th e r e h a s n ot b e e n pr e se rved fo r n a on e
sin gl e lin e th at h e wro te durin g th at pe riod—n o t o n e utte rance fr om
fo rum o r platfo rm ; but th e r ipe r products o f hi s g e n ius ar e m ost
j e alously guarded . Fo r , afte r all , wh at with out faith is h uman wisdom
Or wh a t is th e tinkling cymbal”o f human e loque n ce compare d with
th e trumpe t to n e s of a vo ice r e son an t with Divin e power and vibrating
with th e con sciousn e ss o f th e truth and impor tance of its utterances?
Tbe L g'
fe and Influe nce qf St. A ugustine . 243.
A nd so A ugustin e , th e licen tious stude n t, is comple te ly fo rgo tte n , and
w oul d be unkn own we re it n ot for h is own m o st truth ful and path e tic
Co n fe ssio ns ,”as Augus tin e th e o rato r and pr ofe ssor is comple te ly
h idde n by th e glo r ie s th at surr oun d his n am e as a docto r and a sain t .
F o r , as an eagle of th e m oun ta ins, born and r ear ed in a stron g cag e ,i s ut te rly un abl e to fe e l o r exer cise h is str en gth , and be ats its win gs
f e e b ly a nd is blin ded by th e fa in te st ray of l igh t, an d b egin s to love
i ts captive degradation but on ce fre e it fe e ls n ew str en gth with eve ry
n ew pulsa tion o f its wi ngs, and soars at last in to th e empyre an , an d
plun ge s fear le ssly in to th e mo st frigh tful abyss, and po ise s itse lf
o ve r th e r o ar in g to rre n t, and lo oks ste adily o n th e face of th e sun itse lf :
so th e soul of our sa in t, imprison ed in th e den of vice an d irr eligion ,
wa s utte r ly un able to exe rcise its mo ral and m en ta l en ergies, but, o nce
em a n cipated, it r o se in to th e ve ry h igh e st sph e r e s of th ough t ,
a n d plung ed in to th e de epest and da rk e st pr oblems of existe nce , an d
lifte d itse lf in to th e r ealms of ligh t inacce ssible ,”and gaz ed ste adi ly
o n th e myste ry th at sh rouds th e m aj e sty of th e Ete rn al .
No th in g was to o gre at, n o thi n g to o small , fo r thi s se archi ng in te l
l ect . It swept ca lmly ove r a ll th o se m ixed que stio n s th at to rtur e th eso uls o f m e n— tim e a nd space , fr e ewi ll and D ivin e fo r e sigh t, th e
e xi ste n ce o f evil an d o f a b en evo l e n t and all -wise Provide nce , th e
in spir a tio n o f Scr iptur e—all passed in r e view b efo r e h im , and h e
k n ew wh at th e lo fti e st in te llects h ad sai d a bout th em , an d th en
t o uch ed an d tran sfigur ed th em by th e magic o f hi s own gr e at min d.
N 0 on e h as e ve r to ld th e wo rld th e limi ts o f human kn owledg e and
th e infin i ty o f Divin e Fa ith in cle ar e r language th an h e . Plato to ld
h im a ll abo ut G od—to ld him even o f th e Wo rd On ly-bego tte n , wh o
r e po sed from ete rn ity in th e bo som o f th e Fa th e r , l ed h im to th e ve ry
b o un dary lin e of th e Ch ristian R eve lation , but stopped th e r e . Th e r e
wa s th e gulf th at n o pagan in te ll ect could br idg e ove r— th e r e was
th e abyss acr o ss wh ich fo r th ir ty ye ars h e h ad stra in ed h is eye s in
v a in for a way wh e r eby h e coul d pass o r a guide wh o would tak e h im
by th e h and and le ad him , un til a t last h e saw in Ch r ist th e Wo rd
m ade fle sh ,”and cam e to th e kn owl edg e o f G od th r ough Him wh o
i s th e way, th e truth , and th e life .
” An d th at kn owledge o n ce
a ttai n ed. b eh o ld eve ryth in g un de rwen t a transfo rm ation in h is eye s.
Th e Scr iptur es, wh ich h e h ad de rided fo r th e ir simplicity, sudde n ly
un fo lded th e ir sacr ed maj e sty in wo rd and m e an ing . Th e ph ilo sophy
h e h ad ado r ed b ecam e th e dark , obscur e parchme nt scr o ll, acr o ss
wh ich , invisible but to Ch r istian eye s, th e n ame of G od was wr itte n ;
a nd Nature unfo lded h e r th ousand ch arms to him,and with h e r
th o usan d vo ice s ech o ed th e pe aceful exul ta tion th at fill ed h is h e a rt.
Fo r n ow,like th e gr e at Sa in t o f A ssisi in la te r tim e s, h e began to lo ve
244 T11 0 Ir ish Mon th ly.
h is life an d th e wo rld, wh o se eve ry aspe ct an d acciden t r eve al ed th e '
g e n tle pr e se nce of its Ki n g . He te lls na in th e City o f G od th a t
in th e co lours which ble nd and min g le on th e bo som of th e gr e at de eph e saw th e love o f G od always con side rate fo r His waywa rd ch ild ;
a n d in th e sle nde r filame n t wh ich binds to ge th e r th e glo ssy plumag e
o f th e do ve , h e r eco gn ised th e h an d of Omn ipo tence wh ich h as
fash ion ed th e soul o f th e se raphs.
I h ave passed ove r by de sign th e va luable'
se rvices r ende r ed by St .
A ugustin e to th e Church in his co n tr ove rsie s with th e Don atists an d
Pe lag ian s ; fo r alth ough it must always be r emembe r ed th a t h is
writings about th e Church’s dogmas and disciplin e we r e an d ar e o f
’
suprem e impo rtan ce , I pr e fe r to lin ge r on th e se wide r issues, wh e re
h e come s dir ectly in to co n tact o r co ndict with mode rn th ough t ; fo r ,
wh e r e as th e wh o le tenden cy of mode rn th ough t is to dissociate ph ilo
sophy and r e lig io n , it was h is con stan t task , as it is h is h igh est glo ry ,
to h ave un ited th em . A nd it wo uld be quite impo ssible to exagg e r ate
h is spl en did se rvice s, n o t o nly to th e Church , but to r e ligion , in th is
gr e at depa rtm en t o f scien ce . His wo rks ar e a sto r eh ouse of info rma
t io n and r e ason in g , fr om whi ch eve ry succe edin g ge n e ration h a s
bo rr owed ma te rial fo r a ttack o f de fe n ce . On e by o n e th e Ch r istian
apo lo gists h ave appr o ach ed h im , and bowin g be fo r e h is lo fty g e n ius,
h ave tak en fr om h is h ands th e mate r ial fr om which th ey h ave con
structed works which make th e ir n am e s m emo rable amo n gst m e n .
A nd th e se,n o t o n ly Ca th o lic write r s, but such m en as Pa ley, Butle r ,
Cha lme rs, MacCullogh , wh o e ach in turn wro te o n Na tural Re lig io nand sh owed th e r e ve latio n o f G od, n o t in Scr iptur e on ly, but in
Natur e itse lf. From St . A mbr o se , hi s maste r , down to th e gr e a t
state sman wh o to -day h o lds a h igh an d un ique place n o t on ly in
po litics but in lite ratur e , e ve ry gr e a t illum inative in te lle ct h as be e n
in debted to o ur Sa in t ; and if we h ad n o o th e r answe r to th a t e te rn a l
impe achm en t th at our Ch urch is oppo sed to r e ason an d in quiry, th en ame of St . A ugustin e alo n e ough t to be accepted as a sufficien t
r e futation .
We ar e quite fam il iar with th e de r ision an d sco rn which men tryto pour on wh a t th ey a r e ple as ed to con side r a decayin g fa ith , with
n e ith e r vir il e th ough t, n o r fan atical e n thusiasm to pr e se rve it. We
a r e gr own quite accustomed to th e cry your day is o ve r ; your to rch
is extin guish ed ; be h o ld we ligh t it an ew at th e fir e o f r e aso n , and
lik e th e athl e te s in th e o ld lamp-b e ar in g race of G re e ce , we sh al l nass
i t on fr om h and to h an d to th e e nd o f tim e .
”Our an swe r com e s cle ar
a nd defian t . Tak e your tiny lamp of r eason , and go se arch th e
abysse s ; make your m in ds a blank fr om wh ich a ll tradi tio n ary ide as
axe blo tted out, and go find th e truth . We mak e yt u a pr e se n t of all
246 The Ir islz Mouthgy.
upon h is wo rks, and g ive s th em to th e wo r ld with h e r migh tyimprc
'
matur . Eve ry succe eding Pon tifi wh o is compe ll ed by th e
exig e n cies o f his time to n o te th e pe culiar and eve r-sh ifting e rro rs th a t
ar e put be for e th e wo rld disguised unde r th e n ame o f ph il o sophy,
po in ts to St. A ugustin e , and h is gre at pupil an d successo r in th e
sch o o ls, as th e expo n en ts of h e r ph ilosoph ica l cre ed. A n d well sh e
may. Fo r in th e suppo sitio n th at sh e h ad n o t th e gre at e te rn a l
pr omise s wh ich ar e th e suppo rt of h e r pr e r ogative s an d th e cr eden tia ls
o f h e r migh ty m ission , sh e mi gh t sh e lte r h erse lf beh ind th e wo rks o f
St . Augustin e and A quin as, and con side r h e r positio n impr e gn able .
If Iwer e n o t spe akin g of a sa in t wh ose ch ar ity was so wide and de epas his l earn ing , I am afr a id I sh ould say with ange r to th ose we ak
li n gs in th e faith , wh o se m inds ar e di sturbed by e ve ry ch an ce
con ve rsation with a sceptic, eve ry ch an ce r e adin g of a padded ar ticl e
in a mo n th ly r eview : th e se th ings to o occur r ed to St. A ugustin e ; h e
saw th r ough th em ; h e r e j e cted th em ; wh e r e h is gre at mind was a t
r e st, you h ave n o r ea son to be disqui e ted .
A n d n ow, fo r o n e mom en t, le t n a go back to on e calm sce n e ,
imm edia te ly afte r h is conve rsio n , wh e n hi s m o th e r and h e pour ed
th e ir souls fr e e ly to o n e an oth e r afte r th e lo n g ye ars o f spir itual
separation . Th e r e is a famous pictur e by A ry Sch efie r , familiar to us
a l l in ph o to graph s and e n gravin gs . It r epr e se n ts th at e ve n in g at
Ostia wh en St . Mon ica and St . A ugustin e quie tly talk ed o ve r on e o f
th o se subl im e pr oblems th at always o ccupied h is m ind ; m o th e r and
so n ar e sea ted to ge th e r— th e mo th e r
’s h ands fo lded in h e r lap, and
h e r ch ild’s h and clasped be twe e n th em . On th e wo rn featur e s o f th e
mo th e r , and th e we ll -ch ise ll ed, in te ll e ctual fe a tur e s of St . A ugustin e , is
pe ace , de ep pe ace—th at pe ace wh ich th e wo r ld n eve r give s. But
in sen sible to th e be autie s o f Na tur e around th em , in th at coun try
wh e r e e ve ry landscape is a subl im e pictur e , th e eyés of mo th e r and
so n ar e fixed o n th e skie s. Be h in d th e blue dom e o f imm e n sity is th a t
B e in g , wh o se love h ad surr ounded th em , wh o se m ercy h ad exa lte d
th em , se e in g o nly th e te a r o f th e mo th e r , a nd blind to th e in iquitie so f h e r ch ild . It is a be autiful pictur e
—a pictur e th at to lo ok at is to
pray. But we must n o t ling er ove r it . We , to o , must lift our eye s
an d h e arts to th e skie s. To Him , wh o is o n h igh , wh o se h um ili ty h as
exalted and g iven Him th a t n am e wh ich is above a ll n am es, our
th ough ts must so ar , our love be dir ected, o ur affection ce n tr ed, if we
h ope to en joy th e pe ace of St. A ugustin e a n d Mon ica h e r e , and to call
th e fo rm e r o ur fath e r and our fr i end, in th e pr e sen ce o f h is Maste r
and Fri e nd, in th e sin le ss bliss, th e pe rfect pe ace , th e calm joys o f
our h eave n lyHom e .
P. A . Snmmw .
A Ven etian Ba llade . 247
A VENETIAN BALLADE.
LA G OONS m ay tempt mo r e pens iv e eye s,
But give m e life o n Lido ’s strand
Th e glo ry o f its opal skie s,Th e tr opic lustr e of th e land,
Th e wide waste of th e wave s wh e r e , fann ed
By balmy br e e z es, wan de r fre e
Brigh t cr imso n sails in state ly band
Fa ir is th e br o ad Ven e tia n Se a .
Lik e blo cks o f burn ish ed go ld, th ey rise
Th ose hi lls by fa iry vapours mann ed,
Swe e t ar e th e ir cygn e ts’m e ltin g sigh s,
A n d swe e t th e sh e ll’s song on th e sand
Th e isle ts in a be auty bland
Spr in g from th e wate rs dr e amily,
Evok ed by som e m agician’s wand
Fa ir is th e bro ad Ve n e tia n Se a .
A nd as th e saffr on sun ligh t dies,
A silve r str eak o n e ith e r h an d
In swan -lik e m o tio n h ith e r h ie s,
Pa le r eflex of th e moon . I stan d
By sple n dour such as this tr epan n ed
Fa r from th e car e s o f m en , and fle e
To Fan cy’s we lcom e Vate r land
Fa ir is th e bro ad Ve n e tian Se a .
Elwo r.
0 ohms by glo ry’s arch es span n ed,
No n oble r n o ok,it se em s to m e
,
Have eye s o f po e ts eve r scan n ed
Fa ir is th e bro ad Ven e tian Se a .
EUG ENE DAVIS.
248 The Ir ish Month ly.
DR. BLAKE OF DROMORE,AND FA THER O
’
NEILL
OF ROSTREVOR .
T ce rtain tim es in o n e’s life it is we ll to perform an Oper atio n
similar to what is kn own in parliam en tary jargo n as th e
Massacr e o f th e Inn ocen ts ; that is, wh e n th e G ove rnm en t try t o
r educe withi n workable bounds th e ir proposed attempts at legisla
tion by giving up ce rtain measur es which th ey se e th ey have n o
ch an ce of passing . Our ide as of what it is possible for us to
hi e ve vary a go od deal with th e various stage s on life’s jour n ey .
It was a ve ry young man , a marve ll ous boy,”wh o wrote
Th e foo lish word Impocsible
A t once fo r aye disda in .
We com e after a time to le arn that m any thin gs ar e impo ssible ,
a nd to de em it a part of wisdom to aim on ly at th e possible .
Th ese r eflections n e ed n o t go furth er , for at pre sen t th ey on ly
po in t to th e modifications th at editorial plan s and purpose s must
unde rgo in th e course of e ighte en ye ars. Wh ate ve r our plan s an d
purpo ses may h ave been or igin al ly, it hastur n ed out th at on e o f
th e chi e f fun ction s of THE IRISH MONTHLY h as be e n an d will be
to preser ve th e m emorie s o f Ir ish m en and women wh o in dive rs
ways may h ave earn ed a right to be r emembe r ed. Th ere fo re in
th e o fficial sta tem en t publish ed in The P r ess Dir ectom/ th e lastwords are It make s Irish biography a spe ciali ty.
”
Many mate rials are at our disposal for biograph ical sketch es
whi ch , we are sure , will in ter est many of our r e aders for th e sake
o f th e ir subjsets ; but be for e drawin g upon th e se r esource s we
de em it a duty to bring to som e sort of con clusion‘a sketch , of
which n o l owe r th an seve n instalm e n ts have appe ared in our pages,
th e late st of th em be ing as far back as A ugust, 1 882 (Im sn
MONTHL Y , vol . 1 0, pag e Th o se wh o h ave it in th e ir powe r
to r efe r back to th e begin n ing of this sketch may find th e reason s
why out of all th e m embers of th e Irish hi e rarchy this Magaz in e
has ch osen to te ll th e rath er un e ven tful story o f Dr . Blake o f
Dromor e .
Se e Pig eo nh o le Paragr aphs o f our pr esen t Num be r fo r th e br ief conclusio n
o f on e o f our sto r ie swh ich was left unfin ish ed in our pag es.
250 The In ish Month ly.
Sch o o ls of St. Cathe rin e’
s parish , by th e Re v. Dr . Whitehead,Pr ofessor of Natural and Mo ral Ph ilosophy in Mayn ooth Co llege—a n ame which it will in tere st some o f our re aders to find in thi s
unusual context, for th ey have n o t h eard o f him be fo re as a
Dr . Blake was co nsecrated by h is prede ce sso r in th e Se e o f
Dromo re , Dr . Ke lly, th en A rchbish op o f A rmagh , assiste d by Dr .
Edward Kern an , Bish op of Clogh e r , Dr . Brown e , Bish op of Kil
m o r e , an d Dr . Cro lly, Bish op o f Down and Co n n o r , who was so o n
to be Pr imate . Dr . Cr o lly pre ach ed (says th e r eporte r) in h is
own peculiar an d h appy style a m ost appmpriate , impr essive and
e loquen t discourse .
”Th e n ew Bish op e n te rta in ed th e Bish ops
and cle rgy at Trayn o r’
sHo te l—Newry re ade rs will be puz z led by
th is little bit of an tiquarian lo re—and, stran ge to say, th e cle rgy
e n te rtain ed the bish ops and th e ir own Bish op in re turn on the
fo llowing day.
Wh ile putting th ese n ote s toge th e r , an acciden t place s in o ur
hands an o ld copy of th at Newry n ewspape r that we h ave justquo ted The N ewry Te legraph still live s, th ough its Numbe r1 653 was dated Septembe r 1 6, 1 828 ; and, as it on ly appear ed
o n Tue sday an d Friday, it must th e n h ave be en mo re than e ight
hundred we eks o ld. A s Newry was th e nceforth to be Dr . Blake’
s
h ome , we ve n ture to m ake th is an excuse fo r quo ting from th e o ld
n ewspaper th e appo in tm e n t o f th e first Town Commission e rs. A t
a public m e e ting con ve n ed fo r th e purpo se , with Isaac G le n ny in
th e chair, Tr e vor Co rry
-histo rical n ame s th ese fo r th e on lyr eaders wh o will lo ok at th e se lo cal de tails Trevo r Corry propo sed
a list of 2 1, wh ich may be give n h ere D e n is Maguire , Smi th
son Corry, Ar thur Russe ll, Th omas G ibson He n ry, Matth ew
D’A rcy, Will iam Hancock, Char le s Je n n ings, John H. Wallace ,
Pa trick M‘Parlan , A ndrewHalyday, John Carah e r , A dam Co rry,
Jam es Spen ce , Jam es Lyle , P. C . Byrn e , William Carter , Pe te r
Murphy, Rowan M‘Naghtau, Con stan tin e Maguir e , Samue l Boyd,
and Jo hn A rthur O’Hagan .
” Why quo te th e se n ame s, som e o f
wh ich n o doubt have in te re stin g associatio ns for th ose wh o dwe ll
o n th e banks o f th e Clanrye , but n o t for th o se wh o live n ear th e
Le e or th e Lifiey Fo r th e purpose o f n oting that, thohgh Dr .
Blake’
s cath edral town was the fron tie r-town of th e Black North ,h e re we have
,th e ye ar be fore Emancipation , th e Comm ission e rs
ch osen alte rn ate ly from Catho lics and Pro testants . Th e first is a
Dr . B lake of Dromore , and Fathe r O’
N e ill of R osfr ewr . 251’
Catho lic, m ember of parliam e n t fo r a short time afte r Cath o lic
Eman cipation , th e only Cath o lic M .P. till th e pre sen t m embe r ,
Mr . Justin Huntley M‘Carthy. Eve ry alte rn ate n ame is that o f a
Cath o lic, e nding with th e fath e r o f a gr e at Ir ish Cath o lic lawye r ,
as th e third on th e list was th e fath er o f an oth e r Irish Cath o lic ‘
lawye r , distinguish ed n ot at th e Ir ish but th e En glish bar .
From th e day Dr . Blake came to Newry h e n eve r afte r le ft h is .
di oce se except on th e most urgen t busin e ss. To be sure Newry
was then much furth e r away from Dublin th an it is n owadays.
Th e Post Olh os A n nual Directo ry fo r 1 833 lie s beside me , and
i t informs us that in th ose days th e Newry Lark started from
th e Londonde rryHo te l , 6 Bo lton Str e e t, Dublin , at se ve n o’
clo ck
in th e m orn ing and r e ach ed Newry at four o’
clo ck in th e afte rn oo n .
In th ose days th e po stage o f a le tte r from Dublin to Newry was
se ve n pe n ce—ve ry m ode rate . compared with e le ve n pe nce for a
C ork lette r , sixte en pe n ce to Yarmouth in Englan d, and twe n ty
p e nce to Kirkwall in Sco tland . Compar e th at with our pe n ny
postcard to San Francisco . An d ye t we are n o t happy.
”
l O fi
Thus far I h ad wr itten con ce rn in g th e commen cem e n t of Dr .
B lake’
s conn e ction with th e dio ce se o f Dr om ore , wh e n , sudden ly
and un expectedly, n ews comes of th e death o f th e Dromor e prie st
wh o h e lped h im be st and wh om h e valued mo st . Non e o f h is
fe llow-
pr ie sts will demur to th is de scr iption of th e Ve ry R e v .
Pa tri ck O’Ne ill , parish pr ie st of Rostr evo r , wh o se de vo ted curate ,
th e Re v. A ndrew Lowry, te legraph s to me on th is 1 7th o f A pr il ,
Fath e r O’
Ne ill , afte r a br ief illn e ss, died.
last n ight .”
Th e se biographica l n otes we re partly re sum ed for th e purpo se
o f making use o f some le tte rs of Dr . Blake’s whi ch Fath e r O
’
Ne ill
h ad len t to m e . Th e rem ainder of this paper sh all link toge th e r
th e n am e s o f th ese two sain tly m e n .
A lth ough to on e wh o at th e e arliest possible age became a
m embe r of his lordsh ip’
s flock in th e secon d ye ar of h is episcopate ,
th e ven erable Bish op se em ed to have alre ady be e n am on gst us
from time immemo rial wh en Patrick O’
Ne ill became o n e o f h is
prie sts, in fact on ly a doz en years, half of h is te rm , had gon e by
sin ce th e Conse cration Se rmo n preach ed by Dr . William Cro lly.
F ath er O’Ne ill (or Mr . O
’
Ne ill ,”as we used th e n to say pr e tty
g e n e rally in th e Black North ) was n ot a n ative o f th e Drom o re
dioce se , but o f Kilmo r e . He had made h is studi es in th e Ir ish
252. The Ir isli Mon th ly.
Co llege o f Rome . B e at on ce from th e begin n ing of h is pr ie st
h o od gain ed th e r eputatio n of be in g in a remarka ble degr e e a
h o ly, z ealous, and e fficie n t prie st and th e e ste em and afie ctio n in
wh ich h e was h e ld in cr eased with every year o f th e life that h as
just e nded .
His work lay first in N ewry fo r a long te rm o f ye ars, and
th e n in Ro stre vo r . Be twe e n th e se two division s o f h is sace rdotal
car e e r , th e state o f h is h e alth induce d Dr . B lake to g ive h im a
sh o rt ye ar’
s re st, wh ich h e spe n t in Rome . Th is was th e o ccasion
o f the fo llowin g le tte rs, wh ich we find wr itte n in a cle ar , firm,
n e a tc , andm in ute h andwriting , whi ch makes it h ard to be lie ve that
th e write r was e igh ty years o ld. A mid th e go od o ld Bish op’
s o ld
fa sh io n ed fo rmality h is affectionate h eart be trays itse lf
V io le t Hill , Newry,
Novembe r 1 4 , 1 855.
Re v AND Dam Sm ,
Wh en you we r e leavin g Ire lan d to pro ce ed towards th e Ho ly City, on e of th e
wish e s wh ich I had mo st a t h e art was th at G o d would pro tect you o n your way
th ith e r . Th at wish , th rough th e D ivin e G o o dn e ss, h as be e n accomplish ed g lory
a n d e ve r la stin g th a nksg ivin g be to His h o ly nam e . A n o th er wish I e n te rta in ed
was th at your sta y in Rom e woul d be co n ducive to th e stre ngth en in g of your con
stitutio n and to your advan cem e n t in wh a te ve r mi gh t ren de r you still m o re use ful
to th e gre a t purpo se s of our sacr ed min istry, an d still m o re de se rvin g o f th e Divin e
pro te ctio n ; and I n ow lo ok fo rwa rd with h ope fo r th e r e a l iz a tion of th at ch e r ish ed
se n tim e n t . Your e scape from th e immin e n t dan g er s o f sh ipwr eck an d de a th I
r e g ard as a spe cia l fa vour from G o d . I h ave had re ason to be we ll acqua in ted
w ith th e pe r i ls o f a voyage fr om Mar se ille s to Civita Ve cch ia . Twice I h ave
be en expo sed to th em , wh e n la n d carr iag e was mo re expen sive an d un commodi ous
th an it is n ow ; and twice Iwas with in a h a ir’s breadth o f be in g dr own ed . Th e
se a th e re h as always be e n r ema rkable fo r its n ume rous a nd dan g e rous rocks and
sto rm s,an d fo r th e acciden ts wh ich we re apt to occur in it , th e dr e ad o f wh ich
wh e n I was re turn in g from Ro m e in th e years 1 829 and’46 , in duce d me to prefer
th e G en o a r o ad an d th e Simplo n to th e passag e by se a , and I r ecomm en d th e sam e
pre caution to you .
I pe rce ive from your le tte r of th e l oth Sept . th at you wer e th en in Tivo li ,
e n joyin g , I suppo se , th e de l igh tful ch a rms o f tha t place , and re n ovated in spir its by
th e frien dly h ospita l ity o f th e a lways am iable and kin d Dr . Kirby. From th e
9th to th e 22nd o f Septembe r you h ad scarce ly tim e to grow fa t upo n th e figs and
g rape s , wh ich , n o twith stan di n g th e g e n e ral fa ilur e o f th e vin tag e , we re still n o t
e xh auste d but if h e a lth h a s be en impro ved , I da re say your on ly re g re t on
a cco un t o f th e bligh t is be cause , as you remark, th e pe ople h ave becom e som ewh at
d iscon ten ted by i t . Y ou h ave n o t m e n tion ed wh e th e r you in te n ded afte r th e
R e tre at to b ecom e a m embe r of o n e of th e classe s wh ich we re to comm en ce o n th e
4 th o f Novembe r . I would wish to kn ow tha t , and if th e an swe r be in th e affirma
tive , I woul d like to kn ow wh at course o f studi es you m e an to pursue . Co n side r ing
th e sh o rtn e ss of th e time be twe en th is an d th e first o f May, I think you m igh t
254 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
co n side red in th e begin n ing almost in credible . Miss Russe ll ’s pro fe ssion on th e
Tuesday afte r Domin ica in A lbis, an d th e Righ t Rev. Dr . Leahy’s instruction s and
influe nce , have added powerfuny to th e z ea l and exer tions of th e Re v . Mo th e r
Supe rio re ss of th at commun ity. With in th e last two o r th ree weeks po stulan ts
h a ve be en rwe ived in to it , and o n this day two postulan ts have applied to m e .
We lam en ted , a t th e commen cem en t , th at we would wan t subjects for itsduties ; our difficulty n ow is to h ave ce lls en ough for th eir re ception , and com
m odious sch oo ls, and , above all , a d ecen t an d n e at , if n o t a fully be comin g ch ape l ,
for th e siste rs and inmate s. To pro vide a littl e mo r e room fo r th e sacred ofi ces and
duties of a re ligi ous commun ity , th e rev . mo th er has conve rted on e o f th e parlours
in to a ch ape l o f aid , and ha s e ndeavoured to do th e best sh e can for th e o th e r local
wan ts o f th e institution . In th e m eanwh ile , a we ekly subscr iptio n h asbe en kept
up but I fea r it will re quire too much tim e to make it sufi cien tly productive fo r
th e wan ts o f th e place . Infirm itie s pre ve n t me from th e active exe rtion s I would
be incl in ed to m ake fo r so useful an in stitution ; and I em lo th to sugg e st to Dr e
L eahy anythin g but wha t h e may find i t co nven ien t to execute . His go od will Iamfully se n sible o f, an d I th e r efo re leave h im to his own discre tion and judgme n t.But wha t I have sai d will enable you to unde rstan d th at we n e ed addi tiona l co rdial
h e lp
Y ou rem embe r , I suppo se , th at wh e n you we re on th e eve of your depar ture
from Ire lan d , I gave n o t ice to our cler ica l bre th re n o f Newry th a t th e appo in tmen ts
I th e n made we r e o n ly pro visio n a l , an d I have taken care since to repeat tha t
n o tice , so th at as so o n as you re turn you wil l be exactly, as to ofiice , r ig h ts ,
privil eg e s, and em o lumen ts, as you were befo re th o se appo in tme n ts we re made .
I fe e l mo st g ra te ful to th e ven e rable supe r io rs of our Irish Co lleg e in Roms
fo r th e kind con side ra tio n th eypaid to my re comm enda tion in your favour . Ikn ow
n o t wh at h ad be e n do n e with r egard to th e pe rson on wh ose beh a lf Dr . Jame sBrown in te re sted h imse lf , and th e re fo re am de sirous of kn owin g from yo u any
particulars you may be able to commun ica te . I h ave n ow in my little seminary
four o r five very promisin g can dida te s, o n e o f wh om is a bro th e r of th e Rev . Mr .
M ‘G ive rn , wh o studied in Rom e , and is n ow a valuable cura te in th e par ish of
Ba llyn ah inch , unde r Re v. Dan ie l Sha rkey. A s I h ave men ti on ed R e v. Mr .
M ‘G ive rn with pra ise , and do ve ry much e ste em h im,it may n o t be am iss in o rder
to pre se rve g ood tempe r and to pr eve n t cavillings amongst our cle rgy, tha t th e t itle
o f Docto r , th ough a righ t to it may have be en leg itima te ly obta in ed in th e most
approved man n e r , be n o t assum ed by th e individual wh o h as obta in ed it un til h e is
e ith e r a bon a -fide pro fesso r o r auth o r , o r dign ified by his stati on in th e church over
h is compe e rs. I h ave le arn ed from practica l obse rvation and rema rks th e ex
pe di en cy of adoptin g th is sugg esti o n , but I state it only as a matte r o f private
o pin ion , and would n o t atte mpt to o ffe r it as r esting upo n any auth o r ity.
I would h ave fo llowed your example in con tributin g towards th e e recting of
th e m ag nificen t co lumn n ow in prog ress in R ome as a public te stimon ial o f th e
pre- emin e n t h o n our due th e Imm acula te an d e ver to be ven erated Mo th er o f G od,
but th e extr eme po ve rty of th e majo r ity o f our people re nde red it impo ssible for
th em ,wh ile pro visio n s were so de ar an d pro pe rty taxe s en fo rced
,to co n tribute as
fo rm e rly to th e prope r support of th e ir cle rgy. But be tte r times are , I h ope , before
us and th ough , as you kn ow,I have reduced my income by on e -h alf o f its fo rme r
amoun t , ye t I am dispo sed to con tr ibute towards th e column , and also towa rds our
Co ll ege in Rome aft e r a little wh ile .
I be g you will in th e mo st re spectful te rms presen t th e assurance of my ve ry
Dr . B lake qf Dr omore, and Fa the r O
’
Ne ill of Rostr e vor . 255
h umble and mo st h ear tfe lt r e spe ctful respects to our ven e rable pro te cto r , th e Most
Em in e n t Cardin al Prefect of Propagan da , an d m o st re spe ctful an d affe ction ate
e ste em to th e Very Rev . Dr . Ki rby and any o th ers wh o still h on our m e by th e ir
I n e ed n o t repe a t it , but sti ll I am often ch arged to a ssure you of th e constan t
a n d co rdial este em of your o ld frien ds h e re , cle rgy an d laym en .
I n ow pray G od to ble ss and pro te ct and brin g you safe h ome to us again ,
a n d I rema in
Re v. and de ar fr ien d,
Eve r yours mo st faith ful ly,
M. Bu n .
Th e Re v. Pa trick O’
Ne ill .
Vio le t Hill , Newry,May 30th , 1 866.
Km . m Dm Sm ,
I assur e you I woul d fe e l grea t re g re t in de clin in g to gran t any favour which
you would be anxious to rece ive from m e , be cause I apprecia te ve ry h igh ly your
pa st service s in th e par ish of N ewry ; but if you will co n sul t your own soun d and
fa ith ful m em o ry, you wil l pe rce ive th a t I cann o t acce de to th e reque st co n tain ed inyo ur le tte r of th e 1 9th instan t , with out appe ar in g to fall o ff from my e stimate of
y our ackn owledg ed wo r th . Y ou will rem embe r tha t in obtain ing my co nsen t to
y our visit to Rom e fo r th e ben efit o f your h e al th an d th e re creatio n o f your m ind,
y ou promised to re tur n in May and, re lyin g o n your wo rd , an d th e so licitude you
h abitually fel t for th e we lfare o f th is dioce se , I re fused to make any pe rman e n t
a ppo in tme n t for th e disch arg e o f th e dutie s we owed to our Newry flock un til th e
t erm ina tio n of th e pe riod m en ti on ed by yourse lf. In co n sequen ce o f th at pro
v isio n al arran geme n t , many thin gs fo r wh ich I sh ould be anxious, have sin ce
rema in ed in abeyan ce , our improvem en ts h ave be e n somewh a t suspe nded , your
cle r ical bre thr e n o f this parish , th ough full o f e ste em fo r you, h ave fe lt th em se lves
som ewhat disappo in ted , espe cially with in th e last few wee ks , an d n e ith e r th ey n or
I we re prepared fo r your reque st to h ave leave of absen ce un til September . Yoursta te o f h ea lth be in g n ow re n o va ted, makes you perfectly able to resume your
m e ri to r ious function s, an d I n e ed n o t obse r ve to you th a t in this di ocese we have
n o o ve rflowing of missio n ary h e lp of any kin d, and , least of a ll , o f such h e lp as we
I da re say it wi ll surprise you to learn from m e th at I in te nd to go to Dublin
n e xt week , in o rde r to purch ase vestme n ts an d o th e r article s n ece ssary o r use ful fo r
th e divin e se r vice in Newry. I um n o t en tir e ly fr e e from th e g rasp o f my o ld
to rmen to r th e rh euma tism . My limbs are st ill affected by it , and I am unable to
dre ss o r un dress myse lf, o r to walk wi th out two sticks ; but th e m a in vita l o rgans
a re still soun d in me , and th oug h I e m ve ry weak , my spir its are sufi cien tlybuoyan t and ch e e r ful . I would scarce lyfe e l th e we ig h t o f 8 yea rs spen t m la bour
a n d difi cultie s but fo r th e n e ve r -ce asin g accompan im en t of rh eumatism .
My stay i n Dublin must be sh o rt , fo r th e visita t ion s o f th e dioce se have be en
a lr eady ann oun ced , and o nlyye ste rday, th e Octave of Co rpus Ch risti , I admin iste red
th e Sacrame n t o f Co nfirmatio n to 365 we ll prepared ch ildre n , and I pre ach ed to
to th em and a.
large co ngre gati on in our cath edral o f Newry. His lo rdship ,
D r . Leahy, my partn e r in labours, wil l commence h is apo sto l ic exe rtion s o n n ext
256 l e Ir ish Month ly.
Sunday. Thus , you pe rce ive , we are all o n th e ale rt ; th e sign a l has be en g ive n
th e trumpe t callin g na to action h as soun ded . To th e fie ld of action tha t
wi thout delay Haste n to stirmi la te , as yo u h ave don e be fo re , your ven e rable
a ssocia te s by your example . A life o f case woul d n o t be come you. Sur e ly I n e ed
n o t add on e wo rd m ore .
Our youn g studen ts in this semin ary are progre ssin g adm irably in th e ir
studie s an d in ecclesiastical discip lin e . Th ey a lmost a ll are un able to me e t th e
e xpe nse o f a journ ey to our co lle g e in Rom e th e re is o nly o n e amo ngst th em wh o
i nfo rms m e tha t his pare n ts could afio rd to sen d him . Will you be so [go od as to ]g ive me your opin ion wh e th e r I sh ould se n d him o r n o t. I prayyou a lso to pre se n t
my mo st re spe ctful affe ction ate wish e s to th e ven erable pre siden t , Dr . Kirby, and
a ny o th e r fr ie n ds wh o still h o n our me in Rom e wi th th e ir remembrance .
Be lie ve me to be eve r fa ithfully,
Re v. an d dea r sir,
Your se rvan t in Ch rist ,°Mrcusur. Bu z z .
Th e Re v. Patri ck O’
Ne ill .
Vio le t Hill , Newry,Jun e 3oth , 1 856.
Bav. n u) Du n Sm ,
Your kind and in te re stin g le tte r o f th e 1 5th in st . gave me reason to th ink th at
be fo re th at le tte r woul d have re ach ed m e and a n answe r from m e would be re turn ed ,
yo u would h ave left th e Ho ly City an d wo uld a rrive . o r be o n your way to Pa r is.
Your last le tte r , dated th e 22nd inst , wh ich I rece ived th is m orn in g , le aves me
doubtful wh e th er I sh ould dire ct my le tte r to Rome o r to th e Fren ch capita l , but I
h ave n o doubt tha t in on e o r o th e r o f th e se citie s you will re ce ive it . Th e
ann oun cem en t o f your spe edy re turn to Ire la nd gave me since re ple asure , an d I
be lieve h as be e n h a iled with sim ilar fe e lin g by a ll your cle rica l and lay fri e nds h e re
and in Dublin . Our cir cum stan ce s in Newry we r e in som e re spe cts le ft i n an
un se ttled state by th e arran geme n t Imade sh o r tly be fo re you quitte d N ewry, and to
some questi on s th at h ave be e n asked m e , I th ough t it expedien t to g ive unde cisive
answe rs. But you may be assur ed th a t I will a lways act in a fr iendly man n e r
towards you, fo r you h ave always dese rved my e ste em , and it will always affo rd
m e comfort to be fr ien d you.
I sin cem re g re t tha t th e youn g gen tleman wh om our ven erable fr ie nd, Dr .
Jam es Brown e , sen t to th e Irish Co lleg e in Rome h as been preven ted by ill h e alth
from co n tinuin g h is studie s th e re . a lth oug h by re tirin g from th e place h e th e re
o ccupied h e h as le ft a vacan cy fo r on e o f my stude n ts. Your le tte r o f th e 22nd didn o t come to me by h im , but by th e Fre nch ma il . I fe e l g rate ful , h owe ve r , to h im
fo r h is offe r to be th e bea re r of it , and I pray G o d fo r h is spe edy re cove ry. A t th is
season o f th e yea r I be lieve you would n o t advise m e to se nd a can dida te in to th e
climate of Italy, but wh en you are h e re with me we sh a ll confe r on th at an d o th e r
matte rs. I appro ve very much o f your in ten tio n to pro vide use ful boo ks and
wh ate ve r e lse you may h ave future occa sio n fo r h e re . In Ire la nd it is on ly by a
sort of ch an ce we can find th em , an d th ey are usually ve ry dear , wh ile o n th e
con tin en t th ey can be easily pro cur ed. Wh a t wo rks would be m ost desirable fo r
you I dare say you kn ow be tte r th an myse lf but wh ile I re jo ice th at such
standard wo rks as th e Dogmatic and Th eo log ica l wo rks o f Pe tavius and Be llarmine
258 The Irish Mon th ly.
We“
h ave given these lette rs of Dr . Blake out of th e ir prope r
place , because after be ing in our hands for several ye ars we had
just give n th em to th e prin te r wh e n th e person wh om th ey con
cern ed passed away from th e mo rtal state in which such things
could in terest h im . Why n ot h ave fin ish ed Dr . Blake’
s sto ry,
such as it is, wh en th ere was at least on e r eader wh o would be
in terested in its most trivial detail P But such disappo in tments,
small or gre at, are constan tly occurrin g in human things ; and
among grey-h eaded pe ople th er e is many a regre t (on ly more
bitte r an d m ore enduri ng) corre spondin g with that Ch ild’s First
G r ie which we used to admir e be fore the critics h ad taugh t
that Mr s. Hemans h ad on ly a thin ve in of in spiration
A h , whi le my bro th e r with me played,
Would I had loved h im m ore !
Th is would be a ve ry pe rfect rule of char ity—namely, if we could
man age to act an d fe el towards e ach of th ose around a s as if h e o r
sh e wer e to be taken away fr om n a at on ce , andperhaps as sudde n ]yas Fath e r O
’
Ne il l was taken away fr om th e th ousands wh o loved
h im and depe nded on him .
Fo r th at brief illn e ss wh ich th e te legram o f his death
m e n tion ed occupied on ly th e afte rn o on h ours of on e day. How
e ve r , be fore r eaching th e end, le t us go back to th e beginn in g , and
g ive th e date s of Fath e r O’
Ne ill’s life m ore m inute ly, as h is death
a t this precise mom en t has chan ced to lin k him more close ly with
the h o ly pre late with whom h e was clo se ly linked in life , and as,
since h is n ame came in to these page s, we have se en h is body la id
in th e e arth before th e al tar at which h e h ad offered th e Ho lySacrifice som e n in e th ousan d tim e s, th e last time be ing on the very
Patr ick O’
Ne ill was born n e ar Ballyjame sdufi,in th e Coun ty
o f G avan , o n th e l oth of Jun e , 1 820. He first wen t to a coun try
sch oo l in th e n e ighbourh ood, and afte rwards at Oldcastle , in CountyMeath , wh e re on e of h is class-fe llows was th e pre sen t Bish op o f
Meath , Dr . Th omas Nulty. A bout his twe n tieth year he en ter ed
th e Ir ish College at Rome . If even for poo r Byron Rome was
th e city of th e soul ,”what was th e Eternal City for th is pious,
warm -h earted Irish youth Ou th e completion of a full course of
th e o logical studies, he was ordain ed priest on th e 1 3th of A pril ,
1 846, so that his last mass on th e day of h is death may very pro
Dr . B lake ofDromore , and Fathe r O’
Ne ill of Rostrevor . 259
h ably have be en pre cise ]y 0 1 1 th e fo rty-fourth an nive rsary of his
first mass, which is o ften preceded by a day or two of spe cial pre
paration afte r Ordinatio n .
We do n ot kn owth e circumstances wh ich secured for th e diocese
o f Dromore th e lifelong service of th e young Kilmore priest .
Th ough n ot a filiue. but on ly an affiliate , an adopted son of th e
dio cese , h e so on be came Dromo ran sibas Dromorm e io r . If e ach
dio ce se h as a specia l guardian ange l of its own , th e A ngel of Dro
more must h ave re jo ice d exce edingly on that Jun e day in 1 846wh en Father O
’
Ne ill , fresh from R ome , took up h is abode in th e
parochial house—the n amep resbyte ry isn ot used th e re , pe rhaps on
accoun t of its presbyte rian sound. Two years late r , h e was
appo in ted A dmin istrator o f Newry, wh ich anxious and laborious
po sition h e fil led fo r sixtee n years with consummate ability,
prudence and z eal , in th e co nstan t exercise of th e high e st priestly
The old Bish op, Dr . Blake , had meanwhil e shared with
a n oth er th e too h eavy burden of his cross, as Our Lord with Simo no f Cyre n e . Of Dr . John Pius Le ahy much will have to be said
wh e n th e prohibition , Na laudes Iaominem in vita saw, is removed .
But h e , to o , would attribute to Fath e r O’Ne ill a large sh are in th e
g oo d works o f his episcopate . Inde ed in the beginn ing of tha t
episcopate h e bore th e fo llowing te stimony o n th e occasion of that
pro lo n ged visit to Rome to which Dr . Blake’s lette rs also re
Newry, Septembe r 1 7th , 1 855.
B r Dm Mu. O’
Nmnt ,°
I g ladly ava il myse lf of th e oppo rtunity affo rded by your approach in gdepa rture fo r Rome to g ive expre ssio n to th e e ste em in which I h o ld yo ur manyvim and to th e gra titude I fee l fo r th e in va luable assistance I have r ece ived
from you since my appoin tme nt to th e episcopacy. Your exempla ry conduct , your
g e n uin e pie ty, and your un tir in g z ea l , wh il e th eypowe rful ly co n tributed to promo te
th e h onour of G od and th e salvation o f h un dre ds, h ave a lso se cured fo r you th e
re ve re nce and aflection of th e Cath o lics o f th is extensive par ish . To you th ey owe
th e in tro duction of th e Chr istian Bro th er s an d th e Siste rs o f Me rcy, and it must
o ve r prove to you a source of th e pure st g ratificati o n to rodse t th a t th e in ca lculable
go od you have th e r e eflecte d will co n tih ue to fructify lo n g afte r you sha ll have
be e n m oved to th e reward of your labours. Y ou are n ow about to visit th at gre at
city whe re th e blo od sh ed by its many martyrs will n o doubt inflam e your z e al
in t o a still more g lowin g ardour , and wh er e th e vast acquirem en ts of so many
e m in e n t divines will commun icate to your mind a still large r treasure of e cclesias
ti ca l kn owledg e . I h ope you will soo n re turn to th e scen e o f your to ils, refr e sh ed
a n d a n imated fo r n ew exe rtion s, an d I beg of G od, thro ugh th e mer its o f our
D ivin e Saviour and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin , tha tHe will preserve and
260 7750 Ir ish Month ly.
increase in you th e grace He h imse lf h as g iven , guardin g you from dange r by
infusin g in to your soul a spir it of since re hum ility, a con sciousn ess o f your own «
insufficie n cy to th in k e ven of wha t is good, and an un ceasin g r ecourse fo r ligh t and
stren gth to Him with out wh om we are m ere to o ls with all our wisdom , and‘
cowards with all our courage .
Ium , my de ar Mr . O’Ne ill ,
Mo st sin cem and affectiona te ly yours,
J. P. Lam ar,
Coadjuto r of Dromore .
If it we re in my power to re arrange the se hurried an d con fused
n ote s, I sh ould separate th ose wh om G od jo in ed, and treat apart
o f th e priest and th e bish op. More has still to be said o f Dr .
Blake an d of Fath er O’Ne ill ; and, as th e proper orde r of topics
canno t be observed , it may n o t be quite amiss eve n to incre ase th e
disorder by ending for th e presen t with a le tte r addre ssed to Dr .
Blake wh en Fath er O’
Ne ill was on ly a ch ild of se ven years of age ,
and ye t in augurating an ecclesiastical care er wh ich h as n ot ye t
reach ed its te rm . Monsignor Meaghe r , Can on Pricker’s predeces
so r in Rathmin e s, thus in troduce s to th e founde r of th e Ir ish
Co llege at Rome Fath e r Matth ew Coll ie r , n ow th e ven e rable P.P.
o f St. A gath a’s, North William Stre e t, Dublin , l iving beloved an d
ven erated amongst us still , alth ough spoke n o f in th e fo llowin gte rms so long ago as two years before Cath o lic Eman cipation
Dublin , May l oth, 1 827 .
Van R ay . m o Du n Sm ,
It is wi th n o o rdina ry ple asure I h ave learn ed th at a youn g ge n tleman , I r .
III. Co ll ie r , h as be en se lected out of my semina ry byHis G race th e A rch bish op tobecome on e of th e e arli e st m embe rs of th e na tiona l co llege wh ich you have so
fo rtuna te ly succe eded in establish in g at Rome . I fe e l th e m o re gratified at th is
se le ction as I h ave e n joyed every me an s of be comin g in timate ly acqua in te d with
h is ch aracte r , wh ile th e re sul t h as been a con viction of h is sin gula r me rit . He hasbe e n fo r n early th re e years unde r my care , and it is with a sen tim e n t far supe rio r
to that o f m e re recommen da tio n th at I can ave r I n eve r discovere d in h is con duct
o ne sin gle trait th at did n o t co n tribute to m ark h im out as a ch ild of ben ediction .
It could n o t be o th e rwise , re ared as h e h as bee n unde r th e eye of th e sain t o f our
days, Fr .He n ry Y oun g . Th e o n ly disadvan ta ge with which h e h ad to struggle is, I
trust , n ow rem oved—name ly, a de licacy o f co nstitutio n arising from a te nden cy to
outgrow h is stren g th . Thi s ha s ofte n oblig ed h im to re lax h is applica tion to study,
an d th ough I um confide n t h e will be found compe ten t to comm en ce h is course o f
ph ilo sophy sh ould it be de emed e xpedi e n t to make him embark at on ce in th e study
o f th e scien ce s, ye t as h e con ce ives an arden t wish to complete h is kn owledg e of th e
classics, particula rly o f th e G re ek , in wh ich h e was be g in n in g to make rapid pro
g ross, h e wish es th at I sh ould en treat of you to allow h im ,if possible , to prosecute
th ese studies for a sh o rt time lon ge r .
As I canno t forge t th e h earty wish es wh ich you were pleased to express for
THE CHILDREN’
S BALLAD ROSARY.
[Th e in te n tion of th e writter o f th e se verses is to g ive th e divin e facts com
m em o rated in th e Ro sa ry in a fo rm whi ch may aid in imprin tin g th em upon th e
minds of th e youn g at a time of life wh en th e memo ry is stron g and more te nacious
o f verse th an of prose . He has ende avoure d to make th e n arrati ve as simple in
po in t of expre ssion , and to adh ere as clo se ly to th e actual words of th e G ospe l , as.
was compatible with a rhythm ical
Our h o ly moth e r , Mary, How can it be , said Ma ry,
A virg in pure was sh e ; A n d I a spo tle ss ma id
Espoused un to St. Jo seph Th e Ho ly G h ost will come to th e e ,In th e la nd of G alilee .
Now G od se n t down to Mary Thy h o ly o n e sh all th er e to 1 e be
His an ge l G abrie l . Th e Son o f G od . Beh o ld
Ha il , full o f g race ,”th e an ge l sa id, Eliz abe th , thy cousin ,
Th e Lo rd with th e e do th dwell . Though n ow in years grown o ld,
A nd ble ssed art th ou Mary Sh all a lso be a mo th e r
Am on gst all womank in d Ere many m on th s ye se e ,
But Mary a t th e an g e l’s wo rd Because n o wo rd to G od on high
Was tr oubled in h e r min d. Impossible can be .
o h , be n o t tro ubled , Mary, Be h o ld ,”sa id humble Mary,
A n d le t thy fe ars be don e : Th e h an dma id of th e L o rd , .
Beh o ld th ou h ast found grace wi th G od , A n d le t i t un to me be don e
A nd th ou shalt bear a son . A cco rdin g to thy word .
”
It is th e name o f Je sus Th e an g el par ted fr om h e r ,
Th at th ou sha lt nam e him by A nd in th at day and h our
He sh a ll be gr ea t , and sha ll be called Th e Son of G od to ok human flesh
Th e Son of th e Mo st High . By his a lmi gh ty powe r .
A n d G od a th ron e will g ive him G lo ry to G od the Fa ther ,
King David’s th ron e of yo re A nd h is e te rna l Son ,
A n d of hi s kin gdom th e re sh all be A nd g lory to the Ho ly G host
No and fo r e ve rmo re .
’
For over , Thr ee in 0m .
New in th o se days did Mary
A r ise , h e r ste ps to be nd
Th rough Judah ’ s h ills to visitEliz abe th , h e r fr iend.
In haste sh e made h e r journeyAl on g th e moun ta in ro ad ,
A nd en te red wh e re Eliz abe th
Eliz abe th beh eld h e r ,
A n d r isin g a t th e sigh t ,
Fill ed with th e Ho ly G h ost sh e spak e »
In wonde r an d de ligh t .
oh , ble ssed amon gst women ,
Sh e cried aloud,
art th ou ;
A nd blessed is th e h o ly fruit
Wh om th ou art bearin g n ow.
The Children’
s Ba lla d R osary.
A nd h ow can such a marve l Sin ce on his lowly handmaid
O f wndescension be , His eye ha th de ign ed to re stTha t th us th e Mo th e r o f my Lord Beh o ld, all g e n eratio ns
Sh ould come to visit me?
The m igh ty On e and Ho lyUpon m in e ear to sound, G r eat th ings to ms ha th don e ;
I fe l t with in my bosom To th em th at fe ar h im age by ag o
A nd blamed art th ou,'
Ma ry,
Be cause tho u didst be lie ve Un til th r ee mon ths we re go n e ,F o r a ll th a t G o d fo reto ld to th ee Wh en Sa in t Eliz abe th brough t fo rthFulfilmen t sha ll re ce ive . Th e h o ly Baptist Jo hn .
My soul do th magnify th e Lo rd G lory to G od th e Fa the r ,
8 0 Ma ry raised h e r vo ice A nd h is e te rna l Son ,
In h im my G od and Saviour , A nd glory to the Holy G h ost
For over , fltwe is One .
III. -Tms Nam r .
A n an ge l sto od be side th em .
Had issued his decree A nd bade th em n o t to fea r ,
Tha t a ll th e people o f th e land Fo r tiding s o f great joy,” h e sa id,
En ro lle d by name sh ould be . A r e what I br in g you h e re .
N ow Joseph was descended Th is n igh t is born your Saviour
Em David’s royal race , A t Royal David
’s town
A nd David’s city, Be thl eh em , In swaddling clo th e s you
’ll
'
iind h im
Was h is appo in te d ph ce . Laid in a man ge r down .
Fro m Naz areth to Be thl eh em , A n army o f th e h ost of h eaven
In win te r’s bitte r co ld, Was with th e an ge l th en .
W ith Ma ry, h is e spoused wife , G lory to G od on high ,”th ey san g ,
He came to be enro lled . A nd peace on e arth to man .
”
A nd mve in on e po o r stable , In Be thl eh em th e sh eph e rds
No sh e lte r could th ey fin d,
A n d Ma ry th e re brough t fo rth h e r Son ,
Th e Saviour of mankind. De voutly th ey ado red .
In swaddling clo th es sh e wrapped him , With praise and glory un to G odA nd laid h im in th e sta ll Th ey did fro m th en ce depart ;
A m ange r was th e cradle But Ma ry ponder in g all th ese wo rds
Of th e Kin g and Lo rd of all . Pre se rved th em in h e r h eart .
Now in tha t reg ion sh eph e rds G lory to G od the Fa ther ,
Wer e keepin g wa tch by n igh t , A nd h is e te rn al So u,|Wh en sudde n ly around th em sh on e A nd glory to the Ho ly G h ost
For war , Th ree in 0m .
263
26 1 1 71 0 Irish Monthly.
IV—’
l‘n
N ow Mary after forty days, Thy people's glo ry an d a ligh t
A s Moses do th award , Ou every land to shin e .
”
Brough t Jesus to th e Temple The n spake h e un to Ma ryTo pre sen t o
him to th e Lo rd
An d, as th e law commanded, Is for th e fall o f manyA sacr ifice to brin g , A nd for th e rising se t ,
Two pige ons o r two turtle ddves, A nd for a sign th at is to be
With con tradiction me t .
A nd while un to Jerusal em And th roug h th in e own soul , Mary,In joy th ey to ok th e ir way, A piercin g swo rd sha ll go ,
Ou Mary’s breast , o r in th e arms That th ough ts from m any h earts revealed
0 ! Joseph , Jesus lay.
Now in th e city Sim eon dwe lt, A nd A nn a , to o , a pro ph e ts“
A man de vout and just Oi eig h ty years was th er e ,
Fo r Israe l’s co nso la tio n Wh o se rved th e Temple n igh t and day
He looked with humble trust. In fastin g and in praye r .
Th at m o rn in g to th e Temple ,
By th e Spir it h e was led ; Of th e Lo rd un to his face ,He took th e infan t in h is arms, A nd spoke o f him to all wh o hoped
G ave praise to G od, and said
Now dost th ou let thy ser van t G lo ry to G od th e Fa ther ,
Depart in peace , 0 L o rd , A nd h is e terna l Son ,
Min e eye s have thy sa lvation soon A nd g lo ry to th e Ho ly G host
A cco rding to th y word. For aver , Th ree in One .
or Ju ne m m Tam .
In Naz areth , a city Th ey de emed th a t h e was with th em ,
A nd jour n eyed fo r a day,Dwe lt Je sus, Mary, Joseph , Wh en missin g him th e ir h ea rtswe re filled
With so rrow and dismay.
A n d eve r , as th e so lemn day A m on g th e ir fri en ds an d kin sfo lk
Of Pascha l tim e was n ear , Th ey sough t fo r him in vain ;
Th ey we n t un to Je rusalem A nd th en un to Je rusalem
To wo rsh ip year by yea r .
A nd wh e n th e yea rs of Jesus An d wh en thre e days were over ,Had n ow to twe lve increased
,Th e ir Jesus th e n th ey saw
Awordin g to th e custom Co nversin g in th e Temple
With th e docto rs of th e law .
A nd wh en th e days wer e ended, Hearin g th em an d question in gTh ey turn ed th e ir h ome to find, A n d g iving h is replies ;
But Jcans in th e city A n d all wh o h ea rd h im marve lled
Remain ed a lon e beh ind. A t h is words divin e lywise .
266 The Ir ish Month ly.
round his waist, and a ragged ribbon hung fr om his arm . Behi nd
him , squatting devoutly on the ir h e e ls, with little brown paws
demur e ly fo lded, and lips rapidly moving , we re some half do z e n
smalle r urchin s, while on e , with n ewspape r deco rations somewh at
similar to young Brophy’s, kn e lt in fron t . Th ey were all as
o rde rly and quie t as possible , and Fath e r Sh eh an was at first
somewhat at a loss to discover th e cause of Mrs. Brophy’s indign a
tion . But pre se n tly Pat turn ed grave ly round, exten ded his arms,
and broke th e silen ce with a vigorous“ Dominate vobz
'
acum I
Et cum sp z'
r’tu tuo
,wen t th e urchin at his side in life -like
imita tion of h is e lde rs at th e h ill -side ch ape l .
Th e myste ry was explain ed n ow : Pat was saying mass !
Did ye ever se e th e like 0’
that, Fath e r wh ispered Mrs.
Bmphy in de eply scandaliz e d to n e s ; th e n makin g a sudden dart at
h er luckie ss offspring , sh e tore off his vestmen ts and flung th em tothe winds , and with h er bony hand we ll twisted into h is ragged
co llar - th e be tte r to admin ister an occasion al shake—sh e h aul ed
h im up for judgme n t.G e n tly, Mr s. Brophy, gen tly, said th e prie st. Don
’t be
frighte n ed, my poo r lad. I’
m n ot go ing to sco ld you. That is a
very curious gam e of yours— ar e you pre ten ding to be a prie st
A ye , ye r r ive ren ce .
”
A h , ye youn g vi llain , began his mothe r , but Fath e r Sh eh an
ch e cked h e r .
Hush , n ow, hush , my good woman . Te ll m e , Pat, do you
think it is righ t to make fun of h o ly thi ngs
I wasn’t makin
’fun ,
sir, wh impe r ed Pat, touch ed to th e
quick . I was just th inlrin’I raly was a prie st , an
’
,e u
’sayin
mass as we ll as I could.
We ll , we ll , don’t cry, th at
’s a go od boy. Maybe you re ally
will be saying m ass some day. Wh o kn ows But you must be a
very go od boy— an d you must n o t think you are a prie st ye t.
Y ou will h ave to be ordain ed, you kn ow, before you can say mass.
Now, run off and find some o th e r gam e .
”
Pat grin n ed grateful ly th rough his te ars, wren ch ed h imse lf
from his mo th e r’s grasp, and, surroun ded by h is ragged followe rs,
disappe ared ove r th e h edge .
I wish we conId make a prie st of him , said Fath er Sh ehan
as h e re traced his steps, h e is a good lad.
”
Why thin h e is, ye r rive rence , h e is, agre ed th e mother
Father Pat. 267
w ith th e de ligh tful incon sistency of h e r kind. He is, in de ed,
v ery go od. A n’why wouldn
’
t h e be good Sur e I bait him
we ll . Tro th ye’
d h ear him hawlin’at th e ero ss-roads many a
time . But is it h im a priest Ah n ow, th at
’
s th e way ye do be
g o in’on ye like to be makin
’fun of us all, yer rivere n ce , so ye do .
The likes of him a prie st We ll n ow
She bur st out laughin g very good humour edly, for in spite of
h er assumption of se ver ity, th er e was n ot, as sh e would h ave said
h e rse lf, a betth er-n ature d crathur anywh e re th an Mr s.
Strange r things have come to pass, said Fath e r Sh ehan .
But I fear th e re is n ot much h ope in this case . To make him a
prie st you must give him an education , an d to give him an educa
tion you must find mon ey. A nd as n e ith e r you n or I kn ow wh e re
to lo ok for that, it’s a poo r look on
Troth it is, ye r rivere n oe . G od bless ye , ye always say
som ethin’
plisan t to a s anyway. G ood even in’
, yer rive ren ce , safe
hom e
Lo ng afte r the prie st was out of sight Mrs. Brophy sto od at
th e do or with a pleasant smil e on h er face . On ly fo r th e education ,
wh ich would cost m on ey, o n’
y for th at h e r Pat was fit to be a
pr iest. Didn’t his reve rence say so It was a gre at th ough t .
He r little wh ite -h e aded Pat , in spite of th e tricks an d misch e evousn ess in which h e indulged to th e ful l as much as any
o th e r lad of his age , eve n h e m ight on e day stand before th e altar ,
h is h an ds have clasped th e chalice , his vo ice cal led down th e
Re de emer from on h igh . Tears of raptur e fil led h e r eyes at th e
m e re th ough t of a priest : A priest of G od To th e simple faith
o f this good po or woman th ere was n o greater h e ight of blessed
n e ss or grandeur .
Oh , m o th e r , if I could on’
y be a rale prie st ! Pat had sigh ed
many a time . A nd sh e h ad hidden him g’long out 0
’th at an
’
n o t dar’say such a th ing But n ow it was a diii eren t matte r .
Only for the mon ey Fath er Sh ehan had said th e thin g was po s
sible . On ly for th e mon ey Just what sh e h ad n ot got. A h , if
a m oth e r’s h eart
’
s blood would h ave don e as we ll !
But on e n e ve r kn ows wh at stran ge things come to pass in this.
que er world ! Fath er Sh eh an had distin ctly said th at h e could
n ot fin d th e fun ds n eedful for Pat’s education for th e priesth ood , .
a nd yet, through h is instrumen tality, th e boy was en abled to fo l
l ow his vocation .
268 The Irish Month ly.
L o and beho ld ! Fath er Sh ehan had a fr iend wh o lived in
L iverpoo l ,'
s very rich man ,who was also very pious and charitable .
Oi this good gentleman th e worthy priest suddenly be th ought
h imse lf on e day when Mrs. Brophy spoke of th e in tense wish
which h er boy still had, and th e mann er in which h e was
a ccustomed to moithe r h er respecting it. To th e rich Live r
pool fr iend th e poor Irish prie st accordingly wrote , with th e result
that th e forme r agreed to undertake th e cost of Pat’s education ,
mere ly stipulating that th e lad was to be brought up at St.
Edward’s Co lle ge , and to devote h is se rvice s wh en ordain ed to th e
Liverpo ol diocese .
Th e rapture , th e gratitude of both son and moth er , cann ot be
described. Th e long separ ation wh ich must ensue , th e life of se lf
den ial which lay before th e on e of perpe tual po ve rty to which th e
o th e r was now doomed for Pat was h e r only son , and sh e had
forme rly looked forward to the days wh en h e woul d be able to
he lp and work for h er—all was accepted n ot onlywith re signation ,but with joy. Was n ot Pat to be a priest PThe day afte r h is departur e Mrs. Brophy, donn in g h e r cloak
and big bonn et, with its vio let ribbon s and n eat border , forcing h er
fee t, moreover , into th e knitted stockings and stout boots, which
regard for h er bun ions caused h er to rese rve chiefly for Sundays,Mrs.
Brophy, I say, wen t to call on Fath er Sh ehan and to make 8.
Sh e wan ted a bades, a rosary which was to be kept till suchtime as Pat, endowed with full auth ority, would be able to bless it
Fath er Sh eh an laugh ingly produced a large , brown , serviceable
o n e , wh ich th e widow reverently kissed and then tucked away in
h e r bosom .
Now, wh in ever I fee l a bit lon esome , I’ll be h avin
’a look at
this,”sh e said
,n odding confiden tially to h er pastor . I
’
ll take
out me ho ly bades, an’
I’ll rattle thim an
’
kiss thim, and say to
m ese lf ch ee r up, Biddy Brophy, yer own little boy’11 be blessin
’
th em for ye som e day, wi th th e h e lp 0’G od .
We ll don e , Biddy ! I h ope you won’t be often lon esome ,
said th e priest with a smile , in which th ere was a good deal of
compa ssion , fo r th e re we re tears on h er tan n ed ch e eks th ough she
spok e gaily. It was to G od that th is good , brave little woman had
g iven h er all—but it wa 8 h er a ll n ever th e less.
2 70 The Ir ich Month ly.
n oun e ed his promotion to deacon sh ip, beginmng with th e hape
that sh e was quite well as h e was at prese n t, and ending with th e
formula th at h e would say n o more that time—such items as th eyfurth er contain ed be ing of th e baldest and simplest de scription
we re ever documen ts so tr easur ed before So te nderly kissed so
ofte n wept on , so triumphan tly cite d as m iracle s of compo sition
Mrs. Brophy was a h appy woman for we eks afte r th e arrival of
t h e se le tte rs, and was apt to pr oduce th em a doz en time s a day in a
somewhat limp and crush ed condition from under h er little plaid
sh awl fo r th e edification of sympathe tic n e ighbours.
I hard fr om Fath er Pat to d ay,”sh e would say long be for e
h e r son could claim that title , while to th e young and such as sh e
wish ed particularly to impress sh e would a llude to h im distan tly as
h is river en ce .
”
Wh at was Biddy’
s joywh en h e at last wro te that h e was re allyto be o rda in e d at a n o t distan t date , an d n amed th e day on which
h e was to say his first m ass How sh e cried for h appin e ss, and
clapped h e r h an ds, an d r ocked backwards and forwards ! How
proudly sh e go t out th e bad e s and rattled th em , and kissed
th em ,and hugged h e rse lf at th e th ought of th e won de rful blessing
which h er little boy would so soo n imPar t to th em .
If you could o n ly h e ar h is first mass, Biddy,”said Fath e r
Sh ehan ,wh e n sh e we n t to re jo ice h im with th e tidin gs.
A h , fath e r , j ewe l , don’
t be m akin’m e to o cove tious. Sur e
that’
s wh at I do be sthr ivin’to put out 0
’m e h ead . I kn ow I
can’
t be th er e , but th e th ough t makes me go wild som etim es. If
it was anywh e re in ould Ir e land I’
d th ramp till th e two fe e t
dropped o ff m e, but I
’
d be th e r e on’
y th e say, ye r rive ren ce , the
say is to o much fo r m e e n tir e ly ! I can’
t git over tha t. Sain t
Pe th e r h im se lf’ud be hard se t to walk that far .
He re sh e laugh ed h e r jo lly go od-humour ed laugh , wr inklin gup h er eye s an d wagging h e r h ead in ke e n e n joymen t of h e r own
sally, but sudde n ly broke off with a suifl and a back—h anded wipeo f h e r eyes.
Laws, Fath er , it’ud make m e to o h appy
Do you r eally mean that you would walk all th e way to
Dublin if you h ad mon ey euough to pay fo r your passage to L iv
pool P
Heth I woul d, an’twice as far , your riveren oe . Wouldn
’t
I stage it If I h ad the price 0’
me ticke t, th ere’
d be n o h ouldin’
Fa ther Pa l . 271
m e back . I can ste p out Wid th e be stwh in I like , an’sur e anyon e
’ud g ive m e a bit eu
’a sup whin I tould th em I was go in
’
to se e
m e little fe llow say his first mass.
A fte r th is, strange to say, th e price o f Biddy’s ticke t was
fo rthcomin g . Poor as Fath e r Sh ehan was, h e man aged topro
duce th e few shill ings n e edful to frank h e r fr om th e North Wall
t o Claren ce Dock . Her faith in the charity and pie ty of h e r
coun try folk was rewarded, th e hit an th e sup,”and e ven th e
shake -down”in a corne r , more willingly found as o ften as sh e
n e eded it, and in due tim e , tired dusty, and de spe rate ly sea-sick ,sh e arr ived in Liverpool .
G lory be to G od ! e juoulated Biddy, deligh ted to find h erse lf on ce more on dry lan d. Th en sh e chucked h e r black ve lvet
bonn e t forward, sh o ok out th e folds of h e r big cl o ak, clutch ed h er
bundle , and se t out undauntedly for Eve rton , pausing almost at
e ve ry stre e t corn e r to en quire h e r way.
Lo un eye isn’
t En glan d th e dirty place 1”she said to h er
se lf, as sh e tramped along th rough th e grimy Live rpoo l slums.
But as sh e drew n e ar h e r de stination wonde r and disgust wer e
a lik e forgo tte n in th e thought of th e inte nse happin e ss which was
actuallywith in h e r grasp. Sh e was to se e Pat, upo n wh ose face°
sh e h ad n ot looked on ce dur in g all th ese ye ars, an d to se e h im a
pr ie st ! To be pre sen t at h is first mass, to ask h is blessing— ah to
th ink that h er little boy would be able to give h er th e priest’
s
ble ssin’ —and last, but n ot le ast, sh e would give h im h e r beads
to ble ss. Sh e had n ot to ld h im o f h e r inten tio n to be present o n
th is great occasio n , partly be cause , as sh e told Fath e r Sh ehan , it
was betth er n o t to be distractin’him to much ,
”and partly because
sh e thought‘
his joy at se e ing h er would be h e igh te n ed by his
surprise . No wonder th at Widow Brophy wa lked as th ough
tr e ading on air , instead o f greasy paveme n ts.
It was touch ing to se e h e r kn e e ling in th e church , with eage r
e yes fixed o n th e sacristy door and the rosary clutch ed fast be twe en
h e r fingers, but it was still m ore touching to watch h e r face when
th at doo r open ed and h er son at last came forth . So that was
Pat Ble ss us au’save na, would sh e e ver h ave kn ow him P
A nd ye t h e had very much th e same face as th e l ittle bare -legged
ch ild who had first celebrated”un der the h edge , a face as
i nn o ce nt and almost as boyish , if n ot quite so brown ; but h e hadc ertain ly grown a good deal , an d h is Latin was of a difieren t
272 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
quality, and there was more ove r about him that wh ich th e moth er’s
eye s h ad be en so quick to se e , the dign ity of th e priest, the
recollectedn ess of on e used to familiar converse with his G od.
Wh o shall describe th e glory of that first mass for both son and
m oth e r Who inde ed could ven tur e to pen etrate in to th e sacred
privacy of th at son’
s fe e lin gs as h e stood thus before th e altar , his
face pale , his voice quivering , h is youn g hands tremblin g as th ey
busied th emse lve s about th e ir hallowed task ! But th e moth er 1
gro ani ng from ve ry rapture of h ear t, beating h e r happy breast,
praying with so much fervour that th e wh o le congregation might
h e ar h er , we epin g till h er glad eyeswe re almost to o dim to disce rn
th e wh ite -robed figure of h e r son—sur e ly we can all picture h er to
ourse lve s.
Wh en th e young prie st was unve sting afte r mass, th ere came a
little tap at th e sacristy do or , a little , modest , tremul ous tap, and on
be ing invited to ente r a stran ge ly familiar figure m et his gaz e
Fath e r Pat,’said Biddy, in a ch oked vo ice , and dropping a
sh akey curtsey, I’ve come to ax your riveren ce if ye
’
ll bless me
bade s for m e , e u’an
’will you give me yer bless
Sh e tr ied to fall on h e r kn e e s, but th e moth er instin ct was too
strong for h er , and with a sudden sob she flung h e r arms round hisn eck
Me boy sh e cried, sure it’sme that must ble ss ye first !
M . E. FRANCIS.
PIGEONHOLE PAR A G RAPHS.
Some pe ople will n ever b eg in anythi n g , th ey ar e so much afraid o f
b e in g un able to e nd it. A n d, n o do ubt, this view de r ive s its suppo rt
from Co nn o lly’s Fo lly and o th e r such n am e s cur r e n t in a ll coun tr ie s
,
an d still mo r e fr om what our Divin e R ede eme r himse lf says about
th e man wh o wish ed to build a towe r and could n o t fin ish it . How
eve r , th e pr e se n t wr ite r is pro foundly co nvin ced th at n o undertaking ,
big o r li ttle , can eve r be brough t to an and un l ess it is fir st brough t
to a be gin n ing . In th is wo r ld of beginn in gs wh at m a tte rs it that
ce r tain tasks should be l e ft in comple te at de ath , provided th at death
finds th e work of life itse lf in a fa ir appr oximation to comple ten ess«x. x s
274 m Ir ish Month ly.
(many of th em at least) in presen t use . I cann o t find th is Th omas Ki tchin in any
Biograph ical Diction ary.
1.
Th e Catho lic News of New York continues to give trouble
to several in ofiensive individuals by addre ssin g this Magaz in e
e very month as THE Imsn MONTHLY , LONDON, ENG LAND .
”
Tim e i s nmnin g out so fast th at we pre fer n ot to receive this
journal at all . A “n ewsy journ al
”is th e more dangerous as a
distracti on ; an d on e is bound to avoid distractions and to keepo ne
’
s se lf as far as possible in th e proximate occasion of doingo n e
’sduty. But, if this journ al insists on visiting us, let it remember
that th e capital of Ire land is Dublin .
S i
A ubrey de Vere gives th is fin e ly critical e stimate of Robert
G on e fmm us ! that stron g sin ge r o f la ts days
Swe et sin ger sh ould be strong—wh o , tarryin g h ere ,
Ch o se still rough music fo r h is th emes auste re ,
Hard -h eaded, aye , but te n de r-h ea rted lays,
Car efully ca re less, garde n ha lf, h alf ma z e .
His th ough ts h e sang , de ep th ough ts to th inkers dear ,Now flashin g un der g leam of smile o r tea r ,
Now ve iled in languag e like a bre e zy h az e
He san g man’s ways
—n o t h e igh ts of sag e o r Sa in t ,
No t highways bro ad , n o t h aun ts e ndeared to lovers ;He san g life
’s byways, san g its an g le s quain t ,
Its Run ic lore in scribed o n stave o r ston e ;
Son g’
s sh ort-hand strain—its key oft h is alon e .
i i t 1.
Brown ing h imse lf, wh en asked by Mr . Edmond G osse to
se lect from his works four poems of mode rate le n gth which might
be taken as represen ting him fair ly, an swered thus
1 9Warwick Crescen t , W March 1 5,’85.
My dear G osse , Four Poems, o f modera te leng th , which represen t th e ir
auth o r fairly —if I kn ew what modera tion exactly me an t , th e ch o ice would
Lyr ical Saul or A bt Vogle r .
Nat rativo A Fo rgiven ess.
Dramatic : Caliban o n Se tebo s.
Idyllic (in th e G re ek sen se ) Olive .
Wh ich means th at , be in g restr icted to four dips in th e lucky-bag , I sh ould n o t
o bject to be judged by th ese samples—ao far as th ese go—for th ere is somewha t
beh ind still
P igeonhok Paragraphs . 275
A Sister o f Mercy from th e we st of Ire land sends a curious
t estim ony to th e lin guistic skill of th e late Fath e r John O’
Car
r o ll , S.J., which dese rve s to be join ed with th ose that we quotedfrom Professor MaxMuller and oth er experts, n on e of wh om, we
tr ust, will die in a poo rh ouse lik e our n ew witn ess
We were much in tere sted in th e sh or t memo ir o f Fath er O ’
Can o ll . He gaveus two Re treats in Tuam and on e h e re . Wh ile h e re , h e had a poor o ld man
e n g ag ed to wa lk with an d ta lk Ir ish to h im , and h e won th e o ld fe llow’s h eart
co m ple te ly. Th e po o r man spe n t h is last two years in th o wo rkh ouse and died
th e re ; and h e nsed ofte n to talk about ‘Fath er John ’in a rapture .
‘He was a
g rant warran t to talk Ir ish ,’ h e said .
”
as a. 4:
Have you ever r ead Lo rd Byron’s descr iptio n of th e Battle o f
A lbue ra in Fren ch pro se If so , you will unde r stand th e mar ve ll ous
ch an ge wrough t in th ough ts wh en expr essed in th e ir proper m e tr ical
fo rm ; and you will mak e larg e allowan ce s fo r th e fo llowin g tr ibute
pa id in Ir ish ve rse to th e same Fath e r O’Carro ll . It appe ar ed in a
r e ce n t nunibe r of The G ae lic J?mm al. Would th at our r eaders and our
pr in ter s an d our edi to r we r e compete n t to r eproduce and appreciate
th e o rig inal ! Th e first wo rds of this lite ral transla tion sh ow th at this
Ir ish Jesuit, with Ce ltic n ame an d h e art and ton gue , is alre ady dead
Sudden ly in March , th e mon th of tran sition , th e h our struck for our dear
Pa th er John . Th e assign ed te rm was come ; full were h is days of th e best de eds ;
n o de lay in th e way did h e make , and e arn ed as reward of h is labour an e ternal
crown . We ll orde red was h is life . I h id him a hundred farewells. Wh en death
ed lsd h im , h e was on th e watch , th ough it came unawar e like a thi e f. Our str ongo n e is taken from n a. No t in upbra idin g are we of Th e e , O G od —to Th e e doe se vu '
y on e be lon g—but h e was so fr ie ndly, wise , upr igh t, g en tle , h e shall n o t be
sn a tch ed away from a s with out so rrow to us . Pur e was h is h eart ; dign ified and
lo f ty wer e his aims. In Er in h is like is n ot n ow to be found.
0 0
L et me , with out any permissio n , g ive an extract from a private
l e tte r fr om o n e wh o h as don e a gr e at deal of th e mo st so lid wo rk fo r
C ath o lic lite ratur e, and wh o , if h e liked, could do much fo r it also in
th e departm en t to wh ich h is r emarks r efe r .
“ Did you ever read th e Tale o f Tin te rn by the late Fath er Caswall?If no t,a sk your Fath er Librarian to ge t it at o n ce . Burns an d Oates, on ly two sh illin gs ,
I th ink . It is on e of th e mo st ch armin g po ems in th e languag e as a poem , and
quite un ique as be ing about Our Lady. If you g et it at o nce , it will inspire you
with a beautiful ar ticle for May. Th ey will, o f course , send you th e second
edition ; but it is a curi o us fact tha t th e first edition was wr itte n in ten syllable
l in e s, th e se con d in eig h t syllables. But , th ough it is en tire ly rewr itten , n o t on e
wo rd is sa id by th e auth o r regardin g th e change . Th e second edition is g reatly
s7e The Ir ish Month ly.
THE DA L ADA MA LIG AWA .
NE of th e principal sights in Ceylon is th e Dalada Maligawa ,
or G reat Temple of th e Sacred Tooth , which is th e mo st
celebrated Buddh ist Temple of th e East . Th is temple is in
Kandy, which town is continually thronged wi th pilgrims fr om
India , Chin a , Thibet, etc. , wh o come to pay th e ir re spects to the
Dalada . Th e Maligawa is a larg e octagon in sh ape , and consists
o f th e library, priests’apartmen ts, th e shr in e chambe r , and a
larger ro om wh e re th e pe ople perform th e ir devo tions. In th e
library are some wonderful books, th e Pitakas or suppo se d teach
ings of G andama , th e ve ritable Buddh a . Th ese are mostly
writte n on thin strips of wood, bound togeth er in pile s by silken
strings ; some h ave magnificent cove rs of go ld or silve r studded
with pre cious ston e s, an d on e bo ok co nsists of sh ee ts of silver 1 or
leaves, with th e wr itin g pain ted in th e an cient Pali characte r ,
which ha s be en unused for th ousan ds of years. In the outer
sanctuary th er e ar e figure s of Buddha standing , sitting , and
reclin in g . Two sitting figures, about a foo t h igh , are cut out of
pure crystal , the in trin sic value of which must be e normous . The
smo oth shaven , ye llow-robed Buddh ist prie st wh o was our cice ron e ,
afte r sh owing us th ese figur es, coo lly h e ld out a plate for our sub
scription . I n eve r fully r eal iz ed till I saw th ese images what th e
sayingf ‘A s clear as crystal m ean t. Th e candl e h e ld behind
th em sh owed th em to be pe rfe ctly tran sparen t, every lin e an d
Th e shr in e -chambe r wh ere th e Dalada or to o th is kept, is very
small . A s it is co nsidered a great conce ssion to sh ow even th e
shr in e to any but th e faithful , we we re greatly h on oured at be inga llowed to se e it, and, of course , dropped an o th er rupe e in to th e
plate . Th e re lic is kept unde r seve n we ll -sh aped case s, which fit
o n e inside th e oth er , th e oute r case be ing about five fe e t in h e ight ;
this o n e is silver gilt, th e o the rs are beautifully wrought in go ld,o rn am ented with pre cious ston e s, and the cen tral part of on e is a
huge emerald. Th e siz e of th e to o th ought to convin ce any san e
person that it n eve r cam e out of a human h ead, but rath er a caput
asin i ; but th e poor be n igh ted Sin hale se h as implicit faith in‘ his
priests, and n eve r would h e dare doubt th e ir word for an in stan t.
278 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
lite ratur e . Bro th e r A z ar ias is laudably par ticular in specifying th e
auth o ri ti e s that h e fo ll ows, yet his e rudi tion is anythin g but cumbrous,
and h is disquisitions flow on ple asan tly, just as if e ach ch apte r wer e
n o t th e substance o f sun dry vo lum e s. Th e work is addr e ssed to th e
g en e ra l public o th e rwise two mo n ths would n o t h ave sufliced to
exhaust th e second edi tion .
3 . Lady Ma rtin’s exce llen t tran sla tion of th e Fr ench Life of Do n
Bo sco , foun de r o f th e Sale sian So cie ty, h as ve ry soo n r e ach ed a second
edi tion , and we ar e sur e th at many o th e r edi tions will be r equir ed . It
is a fr e sh an d in te r e stin g pie ce o f biography, an addi tio n.
o f pe r
man en t in te r est to our biograph ical sto r e s. Our Ir ish tran slato r h as
perform ed h er duty admirably ; and th e publish e rs h ave produced th e
bo ok 1 1 as ple asan tly r eadable a sh ape as coul d be de sir ed.
4 . We ar e a little puz z led by th e pious pamph le t en titled Hai lJe sus ; o r
,A cts upo r th e Life and Passion o f our Saviour Jesus
Chr ist, by th e late Ven e rable F . A ugustin e Bake r (Lo ndon : Burn s
an d Oate s) . Wh o is thi s Fath e r Bak e r?If a mode rn , why called
Ven e rable .
” If th e an cien t auth o r o f San cta Soph ia ,”why call
h im th e late , as if h e h ad died last ye ar?It is som e time s h a rd to
te ll wh en o n e is so lo n g de ad as to be n o lon g e r th e late but th at
is n o t th e case with r egard to th is co ll ection o f pious affe ction s, wh ich
ough t to h ave be en accompani ed by som e n o te con ce rn ing its auth or
sh ip, e tc.
5. Many of our r eade rs wi ll be in te r ested for th e pre ach e r’s sak e
in Th e Church o f Ch r ist , h er Mission an d h e r Sacrifice : two Se rmon s
pr e ach ed by th e Re v. Pa tr ick Dillon , D .D., St . Jam e s’s, Newa rk , New
Je re ey (New York : Mich ae l Walsh , 2 1 Park Row) . But th ese
se rmon s ar e we ll wo rth r e adin g: fo r th e ir own sake . Th ey ar e dedi
cated to th e Ve ry R e v . Joh n Bar tley, Provin cial of th e Ir ish Carm e li tes
of A ncien t Obse r van ce , by a Fo rm e r Pupil ,”
an d th ey we r e bo th
pr each ed in th e Chur ch of Our Lady of th e Scapul ar , NewYo rk , inwh ich Ir ish Carme lite Fa th e rs h ave labour ed fo r only two ye ars. Th e
fir st se rmon on th e Mission of th e Cath o lic Church was de liver ed o n
th e occasio n o f th e dedication of this church last Decembe r ; and th e
o th e r o n th e gr e at Ch r istian Sacrifice was pr each ed as r ecen tly as Feb
rua ry 23rd in th e pr e sen t ye ar , wh en Bishop Conr oy consecrated th e
altar . Bo th o f th em display to advan tage Dr . Dillon’s learn in g an d
e loquen ce .
6 . Mrs. Charle s Mar tin o n th e title -pag e o f h er n ew work, Th e
Life of St . Justin (London : Bur n s and Oates) is de scr ibed as
auth o r o f The l ife of St. Jer ome, e tc.
”It was fitting to conn ect th is
ske tch with h e r pr evious essay in ecclesiastical bio graphy, but it is
Notes on New Books. 279
w e ll to r emembe r h ow many exce lle n t con tr ibution s to th e ligh te r
d epa rtme n ts of li
te ratur e ar e mode stly ve iled unde r th at etce tera . St .
Justin ’s mass and office h ave on ly r ecen tlyb e en exte nded to th e wh ole
Ch urch by L eo XIII., an d th er e is a cer ta in tim e lin ess in Mrs. Mar
tin’
s e nde avour to mak e h is car e er an d ch aracte r be tte r kn own . Sh e
h as used with skill an d car e th e ma te rials placed at h e r disposal ; but
th es e mate rials ar e , of course , n ot so abundan t o r in te r estin g as in th e
case of St . Jer ome . Th e pr ese n t work is inde ed much sh o r ter . Th e
publish ers h ave g iven an attr active appe aran ce to thi s use ful and
e difying accoun t o f th e great Ch ristian A po log ist, wh o , as Mrs .
Ma r tin sh ows i n h e r pr e face , h es a me ssag e fo r th e wo r ld even at th e
pr e sen t stag e of th e wor ld’s in te llectua l and r e ligious life .
7 . Mar ie and Paul ,” by Our Little
'
Woman”(Lo ndon : Burns
an d Oate s) h as n o year of publica tio n mark ed o n its title -
page , and it
ce r tain ly h as n o r igh t to h ide itse lf o r to parade itse lf amo ng a batch
o f n ew bo oks, for it has be e n in existen ce fo r som e years. This is a
j us tification of th ose r eviewers wh o r e fuse to n o tice an unda ted book .
Th e b 1n d1 ag o f this sligh t sk e tch of fifty small page s is pre tty, a nd
th e to n e 1 8 pious. Th er e is some con fusion in th e n amin g of th e
p e r so n s con ce rn e d. A r e th ey Fre nch qr English Is Ma rie
pr o n o un ced as we ll as spe lled in a oh fash ion If ao , Paul
o ugh t to rhym e with dull. Omin ous wo rd, but rath e r appr opr iate in
th e pr esen t con text .
8 . Th e 4th o f May is th e day appo in ted in th e Car thusian Orde rfo r th e fe ast o f th e ir English Ma r tyrs. Th e publicatio n , th e r e fo r e , is
t im e of a translatio n o f Dom Maurice Ch e n ey’
s con tempo rary LatinHi sto ry o f th e Sufie r ings o f Eigh te en Car th usian s in En gla nd, wh o ,
r e fusin g to take part in sch ism and to separate th emse lve s fr om th e
un ity o f th e Ca th o lic Church , we r e crue lly mar tyr ed”(Lo ndon
Bur n s an d Oates) . It is pr oduced in th e e legan t but som ewh at in
a ppropria te fo rm o f a larg e and th in quarto , such a s Mr . Joh n Old
c astl e’s m emo rial of Cardin al Newman .
9 . Me ssrs. Ben z ige r o f NewYo rk , Cin cin n ati a nd Ch icago , h ave
pub lish ed a go od tr an slation of th e Life o f Fath e r Ch ar le s Sir e , S.J.,
wh ich is ve ry emph atica lly r e comme nded by th e Pro vin cia l o f th e
Jesuits in New Yo rk and by Cardin a l G ibbo n s. Th e Fr e nch Je suit
was bo rn in 1 828 and was buried at se a in 1 864 , o n hi s way h ome
from a m issio n ary life in th e island of Bourbo n . His life iswritte nby o n e of h is’ thr e e Sulpitian br o th e rs, but of course th e mate ria ls
h ave be e n ch icfly furn ish ed by h is r e lig ious b re thr e n of th e So cie ty .
V ery m in ute and’edifyin g accounts ar e given of h is disch arg e o f th e
var ious dutie s o f a Je suit, in co lleg e s e specially, with many extr acts
280 The Ir ish Month ly.
from h is spiritual pape rs . Th is simple biography”is far
b eyo n d th e ave rag e in wo rth and exten t .
1 0 . Th e same publish e rs h ave bough t out th e sixte e n th vo lume
Se rmo n s fo r Sun days”
) of th e Ce n te n ary Edi tion of th e wo rks o f’
S. A lph o n sus Liguo ri , wh ich h is A m e r ican so ns are edi tin g with ve ry
gr e a t care .
1 1 . In a seco nd editio n an d in a very pr e tty cove r we we lcome
again A Sh r in e and a Sto ry, by th e auth o r o f Tyborne (LondonBurn s and Oate s) . It r e late s ch i efly to St. Jo seph
’s, Po rtland Row,
Dublin but th e page s bristle with in te r e stin g n ame s—Dr . Blake of
Dromo re , Fath e r He n ry Youn g , Ell e n Ke r r , and (to m en tion o n e
amo n gst th e livin g ) Mr . Jam es Murphy, wh o ha s labour ed so long
for th is Hom e fo r vir tuous sin gle femal e s. Mo th e r Magdal e n Taylo r
g ive s many in te restin g extracts from Lady G e o rg ian a Full e rto n’s
le tte rs . Y e t, fo r many, th e m o st in te re sting of th e se page s will be
th o se de vo ted to th e h o ly and am iable m emo ry o f th e unkn own Ir ish
woman ,
’
Elle n Ke rr .
1 2 . Th e Church o f My Baptism ,
” by Fran cis Kin g (Lo ndonBur n s an d Oate s), is a ve ry cl e ve r and full explan ation of th e r easo n s
why th e wr ite r r e turn ed to th e On e Church . Its Un ity is a sufi cien tly
distin ctive a ttr ibute . Th e sam e publish e r s h ave se n t na Mr . Will iamG arrat
’
s ve ry full accoun t o f th e Ho ly House o f Lo r e tto , whi ch isillustrated by seve r al maps and pictur es . A ve ry exquisi te little bo okfo r May is Mr . J S . Fle tch e r
’s Our Lady
’s Mon th (London : R .
Wash bourn e ) . A use ful addi tio n to th e publica tio ns o f th e Cath o lic
Truth So cie ty is To Calvary : a NewMe th od of mak in g th e Sta tio ns
o f th e Cr o ss,”tran sla ted by L . M . Ke n ny from th e Fr e n ch o f Fath e r
A bt, SJ. Fin ally we can o n ly m e n tio n a pamph le t on th e “ Vagus
Tr e atm en t o f Ch o le ra”by Dr . Al exande r Harkin o f Be lfast (Lo n don :
R e n sh aw) , a nd, to e nd our May n o tice s mo re appropr iate ly, two hymns
to th e Ble ssed Virg in , with music by Mr . J. J Jo hn son o f Dublin .
1 3 . A lth ough coming v e ry late , our May Numbe r must m e n tion
Th e Mo n th o f Mary, acco rdin g to th e spir it o f St. Fr an cis of Sal e s,”
by Do n G aspar G illi , tran sla ted and abridg ed from th e Italian by 9.
Siste r of th e In stitute of Ch ar ity, an d publish ed with h is won ted taste
skill an d car e by Mr . R . Wa sh bourn e , 1 8 Pate rn o ste r Ro w, Lo ndon ,A lth ough abridg ed by th e tran slato r ; it run s to 250 pag e s, and is
ce rta in ly on e o f th e b est and mo st so lid of th e many bo oks bearingsimila r n am e s. A l l co n ce rn ed in its En glish pr ese n ta tio n h ave don e
th e ir par t we ll . A nd so h ave th e R e v. A lbe rt Barry, 0 . 88 . R .,and
hi s prin te rs with r egard to th e Ven e rable Sarn e lli’s exquisite lydevo tion al little tr e atise on th e Ho ly Ro sary. It will h e lp many to
pe rform much be tte r th e ir favourite daily exe rcise of filial pie ty.
282 The Ir i'
sh Month ly.
h appen , was ve ry trying to a girl of Dora’s sensitive n atur e . It made
h e r r estless and unse ttled, and h er wo rk becam e a tr ouble to h e r .
But sh e did h er'
best to sh ak e ofi th e fe e ling of disgust and struggled
brave ly on .
A t last, h owever , th e h eavy atmosph er e of th e worh rwm,th e lo n g
h ours and d o es work, began to tell’
upon h e r h ea lth . Sh e gr ew
ir r egular in h e r attendance at Mdme . G arni tur e’s e stablishmen t , an d
befor e th e end of th e seco nd year sh e was oblig ed to stay at h om e
a ltoge th er . This was a te rrible grief to h er . Sh e was n ow unable to
e arn any mon ey, and so became quite depende n t on h e r sister . A nd
Madge’
s salary was so sma ll. Bar ely e n ough to suppo rt o n e , it was
n ow called upon to do double duty, and provide bo th gir ls wi th th e
n ece ssaries o f life .
“
Lady A shfie ld maycome h ome soo n , Madge—sh e is sur e to com e
soon ,”cr ied Do ra feverishly on e eve n ing , wh en h e r siste r h ad com e
back from th e sch o o l a little earlie r th an usual . It is n ow n e arly
two years since sh e wen t away. If sh e wer e in Lo ndon , sh e migh t‘
g ive m e some work to do . I am be tte r n ow. I coul d sew h er e and
h e lp you. We h ave n o mo n ey l eft. oh , Madge , wh at sh all we do to
pay our r en t?Dar ling , do n o t fr e t,
”sa id Madge , putting h er a rm round th e
girl and kissing3
h e r lovin gly. Som e thin g wil l sur e ly turn up.
”Sh e
smil ed . Don’t you r emember h ow dear Miss Ma tilda use d always
s ay th at?So don ’t cry, pe t . Our la ndl ord h as promised to wait .
Th at in its e lf is a bo on .
”
Ho rrid o ld man ! I wish we h ad stayed with Mrs. Skinn er .
Sh e was so kind and
But, my lo ve , youkn ow h e r terms we r e impossible .
I kn ow, I kn ow.,
If on ly Lady A shfie ld would com e h om e .
Do r e , I do n ot be lieve in Lady Ashfie ld. My on ly h ope , my
constant prayer is th at I may soo n come acro ss th e A th erston es in
som e way or an o th er .
’
We ll , we h ave bo th a diffe r en t plan fo r g e tting out of our
pr esen t dificul ties,”said Dora with a fain t smil e . Ne ith e r is lik e ly
t o succe ed, I fear . But oh , my darlin g , if I could o n ly wo rk
and h e lp, I would n o t find it so h ard, so very h ard to wait.
A nd two la rge tears ro ll ed slowly down th e gir l’s pale ch e ek .
Now, I te ll you wh at I will do , Dora . I’ll go o il to Mdme .
G arn itur e ,”cried Madg e , and ask h e r to give you some wo rk to do
a t h ome . Why did I n ever thin k o f thi s befor e?I suppo se becauseI fancied you were too ill to do anythin g . But I will go this momen t .
A nd wh en my dar lin g fee ls h er finge rs busy, sh e may become mor e
r econciled to h er fate .
A Str iking Contrast. 283
Dora’s face grew brigh t . A swe e t smil e played about th e co rn e rs
o f h e r mouth as sh e n estled up to Madg e , and laid h er h ead upon h er
sh o ulder .
Dear little siste r , sh e whispe red, if onlyIh adwork to do , you
sh ould n eve r h e ar m e grumble . Your idea is a good on e . A nd oh , I
h ope , I pray, that Mdme . G arn itur e may gran t your request. I th inksh e wi ll . Sh e was always ve ry kind.
”
Y es. I th ink sh e will . A nd n ow I must be 0 3 . I h ave n o time
to spar e .
”
Th en kissin g Dora tenderly, Madge sprang to h er fe e t, and puttingo n h er h at and jack e t, tur n ed to le ave th e ro om .
Madge ,”ca ll ed Dora softly, it is rath e r windy and co ld, but it
y ou wouldn’t mind you migh t go roun d byBe lgrave Str e et. It is just
possible th at Lady A shfie ld may h ave r e turn ed. We h ave n e ith er of
n a be e n th er e fo r many mon th s.
”
Very well , dear est. I shall cer ta inly go round that way. I
d on'
t mind th e wind in th e least.” A nd lowering h e r ve il Madge
A s th e door clo sed behind h e r sister , Do ra flun g h erself back upon
t h e little hard sofa, o n wh ich sh e n ow spen t much of h er time . He rch e eks we re flush ed. Sh e was ne rvous an d exci ted.
Some th in g tells m e th ey will so o n r e turn,”sh e murmur ed, and
th e n—an d th e n h ow h appy I sh all be . I em sur e to ge t nice , fr esh ,
da in ty wo rk fr om Lady A shfie ld and som e o f h e r fr iends. A visit
n ow and again from h er . Music le ssons for Madge . Well -paid
l e sson s, pe rhaps, th r e e o r four a we ek . Th e ladi e s a t Pen e lope
L odge must no t r e fuse h er tim e in which to give th em, of course n o t.
A nd that will mean much mor e mon ey. My wo rk and Madg e’s
le ssons. Oh , we sh all grow quite r ich . A nd my da rlin g sh all h ave
som e n ew dr esse s—some silk on es, too—a pre tty brown silk with
co ffe e lace , and some jewe ls—br igh t go ld e arrings, and a bro och at h er
co llar . A h ! h ow nice sh e will lo ok , my bonn ie Madge . A nd I—we lli t doe sn
’t much matter about m e . But I think a blue cashme r e migh t
sui t my complexion .
” Do ra laugh ed softly. Wh at castles in th e
ai r ! Ve ry much in th e air , I’m afraid. I
’m lik e th e ch ild in th e
Th e wee bo n n ie ba irn
Sits pokin’in th e use ,
G lowe rin’a t th e fire
With h is we ll -roun d face .
Laugh in’a t th e pufln
’lowe .
Wha t sees h e th ere PA h th e bonn ie baim
Is bigg in’castles in th e air .
284 The Ir ish Month ly.
Dora ’s vo ice was n o t powerful . But it was swe et, round and full .
Sh e san g with much expr ession , and th ere was some th in g very
touchin g and sympath e tic in h er mann er o f sing ing . Thi s was on e of
her gre atest ple asur es. A nd many a weary h our it h ad h e lped h e r to
wh ile away as sh e lay alon e in th e poo r little lodgin g , lon gin g to
work , and ye t n ot able to go out to do ao .
A s th e last words of h er so ng died away th e do or was rude ly
Open ed, and a small , grey-h eaded man e n tered th e ro om . He h ad a
sh arp, thin face , a h ooked n ose , and a pair of fierce , crue l eye s. Hewal k ed up close to th e sofa on wh ich th e gir l lay and glared at h er
A fin e young lady, to be sur e , h e h issed fr om be twe en hi s te e th .
Lying all day upon my couch , instead o f wo rking h ard to pay me
my r en t.
Do ra started up in alarm .
Oh , pl ease , Mr . Brimage . Ple ase do n o t be angry. I—I cann otwo rk I em so weak and
But you can sing . I h eard you just n ow. G o out and singround th e squar e s. You’ll ge t m on ey fast en ough th e r e , I
'll be t .
”
Oh , I could n ot do th at,”cr ied Dora in h o rro r . Inde ed, I
could n o t .”
Bosh ! h e an swer ed con temptuously Beggars can’t be
ch oo se rs. G ir ls lik e you have n o busin ess to be proud. Be tte r to sing
th an to starve .
Y e s. But, pray have a littl e patience , Mr . Brimage ,”sh e said
implor in gly. Madg e h as gon e to look fo r work fo r m e and“
.Wo rk for you A fin e lo t o f wo rk you’ll do . Now,
I te ll you
wh at it is, my girl , if you and th at sister o f yours cann o t pay m e by
to -mo rrow, out you go .
”
Dora burst in to tears, and sinking back upon th e sofa , cove r ed h e r
face with h e r h ands.
To -morrow ! It is impossible ,”
sh e sobbed . We h ave n o
mon ey. We
G o out an d g e t it th en . Bend your pr oud spir it, o r tak e th e
consequence s. I h ave h ad a go od o ffe r for th e se apartm en ts, and if
you do n o t pay, why, you must go . G ood even ing .
”
A nd h e wen t away, shutting th e doo r with a ban g th at sh ook th e
h ouse .
Dora raised h er h e ad and star ed blankly round h e r . He r eyes
r ested on th e dingy carpe t, on wh ich itwas n o longer possible to trace
any patte rn ; o n th e faded cur tain s, th e ricke ty ch airs and table , th e
shabby clo th .
It is po o r , mo r e th an po o r ,”sh e murmur ed. But it is a h ome .
An d if we ar e turn ed out, whe r e sh all we go
286 The Ir ish Month ly.
Mr . Brimage laugh ed loudly.
I sh ould th ink n o t. Th o se good ladies are n ot so gen e rous.
But h e to ld me n o t to men tion his nam e .
”
He—we kn ow n o on e . Th at is, at least
Do ra flush ed h o tly, and h er h eart began to beat fast, h er lips to
“ We ll , I think you’ll h ear from him so on . He se em ed gre atly
ple ased to learn wh ere you lived. He an" h is moth er h ad be en
v antin’to kn ow fo r a long time . But I fancy, fo r all you make such
a fuss, you knowverywell wh o h e is.
”
Y e s,”said Dora simply, I kn ow n ow. It was Lo rd A shfie ld .
Tha t was th e veryman . But, min d you, I did n ot te ll you h is
n ame . G ood n igh t .”
A nd Mr . Brimage made a low bow and left th e ro om .
CHAPTER XII.
r u r r o r n s r z s'r .
A s Madge wen t th ough tq y th r ough t h e str ee ts, h e r h eart sad,
h er mind fil ledwi th th e all -abso rbing problem o f Do ra and h er futur e ,
sh e suddenly found h erse lf face to face with Madame G arn iture .
A h , Miss Ne il , th e r e you ar e ,”
cri ed th e dr e ssmak e r . I’ve
be e n wonder ing gr eatly about your little siste r . Wh at h as become ofh er of late
Sh e h as be en il l and weak, Mdme . G arn itur e . Quite unable to
go to wor
Poor child. I em so rry. Sh e was th e be st and most pun ctual
o f my wo rke rs. But sh e’ll so on be we ll en ough to come back to us, I
h ope .
”
I fe ar n ot. Th e h ot ro om is to o much for h er . But I was just
goin g to you to ask you a favour . Could you give h er some
wo rk to do at h ome?Sh e is we ll en ough fo r that, and I em sur e you
could trust h er .
”
Oi course . Sh e mak e s button -h o les beautifully. I’ll send h e r
some bodies to fin ish té-mo rrow.
”
Th ank you, th ank you. Sh e is so anxious to earn mon ey. Thi s
will give h e r fr esh life . G od ble ss you, Mdm e . G arn itur e .
”
A nd Madge’s eye s we r e full o f tears as sh e sh ook th e go od
woman’
s h and.
“ M’ e ll, n ow,I em so r ry you did n o t come to me befor e , dear . I
A Str iking Contrast. 287
o ften th ough t o f little Do ra , fo r th e chi ld pleased me gre atly. But I
um so busy. I n eve r could find time to go and se e h er .
”
No , o f course n o t . No one could expe ct you to pay visits.
”
“ Perhaps n o t . But still I sh ould h ave se nt. Howeve r , I’ll look
a fte r h e r now. A nd I tell you what, I’m go ing to dr ess a beautiful
y oun g lady for th e Drawingr o om on Thursday. He r maid is young
and in expe r ie nced, so I must arrange h e r train . A sk your siste r if
sh e’ll come with m e . Imay wan t h e r to h o ld pins and things for me
and it will amuse h e r .
Y es. I em sur e it would. Thank you so much .
Ve ry we ll , th e n , I’
ll call fo r h e r in a cab abo ut e leven o’clock .
Me a nwh ile , as th is is o n ly
'
Tuesday, I’ll se n d h e r some work .
”
Y ou ar e ve ry good and kind. I don’t kn ow h ow to th ank you.
Nonsense , de ar . I do n’t
'wan t any th anks . G o od-bye . I’m in
an awful hurry. G lad Ime t you. Ta, ta .
”
A nd with a smil e and a wave o f th e h and, th e kind-h earted dr ess
m ak er turn ed a co rn er and disappe ared.
Wh at go od n ews fo r my darlin g ,”th ough t Madge joyful ly. I
could hug you, Mdme . G arni tur e , for yo ur kindn ess. A nd n ow,
be fo r e go ing h ome . I must take a pe ep at Be lgrave Str e e t, jnet tosa tisfy my pe t th at Lady A shfie ld h as n o t ye t r e turn ed.
But wh en Madg e stood Oppo site th e h ouse and lo oked up at th e
windows, sh e utte r ed an exclamation of surprise and de ligh t .
A t last ! Y es, sur e ly, Lady A shfie ld must be at h ome . Th is
ch an ge must m e an th at sh e h as r e turn ed.
Th e o n ce din gy exte r io r h ad be e n fr eshly pain ted. Daffodils an d
da isies filled th e window-boxes, and th e wh o le h ouse was br ill ian tlyl igh ted. Th e blinds in th e din in g
-ro om h ad n o t be en pulled down ,a n d th e table , beautifully decorated with ch o ice dowe rs and r ich silve r ,
was plain ly visible fr om th e stre e t.
Howde ligh tful to sit at such a table ,”sigh edMadge . He igh o '.
th e we althy h ave many th ings to make life ple asan t . How h appywe sh ould be n ow
, if on ly my swe e t Do ra had n o t be en robbed .
But th er e , a truce to such dreams . I must try if I can n o t se e LadyA shfie ld to -n igh t . A nd th e n wh o kn ows wh at may h appen
And full o f h ope Madg e ran g th e be ll . In an in stan t th e h al l
do or flew open , an d two men in powde r ed h air sto od silen tly waitingfo r h e r to spe ak .
Can I se e Lady A shfie ld sh e ask ed n er vously. I th ink sh e
would se e me if you to ld h e r my name . Miss Ne il .”
“ Y es,”answe r ed o n e of th e men promptly. He r ladysh ip wil l
see you, I kn ow. Will you kindly walk th is way?Madge did as de sir ed, and h aving fo llowed th e man across a
288 The Ir ish Month ly.
r ich ly-carpe ted h all and down a long corridor , was ush e r ed in to a
small but exquisite ly fur nish ed room . Th e re was n o o n e th e r e ; and
placin g a ch air n ear th e fire and inwitin g h er to be se ated, th e £00 tmurmured th at h e would te ll h er ladyship, and withdr ew.
Le ft alon e , Madge sto od sti ll gaz ing r ound h er in de ligh t. Never
b efo r e h ad sh e se en such a ro om . Th e co lours we r e soft and h ar
mon ious. Th e furn itur e , which was of richly-ca rv ed ebo ny, ton ed
admirably with th e gbrg e ous embro ideries th at wer e th rown about
over cha irs and so fas. Th e cabin ets we re full of rar e chin a ; th e walls
cove r ed with Japan ese cur ios and pieces of o ld tapestry. Th e wh o le
ai r of th e place was r estful . It was a ro om to dream ,r ead , think in ,
a nd Madge fe ll in to a kind of trance as sh e drank in th e many
beauti e s of h e r surroundin gs.
But h er dream was o f sh o r t duration . For pre se n tly th e rustlin g
o f silk en garmen ts was h eard, and LadyA shfie ld swept in to th e ro om .
Sh e was dr essed in a rich dinn e r dress o f a de ep dark r ed, with flash
in g diamonds in h er h air and r ound h e r n eck . Sh e was tall and
dignified lookin g , and as sh e came forward to gre e t h er visitor , h er
face was ligh ted up with a gracious smile of we lcom e .
My de a r Miss Ne il,I am so glad to se e you at last . My so n and
I h ad almost de spair ed o f eve r fin din g you out.”
Y ou h ave be en away for so lo ng, Lady A shfield .
True . But why did you n ot come an d se e th e h ouseke eper
Sh e h ad th e name s of sever al fri ends of min e wh o would h ave taken
music le sson s fr om you. Th ey promised m e th ey would.
I em so so r ry. But wh e n we ca ll ed n e ar ly two ye ar s ago , we
could ge t but littl e info rmation . Th e o ld woman a t th e do o r kn ew
n oth in g o f your moveme nts .
”
It was un fo r tun ate , altoge th e r , said Lady A shfie ld kindly.
For my so n and I we r e de te rmin ed to h e lp you and watch ove r you.
But my fath e r’s long illn ess and dea th put eve rythin g e lse out of my
h ead A nd n ow te ll in e h ow is our fr ie nd, swe e t littl e Do ra
Alas ! Sh e is far from we ll , Lady A shfie ld,"
r eplied Madge
sadly. Sh e h a s snfie r ed much durin g th e last two ye ars, and h e r
h ealth is n o t go od even n ow. Sh e rar ely leaves th e h ouse .
”
Poo r child. I em extr eme ly grieved to h ea r such a bad accoun t
o f h e r . I will go to se e h er soon . A nd h ow h ave you be en do ing ,
Miss Neil?A re you ge ttin g on we ll?”No t we ll . I wo rk in a sch o o l all day. But th e salary is small .
It is n ot n e ar ly sufficien t for th e suppo rt of two pe ople , and late ly
Dora h as e arn ed n o thi ng , po o r darling .
”
Would you h ave time to give lessons if I could ge t some fo r
90 The Ir ish Month ly.
A nn e Dan e , said Madge in a clear , firm vo ice , is a swindle ran d a ch eat.
”
Lady A shfie ld started.
My dear Miss Ne il, tha t is strong—Imay say vio len t language .
No t half strong o r vi olen t en ough,”cried Madge , spr inging to
h er fe e t, h e r ch e eks cr imson with excitemen t . Fo r sh e has dece ived
h er gen e rous master , Sir Eustace A th e rston e , and do n e a cruel, cruel
1 1 3 to an in n ocen t hh ild.
”
Wh at do you m eanThis, Lady A shfie ld. Ou th e nigh t of th e wr eck of th e Cimbr ia.
A n n e Dan e was put into a boat wi th a chi ld in h e r arms . Fr om
th en ce sh e was r e scued, I don’t kn ow h ow, and we n t to Londo n , n o t
with Sylvia A th erston e , but with my siste r, Dora Ne il .
Lady A shfie ld stared at th e girl in aston ishmm t .
Th en you mean to say
Th at this be autiful girl, this ao -called Sylvia , is a usurper ; that
sh e h as n o r igh t to h er name , wealth , o r position , and th at th e r eal
Sylvia is th e swe e t, de licate ch ild wh o saved you and your son .
”
Y ou ar e—you must be e ith e r dr e aming or mad
I em n e ith e r . Wh at I te ll you is true , abso lute ly true . Th e
fair , ge ntle girl you kn ow'
e s Dora Ne il is r eal ly Sylvia A th erston e .
”
What pro of,”asked Lady A shfie ld coldly, h ave you of this
Madge cast down h er eyes, h er co lour wen t and cam e .
“ Al as ! n on e .
”
Lady A shfie ld gave a sigh of r e li ef.
I th ough t so .
But if I could se e A nn e Dan e for a momen t, cried th e gir l
veh eme ntly. If I could bring h er face to face
My de ar youn g lady, you talk n onsense . With out pro of, andstr o n g pro of, n o on e would e ve r be lieve such a sto ry. Take my
advice , and put this silly fancy out of your h ead. It can on ly do h
to you. Do r a , and eve n , pe rh aps. in a small way to Miss A th erston e .
Silly fan cy, gasped Madge , clasping h e r hands and raising h er
eyes appeali n g ly to Lady A shfie ld’s face . Oh , it is n o fancy. It is
truth , pur e , simple truth .
But, eve n supposing it wer e true ,”
r epli ed Lady A shfie ld,
wonde ring at th e girl’s apparen t h on esty and extreme earn estn ess,
you say you h ave n o pr o of, and
We h ave th e po rtrai t of Sylvia’s moth e r , a min iature hung round
h er n eck by h e r fath e r as h e bade h e r go od-bye o n board that il l
fated vesse l , th e Cimbria . Sh e ’s so like that .”
But n o on e h e re eve r saw Mrs. A th e rston e . Sh e was an
Australian . He married h e r out th e r e , and
But Mr . A th e rston e h imse lf, h e would kn ow.
A Str iking Con trast. 291
Mr . A th e rston e is still in Austr a lia . Your min iatur e could n o t
prove anyth in g .
”
“ Th en , I must se e Ann e Dan e . Le t me come upon h er un
expectedly, and in th e presence of witn e sses, produce Dora and th e
min iature , and sh e will be surprised, terrified, and wi ll sur e lyackn owledge th e wicked fraud sh e h as be en car rying on fo r so many
ye ars .
”
My dear Miss Ne il, pray calm yourse lf. I do n ot—I cann o t
be lieve your sto ry. Y ou ar e labouring unde r some stran ge , some
wild de lusion .
”
Madge be n t h er h ead upon h e r h ands an d utte red a de ep groan .
“ Oh G od,”sh e murmur ed, h e lp me to r eve al th e truth , to
resto r e this poo r ch ild to h er h ome an d fri ends.
” Th e n looking upimplo rin gly, h e r eye s full of te ars. Lady Ashfie ld, pray, pray h e lpme . Y ou can , you
I em quite willing to h e lp you.
Madg e sprang fo rward with a cry of joy.
L ady A shfie ld h e ld up h e r hand .
Do n o t misunde rstand m e , ple ase , Miss Ne il . I am r e ady and
wil ling to do wh at I can to h e lp you to e arn mon ey, and suppo rt
your se lf and your siste r . But I do n o t, I te ll you h on estly, be lieve
your story. A nd if I did , n o th in g would eve r induce me to h e lp you
in any way to accomplish th e e nd you have in view. No t fo r th e
wo r ld would I be th e me an s of plungin g my dear o ld friend, Sir
Eustace , in to such a sea of trouble as th e very suggestion of such a
th in g would bring upo n h im .
”
Will you give m e A n n e Dan e’s addr e ss
Ce r tai nly n o t . Th at wo uld sur e ly assist you and cause much
misery. No , n o , Miss N e il , leave A n n e Dan e in peace , an d forg e t
th is foo lish n otion . Y ou h ave an h on e st face , an d se em much in
e am e st . So I can n ot be li eve you h ave will ingly in ven ted th is sto ry of
th e wr eck . But I‘
fe e l sur e th at you ar e suffe ring fr om a de lusion ,
an ha llucination , which h as pr obably gr own stron g e r as th e years
ha ve gon e on . But
Madg e ch ok ed back h e r te ars, and dr awin g h e r sligh t figur e up to
i ts full est h e igh t, said co ldly“ I em sorry to in terrupt you, Lady A shfie ld. But I must ask
you to say n o mo re . Y ou do n o t be li e ve my sto ry. Y ou tr eat me as
a mad woman , and, th e r efor e , I beg th at you will n o t take any
furth e r tr ouble fo r me . Y ou cann o t, it would be impo ssibl e for you
to recommend a liar o r a lunatic to your fri ends. So pray fo rge t th at
I exist . I r egr e t th at I sh ould h ave tak e n up so much of your
valuable tim e . A nd I will n ow wish you go od even ing .
”
292 The Ir ish Mon thly.
A nd with burning ch e eks, h er h ead h eld proudly er ect, Madg e
walk ed quickly from th e room .
Wh at strange in fatua tion cr ied Lady A shfie ld, as th e do o r
clo sed upon h e r visitor . Th e g irl’s mind must have sufier ed
seve r e ly fr om th e sh ock of th e wreck. But I trust th at th is sillyn o nse nse may n ever r each Sylvia
’s ears, n o r Sir Eustace
’s. Wha t
pain , what tr ouble it would cause , false th ough it be . In te nse mise ry,
I em sur e . But, dear me , h ow late it is ! A nd I have n o t quitefin ish ed my dr e ssing . I re ally fe e l much upset by th is strange scen e .
I must try and compo se myse lf befo re my guests arrive .
”
A nd sighing h eavily, Lady A sh fie ld le ft h er boudo ir and hurried
upstairs to complete h er to ile t.
(To be continued) .
A LIFE’S STRENG TH.
OUR AG E and faith and pati e nce !Keyn otes th eseTo th e full music o f a perfe ct life
Courage to bear and brave th e wasting strife
Of our fle e t years, n o r cr ave in glo rious e ase
1 1 1 a h ard wo r ld of to il by lands and seas 5.
Fa ith in ourse lve s to win th e wars we wage’G ainst self and sin , kn owing n o mind can gauge
Th e fin a l peace th at crowns earth’s victo rie s.
A nd be st of th ese is patie n ce , sh in in g br igh t
Ou th e h igh r o ll of vir tues. G od ha th grave n
Th is o’e r th e windin g stair th at le ads to Heaven ,
To guide us upward to th e Hill s of Ligh t.Would we be strong to win success a t length ,
In cour ag e , faith , and pa ti ence th e re is str e ngth .
Tm sa 0 . Bow .
294 Th e Irish Month ly.
and embarkin g on n ew, and perh aps perilous enterprises. A n d
wh at a medl ey ! What strange pranks Moth er Nature plays with
th e human face divin e ! Whatmighty ingenuity sh e sh ows in
mouldin g and casting th e coun te nances of men , so that th ere is n o
mistaking on e individual for an other ! Lean and hungry Italian
faces, from which cen turies of poverty have beate n out th e gran d
o ld Roman type of featur e ; calm and h eavy Teuton ic faces th a t
speak of easy lives and plenty o f lager beer ; th e high and angular
Norwegian face that has be en bufietted and with ered by th e
storms which swe ep up th e fiords and gulfs of th e ir rugged coasts ;
h ere th e face of an A rmenian , who stood a month ago on th e mo st
sacred so il that feet ever pressed ; and h ere th e olive featur es and
white burn ous of the A r ab, wh o was baked a few weeks ago unde r
the pyramids, and is n ow shive ring in th e co ld east wind th at is
churn ing th e wate rs in to ye llow foam . A nd he re side by side are
th e two races, wh om a strange destiny has linked toge th er butwhom Fa te h as kept sundered apart as wide ly as pole from po le
th e tall and muscular Saxon , and th e little , active , n ervous form of
th e blaok-eyed and black~hair ed Ce lt. A nd h ere , too , are th e ir
descendants—th e mixed race of Am ericans, who have inh erited all
th e th oughtfuln e ss of th e Saxon and all th e brightn ess of th e Ce lt,
and wh ose pale fe atures and eager eye s speak th e n ational
characte r—bright, alert, and spe culative .
But we are m ovin g . Y ou can se e th e ridges fall away in white
foam from th e ke en prow of th e ship, as th e screw churns and
tosse s th e wate rs on th e stern . Cast o if comes from th e bridge
high over our h eads ; and whilst th e n oble vessel move s forward in
sile n t digni ty on h er course, th e little tende r sh e ers 0 11 at an angle
to make th e circuit h omewards. A nd n ow I become sudden ly
aware that whilst I um so liloquiz ing , I em in th e midst of manytragedies, and probably, exceptin g th e captain and th e crew, th e most
unconce rn ed spectato r on bo ard. A ll around are very sad faces,
h lled with a yearn in g look towards th e land they are le aving .
Even th e blue-blaok eyes of th e me rry Ce lt are film ed and clo nded
as th ey look for th e last time , pe rhaps, on th e gre en hills and
purple moun tains of In isfail . Here is a lady wh ose society train
ing in th e most rigid conven tion alism cannot withal preven t her
h ands from tremblin g , and h e r eyes from growing red with
we eping . A nd h ere is a stalwar t athlete tryin g to look supremelyindifferen t, but I notice some st range moisture gath ering unde r his
The Two Civilisations. 295
e yelids ; and I kn ow, if I spoke to him , his voice would quiver'
and
break in his efiort to reply. But it is n o time now for use le ss
regre ts. The vesse l of th e ir fortun e s and h opes is already far upon
th e wate rs. Th e grim shadows of Carlisle fort frown upon h er
and n ow sh e glides be fore th e sunny walls o f th e lighth ouse , and
n ow sh e turn s h er broadside to th e bay. She is looking straight
to th e west , walking th e waters towards th e Empire Republic, th e
mo th e r of many nations. A th ousand h earts are pulsin g ben eath
h e r flag—e ach with its marve llous h isto ry of th e past, its rich ,
beautiful dre ams of th e future . The stars are not more lon e ly in
th e ir orbits than th e se human h earts each with its secre ts sealed
to all eyes but G od’s. The gre at win gs of mighty storms are
win n owing and sweeping th e A tlantic before th em . Billows are
r o l ling towards th em from far latitude s. Y e t n ot a single soul
ha s a fe ar o f reaching th e promised land in safe ty. This little
wo rld—this microcosm on th e wate rs—what is it but a type of
h uman ity and th e world Or what is th e world and humanity but
a ship in th e ocean of space?Howeve r , it is n ot multitudes but individuals we have come to
se e—n ot races, but marked types and repre se ntatives of race s—n ot
th e hm'
pollo i who fret th eir little h our upon th e stage and sink
in to obscur e graves, but th e anakes andr on—th e kings of men , th ey
wh o are stirri ng th e great h eart of th e world with impulses that
issue in h ealthy reform or un h ealthy re volution . A nd fortun ate lyth ere are a few of th ese chose n minds h e re amongst our passengers.
Men wh o , from th e dark recesses of laboratories and museums h ave
strength en ed a hundredfold th e hands of th e ir fe l low-men , have
a nn ih ilated distan ce on th e globe , and tamed th e terrible agen ts
that stand at th e back of untamed Nature . Men , wh o from plat
forms, h ave thundered forth th e an cien t, but eve r n ew, principle of
a common human ity, and th e right o f eve ry child of A dam to a
place on this plan et, with air en ough to bre ath e , and room e n ough
to swing h is arms in—men wh o , by th e ir wo rds, have touch ed th e
g reat h eart of th e wo rld, and made hoarse vo ice s ch ee r , and brawnyhands to strike appro val , and tough h earts to vibrate with n ew
emotions of revealed str e ngth and power , and a possible happin ess
that may be far o ff and yet shall be reach ed—po e ts and sages,
patriots and dile ttan ti , po litical , scientific, and social revolutionists
are h e re—and we shall just look at th em , and th en let th em speak
for th emse lves.
296 The Ir ish Month ly.
This age o f ours is an age of revolutions. Th e re is n ot a single
branch , e ven of a single science , that has n ot be en studi ed and
investigated, with th e result that our most carefully-formed ideas
e ve n o n scien tific subjeots have be en obliged to undergo a com
ple te tran sformation . A n oth er pe cul iarity is that th ere are
spe cialiste in every branch of science , art, and literature ; and that
ce rtain bran ch es of scien ce an d art become th e fashion at certain
pe riods, and exclude all oth ers in th e public mind as effectually as
a n ew fash ion in dress exclude s th ose that are considered anti
quated . A nd, again , as Solomon said, th ere is n oth ing n ew
unde r th e sun ,
”so th ere 1 8 scarce ly a fashion m art or a discovery
in scie n ce that was not quite familiar to th e ancien t He llenists,wh o , under th e warm sky of G ree ce and by th e pleasan t waters of
th e Medite rran ean , were makin g daily pleasure of things which in
our days are th e exclusive property of th e high e st circle s of wealth
and in te lligen oe—for example , if th ere we re on e thing the ancient
G re eks worshipped more than an oth er , itwas th e Be autiful . Whatth ey called th e to Ka lon was th e Divin ity, whom th ey worshipped
with all th e passion ate adoration of n atures in to which the Sun
G od h ad stri cke n his fire . The Beautiful in Natur e—th e Beautiful in min d and soul—th e firmamen t glittering with stars, th e
me adows glitte ring with flowers, the wide levels of th e sea glitte r
ing unde r th e sunshafts—th e dark eyes ofm en and women glittering
undsr darke r eyebrows ; all th ese to th e se ch ildren of Natur e were
feasted on an d worshipped as types and symbo ls of some rarer
Be auty, un se en but ye t to be r eve aled . Th e se wonderful o ld
G re eks have passed away ; but h ere in th e midst of our n in ete enth
ce n tury civilisation is an apostle of aesth etioism ,and aesth etics or
th e scie nce of th e Be autiful is on ce more th e fashion of me n . Y ou
se e o ver th e re lean ing again st th e bulwarks of th e vesse l is a tall
and dark youn g gen tleman , with a huge sunflower in his button
h ole . He is gaz ing on th e se tting sun as if this we re his laste ve n ing upon earth , and h is eye s ar e daz z led with th e lan e of light
th at str e tch es to th e h oriz on . He is th e son of a Dublin oculist,
and o f a ladywho sang th e fie rce st and love liest battle-odes of th at
sad, th at glorious period in Irish history wh ich we call’48. He
is,with out doubt, th e best ridiculed young man that h as come
be fo re this cyn ical age . He is n ow going to be dr e adful ly disap
po in ted with th e A tlan tic, and h is m ission is to evange lise th e
Amer ica ns with two lectures on art that shall be repeated again
298 The Ir ich Month ly.
Spence r , wh o has reproduced in our time th e an cien t A th e n ian
worship of th e unkn own G od - followers of FredericHarriso n ,
wh o disagre es with Herbert Spen ce r , and take s gre at trouble to
te ll th e world that A gn osticism is very differe n t thin g from
Positivism—a very considerable numbe r of be lievers in th e
evo lution th eo ry and th e Simian or igin of man—a large
gath ering o f latte r-day infide ls who are tryi ng to resuscitate th e
a ncie n t th e orie s of Epicurus and Democr itus - a few ladies wh o
be long to th e n ew sect of Theosophists, and talk glibly about wh at
th ey call e so ter ic Buddh ism f’- and moving h ere and th er e
young inte llectual American s, fr esh from th e G erman un ive lpities,and h oldin g all Europe an ph ilosoph e rs very ch eap compared with
th e human itarian ism and panth e ism of th e ir be loved master , Ralph
Waldo Emerson . A nd, if you ask me what could have brough t
such repre sen tative men toge th er , I will ask you to be lieve th atth ey we re en route fo r Mon treal , whe re th e last Session of th e
British A ssocia tion was h e ld.
It is growin g ch ill , and we desce nd to th e saloon . Just as wee n te r , a voice , with a fore ign ascent, exolaims in conclusion o f
some in te re sting conversation : Vorwiirts ! Vorwarts ! This is
th e watchword of our cen tury. Do es n ot your own poet-laureate
proclaim it to you—e ven to you, conse rvative Englishme n , im
movable as th e pyramids, insensible as th e ir gran ite :
Y e t in vain th e distance M on s, forward , fo rward le t us ran ge ,
L e t th e g rea t world spin for ever down th e rin g in g gr oove s o f ch an ge .
This, th e sh adow of th e g lobe , we swe ep in to th e oute r day,
Be t te r fifty ye ars o f Europe than a cycle of Ca thay."
Y es, said a deep, me lodi ous vo ice that cam e floating down along
th e table . Y e s ! forward is the ory—but whithe r
All looked up in amaz emen t, and saw a ven erable man , who se
h igh foreh ead , clad in th e h on ours of se ve n ty summers, be token ed
th e very h igh est powers of th ought. Th ere was a bush fo r a
m omen t . Th en came a bustling and a shuffling of th e fe et, and a
harsh , strident vo ice , pitch ed to the h igh est in ton ation ,spoke . It
was Mr . Verdun , scientist, Fe llow of th e Royal Society, London .
How can you ask such a que stion h e exclaimed .
Whithe r sh ould we go , but where th e finger of scien ce is point
ing With all th e wonde rs we h ave shown you, whywill you n ot
LocksleyHall.
The Two Cibilz’
wtzo ns. 2990
be lieve us We h ave as yet on ly touched the fringe of Nature ’s
g armen t, and beh old wh at sh e has revealed to us, what we have
r e vealed to you. We have captured th e lightn ings, and compell ed
th em to carry our message s around th e earth ; we have we igh ed th e
sun ,we have put th e ponderous plan ets in th e scale s -we have
sh own you in th e m ete oric sto n es th e fragmen ts of form er sate llites
th at swung th eir huge bulk round th e earth ; we have taken th e
sun s of o th er systems, wh ose distan ce is so great th at it paralyse s
th e imagin ation , and to ld you th e ve ry mate rials of which th ey are
composed ; we h ave walked among th e n ebula of th e milky way,
a n d put th e very rin gs of Saturn upon our finge rs. We have torn
o pen th e bosom of th e earth and shown you in stony manuscripts
th e handwr iting of Nature in th e days of th e mammoth and
l e via than ; and as th e ser vice o f man is th e on ly service we
a ckn owledge , we have bade th e little god of this plan e t to r est
fr om labour , for Natur e shall be compelled to work for him . For
h im we harn ess its mo st dreadful powers, and bid th em take him
from place to place with a spe ed that outstrips the hurrican e ; for
h im we have paved a pathway on th e migh ty wate rs, and h e
laughs at th e waves that thunde r h armlessly o ve r h is h e ad, and h e
spares his soft fin ge rs in labours that are unwor thy of him , and
h ands o f iron and te e th of ste e l rend and te ar and weave again
m en ts of royal purple and tapestr ies that migh t hang befo re th e
win dows ofHeaven . A n d as al l things are th e same to us, for all
is but matter in th e end, we h ave divided and subdivided your
creation un til we h ave reduced it to an atom that can only be se en
in a microscope , and th en we h ave built up th e same cre ation again
e ve n to its crown ing glory—th e mind o f man . But you you to
wh om we h ave reve aled th ese th ings—you for wh ose advan tage we
h ave to iled and laboured—wh ose silly minds we h ave emancipated
wh om we have de live red from th e debasing pursuits o f arts and
music and poetryStop ! said th e o ld man with a vehemen ce that startled us
a ll,
stop this blasph emy against things you do n ot and cann ot
understan d. It is true you, men of science , have revealed ce rtain
se cre ts of Nature , but h ow P By laying sacr il egious h ands on h er
awful face ! Y ou have out and de lved, and maimed and sacrificed
Nature and h e r childr en , un til h er beautiful face is scarred and
blo tte d by you, and th e hide ous uglin ess has fallen upon the souls
The Ir ish Mon th ly.
o f th e children o f men Wordsworth spoke with con tempt of old
of th ose wh o would peep and bo tanise on th eir moth er’s graves
but you, from an advanced platform of scien tific in iquity, would
n ot on ly sacrifice to your sinful curiosity th e poor boast th at licks
your h and in his agony, but you would even exhume your fath er’
s
remains for th e sake of an exper ime nt. A nd after all , what have
you dcn e P Does th e sun give more light or h eat to our earth
sin ce you discove red thath e is a furn ace of liquid fire , flinging out
tongues of flame to every part of th e system which h e rul es A re
th e plan ets mo re brilliant since you discovered that in reat they
are as dull as th e earth itse lf Is mankin d be tter or happier sin ce
you dr ove him from th e green fie lds and th e blue skie s to th e
cloudy and ch oking city, which by a kind of infernal ch emistry
drags th e strength from his limbs, and th e blood from his ve ins P
Is childh ood more pure and joyful sin ce you brought it in to your
factories and bade it stretch forth its soft and tiny hands to grasp
and con trol mighty limbs of ste e l and iron , and chased th e roses
from its ch e eks, and th e laughter from its lips, and th e ligh t from
its eyes, and th e music from its life , and th e te nder love of G od
from its h eart Y es, you can analyse Nature in your te st-tubes,
you can spy at h er in your microscopes, but can you see h er with
your own eyes, or rece ive h er in to your h earts Y ou can te ll na
wh at sh e makes h er wonders of, and h ow sh e makes th em, and.
h ow long sh e take s about it. But you cann ot te ll us what th ese
wonders are like wh en th ey are made . Wh en G od said Let the re
be light, and th ere was light, and G od saw th at it was good,’was
h e th inking , as h e saw thus, of th e exact ve locity it trave ll ed at, or
th e exact laws it trave lled by, which you, wise m en , are at infin ite
pain s to discover Or was h e thinking of somethin g e lse , which
you take n o pain s to discover at all , of h ow it cloth ed th e win gs of
th e morning with silver , and th e features of th e evening with gold
Is water, th ink you, a n obler thing to th e modern ch emist, wh o
can te ll you exactly what gases it is made of, and n othing more
o r to th e pain te r , wh o could n ot te ll you at all what it is made of,
but wh o did kn ow and could te ll you wh at it is made—what it is
made by th e sun shin e and th e cloud-shadow and th e storm-wind
wh o kn ew h ow it paused by th e stain less moun tain troutpoo l , a
livin g crysta l over streams of flicke ring ambe r , and h ow it broke
itse lf turbid with its choirs of turbul en t thunder wh en the rocks
card it in to foam , and th e tempest sifts it into spray A h , maste rs
302 Tbe Ir ish Mon th ly.
THE CHILDREN ’
S BALLAD ROSARY .
PA RT II.
THE FIVE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES .
I.—Tln A e o s r IN THE G A RDEN .
Our Saviour dwe l t in Naz are th
Till th ir ty years h ad flown
Th r e e ye ars fr om th e n ce un til h is dea th
He made h is mission kn own .
With miracle s and works o f migh tHis wo rd o n earth h e spr e ad,
To dumb and blin d gave spe ech and sigh t,
A nd raised to life th e dead .
Befo r e h e sufie r ed h e displayed
Th e depth of love divin e :
Hi s flesh and blo od our fo od h e made
In fo rm of br e ad and win e .
Th a t last an d h o lie st suppe r don e ,
He r o se and be n t hi s way,
With h is apo stle s, all save on e ,To wh e r e th e garde n lay.
Th e th r e e h e to ok with in th e place
We r e Pe te r , Jam e s, and Joh n ,
He bade th em wa tch a littl e space ,
A nd passed ye t far th e r on .
But th en did fe ar and h eavin e ss
Hi s h uman soul invade ;
In deadly so rr ow and distr e ss
He be n t to e arth an d prayed .
My Fath e r , pass th is cup fr om me ,
A lmigh ty powe r is th in e
My Fath e r , if it m ay n o t be ,
Thy will be don e , n o t m in e .
Th e r e fe ll upon h is mo rtal fram e
A n ago ny pr o found ;
His swe at lik e drops o f blo od became ,Fast fallin g to th e gr ound .
The Children’s Ba llad Rosary.
He th r ice to his apo stles wentA nd foun d th em sle epin g th e re ,
A nd thr ice his steps r e tur n ing ben t,A nd prayed th e se lf same prayer .
But 10 ! within th e garden pre ssed
Th e trai to r and h is band ;
Sle ep n ow,
” h e sa id,“and take your rest,
Beh o ld my h our at h and.
By Judas with a kiss betrayed,
He was a captive led,
Wh ile h is disciple s, so re dismayed,Deserted h im and fled.
G lory to G od the Father ,
A nd Me eter nal Son ,A nd glory to the Holy G hostFor over , 27m” in One .
IL—Tnn Soovs om o A T THE Pumas .
Th e Jews’ High Priest was Caiaph as,
Our Saviour ’s deadliest fo e
With i n his court did Jesus passTh at n igh t of won dr ous wo e .
Revi led and mock ed in hate an d sco rn ,
Co ndemn ed to death by all;Th ey l ed him for th at e arly morn
To Pon tius Pilate’s h all .
Th e pr iests and scr ibes accusing sto od,
A nd all around th e cryRose from th e Jewish multitude
That Jesus Chr ist sh ould die .
A nd Pilate kn ew h im inn ocen t,
But fear ed hi s life to save ;
80 un to bitter ch astisemen t
Our spo tless Lord h e gave .
Th e so ldi e rs se iz ed upon him th er e
A t Pila te’s dr ead commands,
Th ey str ipped him of h is raimen t bare
A nd bound his h oly hands.
303
The Ifleh Monthly.
A nd littl e n e ed,
th e re was to urge
Th eir cruelty of mind
Th ey raised th e awful Roman scourge
His hands wer e to th e pillar tied,His h ead ben t m e ekly low ;
A nd as th e ir ruthl ess task th ey plied
His blood be gan to flow.
A nd h ow his blood flowed down afr esh
With every str ipe th at fe ll
Upon his pure and tende r flesh ,No to ngue of ma n may te ll .
But yet th e gen tle Lamb of G od
Nor utte red word n or cry
Fo r as, ben e ath th e to rturing rod,
He suffer ed silen tly.
A nd wh en th at h our of guilt was o’er ,
A nd th ey h ad work ed th e ir will,
Th ey cloth ed him in hi s garb o nce mor e
For torment darke r still .
May we within our h earts ensh rin e
Th e cause for whi ch h e bled :
Fo r a ll our sin s, for yours an d min e ,
Th e blood of G od was sh ed.
G lo ry to G od the Father ,
A nd Me e ternal Son ,A nd ylo ry to the Holy G lmt
For over , Three in One .
III.—Trm a wmrzo wrm Tn omrs.
Th e so ldiers n ow devised in scorn
To gath e r and e n twin e
A crown o f sh arp an d prickly th em ,
Th e th o rn of Pal e stin e .
Th e cr own upon hi s h e ad was laid,
A nd pie rced h is fo r eh e ad th rough ,
Wh er e eve ry po in t an e n trance made
Th e blood sprang fo rth like dew.
306 The Ir ish Month ly.
IV.—Tm: Om nm o o r m Ca o ss.
Th ough Pilate we ll th e ir malice kn ew,
Y e t h e in fear decr e ed
Th at Ch rist, th e h o ly and th e true ,
Upon th e cro ss sh ould bleed.
Th ey lead h im fo rth from out th e throng ,
A nd on his sh oulde rs layTh e h eavy cross to bear alongTh e ste ep and to ilsome way.
Be n e ath h is burth en m e ekly be nt
A little space h e passed,Till , fain t and falte ring as h e wen t,He sank to earth a t last.
Th e Roman so ldie rs, lo oking round
For one its we igh t to sh ar e ,
Simon th e Cyr en e an found,
Wh o came in pity th er e .
Him afte r Jesus th ey compe ll ed
To bear th e we ary lo ad
80 was th e cro ss o f Ch r ist uph e ld
Through out th e do lorous road.
Whi le fo llowin g on th e ir steps behind
Th e re came a min gled crowd,
With wom en wh o , in grief o f mind,Bewailed and wept aloud.
But Jesus, turn ing un to th em,
Fo re to ld th e da ys to be
We ep, daugh te rs of Je rusalem,
But do n o t we ep for m e .
A tim e will com e to we ep and mourn ,
Wh e n ye sh al l r eckon blestTh e woman wh o h as n eve r born e
No r suckled ch ild at br e ast.
Y e h ills and mountain s, cover na,’
Th at day shal l be th e cry,
Fo r , in th e gre e n tr e e do ing thus,
Wh at sh all be in th e dry
The Ch ildren’
s Ba llad Rosary.
A nd th e nce h is path of pain h e trod
Un til th ey r each ed th e place ,Th e moun t of Calvary, wh e r e G od
Rede em ed th e human race .
Th e cross upon th e e arth was la id,
A nd thith e r Jesus drbw.
Fo rgi ve th em , Fath e r , thus h e prayed,Th ey kn ow not wh a t th ey do .
G lory to G od the Father ,
A nd hie eternal Son ,
A nd glory to the Ho ly G host
For ever , Thr ee in One .
V.—Trm Cavem ron .
Our Saviour ye arn ed to make comple teHis sacrifice of love ,Wh e n thr ough his sacr ed h ands an d fe e tTh e pie rcing na ils th ey drove .
Th e cross o f Ch r ist was raised on h igh ,
Whil e , placed on e ith e r side ,
Two male facto rs, doome d to die ,
With h im we r e crucified .
Th e on e wh o fill ed a h arden ed part
Blasph emed him wh e re h e hun g ;
Th e o th er spok e with m e lted h ea rt
A nd penite n tial to ngue .
Lord, in thy kin gdom of th e blest,
May I r emembe red be
Amen , thy soul this day sh a ll r e st
In Paradise with me .
Beside th e cross h is mo th er sto od
A nd lo oked in an guish o n ,
A nd with h e r , by th e sacr ed wood,
Hi s loved disciple , Joh n .
Beh o ld thy son , said Je sn s th enTo Mary stan din g n e ar ,
A nd lo oked on Joh n a nd spak e again ,
Beh o ld thy moth e r h e r e .
308 The Ir ish Month ly.
A nd John r ece ived h e r as h is own ,A nd Mary was assign ed
Fo r moth er , n o t to Joh n alone ,
But un to all mank ind.
With awful deso lation n ow
His human soul was tr ied ;Why, 0 my G od, my G od, hast th ouForsak en m e h e cr ied.
Meanwh ile o n e ar th n o sun ligh t sh on e ,Th e h e avens wer e ove rcast,
An d gloom pr evailed from n oonday on
Un til thr e e h our s h ad past .
I thir st.” A s thus h e spak e once mo re ,
Amid th e dark eclipse ,
A sponge with vin egar th ey bore
Un to h is dyin g lips.
A nd Jesus, tastin g , ben t his h ead
An d will ed h is e arthly end.
Fath e r , in to thy h ands,” h e said,
My spirit I comm end.
G lory to G od the Father ,
A nd his e ternal Son ,
A nd g lory to the Holy G hoet
For over,
31 0 The Irish Month ly.
than death to question . No railr oads, n o te legraph , n o soldiers,
disturbed th e so litude of th e h oly city. Under the guidan ce o f
Young , th e Mormons were makin g th e dese rt blossom like th e rose .
Th ey, an in sign ifican t handful of ign oran t creatures, we re taught
to regard th e Un ited States of Am erica as a poor , mean powe r ,
which th ey could whip any day th ey fe lt inclin ed to make th e
exertion . It was th e ir in tentio n utterly to re n t that h eath en con
federation , and th ey wer e often told in Sun day h aran gues that
th e h eads of th e same would soon be se en beggin g th e ir bread at
the gates of Zion , Sal t Lake City.
II
Brigh am Young , wh o for th irty ye ar s wore th e tr iple crown of
kin g , pr ie st, and proph e t in th e n ew Zion , th e h eadquarte rs, th eRom e of th e Mormons, was born in New England in 1 801 . A
g laz ier by trade , h e was a Me th odist and a Baptist by turn s till
1 832, wh en h e embraced Mormon ism . His personal magn e tisman d ke e n practical se n se were of immense use to Joseph Smith ,
founde r of Mormon ism ,wh o made him o n e of th e n ewly-organ ised
quorum of th e Twe lve A po stle s in 1 834. Brigham n ow began
to pr each in ton gues to th e sain ts,”and th ough n e ith e r sain ts
n or sin n e rs understood him , th e mann er in which h e transacted all
busin e ss committe d to him proved h is superiority, and his promo
tion to th e high er grades was rapid. In 1 840 h e pre ach ed th e
n ewg ospe l in En gland. He would compass sea and land to mak e
a prose lyte , an d succe ss rewarded h is exertion s. It is said th at h e
often afte rwards spoke of th e gullibilit'
y o f th e English .
A lth ough n ot very cle ar as to what h e beli eved himse lf, h e was
able to give them satisfyin g re ason s for th e faith th eyun de rsto od to
be in him ,and many left all that was dear to them to follow his
lead in late r times.
Though e n tir e ly un educated—h e spe n t but th irteen days o f his
l ife in sch oo l—in tercourse with the world had po lish ed h is mann ers, wh ich could be ve ry ple asing wh en h e wish ed. His
person ality was n o t to be de spised. A rath er h andsome , th ough
siniste r-lo okin g face , and a tall , commandin g figure , attracte d his
audien ce be fore h e open ed his mouth to utter th e unkn own soun ds
which we re unde rstood to be th e gift of tongues. Wh en h e spoke
American,
”his in spiration sh owed to be tter advan tage , and
A G lance at the Latter -day Saints. 31 1
h e seldom failed to brin g many to th e truth , as h e pretended to
Fraud, dish on esty, and worse crimes distin guish ed th e sain ts
e ve rywh ere , and th ey we re dr iven out of Oh io , Illin o is, and
M issouri , place s th ey h ad ope n ed to th e pre aching of th e gospe l .
Jo seph Smith was shot, and the n ext in rank , Sidn ey R igdon ,
assumed h is ofi’
ce . Brigham , h owever, soon removed Sidn ey’s
ca n dl estick , denounced his reve lations as from th e devil , cut off
h imse lf an d his followe rs, cursed him, and fin ally delivered h im
o ve r to Satan to be buffeted for a th ousand ye ars.
”Even his
oppon ents admired his ste rn in tr epidity. He was e lecte d Preside n t
by an ove rwh e lming majority. Th e min ority h e at on ce cut ofi,
ro o t and bran ch . Eve ryth ing flourish ed directed by h is strong ,
will , and the improving sta tus of th e sain ts soo n sh owed that th ere
was an able and firm hand at th e h e lm .
Brigham n ow dete rmin ed to found an empir e in th e RockyM oun tain s, th en Mexican te rritory, and th ough noth ing could be
m o re difficult than to bring his disciples to this, h e accomplish ed it.
Many who crossed th e Mississippi in th e h ope of on e day wor
shipping under the ir own vin e an d figtre e ,wh en n on e sh ould make
th em afraid,
’won on ly n ame le ss graves in th e gr e at A merican
desert. But be admin iste red th e affairs of th e survivors with skill
a n d e n e rgy, and ben t th em all to his designs by h is dogged perti
uncity and resistless influence . He made h imse lf fe ared, loved and
v e n erated by th e pe ople wh om h e cajoled, fed, scolded and praisedbut, above all , th ey learn ed to dread his ir on hand. Wh en th ecr ops failed and famin e stared th em in th e face , h e told th em th eywe re cursed for the ir unfaithfuln ess ; but h e found th em food.
In 1 854, when Brigham’s term of o ffice expired, Presiden t
Pierce se n t Co lon e l Steptoe to re lieve him . But Brigham would
n ot be re lie ved. I em and shall be go ve rn o r of Utah ,”said h e ,
and n o other man shall replace me till th e A lmighty says
Brigham , you n eed n ot be govern or any longer .
’A nd de facto
h e was gover n or as long as h e lived, and, in on e way or an o th e r ,
h e broke every powe r se n t out to oppose him .
Brigham was invariably courte ous to strangers, and quitewilling to gratify th e cur iosity of which h e was th e objse t, so longas it was respectful . When gen tlemen of th e pre ss visited his city,h e shower ed attentions upon th em . Theywe re at on ce taken ho ld
o f by his sycophants, and sh own th e brigh t side of th e loathsome
31 2 The Im b Mo nth ly.
system of which h e was th e h ead. Though h imself illiterate , h e
sh owed th e h igh est appre ciation of th e literary pe rsonage s wh o
region . Wri ters were surroun ded by th e Mormon officials and
n ever all owed to se e for th emse lves. Th ey wrote up th e holycity rath er from a Mormon standpoin t than from th e ir own
gravest penalties from taking th e G e nti les into the ir confidence on
III
In th e Lion House and th e Be ehive House , two h andsome
worked th e redoubtable G overnor Young . Th e former was
devote d chiefly to his n in e te en consorts and th e ir numerous
women derived n o social promin ence from be ing th e so-call ed
wives of th e great man . They all dined at his table in th e LionHouse , each moth er be ing surrounded by h er own progeny, while
Brigham and his latest favourite occupied a separate table at th e
h ead of th e diningro om. Ne ith er were th ey allowed to live in
idlen ess ; each had h er appoin ted tasks, and all were servan ts
legal wife and th e plural wive s were all natives o f America ,seve ral of th em be ing of New England. Th ese un fortunate
women we re scar ce ly ever men ti on ed in Utah . The ir wan ts were
supplied with gre at frugality. Th ough Brigham soon became one
of th e we althie st men in th e world, having a facul ty for turn
ing the most un like ly things in to gold, he was close -fiste d and even
stingy to th e last . Th e re was n ot a servan t on his premises. Hiscon so rte and daughte rs did th e menial work of his exte nsive h ouse
h old, while his son s- in -law and son swere expected to busy th em
se lves in farmin g , h e rding , brandin g cattle , and mechanical work .
Th e versatile se er , proph et, and reve lator h eld th e makia of
h is wives’
gown s, and measure d th em out ve ry sparingly. In earlydays sun -bonn ets an d cotton dresses were th e ir uniform , and th e
Czar of all th e Mormons signaliz ed himse lf by devising a still
uglie r garb—a high hat with a narrow brim , a shapeless sacque o f
ante lope skin , and a short, tigh t skirt of lin sey. This, th e famous
31 4 T he Ir ish Month ly.
his children , th ough his familywas th e best regulated in Utah , a
pattern to th e sain ts. He had a so rt of phon etic way of quotingScripture , and would render a we ll
-lm own text, according to his
expe rie nce Train up a ch ild, and away th ey go .
”Th ough h e
was a declared en emy to education , on e of his consorts was scho ol
mistre ss to th e childr e n of th e re st, and as th ey gr ew older , h e
gave th em oth er advan tages, even sending some of th em to college .
But his liberality in this respect n eve r exte nded beyond his own
chi ldren .
Th e greatest virtue a Mormon can posse ss is to pay his
tithing promptly. Th e church was th e un iversal merchant,
and th rough Zion’s cc-ope rative stores and th e ir brandy, the
first Presidency organiz ed all commerce to th e ir own advan tage .
While th e h eads of th e church reve lled in luxury, th e pe ople had
but a bare subsisten ce . Despite Brigham’s perpetual preaching o f
industry, th ere were some dron es in th e hive , and n ot a few were
supported by th e ir wives. But profits of all kinds fell into his
hands . On e of his wives, ao -called, wh o escaped from him in
1 874, in th e legal proceedings sh e instituted against him , declared
that h e was worth e igh t million dollars, and h ad a monthly income
of forty th ousand dollars be side s. Events sin ce have proved that
she correctly estimated h is goods and ch atte ls, ye t h e deni ed that
h is in come exce eded six thousand dollars a month—eu immense
sum at that tim e in Utah , espe cially for a man wh o had n o ren t
and little taxe s to pay.
To -day, thanks to G e n tile en te rprise , th e Mormon capital is an
exce edin gly be autiful city, especiallywh en viewed fr om a distan ce ,
and in spring and summer . Tre e s, gardens, cornfie lds, patch e s o f
vivid gre e n , starred with go lde n rod and sunflowers, bright sky,
sparkling wate rs, contrast fin e ly with th e sombre gr ey and brown '
o f th e surrounding moun ta in s. Th e temple built of wh ite granite
appro ach es comple tion it h as already cost million s. The A ssemblyHouse , used in co ldwe ath er for Sundaym e e tin gs, is a fair , graceful
building . Th e tabern acle is gro tesquely ugly ; even th e sain ts
th emse lves i rrevere n tly compare it to a huge gofer or land turtle .
It seats e igh t to ten th ousand people , and, as th e walls are almost
all do o rs, it could in case of acciden t be emptied in thr e e minutes.
Th er e is n o sign of re ligion in it. Its grey wal ls are bars and nu
sigh tly. Lions couchan t and a be ehive are th e only adornmen ts o f
this temple of fan aticism .
A G la nce at the Latter-day Sa ints.
Mormonism is a mate rialistic re ligion : on e of the hymns begs
some n o t we ll-defin ed de ity to
Th e ir aspirations begin and end in earth . Th e most deso late
spot in th e who le wor ld is I think , th e Mormon graveyard. No
sign of faith , h ope , or love n o so lemn tre e s, n o gre en turf, n o
soaring cross, n o emblematic dove . In family lots wives lie at
th e foot of th e husband in th e order of th e ir dece ase . Th e
It was said that the dece ased ch ildr en of Brigham would fill a fair
siz ed graveyard. Y et some fifty survived him .
The fin est dwelling house in Utah is th e mansion kn own as th e
Ame lia Palace , bui lt by Brigham in h is latte r ye ars for h is
favourite , Amelia Folsom , a n ative of Massachuse tts . It is
e recte d on a beautiful lawn , surrounded by trees and gardens, and
would be a splendid residen ce in any city in th e world. Here
Brigham died A ugust 29, 1 877 , to th e grief and wondermen t of
many o f his disciples, wh o th ought th e ir proph et would n ever see
death . His widows roam ed th e stre ets disconso late , weeping in to
imm e n se towe ls, and sh rieking in eve ry variety o f ton e : Th e
Proph e t is dead ! Every on e of th em save th e contnmacious
A nn Eliz a , wh o , in stigated by some G e n tile barbarians, had
instituted proce edings against him , was a widow we ll le ft .’
Each had a h ouse and lo t. Am e lia was and is quite wealthy.
As to re ligion , I fear th e wre tch ed high priest di ed as h e had
l ived . Y e t a de scendan t of his to ld a Catholic lady at th e time
th at be frequen tly mutte red on th e last day of his sin ful life I
n e ver had a wife but on e , and that was my first .
” He had ample
oppor tun ities of kn owing th e truth which would have fr e ed him
fr om h is un ruly passio n s ; but avarice and sen suality and ambition
we r e stron g in h is craven soul to th e very last , so far as can
be ascertain ed. A s early as 1 866 a priest ven tured to reside in th e
h o ly city—a Fath e r Ke lly, sen t thith er by th e A rchbish op of San
Francisco , in wh ose dioce se th e n ew Jerusalem th en was . Every
th ing was don e to drive him from th is dificultmission . Th e sain ts
3 1 6 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
whittled about hi s poo r but day and n igh t.’ A coffin was laid at
h is do or , and h e was told h e would so on be put in a state to occupy
it. Nothin g of this kind was e ve r don e but by th e in stigation o f
th e prophe t ; if h e did n ot commit many a murder with his own
h ands, it is certain th at h e inspired, suggested, or eve n commanded
man y a on e . Th e priest boldly appealed to him for protection .
He was asto n ish ed (l) th at any bad behaved so inhospitably to th e
in te re sting stran ger , wh om h e immediately covered with th e aegis
o f his prote ction , and th e prie st was h en ce fo rth unmo lested.
Brigham expressed the greate st fr iendship for h im, asked him
many que stions, pro fessed himse lf alm ost pe rsuaded to become
a Cath o lic, but virtually concluded eve ry conference in th e words
o f an o th e r wh o preferred th e h on ours of this world to th e g lory
o f th e n ext : I will h ear th e e again con ce rn ing this matter .
Brigham expre ssed a strong de sire fo r Irish disciple s. He
conside red th e class of Irish lik e ly to be induced to emigrate
exce llen t farmers, an d was most anxious to have th em settle 1 n his
t e rritory in large numbers. His mission aries were n ot at all
succe ssful in th e Eme rald Isle . Inde ed th e Irish have always be en
con spicuous am ong th e Mormon s on ly by th e ir absence . Brigh am
told an Irish lady th at h e always did what h e se t h is h e ar t on , and
t hat h e woul d live to se e plen ty of Ir ish in Zion . So h e did, but
n ot in th e way h e expected . It was n ot Irish bish ops, prie sts,
r e ligious, and laity, wh o were all Cath o lics, that h e courted, but this
was th e on ly Iri sh imm igration h e ever saw. Wh en Fath er Ke llysai d mass in a h ovel in th e den of vice th at Salt Lake City th enwas
,his congregation con sisted o f a few Ir ish so ldi e rs from th e
n e ighbouring camp, and some min er s an d sme lte rs. Ferven tlyth eybesought the go od G od, th rough th e in te rce ssion o f the pure st
o f Virgin s, the maid without a stain , to plan t His h o ly Church inth is fair land, and create a chaste ge n e ra tion in this modern
G omorrha . Soon after th e railr oads ope n ed up this un explored
region to th e G e ntiles, and Mormon ism , wh ich cann ot bear the
A n obn oxious strang er was frequen tly whi ttled out of town . Mo rmon men
a n d boyswould surro und his h ouse in pe rfe ct sile nce . Each h ad a kn ife and a stick
o f wood . Wh en th e unfortun ate G e n tile appeared , th ey all began to sl ice off piece s
o f wood , bring ing th e ir kn ive s as n ear to h is face as po ssible . Th ey followed him
e ve rywh ere , but n ever actually touched h im . To see huge kn ive s flash in g con
tinually about his h ead and face was more than th e bravest man could stand. Few
c ould be ar it fo r a day. Wh en th e se pe rsons le ft , th ey we re said to h ave be e n
wh ittled out of town .
”
3 1 8 The Ir ish Mo n th ly.
inde lible traces. Th ey were of every age and of alm ost every
coun try . It is true that th ey we re to a great exte n t of th e lowest
and most degraded classes. But th er e were among th em , to o ,
women of education and ao -called refinemen t, who had be en lured
in to this se ething vorte x by th e de ce itful tongues of Mormon
missionaries. Why did n ot th ese leave Because th ey could n ot .
There was n e ith er ingre ss n or egress save through the te rrible
Mokanna ; if th ey did leave , th ey would lose th e ir way o f living ,
such as it was ; and, worst of all to a woman’s h eart, th ey would
n ever again se e th e ir unfortun ate children . Poor cre atures, th ey
regarded the ir fate as th e in evitable to which th ey must, per force ,
reconcile th emse lves. A nd, in th e midst of th e to rtures of th e ir
hideous condition, they would say, with a sort of blasph emous
r esignation : We are made to suffer ; we must go on suffer ing ; we
must he ar our awful cross ; we must live our re ligion . G o d wills
it.
Every English -speaking coun try was repre sen ted among th e
Mormons, as I h ave said, except Ire land. This was a great grie f
to Brigham Young . He was willin g to give th e Ir ish a re fuge
from famin e and danger .
” He looked for th em in Ire land ; h e
sought th em earn estly among th e Irish se ttlers in England, Scot
land, Wales, A merica ; h e se nt h is‘
most 0 1 oquen t apostle s in to th e
h ighways and by-ways of th e world to compe l th em , so to say, to
come to his banquet, but n ot on e of th em came . Sure ly this is a
grand thin g for th e island of genuin e sain ts. That th ey sh ould be
faithful in th e ir own coun try, wh ere th ey are so shie lded, is n ot
surpr ising in th e light of th e ir past r ecord ; but we must thank
G od spe cially for th e ir fide lity in oth er lands, wh e re wealth and
social positi on , and in several cases in te llectual ability, succumbed.
Th ey are n ow in Utah in large numbe rs, and th ey h ave con
tributed th e ir share to th e victorie s won over th e Mormon s within
th e past year by th e oth er se ttlers—victories which have broken
th e power of th e Saints and are th e beginning of th e end of th e ir
hideous caricature of a th e ocracy. May th ey ever pre serve in tact
th e faith on ce de livered to the sain ts . May th ey remain in th e
future what th ey have be en in th e past, th e chaste ge n eration
wh ose memory is immortal . Under th e protection of th e Mother
o fMercy, may th ey continue to bring up the ir children in th e fearand love of G od and th e practice of holin ess. A nd, appreciatingthe fre edom of which they we re of old deprived in th eir own fair
Home Sickness. 31 9
land, may th ey ever preserve to th emselves and to others that
h igh er and more blessed fre edom wh erewith Chr ist hath made na
M. A . 0 .
HOME SICKNESS.
SOMETIMES in th e evening's,Wh en th e m oun tain s are grey,
I muse on min e own coun try
Th at’s far , far away
Th er e ar e wh ite palaces
By a jaspe r se a ;A nd I trow min e own coun try
Is th e best land for m e .
G r e en ar e th e fie lds th e r eof,
Spangled with go ld ;
G lad go eth many a on e
Str icken of o ld ;
Old fr iends and lovers
Dead lon g ago ,
Me e tin g an d gre e ting,
Wh ite r th an sn ow.
Yonder th e sky’s ye ll ow,
A nd ro sy and gre en ,
With dr ift of an g els’feath ers
A nd go ld h arps be twe e n ;A nd I th ink if I migh t travel
Wh e r e th e gates open wide ,I sh ould se e mine own coun tryL ie sm ili ng inside .
Com e ye , all my be loved.
Rise up by co ck -crow !
For our own coun try ca lls us,
A n d we have far to go :
A n d wer e any left in exil e
Th at bitte r pain to dre e ,
0 , even min e own coun try
Would be exile to me !
320 The Ir ish Mo n th ly.
DR . BLAKE OF DROMORE, A ND FA THER O ’NEILL
or Rosm svoa .
PA RT II.
A FEW more wo rds about th e holy priest , whose memo ry we have
linked with that of his first Bish op ; and th en we shall bring to
some sort of con clusion th e biograph ical ske tch , of wh ich this in
reality is n o t th e second part but th e n inth , and which even many
years ago , in order that an oth er might n ot do so for us, we our
se lve s compar ed already to Pope’s n eedl ess Al exandrin e , which ,
like a wounded sn ake , drags its slow length along .
”
We had accompan ied Fath e r O’
Neill to Rom e on th e second
of h is visits : for h e made thre e pilgrimages to th e Ete rn al Cityth e first stre tching ove r all th e ye ars of his studen t life , th e se cond
extending th rough th e greate r part of a year , an d th e third con
fin ed to a few we eks wh en h is second bish op, Dr . Leahy, ch osehim as his compan ion wh en visitin g th e limz
’
na Apostolomm. It
was towards th e end of his second visit that h e se ems to h ave made
eu earn est attempt at carrying out an idea which , n o doubt, h e had
ch erish ed ye ars before , and which h e certain ly still ch erish ed veryearn estly several ye ars late r,as we sh all se e . Th is was to do what
St. Francis Jerom e had don e , whil e alr eady do in g , lik e Fath e r
O’
Ne ill, th e work of an em in en tly h oly priest, in what we call
th e world —to leave his first fie ld of labour and to en ter th e
Society of Jesus . He seems to h ave broach ed th e subject first toth e Coadjutor Bish op ; perh aps h e feared to do so with Dr . Blake
-and we ll h e might ! We ven ture to give , alm ost in full, th e
reply of his ven erable frie nd
Ne A ril th 1 856 .
1 1m m O ’Nm n,
W ’ p 7
Your le tter da te d on Easte r Mon day has caused me n o little anxie ty. Placed
as I am in th e midst of difi cul ties which will be te rribly in cre ased sh ould I h appen
to survive Dr . Blake , I always ca lculated on your advice and asd stan ce to bringm e th rough , knowin g your sinceri ty and z eal and exper ience , and it will be to me
a bitte r disappo in tm en t if you n ow leave me . A t th e same time , I h ope I would
n o t be so se lfish an d cruel as to retain you, if your abandonm en t o f this mission
were n ece ssary fo r your salvation . But is it n ece ssary‘
t‘ Y ou are alarmed by th e
dangers which surround a secula r priest , and th e multiplicity of aflairs which te nd
to withdraw h is atten tion from regulatin g his in te r io r . Now if any on e is fit to
disch arge th e duties o f th e minstry, is it not on e like you wh o 1 s alive to th e pe rils
322 Th e Ir ish Month ly.
o n e wh o has alr eady be en alluded to twice at least . Th e youngSister o f Mercy whose profession is recorded was afterwards th e
subject of an Obituary in Mosaic,”which may be found at pag e
1 1 4 of our fifth volume and wh ich links with a h oly and
amiable m emory sundry passages of prose and verse from more
than on e pen , th e dain tiest be ing My Saint,”wh ich has since
reappeared among MissMulh o lland’s Vagrant Verses.
Dr . Leahy’s earn est expostulation had at le ast th e effect of
inducing Fath er O’Ne ill to defer th e execution of h is design , for
th e bish op’s n ext le tter , dated Newry, May 7th , begin s
thus : Your last lette r afiorded me the greatest pleasure , and I
have every confidence th at you will lose nothing be fore G od by
your consen ting to remain at a post wh ere you can con tribute in so
many ways to the furth erance of re ligion . He goe s on to say
that, if h e should survive Dr . Blake—he has survived him for
thirty years it will be of essen tial consequen ce for m e to have
you n e ar me , as I can with out any reserve open mywh ole mind to
you, and discuss plans with you before broachiug th em to oth ers.
Newry is, of course , th e fitte st place for you. A s to your remain
ing in Rome un til n ext spring , I have n o obje etion , provided you
can arrange it with Dr . Blake . But h e seems impatie n t for your
r eturn . However , by throwing yourse lf on his goodn ature , h e
may, perhaps, coneen
The o ld bishop’s goodn ature did n ot, it would se em , prove
e qual to this strain , for Dr . Leahy in a subsequent letter alludes too n e in which Dr . Blake had invi th e pilgrim to re turn
—th e
verb invi be ing probably a very m ild euph em ism in this
con text. A nd so Father O’Ne ill came back to his o ld post in
Newry. He con tinued, however , to ch e ri sh for year s th e same
aspirations ; and Dr . Leahy, himse lf a devote d son of St . Dominick ,
migh t grudge but could n ot abso lute ly r efuse to St Ignatius even
th e most valued of his clergy. Fath er O’Ne ill preserved car e fully
two brie f le tters rece ived from Fath er Joseph Len taign e , who was
at th e time Provincial of th e Ir ish Jesuits
St . Francis Xavier's,Upper G ardin er Stre et, Dublin ,
A pril 26, 1 868.
Mr Dm Ma . O’Nm ,
I h ave n o difi culty in re ceiving you fo r th is Province (Ire land) except th e
o pposition o f your Bish op. With his consen t I sh all be most happy th a t you sh ould
Dr . B lake of D romore , and Fathe r O’N e ill of R ostr evo r . 323
sh ip’s pe rt. f Y ou are aware that a n ovitiate of two ye ars is required, and
that wh oever jo ius us must be pr epared to apply h imse lf to wh atever duties may be
you can put your pious purpo se in to execution , I shall be h appy to h ear from you
again ; and l remain , in un ion with your prayars,Ever most sin cerely yours in Chr ist ,
J. Lm n o 1m , S.J.
On e is surprised to n ote that the following letter is‘
separated
Upper G ardin er Stre e t, Dublin ,80th September , 1 869.
I r Dm Ma . O ’Nm ,
I am very glad that you h ave obtain ed Docto r Leahy's consen t. I em ve ry
much aga inst any fur th sr de lay, “ n ew causes for postpon em en t are sure to ar ise
e very six mon th s, un less by a decisive se t we fre e ourse lves from th em altoge th er .
I mun ot th er efore advise a de lay beyond 1 7th De cembe r .
Excuse th ese hurried lin es, as ish to ovartake th e post ; and be li e ve me , mydear m . o
'1sem,
Most sincere ly yours in Ch rist ,
J. a u ro n s , SJ .
We do n ot kn ow what finally saved th e diocese of Dromor e
from what would cer ta in ly have been a grievous misfortun e for it,
h oweve r oth e r portion s of G od’s Church migh t have profited th er e
by. We are inclin ed to suspect th at th e real difficulty may have
lain in a passage wh ich we have omitted from th e first of Fath e r
L en ta ign e’s letters, and which regarded the moth er of our good
pr iest . Th e Church , h erse lf a moth er , has always carefullyr ewgn ize d certa in real exige ncies of parents as modifyin g th e
Th 0 last date th at we have reached preceded on ly by a few
months th e death of th e ven e rable Dr . Blake , who di ed in A pril ,1 860. Before re turning to our main subject, we may fo llow to th ee n d this oth e r simple story wh ich has come to be to ld through its
Fath e r O’Ne ill did n ot gain th e territorial title we have con
ferred upon him in th e h eading of th ese pages till November , 1 864,when h e succeeded th e Rev. Bernard Moon ey as Par ish Priest of
Kilbron ey—for such is th e ecclesiastical design ation of th e parish
which compr ises, with Rostrevor and Killowen , several o the r
districts less known than these which have won a place in literatur e
from frequen t allusions‘ in th e poems of Thomas Caulfie ld Irwin ,
324 The Ir ish Monthly.
Danie l Cxi lly, M.P. and oth ers. On e of th ese others, in describinga picnic at Rostrevor ,
”in verse as h omely as th e th eme , says of
It lies’twixt th e sea and th e moun tain ,
Or rath er th e bay and th e h ill ,
Which coo l th e warm brea th o f th e summe r ,
A nd take from th e win ter its ch ill.
It n estles’mid oak-tre es and be ech es
Tha t stre tch th e ir gre en arms o’e r th e stre e t ,
Wh ose bre adth , to its len g th n ea rly equa l ,Expands wh e r e th e four ro adways m ee t .
A s you wind by th e bay’s bre e zy marg in ,
Rostrevo r you mark from afar ;
Be trayed by its'
spir e of Our Lady’s,A n d j oyful you cry
“ He re we are
Be trayed by its spire gleaming br igh tly
Hi gh 0’or its embower in g tre es
A s th e breath o f th e sea is de te cted
Tha t wh ite gran i te spire of Our Lady’ sOu th e oaks and th e be ach e s lo oks down
,
A n d it cries up to h eaven for a blessin g
Ou th e simple A rcadian town .
A blessing in soo th is th e con ven t
Tha t h ide s in th e shadow sere n e
Oi th at beautiful Church of Our L ady,
Oi Mary our Moth er and Que en .
Th e conven t and church crown th e vi llage
Wh ioh clusters in peace at th e ir fe e t ;
A stream from th e h i lls saun te rs past it,
Th e church and conven t h ere referred to will for many a yearattest th e z eal and pie ty o f Fath er O
’Ne ill. Th e church , inde ed,
was th e work of his prede cessor , good Fath er Bernard Moon ey, its
dedication se rmon be ing the first occasion on which th e pe ople of
Dromore listen ed to a vo ice that th ey at on ce learn ed to love .
The n ew Coadjuto r h ad be en consecrated by th e Primate , Dr .
Joseph Dixon , on Rosary Sunday, October 1 , 1 854 ; and on th e
1 7th of that mon th , on th e appropriate feast of th e Dedication of
all th e Church es of Ireland, th e great pre ach or from th e south
appear ed fo r th e first tim e in a n orth e rn pulpit. That was ten
years be fore the builde r of that beautiful church we n t to his
reward , and le ft G od’s temple to be ten ded with un tir ing devotion
by Fathe r O’Ne ill . That church be came a ch ief part of his
Erin : Verses Ir ish and Cath o p. 30.
326 The Ir ish Month ly.
th em.
We have kn own each oth er for many years—ao many, inde ed, that my
th ough ts carry me back on ly with an eflort to th e first tim e of our acquain tance .
Many th in gs th at have h appen ed sin ce th en have lost th e ir h o ld upon my failing
memory ; many persons whot a ve kn own are n ow, to‘
me , me re names ; bo t ne t
so with you, my dear Fath er O’Ne ill , and with all you have be en to me .
I do n o t and n ever can forge t wha t I owe to you th ro ugh all th ose years—what
a source of stre ng th and comfort you we re to me wh en I came a strange r to th is
diocese to tak e upo n me duties alto geth er n ew, and responsibilitie s wh ich I dreaded :
between us, n ot me re ly as bish op and prie st , but as fri end and friend.
May G od bless you ever with His ch o ice st grace s, and gran t you h ealth and
leug‘th of days to labour in th e future , as we ll as in th e past , for th e in te rest of fi is
Pray for me , as I shall always pray for you.
Ever , my dear Fa th er O’Neill ,
Yours most aflectiouately in Ch rist ,
Length of days to labour in th e future ! On e of th e addresses
o f th e sch oo l ch ildr en prayed that his silver might turn to gold,
that, afte r an oth er quarte r of a ce n tury among th em , th ey might
ce lebrate h is golden jubiles . Twenty five yearsmore—and h e had
on ly thr e e mon ths ! Not with out sufficien t warn ing—h e n e eded
n on e—G od to ok him to Himse lf in th e mann e r that h e had prayedfo r .
“ A fte r all , it is n o blessin g to live too long ,”h e had said to
a fr iend a few weeks be fore ; and to an oth er h e con fessed that, if it
we re G od’s will, h is prayer was n ot to die of a linge ring ailmen t .
Th e ange l Death , coming as it did, migh t have come with a
suddenn ess awful and saddening to his friends but n o , every.
thing was arranged swee tly and conso lin gly. With his character isticspirit and courage , th ough n ot in his usual h ealth , Fath er O
’
Neill
had in sisted on taking h is part in th e Dio ce san syn od held in
Newry on Tuesday, A pril 1 5th , 1 890 . The n ext mo rn ing h e aro se at
six o’
clock, the h our of rising that he had, through all his priesth ood,observed with th e un swerving regularity which h abit had tran s
formed in to a second n atur e . Th ough h e had made h is ordin arywe ekly con fe ssio n on th e previous Sunday, h e prepared for th e
ce lebration of Mass, afte r h is n ever omitted hour o f medi tation ,
by again re ce iving sacramen tal absolution , and th en h e stood for
th e last time , n ot kn owing that it was so , be fore th e al tar on wh ich
h e had offe red up th e ho ly sacrifice some n in e thousand time s.
Durin g th e foren oon h e en ro lled in th e League of the Cross two o r
Dr . Blake of Dromore , and Fbther O’
Ne ill of Rostr ez'o r . 327
th re e young men who were leaving for America , giving th em
e arn est advice at conside rable l ength . It was rem embe red th e n ext
day that h e had spent a longe r tim e than usual at hi s prayers in
th e transept of his be loved church , in th e spot wh e re h e recited a
large porti on of th e Divin e ofice every day about n oon—th e spo t
ben eath wh ich his remain s are n ow repo si ng , n e ar th e confessio na l
i n which h e had admin iste red th e Sacramen t of G od’
s me rcyassiduously and with such firm yet tende r z eal. A little later he
r ode out past th e old graved of Kilbron ey ; but h e was obse rved
r eturn in g be fore many minute s had passed. His death was upon
h im ; but happily it did n ot strike h im down on th e spot. He
lin gered till n ear midnight in great pain , which , with his usual
se lf-restrain t, h e would n ot relieve by a single moan . Th e
h e art. Th e dying priest retain ed his full consciousn e ss and calm
n e ss to th e end, en couraging his afflicted friend and coadjuto r tostr ength en him for his jcurn ey by th e last sacrame nts of th e
Church . A nd th en in th e early morn ing the sad n ews went
round Poor Fath er O’Neill is dead ! Ou th e fo llowin g
Saturday, afte r th e beautiful Requiem Oth ee and Mass and last
fun eral rite s, th e holy remain s were laid, as we have alr eadym en tion ed, in th e left transept under th e very spot wh ere h e had
be e n n oticed praying for a long time on th e day of h is death .
Th e opposite tr ansept is lighted by th e fin e staincd-
glass window
pre sen ted by Lord O’Hagan in m emory of his moth sr , wh o is
buried in th e adjscen t graved o f Kilbron ey ; and th e
correspondin g window ove r Fath e r O’
Ne ill’s grave may in lik e
m an n er h e made a memorial o f h im .
L et na give a few o f th e touchin g words spoken by th e Ve ryRev . J. C . Lyo n s, O .P.
, Pr ior of St . Cath e rin e’
s, Newry, at th e
fun e ral obsequies, at which n ot on ly th e Dromo re prie sts assisted,
but Down and Conn or , Kildare , A rmagh , and Dublin , wer e also
r eprese n ted .
His life was full of re al fo r the glo ry of h is Master . His z e al fo r th e beautyof go d
’s h ouse could no t be surpassed . Th e succe ss of Fath e r O
’
Ne ill in his
labor ious life is due , in th e h t at place , to h is th o ro ugh spirit as a prie st . He wa s
first and beyo nd all th in gs a true prie st . He r ealised wh at it was to be a steward
and a guardian of h is Master , and th e all -abso rbin g devo tion of h is life was h is
de votion to th e sacramen t of th e altar . He was n o t o n ly a steward o f hi s D ivin e
Maste r , but also His friend and constan t compan ion . Th e life of Fa th er O'Ne ill
was on e o f undeviatin g piety and atte n tio n to pr iestly dutie s. He led a life of
328 The Ir ish Mon thly.
unswe rvin g ro utin e . He was a man truly full of G od. Th e n oble ,
Ope n , h on est , expression on his coun ten ance h is un obtr n eive and quie t mann er ,h is kindn e ss, h is ge n ial smil e—everyth in g combin ed to make an impression , even
upon th e casual observer , and make h im say to h imself :‘A h , this is no ordin ary
man . Fath e r O’Ne ill was a typica l Irishman . He had an Irishman ’
s ge n e rous
Elsewh ere Fath e r Lyon s remarks th at, as a fr iend, h e was as
true as ste e l , and that, alth ough the ve ry soul o f h ospitality in
social matte rs, h e in his most unreserved and unguarded momen t
n ever utte red a word unbecoming a h oly priest.”
1 Among th e beautiful dowers, some costly and some simple ,
that were h eaped upon th e coflin , many were laid by those who
were n ot m embe rs of his flock , on e wreath (for in stance ) be ing a
token of regre t from th e Pre sbyte r ian min ister o f th e village , wh o
had more than on ce , in th e pr eceding days, come with kindly
sympathy among th e mourn ers wh e re th e dead priest lay. And
so , to o , be side s many Protestan ts wh o showed th e last marks of
re spect to th e vigilan t and uncompromisin g Catholic pastor , others
wro te to express th e ir regre t th at distance o r imperative duties
hindered th em from be ing prese n t . ThusMr . Edward G ree r ,J.P. ,
Ch airman of th e Ulster Land Commission , wrote of th e goodand worthy Fath e r O
’Neill
” I kn ew him sin ce I was a boy,
and experie n ced many acts of kindn ess from him . He was a man
o f strong will and strong opin ions, but of a kindly, gen tle heart .’
Y es, h e was a man of strong»opin ion s, and fearless in upholdingth em . Ne ith er his piety n or h is patr iotism was ch erish ed vague lyin th e abstract, but th ey had a kn ack of throwing th emselves in to
very sh arply defin ed con crete forms . A nd this circumstance adds
force to th e te stimony of an oth e r wh o had scan t sympathy with
Fath er O’Ne ill
’s views on sundry burning questions, though th e
barrier of a differe n t faith did n ot lie between th em . Major JohnRoss of Bladen sburg is th e h ead of a Coun ty Down family which
(be sides mo th er and sister) has given to th e Catholic Church justas many converts o f mature years as the De Verse of Coun tyLim eri ck . Ou th e 1 7th of A pril h e writes fr om London to say
h ow sh ocked and grieyed h e was at th e very sad n ews of the
sudde n death of po or Fath er O’Ne ill I deeply regre t that I
can n ot be at h ome to be prese n t at th e fun eral . I can only say I
shall be with you in spirit with my whole h eart.” Mr . Dan ie l
Cr illy,M.P.,fe e ls that one of th e strongest links that bound h im
330 The Ir ish Mo nth ly.
th ey loved him in re turn ; but with their love was mingled a
who lesome filial fear , for th ey kn ew how watchful th e ir Father
was, and how strict and firm and unbending wh erever duty and
conscien ce were concern ed.
This is en ough , and, pe rhaps, more than en ough , to say about
o n e wh o n eve r dr eamed of occupying so much space in a magazin e .
Of th e two names placed at th e h ead of this paper th e more digui
h ed on e might have be en omitted this mon th , for our th oughts
h ave bee n engro ssed by our more r ecent loss. But Fath e r O’Neill
would h ave been glad, it his n ame were to be men tion ed at all,to
have it thus linked with Dr . Blake’s ; and on our part we sh ould
h ardly have allowed th e private fri endship of a lifetim e to single
o ut for public n otice on e go od priest from all th e hundreds of good
priests in Ire land, if th e moment of h is death had n ot found o s
e ngaged in putting in to prin t th e letters which his sain tly bish oph ad addressed to him wh en h e had on ly gon e through the
‘
fourth
part o f his course as a priest. But n ow that we have named
bish op and priest to geth er almost by acciden t, we have n o diflicultyin discover ing oth er bonds of un ion be twe e n th em , for it se ems to
us that th e str ength o f each of th em lay 1 n th e same characte ristic,
which might be called thorough prie stlin ess. Though th ey were
both men of exce llen t abiliti es, th ey ce rtain ly had n ot th e gifts o f
many wh o in sim ilar positions did n ot do half th e ir work ; and
th eir di stin ction consisted in th e quiet pe rsistence with which th eywen t th rough every duty that came in th e ir way. Wh o but th eSearcher of h earts and th e Judge of th e living and th e dead can
duly estimate th e h e ro ism of san ctity that is invo lved in almost
h alf a cen tury of priesth ood, so fre e from faults and sh ortcomings,
a nd so full of virtues and labours, as was th e sacerdotal car e er of
Fath er Patr ick O’Ne ill o f Rostrevor
MOTHER OF G OD, 0 MOTHER !
THE lamp burn s low in a silen t ro om ;
Tr e ad slowly, oh ! tr ead slowlyFo r a Win som e child in its sunn ie st bloom
Is awa itin g th e tr e ad and summon s of do om,
A n d th e sk e le to n , De ath , cr e eps on th rough th e
Save us, 0 Virgin h oly !
A h Unpublished Lette r ofD’A rcyMcG ee . 331
Heart-brok en , oh . h eart-broken
A nd h er hugers play with th e go lden hair,A nd sh e kisse s th e lily ha nd so fair :
For h e r life’s youn g idol 1 s lying th er e ,
A nd th e de cps in h er h eart are wok en .
To watch all n igh t and all day is long ,
A nd an guish oh ! hard to smo th er ;
A nd idle to live wh en all lo oks wro ngJust th en , lik e th e vo ice of a seraph
’s song ,
I h eard h e r wh ispe r Oh thou a rt strong ,
Mo th e r of G od, 0 Mo th e r
A nd a stir cam e ove r th e trance like r e st,
A nd a smil e on th e face , and an oth er
A nd th e ch e eks grew r ed as th e sunlit crest,
A nd th e mo th er cr ied out in accen ts ble st,
A s sh e stra in ed h e r ch ild in joy to h e r br eastMoth e r of G od, 0 Mo th e r !
Bream O’s m nnr .
UNPUBLISHED LETTER OF D’ARCY McG EE.
of our seven te e nth volume (1 889) printedD’A rcy McG e e
had written to th e Rev. 0 . P. Meehan . We mce ived th em from
correspondent, we owe to th e kindness of Coun t Plunke tt , from
whose private n ote we may take a few sentences about The
Hibern ian Magaz ine to which McG e e refers
called Dufiy’sHibe rn ian Shpenh yMagaz ine and at long in tervals
McG e e con tr ibuted verse and, I beh ave , prose to it, alth ough
(usually at least) with out his n ame . Perhaps you can te ll
wh o Ce lticus was. The name is very suggestive of th e Editor of
The A me rican Ce lt'and yet McG e e could hardly produce as fin e
work as The Mantle of Dun lain g ,’a ballad with th e above
signatur e in th e Number for A pril , 1 862 .
McG e e’s letter
“
is, I think, timely—because addressed to one
whom we have lost so late ly by a great Irishman whose memory
332 The Irish Monthly.
is be ing revived at this moment ; because it deals with a questionstill urgen t, the unsatisfied mental and moral hunger of our
pe ople in Am erica (and also at h ome ) ; because it sh ows our
makes as strong a plea for Irish brain-work at h om e as abroad.
This letter was eviden tly written in feveri sh haste . It is n ot
plicity raises a more practical question than has e ith e r of th e clever
papers that have late ly appeared on Catholicity in America—th e
optimist paper in The Ir ich Ecclesiastthal Record and the (may Isay pessimist paper in
Mon tr eal ,
Jun e 24th , 1 860.
Mr nu s Em Mm ,
“ I h ave be en so wi th law examin ation s (I am to be a (‘
an adian Barriste rn ext year ) and o th er wo rk, that I have n o t yet had tim e to cast in to shapeon e o r two of th e sketch es wh ich ar e alre ady mode lled fo r you in my own mind. I
se nd you, just to put my in i tials in th e n ew maga z in e fr om th e start, a few verse s
which I tr ust you will n o t th ink unfit for its pages : the ske tches in a ma il or two ,fe rcer ta in .
Th e ballad of St . Kieran h ad h ardly go n e till I be th ough t me of that blunde r .
Iwish our fr iend of th e Na tion h ad so alte red it. If it ever reappears in Ire land , in
your time
,may I ask you to substitute th e plain En glish th e Por ter sto op
'd h is
oad for th e pre sen t so lecism.
Th e re ason I um so in tere ste d fo r Mrs. Sadlier is th at we have n o o th erwoman , and but few (oh , h ow few men , workin fo r our myri ad em ig ran ts o n
th is co n tin e nt. Th ere is abso lute dange r of the ir c dren for ttingth ey ever had
a fath e r land. Just as th e wr itin gs of Vallan cey, Th e o us 0 Flan igan , &c. ,
with all th e ir erro rs, ke t th e lamp ali gh t som e fifty ye a rs ago , so do we po o rbo okmakers fo r th e in Amer ica with out public librarie s , and wi th out a
gblic, in any organ ic or un organ ic sen se
—str ir e to fill th e bulb with somethin gat wi ll yie ld a flame , till be tte r pen s in be tte r times may do th e wo rk mom
worth ily. Th erefore be merciful in your ju cuts o f wh at we do , remembe r in gle ss wha t migh t have be en don e , as th e be st, tha t th e fear was everyth in g o f
th is kin d would h ave be en left undo n e till to o la te .
I h ave n o t h eard from Williams fo r lon g . I h ave n o doubt. h owe ver , tha ta ny le tte r dir ected with h is full nam e to New Orleans would fin d h im . He wasth e re , sch oo l -teachin a year o r two ago . Th e re is , you will se e , n ear ly as muchland betwe en h im an me as th e re is sea be tween yourse lf and e ith er of us .
I g ri e ve fo r M‘Carth and fo r poo r o ld to whom I owe a l on g letter .
A las ! th a t'
th e storm sh o d fall on such h on our ed eads as th e irs !I fee l tly encouraged to try my hand at oth er bits of our scen ic histo ry by
what you te me of O ’Don ovan
's pleasure in my Four Maste rs.
’It wa s from h im
I le arn ed to kn ow Te ige an Sk ibhe and th e rest of th ose worth ies. If th e picture
has any me rit , it is due mo re to h is instruct ion than to any ar t of min e .
If n o t Sadlier,th en Haver ty o f New Yo rk ough t to be writte n to , to act as
a gen t for th e Hibernia n. A ll success atten d you. I am n ot sure th at I um kn ownto Haver ty ; but, ii so , will you be go od en ough to make him
regards P
Most truly yours.
T . D . M ‘G n .
My wife was deligh ted at your remembrance of h e r . We are all on th e qm’
c it e fo r No . 1 , vo l .
My best regards to Mr . James Bufly and all your cc-laborers.—T.D. M ‘G .
334 m In ch Month ly.
interest . However , we cannot conscien tiously advise th e Bh efi e ld
Sch o o l Board to o rder two hundred copie s for priz es, as th ey did in
th e ease o f Miss Rosa Mulh o lland’s M otto , fo r Kathle e n
peasan try, andwoul d be sur e to provoke an oth er war in th e lwal n ews
papers. Th e Sh efi eld boys and gir ls thus miss a very pretty tal e .
4. A n oth er story b om th e same Publish ers is “ 1 79 1 : a Tale of
St. Domingo ,
” by E. W. G illiam, MD . It is founded on th e true
r ecords o f a terrible orisis in th e histo ry o i th is island, and has th us
novelty on its side . Its literary merit is guaran te ed by th e circum
stance th at it ran through th e pages of Tim Catholic Wor ld, th ough itcann o t cla im to be a worthy successo r of Miss Tin ok er
’s G rapes and
Tho rns,”or of Miss Mn lh olland
’
s Fair Emigran t.”
5. Th e same Publish ers also have produced in a fin e , so lid octavo
Carmelite s in th e Un ited States,” by Char les Warren Currie r , Priest
of th e Co ngregation of th e Most HolyRede eme r . Fath e r Currie r has
fulfil led h is labour of love with a th o roughn ess wo rthy of his dis
tinguish ed Eng lish ooni rére , Fath er Bridge tt . It was fortun ate for
th e Am e rican Carmelites th at th e exce llen t James M‘Maste r died
befor e wr itin g th e ir h isto ry. From wh at we remember of his work in
th e New Yo rk E mm a’s Journa l, we suspe ct h e was too o riginal to
prove a satisfacto ry histo rian . But Fath e r Currier is labor ious, con
avail ed himse lf with th e utmost di lige nce o f th e rese arch es of many
h elpe rs almo st equa lly intere sted in th e en terprise . Th e re sult is an
extreme ly valuable addition to th e h istorical lite ratur e of th e Church
n ot confin ed always to Cam e l in Amer ica .
” Th e alphabe tical index
of family names th at occur in th e work fil ls many pages at th e end,
and we n otice a great many that are unmistakably Irish .
6 . Fr om th e great r e ligious po em , Th e End of Man,” by Fath er
A lbany Ch r istie , th e auth o r h as ch o sen certain portions i llustr a
ting th e feasts o f th e year and all th e Sundays, each havin g a pa ge of
its own . Th e se with loving skill have , with th e aid o f th e Manr esa
Press, be en made in to a very h o ly and pre tty book, th e name of whieh ,
Ch imes fo r Ho lydays,” was suggested by on e of th ose ch aracte ristic
ph rase s of Cardin al Newman which o n e lik e s to pick up wh e reve r on e
m eets th em . In Jun e , 1 886, th e Cardin al—wh om Fath er Christie
calls a de ar friend to wh om mo r e tha n to any oth e r man I owe underG od my conversion —wro te about th e me tro employed in Th e End ofHon Th e te rnarymetre is like a chime of bel ls from a church
tower , praising and proclaiming Fath e r , So n , andHoly G h o st.
N otes on New Books. 335
7. Price sixpe nce , wi th th e name in go ld o n brown paper , whi ch
e dition of Po ems and Ba llads o f Youn g Ir e land”
(Dublin M. H.
G ill and Son ). It is full of fr esh and beautiful po e try ; but for a s
th e special surprises of th e li ttle vo lume are Sh ame e n Dhu, byKath arin e Tynan , and th e Hush Song by G eo rge Noble Plunk e tt. It
is no t th e ir beauty that surpr ises us, but th e ir a n expected sort of
beauty.
8. A n oth er second edi tion of a work of a very difle r en t kind is
Pr in ciples of Re ligi ous Life , by th e Ve ry Rev. Francis Cuthber t
Doyle , (Lo ndon : Washbourn e ) . Th at a large octavo vo lume of
ample pages sh ould re ach a second edition , even after seven years, is
a pr o of of th e so lid m e rits of this very e labo rate tre a tise , wh en we
r emembe r th e limite d const ituen cy to which such a work can appeal .
In an appendix an an alysis is given of each of th e section s and thi s
in itse lf proves th e ccpiousn ess of th e ma tte r , and th e m eth odical
mann er in wh ich it is co nveyed. But wh at is th e m ean in g o f th e four
capital le tte rswh ich take th e place of Fo'
m'
e o r Th e End Al l of
n a ar e familiar with A . M . D. G .
”but this is th e first tim e th at we
h ave n oticed th e in itial s, I. O. G . D.
9. No te s on El ectric Ligh tin g ,” by th e Rev . G e rald Molloy,
D .D ., D . Se . (M . H. G ill and Son ), ar e r e issued in a sixpe nny
pamphl e t, with many advan tages of paper , type , and form wh ich
t h ey did n o t en joy on th e ir first appe arance” in The Fr eeman
'
s Jcarnal .
If punn in g we r e n o t str ictly prohibited on th ese pr emises, we migh t
r emark th at ;Dr . Mo lloy throws conside rable ligh t o n on e o f th e
burn in g questio us of th e day and ce rtain ly h is pr esen t contribution
to popular kn owledgo is an o th e r proo f o f tha t special facul ty for im
par ting sci en tific in formation in th e cleare st and most attractive
mann er which The Sp ectator , The Scotsman, Natur e , and o th e r critica l
j our n als discove r ed in his deligh tful vo lume ca lled G le an in gs in
Scien ce .
”
1 0 . An o th e r good sixpenceworth is Easy Lessons in Cookery, byMiss Mary Todd (Dublin M. H. G ill and Son ) . Our own
acquain tan ce with th e subject is confin ed to a mor e advanced stag e of
th e proce edin gs but Miss Todd is a pro fesso r of co oke ry and ek e a
first class diplomée ,”
and we ar e sur e youn g h ouse-k e epe rs will find
th ese pag e s pleasan t and profitable . Even a n on -
pr ofe ssional r eade r
can se e at a glance th at th e style is clear , co nden sed, and po in ted
fo r even in such matte rs th er e is room fo r th e display of a g ood or a
3 36 T/ae Ir is!» Mon ihzy.
1 1 . St. Brigid, A bbess of Kildare , byMrs.'A tkinson , is th e
latest publication o f th e Cath o lic Truth Socie ty. This admi rabl e
ske tch costs on ly two pen ce and te lls in fiftypag es, and in a clear and
winn ing style , all th at is kn own of St. Brig id’s car e er and of th e Irish
Church of h e r time . We a re glad that S. th e biograph er o fMrs .
Ai ke nh ead, h as put h e r n ame in full on this n ew title -pag'e . St .
Brigid was th e fir st Ir ish Nun , and our good Nuns ough t to secur e a
wide circulatio n fo r th is ch armin g littl e biography.
1 2 . Le t a s name in o n e paragraph a pile of tiny tome le ts of pie ty.
Ven i Sancte Spiritus” is th e n ewest of Fath er Ri chard Clarke
’s
exce ll en t pe nny medi tation-books, consistin g of sh o rt m edi tation s,
each a single page , from th e A scensi on to th e octave of Co rpus Ch risti .
Dean Kin an e o f Cash el has made an excell en t compilation of sh o rt i a
dulge nced aspiration s in e igh t pages of compact prin ting . which may
be go t from M . H. G ill and Son , fo r Is. 6d. a hundr ed. G ems fo r
my Crown ,” by a Ch ild
“
o i Mary (M.H. G ill a nd Son ) , is a peculiarlyn e at little book o f pious th ough ts, 365 in numbe r , eviden tly meant to
str e tch ove r th e year , th ough n o t distin guish ed betwe en mon ths and
days. A Siste r of Mercy h as tran sla ted from th e 1 2th French editio nTh e Twe lve Vir tue s of a G o od Te ach e r ,
”by Fath er Potti er , SJ
(Be nz ige r : New'Y ork ) . The Virg in Mo th e r of G o od Co unsel h as
be en compiled as a n ewMon th of May fr om Mgr . G e orge Dillon’s work
by a n ew Be n edictin e Nun of Ven tn or .
l 3 . Th e R ev. Rich ard O’K enn edy, Patr ick’s We ll , Co .
Lime rick , h as just issued an extr eme ly useful little bo ok, price two
pe n ce , Ben ediction Hymn s Explain ed”(James Dufiy and Co ) .
Th e pious faithful in Ire land sh ow in many places a peculiarly e age r
fondn ess for this sacred r ite , an d m any of th em will be glad to h ave
th e Latin h ymn s expounded h e r e fully word for word. A n oth e r
piim'
mus libollulm by th e same auth o r is Th e Ho lyHour of Prayer”
(Dublin : Do llard) . His little bo ok , A m’
ma Ckmbti,is much mo re
tha n th e explan a to ry sub-title claim s fo r i t . It tr eats very simply but
fully an d profoun dly o f th e soul o f Ch r ist, of His body, and of His
Ble ssed Mo th e r . Th e pr in ting is very good but ve ry minute . If
pr in ted like th e same auth o r’s tr e atise o n th e Ho ly A nge ls (Burns and
Oate s) , it would be almost as larg e , inste ad of be ing cramm ed in to
n in e ty pag e s of br evie r . But his Lo ndon Iiublish e rs charge five
sh illings, wh e r e as'
thr e epe nce is th e price of A m’
ma Chr i sti .
1 4. Th e Pr e se ntation Nuns of Sn e em, Cc . Kerry, put no pub
lishe r’s n am e on th e title -page of th e ir translation of Th e Catechism
of th e Ch ild o f Mary,”fo r wh ich th ey h ave procur ed th e Impr ima tur
of all th e archbish ops o f Ir e land, England, an d Sco tland.
338 The Ir is]; Monthly.
Now, did you ever wish tha t to h appe n , moth e r
No t exactly. But really, de ar , you sh oul d go and dr ess. Th is
n ews will ke ep.
Oh , no it won’t. But h er e go e s . Well, afte r lo ng se arch ing
and ma ny un successful inquir ie s, I h ave at last foun d th e Ne ils, Dora
and h e r siste r .
Indeed,”said Lady Ashfie ld co ldly, th at is quite an un expected
even t . A nd h ow did it h appe n
Ashfield lo ok ed at h er cur iously.
Why, moth er , h ow calmlyyou take my n ews. Y ou don’t se em
much pleased. I th ough t you woul d be de ligh ted.
Sh e laugh ed n e rvously, and look ed about impatien tly for some
missin g article .
Sa rah is so car e less. I can ’t fin d my ruby r in g . Ah, h ere it is.
Y e s, yes, of course , I am glad, dear . But is it n ecessary to be quite
as excited as you ar e I th ough t we sh ould probably find th em
some day. Wh e re did youme e t th em?“ I did n o t m e e t th em . But I cam e to find th em in rath er a
cur ious fash ion . Y ou rem ember Paul Vyn e r“ What, th e artist?Lady A shfie ld started round as :sh e asked this question , h er face
Y es. He is an artist. On e of th e best fe llows
Y ou n e ed n o t te ll m e his pe rfe ctions, sh e said sfiifiy, and tum
ing back to h e r glass. But I th ough t h e was in Am e rica .
”
Was. But is in London . I’ve be en sitting to him for my
po r trai t.”
Wh at fo llyFo lly?My de ar mo th er , why sh ould it be fo lly
Be cause you kn ow we sh ould k eep th at young man at as
gre at a di stance as possible , A shfie ld.
My de ar moth e r , I am so rry to be obliged to con tradict you.
But I r eally kn ow n o thing of th e kind.
Have you th en forgo tte n a ll th at h appen ed be for e h e wen t
awayNo , mo th e r . I r emember pe rfe ctly we ll. I r em ember h ow
Sir Eustace A th e rsto n e educated h im , to ok h im to Italy, treated h im
in every way'
lik e h is son , till . on e day h e discove r ed, th rough Paul’s
own manly confe ssion , th a t h e loved his granddaugh ter , Sylvia, and
that h e th en cast h im off, allowin g h im to shi ft for h imse lf, re fusin g
to se e o r h elp h im . Th is, of cour se , afiects th e A th e rston es, but wh at
it h as to do with us I can n ot se e .”
Y ou ar e very dense , my son , or sur ely you would se e that it
A Str iking Contract. 339
would be be tte r to k e ep th is youn g m an at a distance just a t pre se nt .Y ou knowwh at my h 0pes ar e wh e r e Sylvia is concer n ed—and and
t h is handsome artist, with h is wro ngs an d grie vances, may pro ve a
Lo rd A shfie ld sprang to hi s fe e t and to ok two o r th r e e turn s upa nd down th e room . His face was flush ed, h i s eyes full o f ange r .
But pre se n tly h e grew calme r , and coming close to h is mo th er , h e
la id h is h and afieotionate ly o n h er sh oulde r , and ben t to k iss h e r
ch e ek .
Mo th e r min e ,” h e sa id gen tly, yo u must not build castles in
th e air . Y ou have n o righ t to fo rm any h opes, o r spe culate in any
way, about my futur e—o r Sylvia
’s. 1 71“ is in our h ands . You, my
m o th er , must no t in terfer e .
Ashfie ld
I me an it, moth er . He smiled playfully. I’
ll h ave n o
m a tch making . I’ll gang my own gate , as th e Sco tchman says, and
ma rry wh o and wh en I please . But you may rest assur ed that I’ll
n eve r ask you to r ece ive a daugh te r- is -lawwh o is n o t in eve ry sen se
.a lady.
”
Lady Ashfie ld lo oked up lo vingly in to h is handsom e , h on est face .
My so n , I n ever doubted th at. But I did h opeHe h e ld up a warning fin ge r .
“ Th a t is just what I object to . Y ou must n o t h ope anyth ing .
A t least you must n o t talk of your h 0pes .
”
Very we ll . I’ll promise that.
Th anks . Th at is som e th ing ga in ed. A nd n ow as to Vyn er .
His moth er moved impatie n tly o n h e r ch air .
I take n o in ter est in him , I assur e you.
”
My dear moth e r , h ow un just you great ladies can be l If Paul
were an earl o r a duke , you would n o t fo rbid me to cul tivate his
a cquain tance lest, pe rhaps, h e migh t become a rivLady A shfield frown ed.
That is quite a difiere n t thin g . It is pr eposte rous that a poor ,
struggling ar tist sh ould dar e to aspir e to Miss A th erston e’s h and.
”
A nd ye t Miss A th erston e will have mon ey en ough fo r
A shfield, you ann oy m e exce edin gly. Th ese n ew radica l ideas
o f yours are atrocious. If a man be go od, h on e st, an d cleve r, you
care n oth ing fo r family o r wealth ; all men are equal in your eyes .
”
A shfie ld laugh ed go od-humour edly.
No t qui te , mo th er dear . Th e good, clever m en are infin ite lysupe rior to th e mor e men of family o r wealth . But, pray fo rgive me
if I ann oyed you. I did n o t wish to do ao , I assur e you. A nd n ow,
l et na fo rge t th at th e A th e rston es e ve r kn ewVyn e r , and remember
340 m Mon tMg .
o nly that h e h as don e na a gre at service , and th at we owe h im a
debt o f gratitude .
”
How so , pray
Because th rough h im I discove red th e Ne ilsLady A shfie ld
’s m outh was se t in co ld, hard lin es .
Inde ed,”sh e said icily. Th at was a great se rvice , truly.
A ve ry grea t on e , mo th er , and I cann ot te ll you h ow tha nkful
I fe e l . This morn ing I was in bad spirits. I th ough t we sh ould
n eve r disco ve r th em . A nd o n e nte rin g Vyn er’s studio , h e remarked
upon mymise rable expr ession . I to ld h im th e storywith outmen tion
in g th e Ne ils’n ames, n ever imagin in g fo r an instan t th at h e coul d
assist m e . Th e go od fe llow was ful l of sympathy. But,’h e said,
you must ch e e r up. I could n ot pain t such a dol eful coun tenan ce .
Come in to my room and lo ok at my treasure s . Th ey may en liven you
somewh at .’
He led m e in to a little sa nctum h ung round with all kin ds of
cur ios. But wh a t attracted m e , fixed my atte n tion at once , wer e two
small pictur es—two of th e most lo vely h eads that I h ave ever se e n in
my life . On e h ad a cloud of rich auburn h air , large , luminous, dark
eye s and
Sylvia ! Wh at audacityA udacity, mo th er To pain t th e fr iend of h is boyh ood, h is
almost siste r fo r fourte en long years. On e could ha rdly ca ll th at
audacity. Howeve r , th at we may discuss an oth er time . I wan t tofin ish my sto ry. Side by side with this be autiful pain ting was
an o th e r . Oh , moth e r , had you se en it your h eart, which this even ingse ems lik e ice, must h ave m e lted . It r esembled th e h e ad o f an an ge l,
fa ir and pur e . Masses of go lde n h air cluste ring roun d a marble brow,
eye s of th e de epest , darkest blue ; but ove r all an ai r o f sadn ess and
m e lan ch o ly n o t n atur al in o n e so young . Vyn e r saw my admiration ,
and did n ot speak for a momen t, unwi lling to disturb my r everie .
A r e th ey n o t a str ikin g con trast h e ask ed at last .
I n odded. I could n ot speak . I fe lt on th e ve rg e o f te ars.
A nd th e ir lives,’h e con tinued, are as gre at a contrast as th e ir
lo oks. Mo r e , I sh oul d say, for th ough th e ir face s are difier en t, th eya r e bo th beautiful, wh ilst th e ir live s—alas ! th er e indeed is th e con
trast . On e surrounded with eve ry luxury, th e oth e r plun ged in
th e most dir e pove rty and wan t .’
Is that W e I cr ied. Oh , Vyn e r , I kn ow th em bo th . On e
is Miss A th e rsto n e , the be autiful h e iress. Th e o th e r is’
‘Little Do ra Ne il , th e dr e ssmake r’s appren tice .
Wh er e did you find h e rFin d h e r My dear A shfie ld, sh e is close to na. Sh e and h er
siste r live in th e ro oms just over th ese .
’
342 The Ir ish Month ly.
A shfield look ed wh at h e f -lt—de eply pain ed.
I am so rry for tha t. Do ra’s siste r sh ould be ch arming .
Sh e is n o t, o r says sh e is n o t, th e girl’s siste r afte r all, ro se to
Lady A shfie ld’s lips. But sh e stopped abruptly. Why te ll A sh
fie ld th is mad sto ry?sh e th ough t. It is n onsense , and I h ope h e
may n ever h ear it . He sh a ll ce rtainly n o t do so trom m e .
”
We ll?” h e inquir ed, sh e is n o t wh at
A t all lik e Do ra . Sh e is dark and stron g—a tall , rath er good
lookin g young woman , but lack ing th e extr em e r efin em en t of h e r
l ittle siste r .
”
But sh e is a ladyP h e que stion ed anxiously. Sh e must be
th at.
Lady A shfie ld dush ed. It was unpleasant to be catechised so
pe rsiste n tly about a person wh o h ad an n oyed h e r so much . Sh e did
n ot car e to se e h e r son tak e such an in te rest in th ese Noils . An d ye t
such is th e pe rversity of m e n , sh e kn ew th at, did sh e but attempt to
disparag e Madge , it would only in cre ase th at in te r est , and make h im
m ore anxious th an eve r to lo ok afte r h e r and h er siste r .
Y e s,”sh e adm itted r eluctan tly, afte r a sligh t pause . Sh e is a
lady. But very proud. An d sh e did n o t se em as poo r as you th ink
th ey are .
”
Ah , th at sh ows m e h ow n oble sh e is. Sh e did n o t care to parade
h er pove r ty to a strang er . I lik e that spirit,” h e cried warmly.
But, of course , you promised to ge t h er lessons and h e lp h er a ll you
wul n
Y e s. But sh e dr ew h e rse lf up proudly and declin ed my h e lp.
Mo th er ! you must h ave ofien ded h e r . Y ou must apo logise
and insist on h e lpin g h e r .
Some thin g in Lord A sh fie ld’s mann e r and wo rds stung hi s moth er
to an g e r ; and forge ttin g h e r usual caution in h e r wrath , sh e r eplied
indign an tlyI mo st certai n ly declin e to do anyth ing of th e kind. Miss Madg e
r e fused my h e lp, and I h ave n o in te n tion of pre ssing my se rvice s
upon h e r . A nd n ow, A shfie ld, go and dr e ss for dinn e r . We h ave
discussed th is matte r lon g en ough . Our gue sts may arr ive in a few
mom e n ts .
On e word, mo th e r . Will you fo rge t your quarr e l with Madge
and send fo r h e r again9
No , I cann o t pr omise to do that, sh e answer ed stiffly. Mymaid sh all go and se e Do ra to m orrow and tak e h e r a few de licacie s .
I did n o t ask you to h elp th em in th atway. h e said in a to n e o f
grave disple asur e . It is sur e ly making th e gir l a po o r re turn fo r
h er br ave conduct, do ling out ch arity to h er by th e h ands of your
maid .
”
A Stri king Co ntrast. 343
Y ou must allowm e to be a judge of wh at is righ t, Ashfie ld. I
fla tte r myself I kn owmor e about th e se matte rs than you.
Pe rhaps ao. But I must confe ss I am much puz zled by your
co nduct . Y ou are no t acting as I expected you would wh e n we
discovere d th ese gir ls. But n ow I must go and dre ss .
”
A nd fo r th e first time for many years Lord A shfie ld l eft his
moth er’s pre sence with a h eavy cloud upon h is brow.
CHAPTER XIV.
w n o 1 s S Y L V I A?Afte r an absence of manyyears Sir Eustace A th erston e h as at last
made up h is mind to spen d th e seaso n in Lo ndon . Immediate ly afte r
th e ar r ival of h is gr anddaugh te r and h e r nurse h e h ad r e tir ed to h is
coun try se at, wh e re h e r emain ed till th e gir l was sixte en . Th en , fo r
h e r sake , h e sudde nly r enoun ced th e life h e loved and wen t abro ad .
For Sylvia was h is first , his co n stan t th ough t, and h er happin e ss
th e principal obj ect of his existe nce . From th e mome n t th at h e h ad
re ce ived h e r from A nn e Dan e , a po o r li ttle mite , just r escued from a
watery grave , h e h ad surroun ded h er with everythin g tha t love o r
wea lth could imagi n e or suggest .
Up to th e ag e of sixte e n th e gir l h ad be en instructe d in a ll th e
impo r tan t bran ch es of education by th e best teach ers England could
produce . Th en , all at o nce , it dawn ed upo n th e youn g lady th a t sh e
kn ew abso lutely n othin g of th e wo rld. That sh e h ad n eve r h eard
go od music, o r se e n any of th e fin e picture s and sculptur e th at sh e
h ad read so much about—tha t h e r French and G erman we re we ak ,
h e rJtalian we ake r . Sh e mention ed th ese facts on e day, somewh at
pla in tive ly, to h e r gr andfath e r . A nd h e , with out a th ough t fo r h im
se lf or his probable discomfort in fore ign lands, instan tly r e so lved
th at th ey sh ould tr ave l, and that Sylvia sh ould thus have eve ry
opportuni ty for learn in g modern languages and gen e rally improvin gh e r mind.
Fo r two years th ey wande r ed about from place to place , stayingsix mon th s h er e and th re e th ere . {fill at last th e ir time was up, and
Sylvia was e igh te en , a nd h e r e ntran ce in to socie ty coul d n o longe r be
de layed. Th en th ey tur n ed th eir faces h omewards, and arr ived in
London a few days befor e th e Drawingroom, at wh ich Miss A th e r
sto n e was to be presen ted by Lady A shfie ld.
344 The Ir ish Monthly.
Ou th e morn ing o f th e day which th is importan t even t in h is
g ran ddaugh ter’s life was to occur , Sir Eustace sat alon e in h is hand
some library. Bound about him o n th e table we re books, papers and
le tte rs. But h e was n o t re ading . He se emed lost in th ough t. A nd
to judge by th e expr ession of h is face , th er e was a good deal of sad
n ess mixed up with h is r eflections.
“ Y e s,” h e murmured ha lt aloud,
“ I miss h im . Her e , in thisr oom , wh ere Paul.as a littl e boyused to sit in th e o ld, o ld days, poringover some big book, and looking up with a smil e wh en I asked him a
question , I miss him sadly. In fore ign lands, amidst fre sh scen es,
and in th e first burst of indignation at his fo lly, I fan cied I did no t
car e ; but I find I do—for ve ry dear was th at lad to me afte r all .
Po o r Paul Vyn e r , with h is brigh t face , and h is warm enthusiastic
natur e . Why, oh , why did I se nd him from me A nd yet I could
n o t h elp it . It was n ecessary fo r Sylvia’s sake . So wh at matter h ow
I, h ow h e sufiers, if sh e be h appy, as sh e must—as sh e shall be.
But h ow strange it se ems that th o se I love ar e a ll fo rced fo r some
r eason o r o th er to le ave me . First my so n , G e o rg e . Th en my wife
and o th er chi ldre n by de ath . Th e n Paul . A nd n ow wh o knows,
perh aps, I may on e day lose Sylvia , my pet, my tr e asure . Such a
loss woul d ki ll me . A nd ye t, after th is, I may n o t be all owed to k eeph er long . Once presen te d, says Lady A shfie ld, sh e must marry .
Paul was banish ed b ecause h e loved h er . My po o r Paul ! A nd now
wh o kn ows wh at plot is be ing h atch ed, wh at co n spiracy is on foot to
r ob m e o f h er 0 rm last n igh t Lady A shfield h in ted someth ingdarkly, asked str afig e questions about my dar ling
’s fo rtun e , and
wan ted to kn ow if any ch an ge would ever be possible in my mann er
towards h er , no matter wha t sh e did o r became . Wh at sh e me an t Ican
’t imagin e . A s i f any earthly th in g could alter my love for my
dear est ch ild. Why even ii— But h ere sh e com es ! I declar e
th e fir e is n early out . How stupid of me n o t to pay: ittion . 0
Sir Eustace se iz ed th e pok er an d stirred th e fire to a blaz e . Th en
drawing an arm-ch air to th e fir e , h e sank in to it wi th a sigh .
Th e doo r open ed sligh tly, and a m e rry vo ice ca ll ed out :
May I come in , grandpapa Mdme . G arn iture promised to
come e arly to h e lp to dre ss me , as Désirée is rath e r inn ocen t in th e
arr angem e n t of cour t trains. But sh e h as n o t arrived, and I am tir ed
o f sittin g upsta irs alon e . I am in an unfinish ed state . But still”
Come in, love . Come
.
in ,” h e cried . My swe e t Sylvia is
we lcome in any state . He r‘
sunny face is just wh at I wan t to se e .
”
Y ou de ar o ld darlin g,”sa id Sylvia ; and tripping up to h e r
gran dfath er’s ch air , sh e gave h im a loving ki ss.
To be sure . A nd wh er e th en did Miss A th e rston e bestow it
Ou de ar o ld G arnitur e , o f course . Sh e h as made my drm
n o t quite since I was able to walk . but still for a very lo ng time , and
I was n o t go in g to dese rt h e r just wh en sh e would most sujoy dressing m e , mer e ly because Irma is th e fash ion .
”
We ll , I don’t suppose Lady Ashfie ld cared.
Oh , but sh e did. An d that is on e of my troubles. Sh e was ve ry
proud and cr o ss, and th at made m e more de te rmin ed th an eve r—fo ryou kn ow I h ave a will of my own , de ar .
”
Most certain ly you h ave , my pot. A mor e obstin ate littl e perso n
I n eve r met .”
No t with you, grandpapa , n ot with you. I’d do anythi ng you
asked me .
”
Sh e laid h e r ch e ek care ssingly again st h is h and, and raised h e r
larg e lustrous eyes lovin gly to his.
I gave up Paul , dear fo o lish Paul, because you wish ed it. Y o u
h ave n o t forgo tte n th at, gr andpapa
A nd Sylvia’s swe e t face grew crimso n , and th e se nsitive mouth
0
Y ou did, my darling . Y ou wer e e ve r g en tl e and obedien t .
Tod ay you go fo rth in to th e wo rld, and o th e rs mo re e ligible th an
Paul may se e you, and wan t you. Lo rd Ashfie ld, for in stance . Hismo th e r h in ted bro adly last n igh t .
Lo rd A shfie ld sha ll n eve r steal me from you. Do n o t be afraid.
A nd do n o t pay a tten tion to his mo th e r’s hin ts . In th is matte r sh e
will find m e quite as obstin ate as wh e re Mdme . G arn itur e was con
ce rn ed.
But some o n e is sure to come and car ry you ofi, my pe t . Th er e
is a strang e fe e lin g of te rro r ove r me tod ay, Sylvia, that I canno t
un derstand. It may be th at your fa th e r
My fa th e r Oh , grandpapa, you could n ot sure ly be jealous o f
h im . Poor , de ar papa, wh o h as n o t se en me fo r ye ars and years,
n o t since I was a tiny ch ild. My darlin g , h e sh all n ot divide na, I
kn ow. He ’ ll come h ome and widen o ur circle—in cre ass our family.
In ste ad of se parating na, h e will dr aw na more toge th e r and stre ng th e n
o ur.
love .
My dear , swe e t ch ild, would th at my love for you we re n o t so
se lfish . Fo r years I h ave lo ng ed fo r your fath e r to r e tur n ; but n ow
as th e h our appro ach es, I dr e ad it lest h e sh ould tak e from me on e
io ta of my little granddaug h te r’
s h e art .
He sh all n eve r do that. But, te ll m e , h ave you h eard from
papa late ly
Th is morning . He expe cts to be h ome in about six mon th s .
Sylvia clapped h e r h an ds ; h e r face sh on e with j oy .
Wh at glo r ious n ews ! How glad I sh all b e to se e h im . Y ou
don’
t mind me saying th at, dear est
N0 , my pe t . Such ple asure is natur al , and sh ows wh at a lovin gch ild you ar e .
Th e gir l did not speak for a mom ent, ahd se emed in de ep th ough t.
G r andpapa , sh e said pre sen tly, I wonder if papa would kn ow
m e if h e we r e to m e et me and n o o n e to ld h im I was his ch ild. Am I
much ch anged sin ce I came to you
He examin ed h er cr itically, h is eye s ful l o f loving admiratio n as
th ey dwe lt upon h e r .
Y ou we r e sma ll th e n . Y ou are n ow tall and grace ful,” h e said
smiling . Your dark eyes ar e large r and dark e r , but your h air ,
compl exio n , and tiny mon th ar e almo st th e sam e . Y ou wer e a love lybaby ; you are a be autiful girl .
”
Sh e jumped up, laid h er arms about h is n eck , and kissed him with
a te nder love in h e r eyes.
De ar o ld flatte re r ,”sh e wh ispe r ed , do you wish to mak e me
va in
No . I do n’t think th at would be po ssible .
Sylvia laugh ed and blush ed, and r e turn ed to h er stoo l .
Th en you think papa would kn ow me
Th at I can h ardly te ll . A nd ye t I th ink h e woul d. Fo r truly
you are but li ttle chan g ed since I fir st saw you. But still , I do n o t
quite un derstand. Eitbs r h e h as fo rgotten wh at you we re lik e , or th e
se a journ ey work ed a conside rable difie r e n oe in your h e alth and
g e n er al appe ar an ce . I will l e t you h ear wh at h e h as wr itte n about
you.
”
A n d tak ing a letter fr om th e table . Sir Eustace began to re ad .
I won de r wh at my darlin g is like n ow. I always th ink o f h e r
as th e small , delicate baby with little pale , fair ch e eks, th at clun g to
m e so lovin gly as I bade h e r go od-bye .
”
Now, wh en I m e t you at G rave send, Sylvia, sa id Sir Eustace ,
you we r e as r osy as po ssible . A s str on g a chi ld as eve r lived.
”
Th e sea ai r h ad, of course , tann ed my skin and made m e lo o k
h ealthy, answer e d Sylvia decidedly. A nd I dar esay papa h as fo r
go tte n . It is n o t easy to r emembe r a baby’s face . But if h e looked
at my last lik e n ess, h e’d se e pre tty we ll what I am lik e eve ryo n e sa id
it was capita l .”
Y es. But listen , dear , to'
what h e says.
” A n d Sir Eustace co n
tin n ed th e le tte r .
“ Y ou cann o t imagin e h ow I long to se e h er , espe cially n ow, as I
kn ow sh e is grown up, and th at I h ave made up my mind to go h ome
s4e The Ir ish Monthly,
soon . My th oughts are full of my daugh te r . It is strange that non e
o f th e ph otos you mention ed sending ever reach e d me . I probably
mi ssed th em th rough wande ring'about so much . But I am just as
glad I n ever saw th em, for n ow sh e will burst upon m e in all h er
beauty. For yo u te ll me sh e is be autiful Is sh e like my swee t wife ,
I wonder But, o f oour se ,‘
you do n ot know that since you n ever saw
h er , and th e min iatur e I sen t was lost in th e wre ck . Howaver , it
matter s little wh o sh e is like . Sh e is my own bel oved daug h te r , and
as such sh e is in expressibly dear . G od bless h er and you.
”
Sylvia’s eyes we r e full of tears, and takin g h er fath e r
’
s letter from
th e o ld man’s hand, sh e pressed it to h er lips.
Poo r papa , h ow full of love and longing is your le tter ! But
why h as h e stayed away from na all th ese years, grandpapa
Why So you may ask . He , th e h eir to my n ame and r ich
e states. But h e loved a wande ring life , and could n o t be ar th e tram
me ls of socie ty. Now, as h e grows o lder , h e longs fo r h ome and h is
daugh ter’s love .
A nd h e shall have bo th . G r andpapa, we must be verygood and
kind to h im, you and I. But I wonde r am I at all lik e my dead
mo th er
No , de arest, I think n ot, un less in expression . For sh e was
small and fair . G e o rge told me so fre quen tly in th e first days o f
h is marr ied life . Sh e was a frag ile creatur e with go lden ha ir , and
larg e , ch ild- lik e blue eye s.
”
0
T hat is n o t at a ll like me . Dear li ttle moth er . Wh o am I like ,grandpapa Do I r emind you of papa
A nd sh e gla nced a t th e large po rtra it of G e o rge A th erston e , as a
lad of n in e te e n , th a t hung ove r th e man te lpiece .
No , dear . Y ou are n o t lik e any member of our family. Y ou
ar e an original Sylvia , perfectly un ique in your own peculiar way.
"
Th e girl laugh ed and looked up roguishly in to his face .
Perhaps I um a change lingI sh ould n ot be at all surprised,
” h e cr ied, pinchin g h er ch e ek .
Brough t to na by th e fairies, endowed with all th e ir most pr ecious
g ifts and graces.
How th ey j e sted, th ese two . Y et h ad th ey but guessed h ow n ear
th e truth th ey we re , what cruel sorrow would have fill ed th e ir h ear ts !
Just ao , grandpapa ,”
cr ied Sylvia gaily. That sounds ve ry
pr e tty. A n d n ow I must r ea lly go and finish my to ile t. If I am n ot
r eady ve ry so on , Lady A shfield may h ave to wait, andMdm e . G arnitur e h as gon e to your room ,
Miss A th erston e ,”said
th e £00 t open in g th e door .
350 77u Ir ish Monthly.
We ll , upon my word, th is is nice co nduct in a,
strange h ouse ,
c ried th e dr e ssmake r angrily. Wh er e h ave you be en hiding, I’
d
like to kn ow
I was n o t h iding , r eplied Do ra , flush ing painfully. I was
si ttin g in th e ro om wh er e th e youn g lady left m e .
Oh , de ar , o f course , said Désirée . Miss A th er ston e told m e
you we re in th e boudo ir . Did you ge t th e win e‘
P
No . But
Dora gasped. Sh e grew suddenly pal e .
Th en you sh all h ave it n ow,
”cried th e maid. I’ll go fo r it a t
o nce .
” A nd away sh e wen t .
Mdme . G arn itur e ,”ask ed Do ra with tr embling lips, do you
will you te ll me wh o is th at beautiful gir l you came to dress fo r th en
Ce rtain ly. But I . th ough t you kn ew, ch ild. Sh e is Miss
Sylvia A th ersto n e , th e grea test h e ire ss and love liest young lady in a l l
Lo ndon .
”
Do ra’s h ead spun round ; sh e suddenly fe lt fain t and giddy, an d
sh e clun g to th e banniste rs for support.
Sylvia A th e rston e ,”sh e murmur ed. A r e you sure
Mdm e . G arn itur e laugh ed sco rn fully.
Wh y, I’ve made Miss A th erston e ’s dre sse s fo r th e last seven
ye ars, an d ve ry pr oud I am o f th e h on our . Her s is a figur e to do
a dr essmake r cr edi t. Str aigh t, grace ful and sh ape ly. Sh e is a true
ar istocrat, is Miss Ath erston e . A r ea l lady to th e ve ry tips o f h e r
fin g ers. But come , de ar , le t us go h om e . Y ou do n’t se em we ll .
Dora passed h er h and acro ss h e r fo r eh ead.
1 am da z ed—bewilde r ed. 1 kn ow n o t wh at may h appen now.
Sylvia A th e rston e at last So go od, so beautiful , so
Mdme . G a rn itur e lo ok ed at th e gir l in asto nishme n t.
My dear , you ar e h alf asl e ep. Th is ‘visit appears to h ave upse t
you. But com e al on g . I h ave a cab r eady th is h alf h our .
A nd with out waiting fo r Désirée to appe ar with th e win e , sh e
hurried Do ra in to a hansom and dro ve away.
Take my advice an d lie down ,”sh e said as sh e dropped th e
'
g ir l
a t th e co rn e r o f th e stree t in wh ich sh e lived.
“ Y ou wan t a l ittle
r e st .”
Y e s, th ank you, an swe red Do ra dr e amily Pe rhaps I do .
Poo r ch ild ! murmur ed th e dr e ssmak er . Sh e lo oks someh ow
as if sh e h ad se e n a gh ost. Wh at a de licate cr eatur e sh e is. He r
life will n ot be long , I fancy. But maybe it’
s just as we ll , fo r sh e
h as n o t much of a futur e befo r e h e r .
”
(To be con tinued) .
The Ch ildr en’s Ba llad Rosary. 351
THE CHILDREN’S BAL LAD ROSA RY.
PA RT III.
THEFIVE G LORIOUS m s'rs ams.
I.—T1m Rnsunnnm ox.
Je sus from th e cro ss was take n ,Hands of sain ts his body bo r e ,
In th e Sepulch r e th ey la id h im,
Place o f r est fo r n on e befo re .
With a migh ty ston e th e e n tran ce
Was secur e ly seal ed and bar red,
Wh ile th e re sa t in watch around it
So ldi ers of th e Jewish guard ;
Till th e th ird day’s ear ly dawn in g ,
Wh e n from h e aven an an g e l came ,
Wh ite as dr ifte d sn ow his raimen t,
Br igh t h is face as ligh tn in g flam e .
Back h e ro lled th e rocky ba rr ie r ,Wh il e an e ar th quak e spr ead aro und,
A nd th e se n tin e ls in te rr or
Fe ll aswoon upon th e ground.
Th e n our Lo rd and Saviour Je sus,Lamb of G od, r evil ed and slain ,
R ose tr iumph an t and immo rtal ,
Kin g for eve rmo r e to r e ign .
Wh o can dr eam th e joy h is pr e se n ceTo his Virgin Mo th e r gave
F irst h e sough t h e r , first embraced h e r ,
R ising glo r ious from th e grave .
He wh o love s th e co n trite sin n e r
Sh owed h is depth o f me rcy th en ,
Br ingin g comfo rt in h e r we epingUn to Mary Magda le n .
To his gr e at apo stle , Pe te r ,
Ch arg e h e gave his fo ld to ke epSimon Pe ter , dost th ou love me
Fe ed my lambs and fe ed my sh e ep.
352 The [r isk Month ly.
A nd h e bre ath ed On h is disciple s
Sacramenta l power fi-om Heaven ,
With th e words Wh ose sins soeve rY e forgive , th ey are forg ive n .
G o ye teach ing and baptiz ingMen of every clime and coast ,
In th e name of G od th e Fath e r ,
Oi th e Son and Ho ly G h ost .
A ll th e th ings I h ave commanded
Y e sh all te ach th em to obey .
Lo ! I am for eve r with you
Till th e wo rld sh all pass away.
G lo ry to G od the Fathe r ,
A ndg lory to the Holy G hostFbr over
,fi r es in
II.-Tms A sm aron .
So fo r forty days did Jesus
To h is ch osen friends appear ,
Speaking o f h is h eaven ly kin gdom
A nd h is own departur e n e ar .
In Jerusal em th ey r ested
Ti ll h e came th e ir steps to guide
Fo rth un to th e Moun t o f Olives,By h is passion san ctified.
Past th e bro ok and past th e gard
Wh er e h is ago ny was wrough t,Pas t th e tomb , wh e r e , at Be than ia,
La z arus to life h e brough t.
Ou th e moun tain’s summit Je sus
Raised his h ands to h eaven above ,
Pour ing fo rth on h is disciple s
A ll th e blessing o f h is love .
A s h e blessed th em , th ey beh e ld h im
Slowly from th e e arth arise ,
Ou h is fo rm th ey fixed th e ir eyes ;
364 77m Im la Month ly.
Filling all the habitatio n ,A nd be h o ld ! th ey saw dewe nd
Over eve ry h ead to be nd.
A t th e momen t all assembled
With th e Ho ly G h o st were fill ed ,
A n d began in tongues to utte r
Whatso e ’e r th e spir it will ed.
In Jerusalem were dwe llin g
Pious Jews o f every olime ,
Stran gers from th e farth e st r eg io n s.
Hallowing th e festal time .
Th e apostles came among th em ,
A n d th e marvel spre ad abroad
How th ey spoke in eve ry lan guage
Oi th e wo ndrous wo rks of G o d .
Pe te r , prince of th e apostles,
Sto od a nd ra ised h is Vo ice al o n e
He ark e n to m e , men o f Juda ,Le t th e truth I spe ak be kn own .
Th is is wh at th e proph e t Jo e l
Oi th e latte r days fo r e to ld,
Th a t th e Lo rd would po ur h is spir itOu h is se rvan ts young . and o ld.
”
Th e n h e pr e ach ed to th em o f Je sus,
Wh om by wicked h ands th ey sl e w,
How th e m igh t of G od h ad ra ised h im
From th e tomb to life an ew.
He ar in g h im ,th ey ask ed in so rrow
Br e th re n , wha t sh ould be o ur pa rt
Be baptiz ed , wa s Pe te r’s a n swe r ,
Do in g pe nan ce fr om th e h e a r t .
”
Th rice a th ousand we r e co n ve rted
So at G od’s appo in ted h o ur
Was th e Church o f Je sus fo unde d
By th e Ho ly Spir it’s powe r .
6'
lory to G od the Father ,
A nd Ink e te rnal Son,
A nd glory to the Holy G host
For ever , Thr ee in On e .
1 728 Ch ild r
en’s Ba llad Rosary. 355
IV.-THE A ssuur r rom
Sin ce our Lo rd to h e aven ascended
Twe lve full ye ars th e ir course h ad run ,
Wh en to Mary m e ekly waiting
G am e th e call to jo in h e r so n .
Roun d h e r couch apo stles gath e r ed
Er e th e gate s o f de ath sh e passe d,
Drawing str en gth and be n edictio n
From h er aspe ct to th e last .
Th e n h e r pure and sta in less body
Did th ey lay in h al lowed gr ound,
Rapt in awe an d van o ratio n ,
A nge ls k e epin g watch a roun d.
But th e G od wh o pr e o rda in ed h e r
Partn e r in h is plan divin e ,Did n o t will to le t corruptio n
Ta in t h is h o lie st e ar th ly sh r in e .
From th e eve r lasting ag e s
He h ad se a le d h e r as h is own
Now h e to ok h e r , bo rn e by an ge ls,
Soul and body to h is th r o n e .
Sil e nce h e ld th e halls o f h e ave n ,
A n ge l so ngs awh ile we r e still
In th e tra nce o f expecta tion
Harps o f se raph s ce ased to th r ill .
O h , th e ove rflowin g swe e tn e ss
Oi th e n o tes th at ro se aga in ,
A ll th e ch o irs o f blessed spirits
Swe lling th at tr iumph an t stra in .
Com e , th ou Mo th e r of th e High est,Com e , O pear l surpassing price ,
Blessed ove r e ve ry cr eatur e ,
Mo rn ing star of paradise .
Se e th e myriad sain ts r e jo icingIn th e beauty of thy n ame ,
A ll th e fir e of lo ve with in th em
Kindlin g un to br igh te r flam e .
Se e thin e own be troth ed Joseph ,
Virgin spouse of virgin br ide ,
In th e guardianship of Jesus
Watchful eve r by thy side
Ch o sen fo r h is nursing fath e r
In h is infan t years be low,
Ch ose n n ow h is Church’s patro n
Wh ile th e waves of time shall dow.
G lo ry to G od the Fathe r ,
A nd his stom a] Son ,
A nd glory to the Holy G host
For over , Thr ee in One .
V.—a a wumo o r on LADY
Th en in h eaven appeared th e wonde r
Which with ligh t maj e stio sh o n e
Of th e loved apostle John .
Wh e n th e mystic sea ls we r e open ed,A nd th e re ign of Chr ist begun ,
He beh old a woman clo th ed
In th e splendour of th e sun ,
Wh il e th e moon in cr escen t br igh tn ess
Undern oath h er fe e t was spr ead,
A nd a crown of stars was r esting ,
Twe lve th e ir number , on h e r h ead .
Now was G abrie l’
s be n edictio n
In its gre a t fulfilm en t se e n ,
Wh en h e r So n , in all h is G odh ead,
Rose in h eaven and crown ed h e r Que e n .
Que e n of all th e glorious A nge ls ,
Wh ose fide lity was tr iedIn th e h our wh e n Sa tan , fa ithl e ss,
Fe ll lik e ligh tn ing in h is pride .
Que e n of Patr iarch s and Pr oph e ts,
Wh o se illumin ated eyes
Fr om th e virgin womb o f Mary
Saw th e wo rld’s r edemption r ise .
358 The Ir isk Month ly.
THE TWO CIVILISATIONS.
PA RT 1 1 .
Mr . G e orge ro se slowly, and in a grave , me thodical mann e r , h e
sa id
Y ou have raised th e question of questions—th e o ne s uprem e
problem that is stirring and agitating th e world to its de epe st
depths. F orwa rd is th e cry but th e farth er we go th e de ebe rwe sin k in to th e sad complexity of a civilisation wh ere we alth and
wan t in sad compan ionship are seen side by side , wh ere th e few are
glutted and th e many are starving , and th e gifts of th e Creato r ,
and th e impro vemen ts of man , alike se em on ly to in cre ase th e
mise ry of th e multitude . Ido not fin d fault with scien ce ; but I
say that so long as society n e eds readjustmen t, as it does, so lo n gas our social laws and systems are complete ly out of ha rmony with
th e ete rn al laws of justice and truth , scie nce and all th e o th e r
min iste rs to man will be angels of destruction , and n o t messenge rs.
of mercy. In th e ve ry cen tres of our civilisation to -day are wan t
and suffe ring en ough to make sick at h e art wh oever does n ot close
his eyes or ste e l h is n erve s. We dare n ot put th e blame on
Moth er Nature , or upon our great Fath er , G od . Supposin g that
at our praye rs, Nature assumed a mightie r power than it po sse sse s,
suppo sing that at th e beh est by which th e universe sprang in to
be ing th ere sh ould glow in th e sun a greate r h eat, n ew virtue fill
th e air , fr esh vigour th e soil ; that for every blad e of grass that
n ow grows two sh ould spring up, and th e seed th at n ow in cre ase s
fiftyfo ld sh ould in cre ase a hundredfo ld. Would poverty be abated
and want re lieved Man ifestly no Th e result would be in our
presen t e nvironme n ts that th e luxury of a few would be incre ased,
th e misery of th e many would be de epen e d. This is n o bare
supposition . Th e conclusion comes from facts with wh ich we are
quite familiar . Within our own times, un der our ve ry eyes, that
powe r which is above all , and in all , and through all that powe r
of which the who le world is but th e man ifestation ; that powe r
wh ich maketh all things, and with out which is made n othin g that
is made , has increased th e bounty which men may en joy as trulyas though the fertility of Nature had be en increased. So my frie nd
h ere , Mr . Ver dun , has de clared . In to th e mind of on e came th e
The Two Civih'
satiom . 359
th ough t which h arn essed steam for th e service of mankin d. To
th e wise r ear of an other was whispered th e secre t that compe ls th e
lightn ing to be ar a message round th e globe . In eve ry direction
h ave th e laws of matte r be en re vealed ; in every part of industry
h ave arise n arms of iron and finge rs of ste e l , wh ose effect in th e
production o f wealth h as bee n precise ly the same as an in crease in
th e fe rtility of Nature . What is th e re sult P Th e few ar e more
powerful, th e manymore h e lple ss ; unde r the shadow of th e marble
mansio n is th e vile kraal of th e workingman ; and silks and furs
are rutfled by contact with rags in th e str e e ts.
" A y ! e ve n your
ph ilosOph ers h ave to ld us th at all this is as it should be—that suc
ce ss in life is th e te st of virtue , and that th e weak must go to th e
wall . Y es ! your socie ty is like th e Hi ndoo ido l-oar , that flings toth e e arth and crush e s th ose who have n ot power to ke ep pace with
it . In th e amph ith eatres of th e Roman pe ople , wh en th e gladiator
was mortally wounded, th e people passed sen te nce upon h im , and
commanded that h e should die . In th e world of to -day th e sam e
crue lty prevails. Th e moment a man sinks unde r th e burde n o f
th is world’s care s, little pity has th e world for him . A nd n ow,
gen tlemen ,
”h e concluded, pe rhaps as you have allowed me to
so speak so far , you would just h ear an oth e r wh o has said exactly
the same thin g but in verse
IO VICTIS.
I s in g th e hymn o f th e co nque red wh o fe ll in th e battle of life
Th e hymn of th e wounded , th e beaten , wh o died ove rwh e lmed in th e str ife :
o t th e jubilan t so ng o f th e victors, for wh om th e resoun ding acclaim
Of the n a tion s wa s lifte d in ch o rus, wh ose brows wo re th e chaple t of fam e
But th e hymn of th e low and th e humble , th e weary, th e bro ken in h e ar t
Wh o str o ve and wh o fa iled, actin g brave ly a silen t and de spe rate pa r t .
Wh ose youth bore n o flower o f its branch es, wh ose h opes burn ed in ash e s away;
From wh ose h ands slippe d th e pr iz e th ey had gr asped at , wh o sto od at th e dyin go f day
IVith th e work o f th e ir life all around th em , unpitied, un h e eded , a lo n e ,\Vith Death swoopin g down o
’er th e ir failure , and all but th e ir faith ove r th rown .
Wh ile th e vo ice o f th e wo r ld sh outs its ch o rus, its powe r for th ose wh o h ave wo n
Wh ile th e trumpe t is sounding tr iumphan t, and h igh to th e bre e z e and th e sun
Throng in g aft er th e laure l -crowned victo rs, I stand o n th e fie ld of de feat
In th e sh adows’mo ngst th o se wh o are fallen , andwounded and dyiug
h and th e r e
Chan t a requiem low, place my h and on th e ir pain -kn itted brow, br ea th e a praye r
He nry G e o rg e Pro g re ss and Pove rty.
The Irish Month ly.
Ho ld th e hand th at is h e lpless, and wh isper : Th ey only life's victory win
Wh o have fough t th e g ood figh t and have vanquished th e d emo n that tempts
Wh o have h e ld to th e ir faith unseduced by th e priz e th at th e wo rld h o lds on h igh ,\Vho have dared fo r a h ig h cause to saf er , resist, flgbt—if n e ed be , to die .
Say h isto ry, wh o are life’s victors?Unmll thy long annals, and say
A r e th ey th ose whom th e world called th e victors, wh o won th e success of th e dayTh e martyr or hero?Th e Spartan s, wh o fe ll at Th e rmopylm’
s tryst ,
Or th e Persians ct Xerxes?His judge s or Socrate s?Pila te , o r Chr ist i “
Would to h eaven , that on ce and for ever this great gospel of
human ity we re accepted ! If it were ao , the possibilitie s of th e
to n oble passion , with th e fraternity that is born of equality takin gthe place of the jeal ousy and fear that n ow array men against each
o th er ; with men tal power loosed by conditions th at give to th e
humblest comfort and leisure , and wh o shall measure th e h eights
to which our civi lisatio n may soar Words fail th e thought ! It
is th e go lden age which poe ts have sung , and high-raised se ers
h ave told in metaphor ! It is th e go lden vision that has always
haun ted men with gleams of fitful splendour ! It is what he saw
whose eyes atPatmos we re closed in a tr an ce ! It is the culmin a
tion of Chr istianity— th e city of G od upon earth , with its walls of
j aspe r and its gates of pearl ! It is th e re ign of th e Prin ce of
Pem .
“ Fin e tallr ! fin e ta lk !”said a youn g man whom L had n ot
h ith erto se en . He seemed scarce ly more than a boy ; yet th er e
was a veh smen ce and e arn estn ess about him which commanded
respe ct . A nd the man th at is in e arn est about anything is always
enro o t a respectful hearin g .
“ Fin e talk !”said h e again ,
“ if
to-mo rrow were th e millenium ! Y ou preach a doctr in e of
science ,”said h e , turning to Mr . Verdun , but in th e same bre ath
you degrade human ity, and be lie th e san ctity of man’s origin and
th e gr andam of his future destiny. A nd you,”said h e , turn ing to
Mr . Ruskin , advocate culture and refin ement as a salvo for all
our wounds, forge tting that th e h igh er your cultured men and
women advan ce , th e n earer th ey are to barbarism as loathsome as
Rousseau suggested. A nd you, Mr . G eorge , preach a G ospe l of
Human ity . That is th e best teaching ye t. But so far as I can
Blackwood’sMagaz in e .
1 ' Progress and Poverty Henry G e orge .
362 The Ir i de Mon th ly.
So would I But th e light won’
t come ! A nd n e ith e r scien ce
n o r cul tur e , n or human ity will bring it ! For my part, I havethought th e who le thing ove r , and I agre e with o ld Th omas
Carlyle , whe n h e declared, looking up at th e splendours of h e aven
and down on th e gloom of earth , Eh ! it’s a sad sigh t I agre e
with G eo rge Elio t in th at f amous remark sh e made to h er bosom
fr ie nd in her o ld age : Th ere is but on e remedy, my ch ild, fo r th e
sad race of men—o n e grand simultan e ous act of suicide !
Th is was rath e r too much , I thought ; so I went o n deck . It
was a glorious n igh t. Far , far down th e horiz on , great masse s o f
cloud, th e ir blackn e ss softe n ed in to purple by th e finge ring ligh t,
ove rtopped each oth er , and built up th e ir airy battleme n ts hig h
in to the z enith . Eve rywh ere beside th e sky was a pale liquidazure , thr ough which th e dim stars sh on e , and peace , Natur e
’
s
sublime pe ace , slept over all . I stro lled up and down th e deck ,
a lon e wi th my though ts, and the se th ough ts were of th e strange
discussion I had h e ard. Wh o was right-o r who wa s eve n
n e are st th e truth—apostle s of human ity, of scien ce , and of culture
Had they found th e gre at ce n tral secre t of th e Unive rse , or we rethey, afte r all , but blind leaders of th e blind
—me n puffed upwith
kn owledge and pride , to wh om th e great Revelation sh ould n eve r
come I co nfess my sympathie s we re altogeth er wi th th e proph e t
o f human ity. Y e t I knew, and kn ew we ll , that all th e wealth of
ste rlin g probity and e n thusiasm could n ever reduce his th eo ries to
practioe—it would be all in vain
Th e still , sad music o f human ity,
Like moan in gs of a midn igh t se a ,
would still be h eard, and still would th e wo rds of the po et
con tinue
For mo rn in g n eve r wo r e to eve ,
But some poo r human h eart did bre ak .
A nd ye t h ow could th e A lmighty Cr eato r have framed th is
marve llous universe , with all its splendours, for a race of splen e tic
and unhappy men P Lo ok around ! what a miracle of splendour !
Th e great moon is lifting itse lf above th e waste of wate rs, and
flingin g a rippling splendour over th e waves. Sh e is scarred aud
clo th ed with fleecy clouds, which sh e dmps on e by on e , un til now
she lo oks forth th e ackn owledged empress of th e n ight, and th e
stars grow pale and draw in the ir lights wh en th ey beho ld h e r .
3 64 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
e lude with th e great hymn of praise to th e Father , th e Son and
t he Spirit, wh o are and have be en and shall for ever be ! Th e
learn ed it at th e ir moth er’s kn e es—th ey san g it in th e lon e lywhite
an d on th e ir lips, and lik e th e children of Israe l by th e wate rs o f
Babylon , th ey will sing that song of Sion in a str ange land !
Once more upo n deck—th is time with some n ew sensations.
Here I find myse lf right in th e midst of two civilisations.
The civilisation of the saloon , though in concrete form it date s
but from ye sterday, is but a series of broken lights, caught fromth e suspended or re jected ph ilosoph ies of th e past . The mysticism
o f Plato , the doubtings of Epicurus, th e blank materialism of
Lucretius, have been revived in our time , and fin d issue in
speculative and inte llectual A th e ism , and in such barren and hOpe
less solutions of th e great problem of human happin e ss as th ose to
which we have just liste n ed. Scie nce , groping with a thousand
a rms in every direction , finds itse lf even in the material world con
fr onted by a wall of blackn ess, impen etr able , insurmoun table
and someh ow th e wayward movemen ts of human ity, which it
h oped to bring under cosmical discipline , break away from its
a ppliance that wealth can afford, with all th e facilitie s that private
patronage and governmen tal support can give , with all the
en thusiasm with which th e public follow each fresh advance , and
h ail each fresh reve lation , modern pagan civilisation is in consisten t
and illogical in its te ach ings, false in its professions, and a dismal
failure in its atte mpts to me et th e moral and in te llectual n e eds o f
men . A teach er with out kn owledge , a pmph et without inspira
ti on a magi cian wh o has lost his cha rm, its judgment is thereverse of that which fe ll on th e Jswish proph e t, for it curses whe reit se eks to bless.
Far differen t is th e civilisation which is represen ted by th e
humble occupants of th e ste erage , far difierent th e philosophyo n which it un consciously rests, far differen t the gigan tic
e ifects which it produces and will n ever cease to produce .
The se poo r exiles do n ot kn ow that th e philosophy which th ey
profess is th e steady light of reason that burn ed in the min d o f
A r isto tle cen turies before Christ, and was afte rwards in corpo rated
in to th e scho lastic te aching of th e Church . Th ey do n ot kn ow
366 The Ir isk Month ly.
with the ir hard earn ings conven ts, college s, asylums, and
‘soft h ands on the thr obbing brows of th e sick, and priests will
whisper to dying ears th e on ly m essage that can bring so lace to
th e stricken . Th e maste rs will build superb palaces for themse lves,
g liste n ing in white marble ; and with a kind of unconscious irony,
ples which look down with disdain on these abodes of mortals, and
maste rs th e le sson of the kitch e n and the attic, that forward
means upward, or e lse a rushing towards etern al de str uction .
A nd some day, wh en th e sun is shin in g ve ry br ightly, th e masters
will come down from th e ir high places and th ey will stand on th emosaic paveme nt o f th e se temples, and th ey will stars and wonde r
at th e ir marve llous be auty— th e carving and th e fluting and fo liat
ing of the pillars. th e white glimme rin g statues of sain ts ; th e
poems th at are wrought in th e stain ed glass of lance lights and rose
windows. But th ey will n ever kn ow that all this arch itectural
love lin ess was wrought by th e praye rs and faith of th e rough
handed labourers on the quays and railways, and the modest Ir ish
gir ls wh o min iste r to th e ir own lordly wan ts at hom e . Unn oticedand unre cogn ised, th ey carry on th e gr eat pro cess o f civilisatio n
save wh e n some great se er , like Emerso n , po in ts to th e ir work, and
te lls his coun trym en that even th e material prospe rity o f th e ir
great Republic has be e n built by th e hands o f th e Ir ish race . A nd
n ot only in Am erica , but in A ustralia and New Zealand, in the
summer isle s of Eden that slumbe r on th e bro ad bosom of th e
Pacific, in e very region that is hall owed by the light of the South
e rn Cross, th e same miracle is wrough t by th e same con secrated
buil t Cologne Cath edral and We stminster A bbey, the secre t that
h as placed St . Patr ick’
s Cath edral a sh in ing symbo l in the h eart
o f th e mo st worldly of mode rn citie s—th e se cre t that made th e
Irish min e rs o f A ustralia take th e Cathedral of Sydn ey thr e e tim es
from th e te e th of th e flames, and th re e times dung it high er and
h igh er in to th e blue vaul t o fHeaven . A nd th e spiritual influence
o f th e race is qui te equal to th e mater ial . Wh e reve r they go , th eysh ed around th e l ight of faith that is almost vision , of purity nu
assailable , of stro ng en thusiasm for what is just and light, or fierce
The Two Cie ilisatio m. 367
hatr ed for wh at is crue l and wrong , and a passion ate love for th at
hall owed isle in th e North e rn seas, wh e re they be li eve that every
blade o f grass that grows spri ngs from the relics of a h ero or a
sain t . A nd who can doubt that if truth is great and must preva il ,
if all th ese wonders are manife sta tions of a supe rn atural mission
an d a supernatural power—ii th ey are evidences that th e faith
th e se exil e s hold is th e only philosophy o n wh ich civilisation can be
built—wh o can doubt that th e fin al re so lution in th e history of th e
wo rld wi ll be effected by th e sil en t force s th ese exiles wie ld—byth e n ew life they will quicken , by th e con tempt th ey wi ll pour o n
th e ido ls o f a vanising philosophy, and by th e maste ry in eve ry
depa rtmen t of re ligious and scientific th ough t they will infalliblywin P L e t the world and th e le ade rs of modern thought say wh at
o f fir e on th e firmamen t o f Heaven , that th e only civilising agen cyin th e world tod ay is th e Catho lic Church , working chi efly through
th e apostles of th e Irish race .
Wh ilst I em thus thinkin g of th em , th ey are sunk in profound
slumbe r . Th ey are dreaming of th e purple heath er'
and th e ye l
low gorse—of th e patte rn and the dance—of th e white -hair ed
m o th e r who stretched h er hands in a long farewe ll from the cabin
door .
It is just striking twe lve . I h ear steps coming up th e com
pan ionway from th e saloon Thre e m e n stand be fore me in th e
I te ll you, said o n e , th e kings o f th e future are th e men o f
scien ce . 0
No , said th e second, but th e m e n o f culture , education and
refin em en
Nay, n ay, said Mr . G ., but th ey in wh ose h ear ts are found
some de ep e ch oe s of the gre at vo ice of human ity.
”
No t even these ,”thought I, but th e men of faith an d
praye r .
”
P. A . SHEBHA N .
The Ir ial: 1 !
THE PRIEST.
BABE on th e breast of h is mo th e r
Re olin es in th e valley o f love ,
An d smile s like a beautiful lilyCare ssed by th e rays from abo ve .
A ch ild at th e kn e e of his mo th e r ,
Who is coun ting h e r decade s o f praye r,Discove rs th e cro ss of h er ch aple t,
A nd kisses th e Snfie r e r th e r e .
A boy with a rosary kn e e lingAlon e in th e temple o f G o d ,
A nd beggin g th e wonde rful favo
To wall : wh er e th e Crucified trod.
A studen t alon e in h is study,
With pallid and inn ocen t face ;He raise s his h ead from th e pag es
A nd lists to th e murmur o f grace .
A cler ic with mortified fea tures,
Studions, humble and still,
In e very motion a mean ing ,
In every action a will .
A man at th e foo t of an al tar ,
A Ch rist at th e foo t of th e cross,
Wh er e every loss is a profit ,A nd eve ry ga in is a loss.
A BaffledMan o n a moun ta in ,
His arms uplifted and spre ad
With on e h e is raisin g th e living,
With on e h e is lo osing th e dead .
D . B . Com m a .
“ fe s t Tro y, New Yo rk .
370 The In'
sk Mon th ly.
h avin g fa lle n in to th e Rh on e , rema in ed for some time in immin e n t dan ge r o f h is
life , clin gin g to an iro n rin g in on e of th e piles of a bridg e . A like chan ge was
wrough t in th e case of Ch arle s I. in a sin g le n igh t , wh en h e atte mpte d to escape
from Carisbrooke Castle . Mar ie A n to in e tte , th e unfo rtunate que e n o f LouisXVI. ,
found h e r h air sudden ly ch an ged by h e r distre sse s , and gave to a fai th ful frie nd
h e r po rtrai t, inscri wh ite ned by aflictio n . Th e bea rd and ha ir of th e Duke
of Brun swick wh i ten ed in twen ty-four h ours, upo n h is learnin g that his fath e r h ad
be en mo rtally woun ded i n th e battle of A uerstsd t . Son ne times e ven on e n igh t o f
in ten se sufie r ing h as be en sufi cien t to ble ach a raven h ead . We are to ld o f a
so ldier in In dia wh o , for some breach o f h is duty, was co ndemn ed to pass o n e n igh t
in th e dark ce ll appo in ted for so litary co nfin em e n t , and wh o , havin g th rown h imse lf
upo n th e groun d , pre se n tly fe lt a large oobra -cape lla glidin g ove r h is body, and
formin g its e lf in to a co il upon h is ch e st attracted by th e wa rmth . Kn owing th at
h is o n ly h ope o f safety con sisted in pe rfe ct quie scence , h e rema in ed m o tio nl e ss
th rough out th e fearful n igh t un til th e priso n doo r was ope n ed in th e mo rni n g ,
wh ich disturbed h is fea rful compan ion , an d th e cobra g lided away. Th e po o r
so ldie r le ft th e ce ll with a h ead as wh ite as sn ow. A s an instance of m ore g radual
e ffe ct , we may cite th e Ame rica n Pre side n t. Po lk , wh o en te re d upo n h is ofi cis l
duties with a h e ad of magn ificen t black h a ir . an d left them a t th e end o f four years
with o n e comple te ly whi
Some in te r esting le tters addressed to Dr . Blake h ave come in to
our h ands too late to use th em in th e proper place . Fo r instance ,
th e Pr imate , Dr . Cur tis, write s a lo ng le tte r from Dr ogh eda on th e
1 2th of Octobe r , 1 825, he aring po stage 3s. 4d., and th e fo llowing
bilingual supe rscription Re t ermdo admodum D . D .Miciaae 15B lake .A rclcidiacon o S . T. D., &c.
, &e .,n e l Con ven to di G em 0 Han a ,
Via de l Como , Roma . A rchdeaco n Blake—as h is title th en was
did n ot gue ss h ow much in te re sted h e h imse lf was in th e following
paragraph , in which th e third of th e Dromor e se le cti on s was, n o
doubt, Fath e r Pete r Kenn ey, S.J. I beg leave to re fe r you to
what I h ad th e h on our of writin g to you in A ugust last , of th e
se le ction th e n in progre ss o f thre e candidate s to be pre se nted byth e cle rgy of th e Diocese of Dromore to th e Ho ly Se e fo r appo in t
in g a succe sso r to th e ir late Bish op, Dr . Hugh O’Ke lly. Th ey
h ave sin ce presented to me , as Metr opol itan , and I h ave confirmed
a statemen t of that se lection , with an humble pe tition to HisHo lin ess pmpo sing Drs. Ke lly,M
‘A rdle and Kenn ey, but advert
ing that all , and Dr . M‘A rdle particularly, prayed th e pre fere n ce
may be give n to th e Rev. Dr . Ke lly, th en De an of Mayn oo th , and
since appo in ted Professo r of Dogmatic Th eo logy th ere , in th e ro om
of Dr . M‘Hale .
”
In th e same letter th e Pr imate says : Ou th e 1 5th Septe mber
e igh t Pr e late s, Trustees of Mayn oo th , me t in Dublin at Dr .
Michae l Blake , B ishop q romor e . 37 1
to His G race , and your irre sistible exe rtion s in favour of your
Co llege , for which you are the only fit pe rson for adopting studi es,rules, and regulation s.
’A subse quen t le tte r of th e same Pre late
(Drogh eda , 2oth May, 1 827) was probably less agre e able to Dr .
Blake , for it ran coun te r to o n e of his favouri te projacts withregard to th e n ew Irish Co ll ege at Rome .
“ As to whatyoumen tion
o f our sending thith er , for th e ir ulte ri or improvemen t, after fin ish
ing th e ir ordina ry studie s in our Co llege s h ere , some of our most
ta len ted and h ope ful studen ts, I can n ot, for th e mom en t, h o ld out anygre at encourageme n t . Th e great di stan ce and expense are gen erallyexcepte d again st as alm ost insupe rable difficulties, and promisingbut little utih ty Nay, at Mayn o o th th e ve ry pm ] ect has appeared
o ffensive an d rath er an in sult to that Co llege , wh ere th ey think a
stragglin g o n th e co n tin en t. Inde ed it happen ed, awkwardlye n ough , that po or Dr . Callan appeared to many to have lost ih
th ough made in your own company, and in fine , that coe lum, mm
an imam mutan t, &o .
” He wen t on to expre ss ve ry po in tedly his
regre t that Dr . Blake proposed to re turn to Ire land, and h e eve n
said that this step would be fatal to th e young Co llege . We
n e ith er have at pre se n t, n or can we expect to have for seve ral years
to come , any perso n to wh om we could confide the governm en t of
that Co llege . Such a pe rson sh ould be educated and form ed by
long and useful re siden ce at Rom e , and have mo re perso nal merit
th an is easilyme t with . I fear th at some part o f what my natural
sin cerity an d candour have obliged me to men tion above may be
disagre e able to you, and I am so rry for it, as I sh ould be very
h appy to rende r you any se rvice or kind and fri endly office in my
On e of th e le tters of A rchdeacon Blake—to give for o nce this
un familiar title—to which Dr . Curtis re ferred with praise , has
by som e ch ance fallen in to our hands , th ough it was eviden tly n ot
a mere copy or rough draft , but prepar ed for transmission to Dr .
Murray. Perhaps Dr . Blake , in tryin g to uti lise th e last momen t
be fore th e departure of th e mail , succe eded in just missin g th e
post by a few minutes, and th en , turning th e mischance to good
accoun t, made an improved second edition o f his letter . It is
dated “ Rome , October 1 2 , and te lls h ow h e had reach ed
372 fi e Ir isk JIo nt/z(y.
the Ete rn al City on th e 2nd of that m on th , about four o’clock in
th e afte rno on . Even h e could n o t begin his o fficial work that
e ven ing ; but th e n ext day h e waited on Cardi n al Somaglia and
Monsign o r Capran o . Wh en in vited to se t down in writing th e
o bjects of his missio n ,h e doe s no t allow himse lf two or thr e e days
for th e purpose , but th e n ext day prese n ts th e docume n t o f which
we have be fore us n ow th e copy that h e made fo r th e Irish A rch
bish ops. Th is state pape r info rms th e Emin e n tissimo Prin cipe in
Italian which is to o in te llig ible to be ve ry classical , that, th ough in
Ire land there are sem in arie s e n ough to supply a sufficien t numbe r
o f prie sts, ye t th e re is a lack of acquain tan ce with can on law ,
ceremon ial acco rding to th e Roman rite , and oth e r bran ch es o f
e cclesiastica l science ; and that, th e re fo re , th e A rchbish ops and
Bish ops of Ir e land would desir e to se e establish ed , at th e ce n tr e'
o f
Christian ity an d unde r th e eye o f th e common Fath e r of th e faith
ful , a co llege in which ce rtain cho se n stude n ts, who had almost
finish ed th e ir course in th e h ome semin ar ie s, m ight spen d two ye ars
in perfe cting th emse lves in th e ir th e o logica l studies, Th is, we
kn ew alr eady, was Dr . Blake’
s origin al idea , wh ich h e was soon
forced to modify . A s for th e means o f carrying out th e pro ject,h e enume rate s
“tr e ce n ta lire sterlin i ,
”that is scudi,
”
which h e brough t with him ; and h e says his library‘5will be
80 1 for £500. Probably h e ove rrated its marke t value , and a
remittan ce o f £ 1 50 from Dr . Yo re was, pe rhaps, th e proce eds of
th e library. A frie nd had promised and h e re ckon ed on
g e tting back all that remain ed of th e prope rty of th e o ld Ir ish
Co llege in which h e himse lf had studied thirty years be fore .
Why was n ot th is docume n t give n whe n we descr ibed th e
weary lustmm that Dr . Blake spe n t at Rome re foun ding th e Ir ish
College N emo da t quad non ha bet. Som e also of Dr . Murray’s
lette rs came to our hands subseque n tly. Th e earliest of th ese
se ems to have be e n sen t to Dr . Blake afte r h e had se t out o n his
Roman m ission , although it is date d A ugust 27 , 1 824, and
a lth oug h we h ave just se en th at Rome was on ly reach ed on th e
2nd o f Octobe r by a pilgrim who was n o t wo n t to loiter on the
way. In this first letter and in most of th e o th e rs th e Ir ish Siste rs
of Ch arity se em to h o ld th e first place in th e write r’s thoughts
I pray YO“ to urg e . W ith a ll your influe n ce , th e appro ba ti o n of th e Rules and
(b ustitutio ns o f th e Siste rs of Charity. Th e Mo n ks o r Bro th ers of th e Ch rist ian’
Sch ools, wh o ,recen tly o bta in ed th e sanction of th e ir Co n stitution s, afford a preceden t
374 1 71 0 [r isk Month ly.
From th e priests o f L ifley stre et , and th e
Re v .Mr . Kinse lla , of Carlow,fo r th e re
building of St. Paul’s Church ,
From myse lf for th e same purpose ,
Balan ce of your forme r accoun t after
2 9 0
£242 2 9 Irish .
Th e preceding sums produced th e En g lish bill wh ich is marked o n th e re ve rse ,
a nd wh ich wh en turn ed in to Romsn crown s you must take th e tro uble o f applying
Wer e it n o t for th e distr essed stats of our n ew ch apel , wh ich owes about £7000
- fo r th e re co ve ry of wh ich th e con tractors have en te red a lawsuit aga inst me and
some of th e parish io n e rs—I h ave n o doubt but I sh ould be able to procur e a muchla rger sum fo r th e rebui lding o f St Paul
’s. But wh ile my own ch ape l is in dan
ge r of be ing se iz ed on by th e cre dito rs, applications (at least o n my part) fo r th e
above purpo se , h ow much so ever it is ca lcula ted to en gage th e fe e l ing s o f e ve ry
Cath o lic , must be almost h ope le ss.
On Monday n ext , th e fe ast of St . Lauren ce O’Too le , th e patro n of thisDiocese ,
we are to open our n ew chape l (wh ich we n ow ca ll a church ) , alth ough it is in a
Y ou will be surpr ised to h ea r , if you have n o t yet h eard it , tha t on th e 29th
ult. I marr ie d MarquessWellesley to Mrs. Patte rson ,a widow lady of A m er ica , a
Roman Cath o l ic , and siste r -in -law to Mrs. Jerome Bo n aparte . Th e cer em ony was
Our partial confer en ces, at all ofwh ich I could n o t assist , were n o t as we ll
a ttended as I could wish . I have th er efo re e stabli iih ed on e g en e ral co nfer en ce fo r al l
th e secular pr ie sts of Dublin , to be h e ld in my own pre sen ce in your larg e parlour ;
a nd th is I find to answer t be tte r . I have run out my papar and said little ,
a nd have n ow on ly space to request you to wr ite to me o ften . and to be lieve m e
De ar Dr . Blake ,
D . Mvm r .
Th e chape l which we n ow call a church , was th e prese n t
Pro -Cath edr al in Marlborough-str e et . Dr . Curtis and all th ese
o ld bish ops h ad exce llen t style s of hand-writing , n on e bo lde r o r
cleare r th an Dr . Murray’s, fr om which we prin t a lette r that starte d
from North Cumberland-stre e t (what number i’ ) th e mon th fo llowing th e preceding letter
l lublin , l 7th De cembe r , 1 825.
Mr Dm Do e ro a Bu n s ,
Th ough it will n o t , I fe ar , be po ssible fo r m e a t pr ese n t to g ive you mo re th an
a few lin e s , I am anxious n o t to le t th is post pass with out puttin g you in posseu io u
o f th e se n timen ts o f th e A rch bish ops r egardin g your pre sen t pro spe cts at Ho m e .
A s far as th ey have be e n made a cqua in te d with your proce edin gs, th ey h ig h lyappro ve of a ll th a t you h ave said and don e in th e ir name and in th e ir be half, an d
in pa rticular th ey appro ve of th e man n er in which you urg ed your objecti on s
Miclme l B la ke, Bishop of Dr omor e . 375
(wh ich are a lso th e irs) again st th e placin g of an Italian Rector at th e h ead o f th e
in ten ded Ir ish Co llege . In addi tion'
to th e argum en ts wh ich you used , I beg to add
th a t on e o f our obje cts in wish in g to h ave a re spectable Ir ish Clergyman a t th e
th rough wh om we could fre e ly an d safe ly commun ica te with th e cen tr e o f Ca th o lic
un ity. Th is obje ct would be wh o lly defea ted by th e propo sed plan . Th e Eng lish
can go ve rn th e ir co lle ge at Rom e th r ough a Na ti ona l Supe rio r ; th e Sco tch can do
th e same ; it is th en on ly th e Ir ish th at a re conside red unfit fo r th e e n joym en t of
such an advan tag e . In sh o rt, a co lle g e with an Ita lian Re cto r was n o t so licited by
n ouncedwith expre ssio ns o f gra titude , to wh ich every h e art amon g na was raspou
sive , th at th e Ho ly Fath e r had mo st be n ign ly g ran te d th e praye r of our pe tition .
If th is un fo re se e n difi culty impede th e accomplishm en t o f our h opes, we h ave , o f
course , n o r igh t to compla in but we have g re a t re aso n to re g re t tha t an e arlier
in tima tion o f it did n o t enable you to save much valua ble tim e and much mo n ey,
which could h ave bee n o th e rwise mo re profitably employed . If th e co n ditions
which you me n ti o n be ul timate ly in sisted o n , you h ave but to de clin e , in th e m o st
re spe ctful mann e r po ssible , th e gracious o ffer o f his Ho lin e ss . I do n o t kn ow
wh e th e r , in tha t case , you will stand in n e ed o f a procuration fr om na to no -transfe r
th e mo n ey wh ich yo u veste d in th e Rom an funds. If ao , send me by th e re turn of
th e post th e fo rm of on e , an d it will pr obably o ve rtake th e A rch bish ops in Dublin ,
a s th e Co llege Truste es are to me et on th e 1 8th Jan uary, and will n o t separate fo r
a few days. Your last le tte r reach ed th e in sixte en days , and I pe rce ive th at min e
reach ed you in se ven te en days. I hurry off this, tha t I may have a ch an ce o f re
ce ivin g your answe r dur in g th e sittin g of th e board. It was o n ly o n th e 3rd inst .
th at I answered Monsign o r Capt an c’e le tte r e n closin g th e Pope
’s circular r egardin g
St . Paul’s . I m en tion ed to h im tha t I had transmitted to you my po o r ofler ing ,
a nd prayed h im to e n tre a t Hi sHo lin e ss’s gracious acceptan ce o f it . I h ave justlea rn ed that po o r Dr . Russe ll h as go t a bilious fe ve r . Sh ould it be afte r a ll n ece s
sa ry fo r you to re tur n h ome , r e infects , you will n o t th ink o f stir rin g un til afte r
Easter . I may have , to o , some commissio ns fo r you, which I cann o t me n tio n , or
ra th er wh ich I n eed n o t men tion un til afte r your n ext lo tto r . Mr . Yone is do in gyour duty with g rea t z ea l and effect .
I rema in , dear Docto r Blake ,
Yours most faithfully,D . Mnm r .
I h ope youwill be enabled to say tha t our Ho ly Fath e r is quite recove red.
”
This en e rge tic le tte r se ems to have had th e de sired effect, for ,wh e n th e n ext le tte r was wr itte n , 8th January, 1 827 , the Ir ishCo ll ege seems to have be en begun on th e origin al plan , as th ere is
question already of re lie ving Dr . Blake , and yie lding to his e n
tr eaty to have a successo r appo in ted. But th e oth er object of Dr .
Murray’
s so licitude woul d se em to be still at this time very far
fr om be ing re alised . For h e discussed th e objections as fo llows
I must n ow beg to say a word about th e difliculties wh ich have be en urg ed
a ga inst th e appro ba tion of th e Co n sti tution s of th e Sisters o f Ch arity. Th e first is
th e in compatibili ty o f en clo sure with th e na tur e o f th e ir institute , and th e co n se
376 The Ir id e Month ly .
que n t in expedien cy o f its rules be in g approved by th e Ho ly See , whe r eby it wo uld
be made a Re l igi ous Order . 2ndly, th e dan g em to wh ich our Siste rs of Cha rity are
exposed , with out any pro te ction from th e G o ver nm en t o r civil magistrate . 3rdly ,
th e Supe r io re ss o f th e wh o le Order is required to be subje ct to th e A rchbish op o f
Dublin , which m igh t ma r th e spre adin g o f th e Orde r o r give occasion to trouble
some remonstran ce s .
I must say I was somewh a t surpr ised a t re adi n g th e first difilculty. I n e ve r
th ough t of procur ing fo r th e Sisters o f Cha r ity th e dign i ty o f a re lig ious o rder .
Th e ir name is th e Pious Congr ega tion o f th e Siste rs o f Charity. Th e appro bati o n o f
th e ir Co nstitutio n s by th e Ho ly Se e'
would give th em n o title to th e privilege s of, a
re lig ious o rde r , n o r would it take th e h o ly e ngag em en ts in to which th e Siste rs e n te r
out o f th e ran k of simple vows. Be n edict XIV . in h is Br ief, Qumm ‘
u j usto , clear lydraws th e distin ction be twe e n th e approba tio n o f th e rule s o f a pious In stitute by
th e Ho ly Se e and th e approbation o f th e In stitute itse lf . Pro vin g th a t the Vi rg ina
A ng lican“ did n o t con stitute a re lig ious o rde r , th ough th e ir rule s we re appro ved by
Cl eme n t XI. in h is Brie f, Im cr uta bih . His Ho lin e ss says Ipsis danigue Liter is
appo site . leg itur clausula sa lutaris , vide lice t, Cae te rum n o n in te ndimus pe r
praesen te s ipsum Co nse rvato rium in aliquo approba re qua e tun c appon i con
suevit cum appr oba n tur seu confirman tur Re gula e a liq us Co nse rvatorii an t
Monaste rii muli e rum sin e clausura viven tium . His Ho lin e ss afte rwards de cides
auth or ita tively, Virg in e s A n g licanas n on e sse v e ré R e l ig io sas ,’an d tha t th e ir
prom ises a re but simple vows. Now th e se are pre cise ly th e Rules so appro ved byCl em en t XI. and confirm ed by Be n edict XIV . unde r which th e first foun dre sses of
o ur Siste r s o f Ch ar ity we re in Yo rk tra in ed to a re lig ious life , an d un de r wh ich
R ifle s they we re o rde red to live , as far as sh ould be compa tible with th e duti es o f
th e ir Institute . Fin din g th at , fo r th is purpo se , exte n sive alte ra ti ons sh ould be
made,th ey th ough t it be tte r , with th e appro batio n o f my illustri ous predece sso r ,
r e ta ini n g th e spir it of th e ir fo rm e r rul es, to fo rm a n ew bo dy of re gula ti on s mo re
an a lo g ous to th e ir prese n t dutie s. Th is is th e body o f re gu la tion s subm itted to th e
Ho ly Se e by my predecesso r and by m e , an d we so licited fo r it o n ly th e sam e ap
pro batio n wh ich had be e n g iven to th e rules un de r wh ich th e Siste rs h ad, as far as
po ssible , pmviously lived.
Th e seco n d difficulty exists only in nam e . Th e Siste rs a re lo oked on with
ve n e ratio n by a ll . I n e ve r h e a rd o f an in sul t be in g ofle red to th em , and you will ,
pe rhaps, be surprised to lea rn tha t wh e n th ey visit th e po o r fem ale co n victs in th e
jail o f Kilm a inh am (as th ey ar e in th e h abit of do in g ) th ey a re a lwayswe lcomed bya ll th e ofiice rs o f th e pr iso n , and are tre ated by th em o n a ll o ccasio ns with e ve ry
possible ma rk o f respe ct.
To th e th ird difiioulty I say th a t th e Clwf - l ieu, o r Mo th e r House o f th e
Institute , is in Dublin . Th at is th e n a tur al re side n ce o f th e Supe rio re ss, as it
affo rds th e g re ate st facil ity o f commun ica tio n . Th e In stitute,to o , was e stablish ed
pr incipa lly fo r Dublin ; and , if o th e r Pre la te s in troduce it in to th e ir dioce ses, this
r egula tio n could n o t afio rd an y gr ie vous groun d o f offen ce , a s th e Siste r s a re sub
je ct in e ach diocese to th e jur isdicti o n o f th e Ordin a ry. But if it be expedien t to
alte r th is re gula tion , le t it be so don e I do n o t object to th e ch an ge .
Yours affection a te ly in Ch r ist.D . Mun as r .
Th ose wh o are in te re sted in this subject must fo r fulle r detailscon sult Mrs. A tkinson
’
s admir able biography of Mary A ike nh e ad,
3 78 The Ir ish Month ly.
upon which we have already refe rred to , and some to wh ich we
must re turn
Dr . Blake aided with all his en ergy and his wisdom th e late Mrs. I ‘A nlsy in
g lory of Ire land’s la tter days
—nu Orde r wh ich has be en blessed with a wonde rful
e fficien cy for all good works , and with a most sin gular and almost miraculous
fe zundity. Plan ted. like th e g ra in of mustard-se ed, in th e pa rish o f St . A n drew’s ,
some ye ars ago , it h as lite rally spre sd to th e very ends of th e e arth , bearin g to
e very clime th e embodied imag e o f tha t mercy which came fr om h e aven to seek
wh at was lost , to bind wha t was bro ke n , and to strength en wha t was weak .
Wh ere ve r tha t Orde r dwells , le t it be kn own that it owes its existence and its fo rmin a great m e asure to th e illustr ious Dr . Blake . Se ve ral ch aritabl e in stitutio ns ,such as St . Joseph
’s A sylum , Po rtland Row, th e Purgator ian Socie ties, and OM S ,
owe th e ir existence to his ch arity . Char ity made h im a pa trio t in th e true sen se o f
Dr . Blake was n o t o n e o f th ose narrow-minded men wh o can sympath ise on lywi th
th ose wh o th ink and act like th emselves . He loved all wh o sin cere ly loved th e ir
o f Dr . Blake’s charity, an d illustrative o f h is wh o le ch aracter , e ver practica l , e ver
active , eve r in ven tive in we ll -do ing . Wh en in Dublin , h e perce ived th e little
ch imn ey swe epe rs o f th e city we r e most de stitute of spiritua l care . Put to th e ir
wre tch ed trade in ea rliest ch ildh ood , th ey h ad n o oppo rtun ity Oi g e tting sch ool
education . Th e ir so o ty faces and th eir dirty clo th e s pre ve n ted th e ir atten dance a t
worsh ip o r instruction on Sundays. He bro ugh t th em to ge th e r in a li ttl e con tra
a ttending a t Mass . He induced th em by li ttle rewards and feasts to me e t for
instructio n in ca tech i sm , and it was his practice o n Chr istmas-day to e at h is o n
Chr istmas dinn e r at th e same table and in company with th ese poor little chimn ey
g raced th e mo st bri llian t socie ty, n e ve r feasted mo re ch ee rfully than with th ese
th e poo r est an d lowliest o f h is flo ck.
’
The re is a phrase in this passage wh ich se ems to me to illustr ate
rath er str ikingly th e difficulty which ofte n puz z les n a as to th e
m e an ing of certa in thin gs in an cie n t auth ors, which , n o doubt, to
th e ir con tempo raries appeared perfectly clear and in te lligible .
He loved all who sincere ly loved th e ir n ative land, whethe r they
we r e o ld or young .
” Many of our reade rs are too young to de tect
in th e words I have ital icised a cleve r allusion to th e unh appy
division s towards th e close of O’Conn e ll
’s life , which broke up th e
Irish Nation alists in to Old Ire land and Young Ire land. Though
d evoted to O’Conn e ll, Dr . Blake , like Dr . Moriarty himse lf, was
able to appreciate th e fin e qualities of G avan Duffy and his con
federates ; and accordingly h e appeared as a witn ess for th e de
fence , n o t on ly in th e State Tr ials of 1 844, but also five years late r
Michae l Blake , B t'
s p of Dr omore . 379
in the tr ial of th e editor of The Natio n . Ou th e first of the setwo occasions h e addressed th e fo llowing lette r to his devo ted and
valued frie nd, Mr. James Murphy
Vio le t Hill , Nowry,
Janua ry 28, 1 844 .
I rece ived a le tter th is mo rning from Mx. M. Cre an , Deputy Se cre ta ry to th e
Re peal A ssocia tion , and an o th er from Mr . G art lan , law ag en t fo r th e trave rse“
m any on Wedn esday n ext . I regre t very much th at I ha ve be en se le cted for tha t
purpose , for I live so secluded from po litical socie ty and so co nfin ed to my own
con tinue my usual exertions h ere , I am still much an n oyed by a n igh t-cough .
Th e sta te of my h e ar ing also make sme appr eh ensive o f acquittin g myse lf very imperfe ctly wh e n I have to answe r in te rro g a tio ns . Howeve r , as th e request h as be e nsen t to me
,I th ough t it righ t at least to sh ow my g oodwill ; and th e refo re I h ave
wr itten to Mr . Cre an that Iwill be in Dublin , ple ase G od , o n n ext Tuesday even
service fo r wh ich I h ave been se lected, but th at I would atte nd un le ss I sh ould
I beg , th er e fo re , to trouble you with two requests : first , that you will providefo r me a lodg in g in Mr .Walsh
’s fo r Tue sday and Wedn esday n igh t , and se condly,
that you will enquir e o f Mr . Oman wh e th er my a tte ndance be still co nside red ex
A s I must e ngage my sea t immediate ly fo r Tue sday, th e re will n o t be h e
I rema in very sin ce re ly,
De ar Mr . Murphy,Your fa ithful servan t ,
M . Bu n .
Th e e loquen t Bish op of Kerry, in th e passage quoted be foreth is le tte r , me re ly n ame s St . Jo seph
’s A sylum ,
Po rtland-row,
Dublin ; yet th is institutio n is e n titled to mom than a pas
sing men tion in any ske tch of Dr . Blake . Am ong th e manyworks of chr istian ben evolen ce which h e founded o r h e lped to
main tain ,this was, perhaps, his wo rk o f predil e ctio n .
‘ It is still
m aintain ed in full vigour among us,and it has quite recen tly
be en placed o n a stil l more perman en t basis by be ing confided to
th e care o f a commun ity of th e Po o r Se rvan ts of th e Moth e r o f
A very in te restin g accoun t of St. Joseph’s and of som e h o ly so uls conn ected
HimEllen Ker r—will be found in a little book publish ed by th e Ca th o lic'Ih'uth
Socie ty : A Sh rin e an d a Story,”by th e auth or of Zybom o , wh om we ven ture to
iden tify with Mo th e r Magda len Taylo r , th e Supe rio r-G en er al o f th e n ewe st com
mun ity in troduced in to Dublin to take ch arg e o f St. Joseph’s A sylum .
380 Ti m Ir ish Mon th ly.
A sylum fo r single fema les of unblemish ed life was Mr . James
Murphy,who is still, afte r more than half a cen tury, as earnest
and as active in promoting th e we lfare of th is h o ly institution
as h e h as be e n with out in te rmission every week during all th e
interve n ing years. In all like lih ood this will be Dr . Blake’
s most
lasting m emorial . Eve ry se rmon pr eached for its ben efit, e ve rydocumen t issued in conn ectio n with it, m entions him as th e founde r .
His in te rest e ndured till his de ath , and n o doubt beyond it. It
was h e who preached th e fir st charity se rmon for this his favour ite
institution in th e Chur ch o f th e‘
Jesuit Fath e rs, St. Francis,
Xavie r’
s, Uppe r G ardi n e r Stre e t, on th e
.
5th of May,and
for th e following six years conse cutive ly h e came to Dublin to
plead th e sam e cause , in th e same church which h as liste n ed to th e
same appe al eve ry year sin ce th en . Th e last se rmo n h e e ve r
pre ach ed in h is o ld di oce se was de livered in the little church o f
St . Joseph , Portland Row, on th e occasion of the dedicatio n o f th e
church, Octobe r 1 5th , 1 856 , thus testifying h ow endur ing was
h is in te re st in th is in stituti on . A n oth er in stan ce of his sol icitude
for St. Jo seph’
s : wh en h e himse lf could n o longer , on'
accoun t o f
h is advan ced age and infirmities, journ ey to Dublin to preach th eA n nua l Se rm o n
, h e deputed h is ve n e rated co adjutor, th e Most
Rev. Dr . Leahy, to do so on two occasion s. A nd in his last will
h e says : I h e reby direct my exe cuto rs to divide my asse ts in to
twe lve sh are s, of wh ich th re e share s are to be given to th e ben efit
of St . Jo seph’s A sylum , Portland Row, Dublin , th at my soul may
be prayed fo r by its inmate s in offe ring up th e ir praye rs, particu
larly at Mass.
’Th e o th e r participato rs in h is po sthumous
charity on ly rege ive two shar es o r on e .
In pre vious portion s of this n e ce ssarily desultory sketch we
h ave alluded in ciden tally to th e co rdial fr iendship be twe e n Dr .
Blake and O’Conn e ll . Th e library of th e Un iversity of Notre
Dam e , in In dian a , h as a copy of O’Co nn e ll
’s Memo ir o f Ire land ,
Native and Saxon , on th e fly-le a f of which is this in scription in
the big , brawny hand-wr itin g o f th e Libe rato r : Respectfully
and affectio n ate ly in scribed to his ever-ven e rated fri end, th e Righ t
Rev. Dr . Blake , Lord Bish op o f Dromore , by Dan ie l O’Co nn e ll ,
M.P. , February 1 5, 1 843 . A t a public me e ting in Dublin h e
paid th is tr ibute
A m ore pure apostle was n o t in th e Church from th e days o f St . Pe te r to th e
382 The Ir isk Mon th ly.
he n e ve r made a remark about his food, wh e th er it suited him o r
n ot, alth ough h is h ealth in h is last ye ars re quired great care inthis respe ct. Inste ad of calling on h is attendan t, h e would him
se lf carry large books upstairs, whilst so fe eble as to be forced to
rest several time s on th e way. He on ce rebuked a servan t sharply
in th e pre sen ce of o th e rs, fo r n aturally h is tempe r was quick ; buthe to ok occasion that sam e e ven ing , wh en all th e se rvan ts we re
toge th e r , to make an humble apo logy.
He made h is visitatio n of eve ry parish in h is n ot very exte n
sive di oce se eve ry year , exam ining every child care fully in Ch ris
tian Doctri n e . He distributed edition afte r edition of an exce llen t
praye rbo ok which be compiled fo r his pe ople'
. In h is own Cath e
dral in Newry h e pre ach ed assiduously to his pe ople , even wh en
so enfe ebled and crippled as to require th e assistan ce of two pe r
son s to m ake h is way in to th e pulpit . We do n o t pre ten d that
the eage rn ess o f a ll hi s flock to h ear th e ir old bish op, with th e
sn ows of e ighty-five win ters upon his h ead, was equal to his
fide lity to his supposed duty. Fo r instan ce , on e poo r woman , wh o
was probably re spon sible for th e Sun day din n er of h er husband
and seve ral h ealthy young appe tite s, was ove rh e ard remarkin gon such an occasion Lord ble ss na, th e putting him in and
ge tting him out will take an h our ! —and off she started to cate r
fo r th e h e althy appe tite s afore said. Th e re ade r will n otice h ere
and e lsewh e r e our readin e ss to admi t a little sh ading in to th e pic
ture by way of vari ety, if th e mate r ials requisite fo r this purposeh ad be en forthcomin g .
From sundry publish ed bo oks , some of which we have n amed,
and fr om th e m emorie s of ce rta in prie sts and o th ers wh o we re o nce
younge r th an th ey are , it would be possible to gath e r several o th e r
particulars about Michae l Blake , Bishop o f Dromore . But, pro
bably, it is mo re judicious to leave off he re ; and, in do ing ao , I
have before my m ind a remark of Sir A r thur He lps th at th e art
o f lse ying ofi‘
judiciously is but th e art of beginn ing som e th inge lse wh ich n e e ds to be do n e .
A mo ng th e n o te s th at I h ave passed ove r , o n e refers to le tte rs
publish ed in th e n ewspape rs’ by Dr . Blake in th e begin n ing of his
I h n d th e se da te s in th e A n n a ls o f Batte rsby’
s Ir ish Ca th o lic D ire cto ry fo r
1 838 ; but a hurr ied visit to th e library o f Clo n lifie Co lleg e did n o t e nable m e to
fin d th e le tte rs in itswaluable se r ie s o f The Freeman’s Jour n al . A t th at tim e
b ish ops an d priests divided th e ir pa tro n ag e as re gards such do cumen ts be twee n
M ohae l Blake , s /wp of Dromo re . 383
episcopate : about th e hardships of Cath olic ten ants in Newry
(Jan . 1 4, and about th e Elections (July 28, Oi a
very differen t n atur e is the last lette r we sh all quote from our o ld
bish op, th e'
late st specimen of h is h an dwriting ,‘
firm and cle ar to
the e nd, dated a few mon ths befo re his de ath
Vi o le tHill , Newry,“ A ug ust 1 8 , 1 859 .
Dan Ravxam Mam as ,
ar e n o t expe cted from ch ar itable don o rs fo r th e objects o f your Institution . Th e
widow’s mite , wh en ofler ed fr om a truly ch aritable mo tive , is ve ry acceptable in th e
sigh t of G od. A crown or h alf-crown , o r a sh il lin g o r a sixpen ce , wh e n fr equen tly
give n ,is m ore like ly to be o f se rvice on o rdin ary occasion s and m o re like ly to
exe rcise a spirit o f ch arity than large r sum , an d wh en th at spirit is o fte n exe r
cised, it be comes h abitual , and n o t on ly ea sy but gratifying to its pom r . I
kn ow tha t my cle rgy am n o t able to31 7 0 much a lm sde eds o r to do g rea t pecun ia ry
ch aritable acts, and.
I may say th e same of myse lf ; but a small sum g ive n from
tim e to tim e would n ot long be missed wh en g ive n fo r so good and so g'
re at a pur
pose . I am anxi ous , th erefore , to en courage that practice , an d I wish to beg in by
example , an d n ow sen d as my first con tri bution o n e pound as some little impulse
fo r th e success of th e little plan for th e po o r wh ich I have so much at h ea rt . May
th e Fath e r of Me rci es and th e G od o f all con so la tion pour in upon your establish
m e n t abundan ce o f means fo r th e constan t exe rcise o f th at spe cial virtue wh ich is
so de ar to Him , is th e fe rven t praye r ,
De ar Re ve re nd Mo th e r ,
Of your fa ithful se rvan t in Ch rist ,
MIOKA EL Bu n .
To the Rev. Mo the r Supe rior of th e vene r able
of the Siste rs of K orey in v y.
The fath er ly regard which Dr . Blake thus to th e last sh owed
to wards th e Siste rs of Me rcy did n o t dimin ish th e in te rest h e had
taken fr om th e first in th e pion e e r con ven t of th e Black North “
th e Po o r Clar e s who had bo ldly sen t out a colony from Har old’s
Cr oss, Dublin , to th e High Str e e t of Newry, som e th irty ye ars
be fore th e first Siste rs of Me rcy ve n tured across the Boyn e . The
two commun ities also shared equally in th e distribution of h is little
prope rty directed in his will .
That te stament began with th e se wo rds : I beque ath my soul
to G od, firmly be lievin g in th e gracious promises of my Divin e
Re de em e r , and humbly confiden t ofHis me rcy. I desire that mybody may be buried in th e graveyard adjo ining the o ld Roman
Th e Fr eeman an d Th e Dublin Even ing Post, which makes it harde r to trace refe re n ce s
of this kin d than it would be n owadays, wh en Th e From » en joys a mon opo ly o f
th is branch of l ite rature .
384 The Ir ish Month ly.
Cath o lic Church ofN ewry, with out any un n ecessary expe nse , in a
plain cofl‘in , a nd that a slab or sma ll he adsto n e be placed at th e
h ead o f my grave , with a simple inscr iption expressive of myhumble h ope of a happy re surre ctio n , and supplicatin g th ose who
come afte r m e to pray for th e happy repo se of my immortal soul .”
Th e Bishop was bur ied acco rding ly in th e gr aveyard of th e Old
Chape l but th e fo llowing inscriptio n has no t obeyed h is oth er
dir ection s pe rhaps as fully as his humility would have desired. It
may fitly co n clude th e sketch , which it summarise s we ll, addingth e o n ly remain ing date , th e day and year of Dr . Blake
’
s death
Here lie s th e body o f th e Right Rev. Mi chae l Blake , D.D .,
fo r twe n ty-se ven years Bish op o f Dromo re . Pre viously Vicar
G e n e ral of Dublin , Re sto re r and t o r‘of th e Ir ish Co llege at
Rome . Th e wh ole course of his long life was distin guish ed by
pie ty, charity to th e po o r , and z e al fo r th e in te re sts of re ligion .
Unwear ied in the fulfilme n t o f h is arduous duties, h e co n tinued to
disch arge th em assiduously, e ven wh en bowed down by age and
infirm ities ; and h e n e ve r ceased to pre ach th e words of e te rnal life
un til h e was laid in th e bed of de ath . Born 1 6th July, 1 775, h edied 6th March
,1 860, in th e sure hope of th e fin al resurrectio n .
Pray fo r h is repose .
A nd so o f a h oly life , and of a simple an d straggling reco rd of
it , th is is at last
rm : sxo .
386 Tim IN Sh Mon ti: 131 .
It was in th e e arly part of a dark ra iny n igh t I was call ed to
th e o ld woman . Th e kitch e n was full o f kzppeens o r faggots ; th e
o ld man hung groping over th e fir e , and th e invalid was in th e
r oom . A n e ighbouring woman got some things ready fo r m e .
Th e bed was wre tched , th e walls we re black an d damp, and th e
rain through th e ro o f dropped and patte red o n th e floor , so that a
piece of a bo ard was laid on th e flo o r for me to stand o n . Neve ra word of complain t from that po or woman ; th e on ly thing th at
troubled h e r was Oh vo th at th e po o r priest h ad to com e out
in sick a nigh t
I prepared h e r , gave h e r Ho ly Viaticum , an o in te d h e r ,
a nd wh en all was ove r , Fath er ,”sh e said, I fe e l so h appy th at ,
if you like , asthor e , I’ll sin g you a so ng .
”
I asked th e woman in attendan ce to ge t th e po o r o ld couple
some n ourishme n t , and le ft , thanking G o d fo r giving such happi
n e ss of m ind to our po o r .
A fte r a time sh e re cove red ; but quite re ce n tly I was ca ll ed to
th e o ld m an . He was re lig ious and pious all h is days ; and wh e n
h e was to ld that th e prie st was n ow come,h e began to cry out in
h is earn e stn e ss Oh , h ow can I e ver me e t G od P How ca n I
e ve r go be fore G od It was n o t de spair at all—it was an o ver
wh e lmin g sense of th e purity of G od ; some thing akin to wh at
drew from th e Ce n turion the cry, m emorable eve r since Lo r d,I am n o t wo rthy th at you sh ould e n te r unde r my ro o f. He
r e ce ived th e Ho ly Viaticum calmly and with in te nse devo tion
Wh e n h e was to ld about th e effe cts o fExtr eme Un ction and h ow it
take s away th e sin s of our eye s and o f e ach of our se nses, an d
wh e n I said to him,I em go ing to do that n ow and th en as I
an o in ted his eye s, th ank you, h e said—and his ears, th ank
you— and his n ostr ils and lips, thank you.
” Wh en I an o in tedh is hands, h e raised th em hastily to h is lips, and kissed th em
warmly and h eartily ; and then h e cr ied , Now wh en I mee t G od .
I can shake hands with Him .
”A nd h e kissed th em again and
again , crying out , Now wh en Ime e t my G od, I can shake hands
with Him .
R . O’K.
NOTES ON NEW BOOKS.
l . Th e Coadjutor Bish op o f Clo nfe rt h as made a n oble addition
to our Irish h istor ical lite rature in g ivin g us th is larg e octavo vo lume
e ntitled Insula Sancto rum e t Docto rum, o r Ir e land’
sA n cie n t Sch oo ls
and Soh o (Dublin : Se aly, Bryors, and Walk e r ) . Th e se condarytitle r eca lls to o n e
’s mind Mo th e r Raph ae l Dran e
’s most le arn ed wo rk ,
Ch ristian Sch o o ls and Sch o lars,”an d we in te nd to give th e h igh e st
pra ise to bo th wo rks wh e n we say th at th ey ar e worthy of be ingn am ed to g e th e r . Th e r esea rch e s, h oweve r , which th e
'
Ir ish bish oph ad to mak e in th e pe rfo rman ce o f h is task we r e of a much mo re
o r ig in a l a n d di fficult kind ; h e h as n o t only po r ed ove r th e o ld bo oks
and manuscri pts in th e librar ie s, but h e h as examin ed eve ry grave
ya rd and ruin in Ir e land th at may h ave be e n co n n ecte d with any part
o f h is subject . He h as th e true an tiquar ian spir it, but, luckily, fo r
se ttin g fo rth h is stor e s o f l e arn in g h e h ad at h is command a much
be tte r medium th an th e lumbe r in g style th a t h as found favour with
to o many le arn ed an tiquaries . Dr . He aly, on th e o th e r h and, do es n o t
a im at th e oste n tatiously pictur e sque mann e r o f some of our m odem s,
wh o se t th emse lves to popula r ise h isto ry o r phi lo sophy. His style iscle ar , un afiected; and vigo r ous ,
“and it is peculiar ly fitte d fo r his
prese n t th eme . Th e book Ope ns we ll with a larg e map o f A n cie n t
Ir e lan d, sh owin g th e ancie n t sch o o ls an d pr in cipal te rr ito r ial division s
be fo r e th e A n glo -No rman In vasion .
” Our li ttle island is r epre sen ted
as consistin g of only two par ts, divided by a lin e runn in g alm o st
straigh t from Dublin to G a lway. We can n o t n ow m en tion in e ve n
th e most summary way, th e con te n ts o f th e twe n ty-four ch apte rs wh ich
a re analysed at th e begin n ing mo r e fully and satisfacto rily th an th ey
are indexed a t th e end of thi s vo lum e . All about dr uids, bards, and
breh ons—all about Ir ish sch o o ls an d sch o lars befo r e St . Pa tr ick and
afte r St. Pa tr ick—a ll about St. Patr ick h imse lf, an d St . Br igid, and
St Co lman of Drom o r e , St. Ends o f Ar ran , St. Finn ian o f Clonard,
St . Bre ndan of Clonfer t, St . Fin n ian of Moville , St . Ciaran of Clon
We ven ture to cla im fo r this Maga z in e th e distinctio n of h aving be en Dr .
He aly’s first medium of publica tio n , In our seven th vo lume , fo r instan ce , we n o tice
e laborate pape rs from his pen o n Lo ugh De rg , o n G iraldua Cambrensis, and o n th e
A n nals o f Lo ugh Key. Will th e lea rn ed pre la te all ow na to iden tify h im with th e
J.H.
” wh o at page 638 of our fifth vo lum e thr ows in to fin e ro ll in g ba llad me tro
Hugh Ro e O’Donn ell
’
s A ddre ss t o his so ldie rs be fo re th e Ba ttle of th e Curlew
Moun ta in s P Th is poem alon e sh ows th e writer’s wonderfully minute acquain t
3 88 The Ir ish Month ly.
macn o ise , St . G e rald of Mayo , St . Co lumba, :St. Fin tan , St. A eng'
us,
St . Laurence O ’Too le , an d a gre at many o th er sa ints, and manyl e arn ed and h o ly men un can onised : the se ar e only a few o f th e sub
j e e ta o n which h ence forth every stude nt of th e ear ly histo ry o f Ch ris
t ian Ir e land will be bound to co nsult th e auth o r o f In sula Sanctorum
e t Docto rum , o r Ir e land’
s An cien t Sch oo ls and Sch o lars.
2 . Why do we spe ak o f Fath er D a Pon te It is by this n ame
th at Fath e r Fabe r quo te s h im . Th e Italian fo rm is rath e r dd Ponte
and why sh ould we mak e h im an Italian In h is own Spa n ish th e
n am e is de la Pue n te , in Latin De Pon te , in Fr e n ch Dupo n t , and, if
English we r e e qua lly tyran n ical in mak in g fo r e ign n am es confo rm to
i ts own patte rn ,we sh ould h ave a n am e comm on e n ough in En gland
a nd ca ll him Fath e r Lowis Br idg e . Pe rh aps th e Latin fo rm is th e
b est comprom ise , just aswe speak of Ble ssed Pe te r Fabe r , and n o t by
h i s Savoyard n am e o f Favr e . Fa th e r De Pon te cam e in to th e world
wh e n th e Socie ty o f Je sus was just twe n ty ye ars o ld, and h e was h ims e lf twen ty ye ars o ld wh en h e e n te r ed th e Socie ty. Wh e n we add
the fundam e n tal date—n ame ly, th at 1 534 was th e bir th -
year of th e
Company of Jesus—we fix Fa th e r De Po n te ’s place with r egard to St .
Igna tius, o f wh ose Exor cism Spir ituah'
a h e is th e mo st ce lebrated
comm en tato r , an d we se e h ow n e ar to th e foun tain -h e ad was this
copious stre am of spir ituali ty, wh ich h as eve r sin ce re fr e sh ed souls in
nume rable . His immcdia te maste r in th e r e ligious life was Fath er
Bal tassar A lvar e z , wh ose gr ea te st glo ry is der ived fr om St. Th ere sa ,
wh ose confesso r h e was for some tim e . He was deba rred by h is con
stan t de licacy—imm'
cal p otz’
us nulls vak tudina—fr om o th e r sacred
ministries, and h e dete rmi n ed to try an d mak e some compensatio n
with h is pe n . To h owmany th o usa nds of ch o sen souls h as h e pr each ed
in th e mo st e ffective mann e r dur in g th ese thr e e cen tur ie s?Fath e rLehmkuh l, S.I.
—wh ose own wo rk on Mo ra l Th e o logy h as be e n byfa r th e gr ea te st succe ss o f our tim e in its spe cia l departmen t
—h ase dited fo r Herde r of Fr iburg a n ew editio n o f th e Latin translatio n o f
Fath er De Pon te’
s Medita tio n s, in six h andy vo lume s , which will h e lpmany a priest in th e twe n tie th cen tury n o t to deg e n e ra te fr om th e
h igh th ough ts o f th e sons of G od.
”
3 . Two Tal e s th at h ad dr opped out of pr in t h ave r e appe ar ed in
seco nd editio n s . On e is Th e Wild Birds o f Kill e evy,” by Rosa Mul
h o lland (Lo ndon : Burn s and Oa te s) . Th e fo rm in wh ich it is r eproduce d is just as pr e tty as befo r e , wh ile th e pr ice is much less . Th is
idyllic roman ce is, in th e judgm en t o f many, even mo r e full of th e
auth o r ’s ch aracte r istic ch arm th an h e r mo r e matte r -o f-fact n ovels,
Ma rce lla G race ,”and A Fair Emi grant
—to n am e only th e mo r e
r ece n t vo lum es wh ich ar e still procurable . Th e o th er r eprin t is Mrs .
390 The Ir isk Monthly.
fur th e r o n , ano th e r r eviewe r descr ibe s th e same little vo lum e as“a
pleasin g book o f r e ligious ve rse , embracin g a la rg e numbe r o f
tran scr iptio n s o f o rdin ary praye rs, by a we ll -kn own wr it er . A t
g re ate r le ngth The M el dy Reg iste r o f May 24 , 1 890 , pr o n o unce s
th is kin dly judgme n t
Po e try an dYie ty have co nspired with ch a rmin efle ct in Fa th e r Russe ll's la test
a nd we ll -n am ed ittle boo k , The Ha rp o f Jam s. t is a praye r-bo ok in ve rse , a
l ittle bre via ry, o r boo k o f h ours fo r ch ildre n , an d for th o se g rown-up pe rso ns wh o
h ave kept th e ir child-h e art pious in th e th ough t th at G od is th e ir Fath e r , and tha t
th ey a re His ch ildre n , a re la tio n wh ich is th e ve essen ce o f is ey and th e ve rymean ing o f th e wo rd . Fo llowin g th e Ve n e rable e , Fath e r usse ll th inks tha tth e youn g may be drawn mo r e e asily to le arn and to re cite praye rs in rhyme , andso to lisp in numbe rs ,
’th ough th ey may n o t be buddin g poe ts. A nd th e ve rses o f
th is bo o k will admir ably a tta in th at e nd ; fe rven t as th e are , and pithy, and toth e po in t . Th e re is a subtle and se emin 1 a lmost see art in many o f th o
pa raphrases. Th e Our Fa th e r ,’th e Hailflu
'
y,’th e A po stles
’
Cre ed.’th e pro se
o f th e se n o po e t sh a ll supe rse de but we do n o t fe e l th e sam e abo ut Th e Meditat io n o n th e Sig n o f th e Cro ss ,
’o r Th e A cts o f Fa ith , Hope , Cha r ity and Con
triti o n .
’Th e book is sma ll en ough ,
as we ll as pleasan t and pious e n oug h , to becarried in th e breast po cke t
—n ear th e h e a rt .”
6 . Some o f o ur r eade rs may occasio n ally h ave n o ticed th at we do
n o t fe e l bound to praise a bo ok m e r e ly be cause it h appens to be
wr itten by a we ll - in te n tio n ed Cath o lic and bro ugh t out by a Cath o lic
publish e r . In particula r we h ave a so rt o f spite aga inst sto r ies with
a con tr ove rsia l smack wh e r e eve ryth ing is edifyin g and smoo th in
r e lig ious m a tte rs, but wh e re o fte n th e sto ry is ve ry po o r an d th e
th eo logy somewh at ch ildish . This pe rso n a l obse rvatio n is m e an t to
emph asise th e h ear ty praise th at we ar e able to be stow on a n ew bo ok“
by Mr s. Parson s , Th omas R ile to n (London : Burns and Oa te s) .It is, inde ed, fr an kly co n trove rsia l , but th e co n trove rsy is ve ry go od
o f its kin d, and it is bo il ed down judiciously in an in te r e sting n arra
tive with a go od many n ice ch ar acte rs an d a fa ir amoun t o f inciden t .
Th e r e scue o f Deddin g’
s da ugh te r is n o t made pro bable e n ough ,
for as a r ath e r pr ecipitate r eader could pe rce ive . Ar e n o t th e co n
versio n s a littl e ove rcr owded? Mrs. Parson s h as an excelle n t style o f
h e r own , and th at is a gre a t advan tage even in a r e ligious n ove l.
7 . Th e publish e r o f Fa th e r Le hmkuhl ’e De Pon te—He rde r o f
Fr e iburg , wh o h as h ouses also in Mun ich , Str asburg , and Vienna
publish e s a t St. Louis i n Missour i an admirable e ssay by Mr . Co nde
Pal len , Th e Cath o lic Ch urch and So cialism .
”Of a mo re practica l
ch aracte r ar e two e arn e st addr e sses to th e Bro th e rs o f th e Orato ry o f
St . Ph ilip Ne r i in Lo n don whi ch Fath e r Ken e lm Digby Be st h as
publish ed un de r th e titl e Why no good Catho lic can be a Socialist
(London : Burns an d Oa te s ) . Th e Orato r ian Fath e r discusse s Socia lism in its r e lation s with property, and with auth o rity, quo tin g manydecr e e s be ar ing on th e subje ct .
8 . Fath e r Mo n sabre, O .P. , wh o h as fill ed th e pulpit o f Notr e
Notes on N e wBooks . 39 1
Dame in Par is fo r some twe n ty Le n ts, de vo ted o n e se r ies o f his co n
fer e n ce s to Ch r istian Matr im ony. M . Hoppe r h as transla ted th is
vo lum e , and th e Be n z ig e rs (New Yo rk , Ch ica go , and Cin cin n ati ) h ave
publ ish e d it wi th fittin g car e . Y e t we th ink many par ts o f th e bo ok
a re un sui ted fo r th is coun try,h oweve r it may be with th e o r igin a l
h e a r e rs, ma ny o f th em pro n e to be influe n ced by th e co rrupt socie ty
a ro un d th em .
9 . We fe ar it is la te to a nn oun ce Mr . Wilfr id Rob in so n ’s Pil
g r im’s Han dbo ok to Je rusalem ”
(Lo ndo n : Burn s and Oate s), illust r a ted with seve ral maps and plan s, but pr in ted o n ve ry th in pape r
to o late e spe cially as eve n th is paragraph h as by accide n t be e n h e ld
o v e r in type fo r mo r e th an a mo n th .
1 0 . Mr . Wash bour n e , 1 8 Pate rn oste r Row, Lo ndo n , h as issued a
l a r ge illustra ted and illum in a te d ca rd fo r fram in g , with r o om fo r th e
e n try o f th e da te s o f baptism , co nfirmatio n , an d fir st commun io n . By
th e way it was to a bo o k issued by thi s Publish e r th at th e puz z lin gin itials, I . O . G . D .
, we r e afixed . We ar e info rme d th at th e se le tte rs
stan d fo r In omn ibus g lor ifice tur Dam ,an d we ar e r e fe rr ed to th e fifty
s e ven th ch apte r o f St . Be n e di ct’
s Rul e .
"
1 1 . Fa th e r He n ry Se bastian Bowde n ,o f th e Or a to ry, h as pr efixed
a n in tro ductio n o n ce r ta in ty to an auth o r ised tran sla tion of th e first
v o lum e o f He tting e r’s gr ea t wo rk , A po lo gy fo r Ch r istian ity. Th is
vo lum e is ca lled Natura l R e ligio n . an o th e r will fo llow o n
R evea led Re ligion . Th is wo rk is pro n oun ced by th o se mo st compe te n t
t o judg e to be a wo rk o f th e mo st so lid m e rit, and Fa th e r Bowde n
h as co nfe r r e d a gr e a t se rvice o n th e stude n t o f ph ilo sophy and th e o logyt o wh om th e G e rm an lan guag e is an in supe r able bar ri e r . Th e En glish ve rsion se ems to be admirably exe cuted and is produced with
fault]e ss taste by Burn s and Oate s .
1 2 . Two po e tica l vo lum e s, r ece n tly publish ed, ca n o nly r ece ive th e
m o st in adequa te n o tice at pr ese n t .“Wr e a th s o f Son gs from Fie lds o f
Ph ilo so phy (Dua M H. G ill and Son ) is man ife stly th e wo rk o f
a Pro fe sso r of Mo ral Ph ilo sophy wh o se wh o le soul is ste eped an d
sa tura ted in r eflectio ns o n th e mo st pr o foun d an d abstract truth s.
O n ly to a k indr e d spir it could such so n gs be in te ll ig ible . Many o f th e
ph r ase s r esem ble th e lite ra l tr an sla tio n o f G e rman compoun d wo rds
a nd th e r e is h ardly o n e o f th e se ph i lo sophical lyrics th at do es n o t n e ed
to be in te rpre ted by th e po e t himse lf. So in te rpr e ted, th ey would be
foun d to be full o f h igh and spir i tual th o ugh t . Happy th e souls th a t
can br e ath e so pur e an d rar efied an atm o sph e r e ! On a lowe r leve l ,
n e ar e r to our o rdin arywo rk-a -daywo r ld, is th e o th e r vo lum e o f verse ,
publish ed by th e sam e firm,Po ems of th e Past, by Mo i-mem e . In
o ur an tipa thy fo r such pen-n am e s we r e ve a l a ll we kn ow : th a t th is
392 The Ir isk Mon th ly.
sign a tur e o fte n appear ed in the defunct Messenger qf St. Joseph , and inth e Car l: Examiner , and th at Mo i -méme is reported to be a nun
Th is vo lum e o f 330 pag es con tain s about 200 po ems, th e ve ry names
of whi ch sh ow th e po e tica l spirit o f th e auth o r , and also h e r r e ligious
spirit . A Ch ild’s Hear t is as swe e t as any o f th em, o r Jen n ante»
tasaba t,”o r th e “ Lege nd o f th e Ro bin ,
”o r
“ Wa it.”But this last,
th ough it comes seco nd in th e vo lum e,sh ows wh at most o f th e pieces
sh ow, th at th is Muse is to o much o f an Im rovisatr ice and h as n o t had
th e advan tag e o f any very ste r n censo rs'
p from h e r own lite raryconscie n ce o r from any exte rn a l m on ito r . Afte r th e first two stanz as
h ave de te rm in ed th e me tre an d accustomed th e ear to fin d th e odd
lin e s un rhym ed, sudde n ly th is co ven an t is brok e n thr ough in th e thi rd
stan za with out any warn in g o r any r e aso n . Th ough Mo i-méme
h as a musical e ar , sh e h as le t many an . un rhythmica l li ne pass
un chi ded, an d th is n o t me r e ly by con stan tly tr eatin g torn , warm, and
sim ilar wo rds as dissyllable s. Th e Ope n in g L eafle t,”wh ich comes
first o f all and m igh t be suppo sed to be specially o n its go od
be h aviour , h as a t least four lawle ss lin es th at r efuse utte r ly to be
scann ed.
”Th is Irish nun h as plen ty o f ideas and le n ty o f wo rds
to match ; but h e r bo ok would h ave be e n h olie r and e tte r
study, mo r e compre ssio n , mo r e co n ce n tr ation , mo re se lf-cr iticism o f
soun d and se n se and te nse s and eve rything, and a mo r e
strivin g afte r th a t pe rfectio n o f fo rm o f wh ich an Eng lish n un h as
furn ish ed a r emarkable example in So ngs in th e Nigh t .1 3 . It is prope r to accuse th e r eception o f som e pe rio dica ls
th a t tak e th e troubl e o f com in g to na from afar . The A me ri can
Ca tho lic Quar ter ly, wh ich ful ly m a in tain s its h igh stan dard o f m e r it ,is h e n cefo r th to be edited by th e A rchbish op o f Philade lphia, Dr . P.
J. Ryan , assisted by two o f h is priests and Mr . G e o rge D e r in g Wo lf,wh o wi ll pro bably be fo r it wh a t Mr . Cash e l Ho ey on ce was fo r 1 71 0
Dublin Review. The Catho lic Wor ld h as begun a full and e labora teLife o f Fa th e r B eck e r ,
”its foun de r and first edi to r . The Fordham
l l oa tldy is k ept up with gr e a t spirit, and must be o f.enth ral ling
in te r e st fo r its own imm edia te wo r ld,se e ing th at it is n o t with out a
ch arm e ve n fo r fog eys an d o utside rs acr oss som e th ousand le agues o f
fo am an d se a -sickn e ss . Lo Coutcmlx Leader is a brigh t little pa e r,
pr e sided o ve r by a cl eve r pe n and a judicious pair o f scisso rs . h e
Am e rican Messenger of the Sacr ed M a r t, publish ed at Philade lph ia, h as
be e n made , unde r th e edito rsh ip o f Fa th e r Raph a e l Dewey, S .J. , quitea larg e r e ligious maga z in e o f hi gh lite rary m e r it. In May, 1 890, th e
Ave Mar ia ce le brated its silve r jubil e e . It was founded in May, 1 865,by th e Ve ry R e v. Edward So r in , n ow Supe rio r
-G e n e ral of th e Con
gr e gatio n o f th e Ho ly Cr oss . Its se co n d edi to r was Fa th e r G i ll e spietill 1 874 , and th e n , afte r th e bri ef r e ign o f Fa th e r G o lovin (also de ad),it cam e unde r th e e n tle but pote nt sway of Fath e r Dan ie l Hudso n ,
fe lc'
oiter r egn aw . e h ave h e ard th at its prin te rs (an d it is prin te dwe ll ) be lo n g to th e sam e sex as th e n ew Senior Wrangler at Cambr idg e , Phi lippa Fawce tt .
1 4 . We must e n d th is m o n th with th e joyful an n o un cem e n t th at
Sir Ch ar le s G avan Dufly’s
“ Life of Th omas Davis (Londo n Ke gan ,
Paul, Tr en ch and Cc . ) h as at last appe a r ed . We can on ly m e n tio n it
n ow, th e first of many time s th at it is sur e to com e befo r e our reade rs .
3 94 The Ir isk Mon th ly.
b il ity th at sh e migh t n o t be , afte r all , wh at sh e se emed r ose up be fo r e
h e r , sh e r e so lved to be cautious—n o t to push on th e ma r riage till th is
sto ry h ad be en car e fully loo ke d in to and se ttled o n e way o r an o th e r
for e ve r . Sylvia A th ersto n e , with h e r large fo r tun e and blue blo o d,
would be a wife fit in eve ry re spect fo r Lo rd A shfie ld ; but th e sam e
g ir l, good and be autiful th ough sh e migh t be , with out mon ey o r
family, sh oul d n eve r wed with so n o f h ers.
Lord A shfie ld wa s full o f wh at his m o th e r was ple ased to ca ll
Radical ide as.
” He profe ssed a decided co n tempt fo r pe rson s wh o se
o n ly bo ast was th e ir pedigr e e and an cie n t fam ily. He admir e d
g e nius, cour tin g th e socie ty o f th o se wh o h ad rise n by th e ir own
tal e n ts an d industry rath e r th an that of ge n tlem en wh o coun ted king s
a nd crusade rs am on gst th e ir an cesto rs . Th is strang e taste , th ough tLady A shfie ld, was th e sign o f som e te rr ible wa rp in h is n atur e , an d
would sur e ly l e ad him in to mi sch i e f- pe rh aps b e th e cause o f h is
mar ryin g some o n e much ben e ath h im in sta tion . But again st th is
sh e was de te rmin ed to guard . A nd un til Madg e appe ar ed upo n th e
sce n e , sh e had co n side r ed Sylvia th e o n e o n ly gir l wh om sh e woul d b e
ple as ed to welcom e as h e r daugh te r- in -law. A n d e ve n afte r sh e had
liste n ed to th e sto ry o f th e wr e ck and h e ard o f th e declar ed substitu
tio n o f o n e chi ld fo r an o th e r , sh e was still true to Sylvia . Sh e r efused
to b e li eve Madg e’s sta tem en t , r e so lved to tr eat it as a bar e -faced
in ve n tio n , an d sh owed Lo rd A shfie ld as plain ly as sh e da red th at sh e
wish ed h im to marry Sylvia A th e rsto n e , gran ddaugh te r o f h e r be st
«a n d o lde st fri e n d.
But th en an awful fe ar to ok po sse ssion o f h e r . Wh at if this talewe r e foun d to be tr ue A n d sh e tr embled lest sh e sh ould h ave
a lr eady gon e to o fa r , h ave urged thi s mar r iage to o e arn e stly upon h er
so n . Th e n came th e r eco llection o f th e appr o ach ing Drawin gro om .
If sh e pr e sen ted Sylvia , sh e was in a mann e r r e spo n sible for h e r .
Hith e r to sh e h ad n o t fe lt un e asy. But n ow ! Wh a t if thi s girl , wh oseb e auty and e le gance sh e h a d lauded to h e r fr ie n ds , sh ould prove to be
.a n obody Wh at if sh e we re foun d less love ly, le ss a ristocratic lookin g th an sh e h ad imagin ed h e r to be , wan tin g in th e manypo in ts th a t
sh ow birth and fami ly Wh at if thi s should be th e ve rdict pro
n oun ced upon Sylvia on h e r first appe ar an ce in th e wo rld How sh e
would be laugh ed at fo r h e r ign orance and simplicity.
So as th e day of th e pr e sen tatio n dr ew n ear h e r soul was to rn with
a nxie ty.
A t last th e omin ous h our arr ived, and Lady A shfie ld swept th rough
th e state ly r ooms of Buchin gh am Palace , with Sylvia by h er side .
Sudde nly, h e r doubts m e lted away. Sh e became comple te ly re
a ssur ed . A ll around sh e saw lo oks o f admiration and appr oval , and
A Str iking Contrast. 395
sh e gaz ed at h e r compan ion , ful l o f a growin g and fixed be l ie f th at
s h e was ce rta in ly Sir Eustace A th e rsto n e’s granddaugh te r . It was
n o t possible to th ink o th e rwise . Th e ta ll, sl im figure ; th e g race ful ,
d ig nified carriag e ; th e we ll-sh aped h e ad ; th e daz z lingly beautiful ,
ye t h igh -br ed face ; th e pe rfectly e asy, unco nscio us m ann e r o f th e
y o un g g ir l co uld o nly be lo ng to o n e o f g ood—o i n oble b ir th . 80 ,
t h er e an d th e n , Lady A shfie ld’s m ind was defin ite ly made up. Th is
wild sto ry th a t h ad filled h e r with te rro r was utte rly false , an d was,
d oubtle ss, co ncocted fo r th e purpose o f extracting mo n ey fr om h e r .
Sh e would se e Madg e again so o n , and buy a pr omise o f sile n ce from
h e r , eve n th ough it sh o uld cost h e r seve ra l h undr eds . Thus a ll fe ar
o f tr ouble o n th a t sco re would be spe edily disposed o f, an d Sylvi a
sh ould mar ry Lo rd Ashfie ld be for e th e e nd o f th e se aso n .
Your gran ddaugh te r h as h ad a gr ea t tr iumph , Sir Eustace ,
sa id Lady A shfie ld swe e tly, as sh e wa tch ed th e g irl m ove grace fullya bo ut amo ngst th e many frie nds wh o h ad com e to se e h e r o n h e r
r e turn from th e Drawin g ro om a Sh e was un ive r sally admir ed, Ia ssure you. A nd r eally I do n o t wo nde r . I con side r he r quite
pe rfect.
Sir Eustace sm il ed, and h is eyes r e sted lovin gly o n his dar l ing’s
face .
Inde ed, he sa id, and was it n ece ssary sh e sh ould put on a
tra in seve ral yards long befo r e you could fin d th at out I always
kn ew sh e was pe rfect .”
Y ou h ave h ad advan tage s I did n o t e n joy. But, eve n so , h ad Ibe en in your place , I would h ave mistrusted my own judgmen t a
l ittle . On e n eve r kn ows wh at th e opin ion o f soci e ty may be , and tha t
is th e impor tan t po in t , Sir Eustace .
”
No t a bit o f i t . I do n ’t car e o n e jo t wh at soci e ty says o r thinks,
.ao lon g as I kn ow th a t my Sylvia’s h e a rt is in th e r igh t place . A n d
I h ave o n ly to lo ok in h e r bo n ni e eye s to kn ow th at.”
Tr ue . But socie ty will n o t tr ouble much about th at . Hea rts go
fo r ve ry littl e , I assur e you. Ho we ve r , Sylvia is a succe ss, an d Ico ngratulate you. A n d n ow I m ust run away. I h ave two o th e r te a s
to go to o n my way h om e .
”
It was mo st k ind o f you to come to n a, sa id Sir Eustace as h e
g ave h e r h is a rm down -sta irs,“
yo u ar e ve ry g o od to my chi ld,and
I th an k you a th ousand tim e s.
My de ar fr ie nd, I r equir e n o th a nks. R emembe r , I lo ok upo n
Sylvia as my daugh te r . Y o u kn ow I h ope to ca ll h e r so o n e day.
Y e s,”h e an swe r ed grave ly, and I fe e l de eply complim en te d
th a t you sh ould. But pray do n o t fo rg e t th a t‘ l'h omme propo se , e t
D isu dispose .
’ My Sylvia sh all do as sh e ple ase s . I sen t away Paul .
96 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
Vyn er by your advice , but I will n o t urg e h er to marry Lord A shfie ld
Oi course n o t—I n eve r th ough t o f such a thing . Still I lik e
you to kn ow wh at I fe e l about th e dea r ch ild.
”
Y ou a re ve ry kind. A true fr ie nd to na bo th . A nd A shfie ld is
an extr emely fin e young fe llow. But I am se lfish in my love . I wan tto ke ep my dar ling to myse
Lady A shfie ld laugh ed.
Th at you sh all n o t be allowed to do lon g, I promi se you. But
go od-nigh t . We m e e t th is e ve n in g at th e Tr eh arn e
’s, I suppo se
Y es, Sylvia and I ar e din in g th e r e .
Th e n au r evoc'
r , Sir Eustace , au rwos'
r .
A nd stepping into h e r carriage , Lady Ashfie ld drove away.
Po o r o ld man ! How wr apt up in th at gir l h e is,”sh e cr ied, as
sh e wen t alo n g . Thi s sto ry of Madge Noil’s woul d k ill h im,
Ibeh ave . But h e sh all n eve r h ear it, if I can pr even t it . It is only th e
raving o f a mad-woman . but still it would give in te nse pain and
wo r ry. But I’ll so o n put an e nd to it. and A shfie ld sh all mar ry
Sylvia ,I am de te rmi n ed h e sh a ll .
”
But fo r som e days Lady A shfie ld was busy, sh e h ad many pwpla
to visit , many place s to go to . A n d th o ugh anxious to se e Madge an d
s ile n ce h e r fo r eve r , sh e dr e aded th e in te rview, and po stpon ed it fr om
h our to h o ur . Thus th e time passed, and, n o twithstanding go od
r e so lution s sh e h ad m ade , sh e n e ith e r saw n o r h e ard anyth in g o f th e
Ne ills . Lo rd A shfie ld did no t me n tion th em aga in ; and his man n e r
to h is m o th e r was k ind and affectio n ate as befo r e .
He h as fo rgo tten th em ,
”sh e sa id to h e rse lf ; so much th e be tte r .
I m ay take my own tim e an d go to Madg e wh en it suits m e . Th e re
is n o h urry. But I r eally expe cted th at A shfie ld would h ave made
m o r e fuss abo ut my visitin g th o se gir ls . Howe ve r , I am ple ased th ath e do es n o t to rm en t m e . He se ems n ow as th ough h e did n o t care
wh e th e r I we n t o r n o t .
”
But in th is Lady A shfie ld was m istak en . He r son was far from
h avin g fo rgo tte n th e Ne ills . He r em embe red th em only too wel l ;
and n o t a day passed with out h is sending fruit, flowe rs, o r bo oks to
Do ra . True , th ey we r e n o t se n t in hi s n ame , n o r did h e visit th e gir ls
in th e ir lodgin gs . But th at was be cause h e fe lt a de licacy in do in g
ao,since h is mo th e r h e ld alo o f. He was de te rmin ed to h e lp th em
m o r e substan tially, as so on as h e po ssibly could. Th is, h owe ve r , was
a difficult th ing to do , and gave h im many h ours of anxious th ough t .
Th e siste rs we re ladie s, h e fe lt, in spite o f th e ir poo r surroun dings
a nd fr om wh at h e h ad se e n o f Do ro thy, h e was sur e sh e would be
k e e n ly se n sitive . He wan ted a woman to advise him as to h ow h e
398 The Month ly.
Sylvi a Th at gir l is n eve r tired . Sh e rush e s h e r e , and rush es
th e r e , and always looks as fre sh as po ssible . I te ll h e r it is un ladylike to be so stro n g . But sh e only laugh s and starts off for some th ing
n ew.
”
Qui te r ight . I am glad sh e e n joys h e rse lf. I suppo se it wouldb e impo ssible to find h e r at h om e , at tea
-time fo r instan ce I dar esaysh e is e ith e r out o r e n te rtain in g a cro wd o f pe ople
Lady A shfie ld lo ok e d a t h e r son in asto n ishm e n t, th e n ben t ove r
th e te a -
po t to h ide th e pleasure in h e r eyes.
Is h e coming round to my views at last sh e asked h e rse lf .
Is h e n ow anxious to m e e t Sylvi a and wo o h e r as h is wife?It
se ems lik e it. Fo r wh at o th e r r easo n sh ould h e sudden ly wish to se e
h e r in h e r h ome?He h as h eard h e r beauty pra ised , has se en h o w
sh e is admir ed, and h as doubtless disco ve red h ow much mo r e ch arm
ing sh e is th an any o th e r g ir l h e h as eve r me t .
"
Howeve r , sh e r eso lved to ke ep h e r th ough ts to h e rse lf, but at th e
sam e time g ive him eve ry opportun ity fo r cultivating Sylvia’s
Our little fr iend’s mome n ts at h om e are pr ecious.
”sh e said
aloud, and ar e all devo ted to h er grandl ath e r . Sh e is th e swe e te st,
most lovin g ch ild possible . Your be st ch an ce o f m e e ting h er would
be if you would com e about with m e a li ttle mo r e—com e to balls and
eve n in g parties.
”
My de ar mo th er , ba lls ar e n o t in my lin e .
“
I do n ’t dan ce ,
Th at is a pity—fo r th is ve ry evenin g Sir Eustace is g iving a ball
to ce lebrate Svlvia’
s com in g out . It will be a brillian t afiair . I emto h e lp to r ece ive th e guests, as th ey ar e bo th n ew to everythin g and
eve ryon e . Th e r e fore I go ear ly.
Th e n I sh all go with you. I do n ’t affect such e n te r tainmen ts
much as a rule ,”h e said laugh ing . Th ey rath e r bo r e m e , I con fe ss,
but I sh ould e n joy se e ing Sylvia at h e r first ba ll . So you may coun t
upo n m e as your escort to-n igh t .
”
Th at will be ch armin g. I leave this at ten o’clock, sharp. Se
pray do n o t be late .
”
No t for wor lds. A nd to make my pun ctuality mor e ce rta in , I
will din e with you, mo th er , if you wi ll allow m e .
”
My de ar boy, you kn ow you ar e always welcom e . I am quite
a lon‘
e to -n igh t.
Se much th e be tte r . It is a lon g time since we din ed téte - i -téte .
Now I must be ofi. I h ave some busin ess to tran sact. Far ewe ll til l
dinn e r time .
A nd we ll pleased at th e th ough t of se e ing Sylvia so so on , Lo rd
A shfie ld gottin to a h an som and drove off to h is club .
A Str iking Contrast. 399
CHAPTER XVI.
Lo an A SHFIELD n ame s A a sovss'
r .
Th e ballroom is a bla z e with ligh ts. Eve ry n o ok and co rn e r is
fill ed wi th palms and swe e t-sme lli n g flowe rs. Th e doo rways ar e hungwith wr eaths o f de e p ye llow r o ses and maide n h air f em , an d th e
co nse rvato ry r e semble s a fa iry bowe r , with its dain ty la n te rn s a nd
ch o ice e xo tics. In a small ga ll e ry at th e e nd o f th e r o om th e
musicians ar e tun in g th e ir in strumen ts, and th e be autiful parque tsh in e s like a mi rro r . Eve ryth in g is r e ady, and awaits th e arrival o f
th e gue sts.
Oh , grandpapa , is it n o t love ly cried Sylvia gliding acro ss th e
flo o r , h e r wh ite tulle dr e ss doating grace fully abo ut h e r slim figur e
I n eve r saw anything like th e flowe rs . Th ey are exquisite .
”
I am glad you a re ple ased, my pe t,”said Sir Eustace , bending
to kiss th e girl’s eage r face . A nd I r ea lly th ink it lo oks ve ry n ice .
But Lady A shfie ld is la te . I h ope sh e will so o n come . I fe e l qui ten er vous.
Sylvia laugh ed m e rr ily.
Ne rvous ! Oh , grandpapa , wh at a confession .
“ A ter r ible o n e , I admit . But I am o ld, Sylvia , and it is years
and years sin ce I played th e part o f h o st a t a ball .”
“ Po or dar ling ! It was a sham e to to rme n t you in to g ivin g o n e ,
and sh e lai d h e r h and car essin gly upon his arm . Y ou sh ould have
be en firm and r e fused . I would n o t h ave car ed in th e least .
”
But Lady A shfie ld would, dear . Sh e in sisted I sh ould give it.Y ou must n o t a llow yourse lf to be ruled so much by Lady A sh
fie ld , grandpapa .
”A n d th e white for e h e ad was puck er ed in to a
frown . Y ou must n o t, inde ed .
No , de ar e st, n o t afte r to -n igh t. But you will e nj oy this bal l , mype t
Th e frown van ish ed ; th e beautiful eyes sparkl ed with ple asur e .
Oh , yes . I sujoy e ve rything so much , grandpapa .
That is r igh t . Th at is wh at I wan t you to do .
”
But do you kn ow I sometim es fe e l frigh te n ed—as ii—we ll as if
I sh ould n o t always be so h appy.
”
My de ar child, th ose ar e fo o lish th ough ts. Put th em away.
My littl e granddaugh te r sh a ll n eve r have anyth ing to mak e h er un
h appy, I h Ope - I pray.
”
Dear grandpapa, n ot if you can h e lp it, I em sure . Y ou have
a lways spo ilt m e ,and saved m e fr om e ven th e small est trouble .
’
400 The Ir ish Mo n th ly.
Oi course , I h ave . A nd n ow l e t m e se e my pet da nce and e n j oyh e rse lf. Th at will pr eve n t me from fe e lin g tir ed o r wo rr ied. Y ou
a re lo okin g we ll to -n igh t , my pr e tty Sylvia. and your tr iumph will
make m e h appy.
Th e gir l made h im a swe epin g cur tsey and looked up with a
m er ry gla nce .
Your gran ddaugh te r , Sylvia ,
Sh e cann ot be ar
Th e n sudden ly r ecove rin g h e rse lf, sh e cr ied
But a truce to our gaie ty. swe e t grandpapa. He r e come s our
kind assistan t, Lady A shfie ld. Now, I trust your mi nd is at r e sQui te ,
”sa id Sir Eustace laugh in g , I breath e m o r e fre e ly
Pray do n o t confess your we akn ess, o r we are undo n e , cri e d
Sylvia , me lodramatically, put o n a bo ld fro n t, my r e ve r ed gra n d
fath e r , an d l e t n o on e say we ar e afraid to .faoe our guests. Lo ok as
t h ough r e ceptio ns such as this we re quite an eve ryd ay occurr e nce .
En avan t. Courage !
A nd taking th e o ld man’s arm , Sylvia dr ew him fo rward to m e et
Lady A shfield and h e r son .
My dear A shfie ld, thi s is in de ed a pleasant surpr ise , exclaimed
Sir Eustace , turn ing to h is young gue st and sh aking him warmly byth e h and. I did n o t expect you would h on our na wifi1 your companyt o-n igh t . I fan cied po litica l me e tin gs we re mor e to your taste th a nballs. But be lie ve me , Sylvia and I are de ligh ted to se e you. Eh !
Sylvia“ Y e s, gran dpap
'
a . Ce rta in ly we ar e . It was ve ry kind o f LordA shfie ld to com e .
He cam e expre ssly to se e you, Sylvia , wh ispe red Lady A shfield,“so I h ope you will be nice to him .
Th e gir l raised h er eyes, full of en qui ry, to th e lady’s face .
Why do you say th a t I always lik ed Lo rd A sh fie ld,”sh e sa id
frankly,“ao of course I sh all be n ice to h im .
To be sur e . I forgo t. Sir Eustace , your granddaugh te r is te r
Sh e always says exactly what sh e me an s, and sh e is glad t o
s e e your son . Th ey are o ld fr ien ds, rem embe r .
”
Y es . But come and tak e m e roun d th e r ooms, th a t I may admir eth em be fo r e th e crowd comes.
”
With ple asur e .
”A nd ofier in g h is arm , h e led h e r away.
It is extr eme ly kind of you and Sir Eustace to we lcome me so
402 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
guessed e ve n fain tly th e cause o f h is ea rn estn e ss, th e subj ect o f his
co nve rsatio n , sh e wo uld h ave do n e all th at layin h e r powe r to sepa ra te
th e se two , and pre ve n t th e po ssibili ty o f Sylvia m e e ting th e N e ils , a t
least un til sh e had se e n Madge and obta in ed h e r promi se o f se cr e cy .
But sh e was blissfullyun co n scious o f h e r son’s in ten tio ns . and o n ly to o
we ll ple ased to se e him acting , as sh e th ought, on th e go od advice sh e
h ad give n h im .
Me anwhi le Sylvia and A shfie ld made th e ir way thr ough th e ball
room , and sea ted th emse lve s o n two comfo rtable cha irs amo n gst th e
flowe rs .
It is r eally a pleasur e to sit down aga in ,'
sa id Sylvia gaily ;
standin g shakin g h ands with seve ral hun dr ed pe ople is a ve ry
fatiguin g occupation .
Ve ry. But you se em to h ave don e cha rmin g ly,” h e r epli ed ;
your gue sts are loud in your pra ises, and your ro oms are be autiful .
Th ey do you gre at cr edit . Th e deco ra tio n s ar e pe rfe ct .”
Y e s, I th in k th ey ar e . But I had n o th in g to do with th em . Mr .
A lg e rn o n A rmstr o n g did e ve rythin g fo r na.
”
Inde ed . Th a t was kind. Is h e a ve ry o ld frie nd
Sylvia laugh ed m e rrily.
We ll, yo u ar e beh ind th e age , Lord Ashfie ld. But did you r e ally
n eve r h ea r o f Mr . A lge rn o n Armstr ong He do e s all th e balls in
Lo ndon .
”
Th en , I must confe ss to be ing wo e fully behi nd th e age . I n eve r
h eard o f h im till th is mom e n t . I th ough t ladi es always lo oked afte r
th e deco ratio n s and ch o se th e ir own flowe rs.
”
Som e may. But ve ry few, I fan cy. Ce rtain ly n ot ign o ran t g irls
like me .
”
Th e n is this man a trade sman
Sylvia looked ve ry much sh ocked
Oh , n o . l i e is a ge n tleman . He was in th e—some thing h ussars
-but did n o t like th e li fe ; so h e so ld o ut and took to th is kind o f
thing . Fo r a smal l fe e—te n gui n e as o r ao—h e do es eve ryth ing .
se ttle s e ve rythi ng , and ar ran g e s th e ro oms.
”
A n oble profession truly. But I th ink I sh ould h ave pre ferr ed
th e hussars.
”
I dare say. But I em glad h e did n o t . He h as saved grandpapa
and m e much trouble and anxi e ty.
”
Th e n h e is dese rving o f bo th r espect and gratitude .
In de ed h e is . An d gran dpapa and I have had such a glo rio us
day all th rough him .
How is th a tWe ll, you se e , we h ad n othing to do at h om e . Th e h ouse was
A Str iking Contrast. 4031
in a state of confusion , so we wen t out early. and pre te nded we we r e
abr o ad.
”
But h ow did you m anag e to do th at h e ask ed fe e ling rath e r
mystified .
In th is way. We had cofie e and ro lls in our ro oms, we nt ofi‘
th e n to th e Nation al G a lle ry, an d saw a gre at many pictur es by our
o ld friends, Raph a e l, A ndr ea de l Sarto ,Fr ancis , and Murillo . Th e n
we visitedWestm in ste r A bbey, lun ch e d a t Blanch ard’s, and we n t to
Ve rbeck ’s. We h ad aftern oon te a at th e G ro sven o r , and din ed a t th e
G rand Ho te l . A nd th en we came h om e just in tim e to dr ess fo r th e .
ball 1 :
Such a. day ! My de ar Miss A th e rston e , h ow tired you must be .
No t in th e least. A nd do you kn ow I could hardly be lieve Iwas in London . It was just th e kind of way grandpapa andI used ta
live in Paris and o th e r fo re ig n place s. I fe lt th e wh o le day as if I
wer e abro ad .
”
Y ou h ave a live ly imagin atio n ,” h e sa id smiling , and are easily
amused.
”
Y es . Lady A shfie ld th inks m e quite plebe ia n in my taste s .
But ,”sh e cr ied, blushing de eply, h ow ego tistical youmust think m e .
Th e dance is h alf ove r,and I h ave n o t ask ed you what you wan t m e
to do fo r you. Pray te ll me n ow, Lo rd A shfie ld .
”
Thank you. It is ve ry kin d o f you to r emembe r mywo rds, Miss
A th erston e . A nd I trust you may n o t be ann oyed with m e fo r
troublin g you in th is matter .
”
An n oyed I am gre atly hatte r ed th at you sh ould th ink of askingme to do anyth in g for you. I am inde ed.
”
Your wo rds e ncourage me . A nd n ow te ll m e , did you eve r h e a r
th at th e re we r e two gir ls o n bo a rd th e Cimbria with you On e about
twe lve , th e o th e r an infan t
Sylvia look ed a t him in aston ishmen t.
Oi course I did. Th e Ne ils Madge and Dam . Th ey we r e
bo th drown ed, po o r children .
Pardon m e . Th ey wer e n ot. Th ey we re wash ed ash o r e at a
small village on th e Co rn ish coast, wh e r e th ey h ave lived un til n ow.
”
Sylvia’s eyes sh on e with ple asur e , and sh e clasped h e r h ands to
gath e r in deligh t.
oh 1” sh e cr ied, h ow h appy th is will make papa . He used towr ite so much about th ose ch ildr en , an d mourn th e ir sad fate for a
long , lo ng tims . Wh e r e are th ey, Lo rd A shfie ld I sh ould so like to
se e th em . Po o r littl e things
A shfie ld gaz ed admir ingly at th e beautiful eage r face .
Th ey are n o t little n ow,h e said smilin g . Madge is a young
4 04 The Ir ish Month ly.
woman of se ve n o r e igh t and twe n ty, and Doro thy is about your own
a g e , al th ough I fa n cy sh e looks le ss ; wh e n I saw h e r last sh e was
small and e th e r ea l loo king .
”
Wh e r e do th ey live 7He r e in Lo ndon , n o t far fr om Be lgrave
-str e e t.
I em so glad. Wh om do th ey live with l’
N0 o n e . Th ey live a lo n e in a po or lodg ing , th e r e n t of wh ich
th ey fin d v e ry difficult to pay.
”
A r e th ey so very po or , th en
Very. Madge te ach es in a sch oo l, and would g ive music lesso n s
if sh e could and Doro thy—h is vo ice fa lte red swe e t little Do r a ,
wh o sh ould h ave be e n surro unded with every luxury, te nded ,with th e
gr e ate st ca re , was brough t up in a wr e tch ed o rph ana ge , and was
o bliged to wo rk fo r h e r daily br e ad in a dr essmak e r’
s establishmen t ,
till h e r h e a lth broke down . Sh e n ow li es on a sofa in th e ir dr eary
l odging , fr e ttin g and pin ing because sh e cann o t earn mon ey and h e lph er siste r .
”
Thi s sh a ll n o t go on , cried Sylvia decidedly ; som e thing sha ll
be do n e fo r th em at o n ce . G randpapa
Pray do n ot say anyth in g about them ye t to Sir Eustace ,” h e
said ea rn e stly. G o and se e th e g ir ls ; talk to th em and g e t to kn ow
th em , and th e n we shall se e wha t can be don e . Th ey a re ve ry sensi
tive , and may be difi cult to h e lp in any substan tial mann e r . Mymo th e r h as take n some dislike to Madge , and sh ould Sir Eustace
me n tio n th em , sh e migh t say som e th ing to pr e judice him against
th em .
”
Yo ur mo th e r ! Do e s Lady A shfie ld kn ow th ese girls to o It is
str an g e sh e n eve r to ld me about th em .
”
Sh e was so in dign an t with Madg e , why I cann o t th ink, that sh e
wo uld do n o th in g fo r th em . He r conduct in th is matte r has be en a
gr e at tr ouble to m e . We are boun d in h o n our , if in n o thi ng e lse , to
h e lp th em , fo r Do r othy by h e r pr e se n ce o f mind saved our l ives.
”
Wh at a brave gir l ! But wh e n did sh e do th at l’
Two years ago .
A n d th e n h e to ld h er th e sto ry o f th e runaway h orses an d
Do ro thy’s struggle with th e labour e rs.
Sh e must be a darlin g ,
”cried Sylvia , and wonderfully stron g
o f will . I long to se e h e 1' and h e lp to mak e h e r h appy.
”
G od ble ss you. I th ough t you would take an inte r est in th em .
Oi cour se . I will go to se e th em to -mor row. But I r ea lly th in k
I must te ll g randpapa . I n e ve r h ave any secr e ts from him , and yo u
n e ed n o t be un easy. Papa wro te so warmly about th ese gir ls an d
th e ir fath e r th at, n o matte r wh at Lady A shfie ld said, h e would sure lyh e lp th em .
”
4C6 The Irish Mon th ly.
scarce ly co nsci ous wh e r e sh e we n t . Habit alon e guided h e r a nd so
sh e un lock ed h e r do o r , to o k 03 h e r h at, and flung h e rse lf down o n ce
mo r e upo n th e o ld h air-cove r ed so fa
He r h e ad was in a whir l, h e r mind bewi lde r ed and excited, h er
c h e eks bur n ed feve r ishly, and h e r eye s sh o n e with a bril lian t ligh t .
It was h e r dinn e r -h our, an d th ere o n th e table was th e ch op th at
Madg e h ad le ft r e ady fo r h e r befo r e go ing out in th e morning . Sh e
h ad o n ly to put it o n th e fire , in h e r usua l way, and eat it with th e
r o ll o f fr e sh br e ad th a t h e r siste r h ad tak en car e to provide fo r'
h e r .
But sh e fo rgo t th e time o f day, fo rgo t th at sh e sh ould be h ungry,
a nd lay upo n th e sofa sta r in g at th e ce ili n g and murmuring sadly
from tim e to time .
Sylvia a t last. so go od, so be autiful , and ye t n o t Sylvia , but
Do ra . Mistr e ss o f a l l th at sh ould be tn in e . Happy and pro ud o f h e r
position . Po o r gir l, po o r un suspectin g gir l . Oh , wh at is to be do n e
Wh at is to be don eThus sh e r ema in ed all th r ough th e lon g afte r n o o n , a n d n o o n e
cam e n e ar to disturb h e r r eve r ie . But a t last, as th e clock struck
e igh t, Madge’
s fo o t was h e ard upo n th e stair,an d Madge
’s vo ice cr ied
o ut in surprise as sh e e n te red th e ro om :
Do ra Wh at have you be e n do ing Why is th e r e n o ligh t
N0 fire
Do ro thy sprang to h er fe e t.
Oh , Madg e ,”sh e gasped, I em so so rry. But
Th e n th r owin g h e r arms r oun d h e r siste r’s n eck , sh e burst in to a
fit o f passion ate we eping .
“ My darlin g ,”sa id Madg e ge n tly, an d ca re ssing th e go lden h ead
a s it lay upo n h e r br east, h as th at crue l landl o rd be e n h e re again
Has h eNo , n o—it is some th ing mo r e th an th at. Madg e , Madge , I h ave
'
fo und Sylvia A th e rston e .
”
Madg e stagg e r ed sligh tly, h e r lips quive r ed ; e ve ry vestig e o f
c o lour l e ft h e r ch e eks. Her h e ar t gave a wild bo un d—a le ap o f joy.
A nd raisin g h e r eye s to h eave n sh e murmur ed , My G o d, I th ank
Th e e .
” A nd n ow, my pe t,
”sh e said drawin g Do ra down upon th e
so fa ,“ be calm , an d te ll m e all . How and wh e n did you se e thi s
g i r l
Th is mo rn in g in h e r own h om e, a splen did h ouse in th e Crom
we ll - ro ad—a m an sion Mme . G arn itur e cal led it—but o h , Madge , sh e
is so go od, so be autiful .
I dar e say ; sh e was a swe e t, a love ly ch ild.
Sh e was so k in d to m e, Madg e , so th ough tful , alth ough I was
th e r e as a po or wo rk gir l,”
sobbed Do ra ; and wh e n I h eard wh o
A Str iking, Contr ast. 407
sh e was, I fe lt such a tra ito r , stea lin g in to h e r h ome , le arn in g wh er e
sh e lived , th at I migh t be tray h e r and ro b h e r o f eve ryth in g !
Do n o t call it robbe ry, Do ra t It will o n ly be r e stitutio n .
Restitution ! If—oh , if sh e woul d but give n a a little of h e r
wealth , we migh t a llow h e r to r ema in as sh e is—n o t ask fo r r e stitu
tion , Madg e .
”
My dear , it must be a ll o r n o thin g . If I g o to Sir Eustace—fo rtha t, th ough I n eve r kn ew it un til Lady A shfie ld ca lled h im ao , is
th e n ame o f your gran dfath er , if I go to him ,I must say th is gir l
is n o t your grandch ild, but an imposto r an d my siste r . Your so n’s
daugh te r h as be e n brough t up as a paupe r . R e sto r e h e r to h e r righ ts,sen d away thi s Sylvia, wh o , beautiful and grace ful as sh e is, is o nlya usurpe r , an d tak e to your h e art th is little , fr agi le , go lden h air ed
waif, wh o h as sufie r ed wan t and priva tion al l th e se we ary ye ars.
’
Y e s, ye s. 8 0 I h ave ,”sai d Do ra pla in tive ly, and you to o , my
d ar lin g , you to o . Wh en I e m r ich , you sh all sh ar e my weal th .
N o th in g sh a ll separate na, Madg e . Pr omise m e th a t .
”
No t if I can h e lp it, love ."
A n d Sylvia sh all live with n a to o . Sh e will n o t m in d m e takin gh e r place , if I le t h e r stay with m e , an d be my siste r . Sh e h as be en
first all th ese yea rs . Sh e will n o t mind giving up to m e so ve rymuch
a fte r all , pe rh aps. But oh , I do wish sh e h ad n o t be en so kin d an d
swe e t . We r e sh e pro ud, and co ld, an d h ard, I sh oul d n o t car e . But
k n owing tha t sh e”
Do r a , do n o t wish h e r difie r en t from wh at sh e is. If sh e is
g o od, r e a lly goo d, so much th e be tte r . Sh e will th en be ar this tr ial
for it wil l, it must be a tr ia l—in th e pr ope r spir it . A nd n ow,le t us
fo rge t h e r fo r th e pr e sen t. We kn ow h e r addr ess an d can go to h e r wh en
we ch o o se to declar e ourse lve s. But I must th ink th e matt er we ll out,
a n d de te rm in e h ow it is to be don e . I do n o t wish to be sco rn ed as a
madwoma n o r a liar by Sir Eustace , as I was by Lady A shfie ld. I
m ust lay my plans an d tak e A nn e Dan e by surpr ise . If I can fo rce
h er to te ll th e truth , our tr ouble s will so on be at an e nd .
Y es, dear . Y ou ar e r igh t . A nd n ow, my po o r Madge , you
must wan t your suppe r .
”
Y es. But you must wan t it mor e . Fo r I find th a t you h ave
n e ve r touch ed your ch op, Do ra , and, Dora , th a t was ve ry wro ng . So
n ow I must be quick and g e t som e th ing r eady.
”
Th e n down upon h e r kn e e s we n t Madg e to ligh t th e fire wh e r e o n
to co ok th e ir even in g m ea l .
Several days passed over an d th e g irls we re stil l in do ubt as to th e
b est mann e r in wh ich to appro ach Sir Eustace A th e rsto n e .
A nn e Dan e , Madge found sh e could n o t se e , fo r on inquir ing
408 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
a t 4 Cromwe ll Man sions, sh e was to ld th at sh e did n o t live th e re ,
but in th e coun try. Th is surpr ised th e gir l an d incr e ased h e r dimcultie s a h undr ed-fo ld. Sh e was much pe rplexed, and kn ew n o t wh at
to do . To fo rce h e r way in to th e o ld man’h pr ese nce would, sh e
fe lt , be fo lly, and o nly expo se h e r to insult and h umiliatio n . Lady
A shfie ld’s r e ceptio n of h e r sto ry had taugh t h e r a l esson , a n d sh e
r e so lved to wa it as patie n tly as sh e could till some fittin g oppo rtun ity
sh ould pr e se n t itse lf . But as sh e we n t o n with h e r wo rk at th e
sch o o l, sh e prayed constan tly th a t some th ing m igh t tur n up, fo r h e r
h e art was ful l o f a nguish . It was h a rd to mak e e nds m e e t ; an d
Do r a gr ew we ak e r and m o re frag il e e ve ry day. This sh e kn ew wa s
fo r wan t o f prope r a ir and n o ur ishm e n t . A nd h e r mind b ecam e em
bitte r ed , h e r soul full o f h atr ed aga in st th ese we a lthy pe ople wh o
we r e so crue lly defrauding h e r da r lin g o f h e r righ ts .
On e n igh t, as sh e was re turn in g fr om a wea ry day’s te ach ing , sh e
passed by Sir Eustace A th e rsto n e’
s sple ndid mans io n . A carriag e
was wa itin g , an d prese n tly th e do o r ope n ed ; th e soun d o f r ipplin g
la ugh te r was h e ard, and Sylvia , a r raye d in pure whi te , h e r sh oulde rs
cove r ed with a man tl e o f plush and swansdown , came forth on h e r‘
g randfa th e r’s arm .
Th e ligh t o f th e lamps fe ll upo n h e r be autiful face , and touch ed
th e rich auburn o f h e r h a ir .
Madge tr embled, and le an ed h e avily again st th e railin gs.
Sh e is lo ve ly,”sh e cried, but o h , wh at a crue l wr o n g h as b e e n
inflicted on my po o r Do ra . A n d by my s iste r ! A ll th is sh ould b e
h e rs, an d sh a ll be h e re if th e r e is justice o n e ar th o r in h e ave n .
”
Th e carr iag e do o r was shut . th e fo o tman moun te d th e box, a nd
all un con scious o f th e mise ry sh e h ad cause d, Sylvia dro ve away to h e r
dinn e r -
party.
A fte r th is Madg e gr ew m o ro se an d tac iturn . The girls at Pe n e
lope Lo dg e compla in ed o f h e r irr itable tempe r , and on e afte r th e o th e r
r efused to r ece ive th e ir le sso n s from h e r . He r employe r was much
an n oyed, and se ndin g for Madg e . r eprimanded h er seve r e ly, th eate n
in g to dismiss h e r imm ediate ly did sh e h e ar any fur th e r complain ts .
Te rr ifie d a t wh at m igh t be h e r fa te a nd Do ra’s sh ould sh e thus lo se
h e r sala ry.wh ich , po o r as it wa s, was th e ir o nly m ean s o f subsiste n ce ,
th e girl prom ised to wa tch m o r e car e fully ove r h e r tempe r , and le ft
th e m istr e ss’s pre se nce firmly r e so lved to do ao .
But, a las ! sh e kn ew n o t h ow seve r e ly sh e was to be tr ied .
Sch o olgirls ar e fr eque n tly wild a nd th ough tle ss. Th ey trouble
th emse lve s little about th e suffe r ings o f th e ir te ach e rs—ar e se lfish and.
un fo rgiving . Th is th e pupi ls o f Pe n e lope Lo dg e so o n pr oved by
th e ir un fe e ling co nduct towards th e poo r h ard-wo rk ed go ve r n e ss.
4 1 0 The Ir ish Mon th ly .
Wha t can be wron g Why do e s sh e write?G od k e ep my
dar ling ,
”sh e cried, as with tr emblin g h uge rs sh e un fo lded th e l e tte r .
But sh e was quickly r eassur ed. Do ra’s n o te was a m e ssag e of
peace . It ran thus
Come h om e so on , de ar est Madge . I h ave ouch go od n ews, to t e ll
you.—Dora .
”
Madge kissed th e signatur e and smiled .
I cann o t go till my usua l h our . I da re n o t ask such a favour
to -ni gh t . But your words, swe e t siste r , h ave cl eared away some o f
th e clouds th at enve loped me . Th e th ough t o f your good tidings will
h e lp m e to be ar ch e e rful ly wh ate ve r t or tur e I may h ave to suffe r
be fo r e I go h ome .
A n d, fe e lin g conside rably brigh te r , sh e en ter ed th e jun io r class
room ,and quie tly seated h erse lf in Mrs. Prim
’s place be hi nd th e
de sk .
(To be con tinued.)
A SHEPHERD WITHOUT SHEEP.
‘
WE climbed th e hi lls to g e th e r ; we we r e fa in
To learn th e sh eph e rd’s trade , and wh e r e so e
’e r
Our e lde rs led we r o amed , a h appy pair
But h e will n eve r tr e ad our h ills again .
Fo r my be loved—O, th e life -lo n g pa in
Di ed in th e Spr in g , and I a lo n e must far e
Died, ar e th e sprin g h ad ye an ed h is futur e care ,
He , e ve r th e mo r e e ag e r o f th e twain .
So se ek I n ow n o ple asur e with my mates,
But wh en my wo rk is do n e h is watch I k e epFo r with a double flock I must away
To m e e t him o n th e moun ta in s.
wh e r e h e waits
With th e G o od Sh eph e rd, wh o will coun t my sh e epFo r th e n ew pastur e s o f e te rn al day.
Jon N Frr zm '
ra rcx, 0 MI .
Patrick L . MacSh e rry, wh o died during h is prepa ra tio n fo r th e
pr ie sth o od.
Sketches in Ir ish B iography. 41 1
SKETCHZES IN
.
IRISII BIOGRAPHY .
No . 1 9 .—JOHN CORNEL IUS O ’CA LLA G HA N .
THE name of John Corn e lius O
’
Callaghan is on e e n titled to a
promin en t place in the long list of Irish lite rary celebr itie s,and is certain ly deserving of full e r recogn ition th an has ye t be e n
awarded to his lii e-long labours in th e cause of his coun try’
s
The n ewspape r obituaries at th e time of his death and a slight
ske tch in this Magazin e are th e on ly record of a man wh ose
individuality of character was as remarkable as h is gen ius, and
wh ose se rvice s in resouing from misrepre sentation and oblivio n
some of th e least kn own and most importan t passages of Irish
history are probably rese rved fo r the appre ciation of future tim e s
less tro ubled than th e presen t. ,If left unn oticed un til th e n
, how
e ver , n othing more than h is works can survive , and th e pe rson alityo f th e man and tho se traits which wer e fami liar to his con tempo
rarie s will be n o longer known . He n ce , from th e source s justme ntion ed, supplemen ted by circumstan ce s referred to by O
’
Cal
lagbe n in his works or in his conversations during an acquain tan ceextending from th ose distan t boyh ood
’s years
—n ow, alas !
more than po or Mangan’
s Twen ty G o lden Years A go ,”wh e n I
first me t Mr . O’Callaghan at my fath er
’
s table , down to th e time
whe n , in th e same company, I sat by his death -bed and fo llowed
his h e arse to G lasn evin Ceme tery, and during which long pe riod I
sujoyed th e privileg e of intimate frie ndship with th e h isto rian o f
Th e Irish Brigade ,”—has be en compiled th e followin g brie f
n o tice o f a man wh o we ll merits a bette r chron icle than th ese im
pe rfe ct reminiscen ces.
John Corn e lius O ’Callaghan was bor n in Dublin in 1 805, and,
as h e boasted, drew his blood from canny Ulste r as we ll as from
the more fervid and imaginative Munste r race . His fath er , Mr .
John O ’Callaghan , of Talbot-stre e t, was on e of th e first Catholics
admitte d to th e profession of attorn ey in Ireland, on th e partial
re laxation of th e Pen al Laws in 1 793, and at th e tim e o f th e
Uni on was a highly re spected so licitor , wh o succeeded in amass
ing a competency which subseque n tly e n abled th e younge r O’
Cnl
lagben to fo llow his lite rary taste s. His moth er was a south er n
4 1 2 The Ir ieh Mon th ly.
lady—a Miss Don ovan ,
wh o is de scr ibed as h aving be en a be auty
in h e r youth , and wh om I we ll remember in h e r latte r years as a
high ly in te llectual woman .
A t an early age John Corn e lius O’
Callaghan was sent as a
pupil to th en n ewly-establish ed Je suit Co ll ege of Clongowe sWood ,
wh ere h e was imbued with that love of classical learning which
di stinguish ed his afte r life , and with th o se prin ciples of re ligion
wh ich con so led his last moments. Subsequen tly h e was tra nsferred
to an o th er sch ool heare r to Dublin , at Blan chardstown , kept by a
C ath olic priest, th e Rev. Joseph Joy De an e . A t th e comple tion
of his education h e became a candidate for membe rship in his
fath e r’s profession , but, forttmately for th e in te rests of Ir ish
h istory, h e e vin ced such an instin ctive dislike for th ose shr ewd
practice s and pe ttifogging ways by which , h e was won t to say,
succe ss in th e law is chiefly attainable , that as so on as was pos
sible h e sh o ok its dust from his fe et, an d devoted h imse lf who lly to
th e more con geni al if le ss profitable pursuits of lite rature .
Of his bro th ers, of whom h e had e ith er two or thr ee , h e was
accustomed to r e fe r most fr equen tly an d in terms of warm affection
to th e youn ger , wh o , h avin g e n te red th e medical departme n t of
th e army at an e ar ly age , re tir ed , afte r a lon g se rvice in India ,
with th e rank of Surgeon-G en eral , and is still living in England
with'
h is family, on e of whom was, I be lie ve , married to Mr .
Irving , th e we ll-kn own actor . His siste rs wer e marr ied and left
families, of wh om two ladi e s in th is city an d on e distinguish ed
m embe r o f the Vin centian Orde r ar e th e surviving r epr e senta tive s.
Mr . O’
Callaghan’s moth er , from wh om h e apparen tly inh e rited
much of h is tale n t and som e of th e or igin ality o f his character ,
was a lady o f considerable m e ntal cultur e and some e ccentr icity,
and attain ed a ve ry advan ced age . On e of my e ar lie st re collec
t ion s of O’
Callaghan goe s back to my boyh ood, wh e n I was sent
with some message to h is h ouse in Dorse t-stre e t , wh ere I m et h is
m oth e r , th en a very old lady, but with mind and m emo ry un im
pair ed by age . Th e scen e was on e ,I sh all n e ver forge t. The
ven erable matron , ve ry oddly dressed, and th en retaining little
trace s of h e r e arly come lin ess, fill ed an arm-chair on on e side of
th e fireplace , whilst th e opposite on e was occupied by h e r son , clad
in a flowing dressing-robe of faded patte rn , h is customary bay wig
r eplaced by an o ld-fashion ed wh ite n ightcap ; and there they sat
fo r n e ar ly an h our , h eadl ess of any in te rruption , di scussing some
41 4 The Ir ish Month ly.
thus expressed in th e following lin es written at th at time by one of
O’Callaghan
’
s oldest lite rary fr iends, th e late Dr . R. R . Madden,
un der th e title of Th e Vo lun tary Prin ciple
G od bless th e cause , th e r igh te ous cause ,
Of Liberty and peace ,
A n d bless th e land wi th equal laws,A nd bid in justice cease .
Pro tect re lig ion’s fre edom , Lo rd
From fata l gi fts and guile ,
A nd weapo n de adly as th e w o rd ,
Th e cour tie r’
s crafty wile .
QFrom all con n e ct io n with th e State
Six hun dred years’resiste d ha te
Th e spotless mind ke ep nndefiled
From e ve ry so rdid str ain ,
By G o ve rnmen tal gain.
Thy Sacred Truth th e ir tr easure be ,
From th ough ts of poun ds and pen ce .
Thy altars as of o ld sustain ed,
Thy pastors by th e flock ,
A nd by th e fo ld th e Ch urch ma in tain ed,
That ’s built upon th e rock .
Th is temple st ill, h owever poor
A n d lowly it may be ,
Pre se rve from e ve ry splendid lur e ,
A nd leave it ppo r—but free .
Its altar n eve r be profan ed
By pen sion ed pr iests, I pray,
No r se rve d by Min isters main ta in ed
In any Statesman’s pay.
”
Th e recen t success of th e Irish pe ople in th e ir long struggle for
Eman cipation , th e effect on th e public min d of th e resistance th an
victorious, th ough with too sh ort-lived success, made by th e
oppressed Po lish race to th e ir Muscovite tyrants—th e patrioticexcitem ent which was spread from Dublin ove r Ireland by th e
Ske tches in Ir ish Biography. 4 1 5
m etropo litan me e tin gs fo r Repeal of th e Un ion , combin ed with
th e gen eral agitation for Parliamen tary Reform , all , with o th e r
cause s, we re enumerate d by Mr . O’
Callaghan as rende ring th e
pe riod of the e stablishmen t of th e Comet Club as th e best th at
could have be en chosen by th em for founding an origin al and
vigorously-written n ewspape r on th e ir prin ciples.
Th e se prin ciples can n ot be be tte r expressed th an by th e follow
ing lin e s that appear ed above th e signature , A lfier i,”in th e fir st
Our Come t shin e s to ch ase foul mists away,A nd dr ive dark fa lse h ood from h er ce ll to -day,
To scath e th e hands tha t break man ’s ch arte red laws,
Or poun ce o n n atio n s with a vultur e’s claws.
To raise th e pro stra te , so o th e th e an guish ed breast ,To ch e ck th e oppresso r , bid th e g oaded re st
To g ive to man true kn owledg e of h is kin d,
A n d lift h im to tha t rank wh ich Heave n de sign edFo r e nds lik e th e se , from high our Com m ove s,
Br igh t Fre edom wings it, and fair Truth appro ves.
Y e s,’twill be ours to ch eck th e big o t
’s frown ,
Or de spo t’s stride th at trample s Fmedom down .
Y es—Th emis’ be n ch sh a ll see n o h and impur e
Dea l par tia l laws to crush th e suffe rin g poo ru
A nd bloa ted pre la tes sha ll wi th bigo ts fly,
Wh ile pure Re lig io n wave s h e r to rch on h igh ,
A nd Sacr ed Truth,with gospe l
-flag unfurle d,
Diffuse unpa id-fo r do ctrin e s th rough th e wo rld.
Such were th e prin ciples on which Th e Comet commenced its
c ourse , and so succe ssful was th e venture , that from May to
O ctober , 1 831 wh en its or igi n al founders retired from its dir ection ,
it rapidly rose to a circulation , th en considered large , of
copies a-we ek . A fte r this tim e its character became altered and
d e ter iorated by th e in troduction o f local personalities and disrepu
table scan dal, by which , at th e expiration of two years, its circula
tio n was eventually destroyed, and by th e secession of th e majorityof th e origin al Come t Club from that paper , th ey, with o th er
g e ntlemen , formed th emse lves in to an oth er literary so cie ty
called th e Irish Brigade ,”
and got up a periodical , en titled
The Ir ish Month ly Magaz ine .
Of two literary and political associations wh ich included so
many men of ability, probably th e last survivor was Mr . O’Calla
41 6 Th e Ir ish Mon th ly.
ghan . Th e best te stimony to th e me r it o f th ese socie tie swas th e
re luctan t tr ibute paid by o n e of th e ir o lde st oppo n e n ts in th e cause
o f misrule an d o range ascendan cy, n ame ly th e Qua r ter ly R evie w,which at that time adm itted that each o f th em had exhibite d
public pro of that its labours we r e n ot fri vo lous or unproductive .
”
Mr . O’Ca llaghan
’
s co n tr ibutions to The Come t and The Ir ish
Mo nth ly Magaz ine , with se ve ral o th e r of his e arlie r writings, we re
r epr in te d many years ago in a n ow ve ry scarce vo lume , unde r th e
title of Th e G r e e n Book ; o r , G lean ings from th e Wr itin g-de sk
of a Lite rary A gitato r .
”Th e first editio n of th is very curious
Olla podr ida of historic and political rese arch , with some forty o f
h is poe tical pieces,was publish ed in Dublin in 1 840, and the secon d
e dition , ado rn edwith an exce ll en t liken ess of th e auth or by W. H.
Holbrooke , in 1 845. Th e publishe r was James Duffy, wh ose
se rvice s to Ir ish and Catho lic lite rature ough t n eve r to be for
gotten .
In th e e arlie r vo lumes o f The Na tion. h e was a freque n t and
valued contributor ; and his service s to th at famous journ al h avebe en gen e rously ackn owledged by Sir Charle s G avan Duffy in h is
Young Ire land,”and still more in his Life of Th omas Davis,
”
whi oh h as just appeared. Indeed, O’Callaghan was won t to cla im
a shar e in th e origin of The Na ta’
on , and in th e preface to th e
second edition of h is G r e en Book h e re fers to it as th at able
we ekly pe r iodical , th e n ecessity for wh ose establishment in Dublin
was first suggested by th e presen t publication .
” Wh en th e thr e eD
’
s put th e ir young h eads toge th er unde r a n oble in th e Phoen ix
Park, facing Ki lmainh am ,
”th e exte rn al h e lp prom ised by Davis
was th e cc- operation of John Co rn e lius O’
Cal laghan , wh ose
G r e en Bo ok [says Davis’
s biograph e r] was attracting atte n tion
at that tim e and in a n ote h e describe s th e wo rk as a misce llanyo f po e try
— ths n ote s, valuable histo rical studi e s— th e verses, rath e r
slipshod, be ing more th an te n ye ars o lde r than th e e stablishmen t
o f 1 7mNa tion and be longing to quite a differ en t sch o ol . Y e t, in
a private lette r of Davis to Danie l Owen Madde n afte r th e
appear an ce of th e first number of The Na l ie n , on e of O’Callaghan
’s
pieces of verse is th e only th ing praised. A fte r n amin g th e
leaders written by Dillon an d Duffy, h e m en tions th at A n cie nt
Irish Lite ratur e ,’th e epigram on Stanl ey, and th e capita l Exte r
min ato r’e Song ,
’are by O
’Callaghan . Just a ye ar be fore ,
writin g to P. B . Webb, from 61 Baggot-str e e t, on the 28th Sep
4 1 8 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
Th e pre ceding letter was wr itten in 1 845; for we have take n
th e use less trouble of investigating th e matter , and, afte r the two
fir s t volumes of The Na tion , which ch an ced -to be at hand, had
sh own that July 1 st was n ot Tuesday in 1 843 or 1 844, an old
praye rbo ok came to th e re scue and with its table of moveable feasts
proved that in 1 845the first o f July was in acco rdan ce with th e
date of th e G r e e n Bookman’s le tte r .
A s a trivial illustration of that harmless se lt-consciousn e ss and
a miable se lf-assertiven ess which G avan Duffy h as attributed to
J C. O’Callaghan , which many distin guish ed m en h ave shared
with him , and with out wh ich they might n ever have taken th e
pain s to distinguish th emselves—we ven ture to give th e m eagre
r esult of our cross-examin ation o f a gifte d kinswoman o f th e
a uth or of Soggar th A r oen , wh o as a ch ild had often h e lped to e n
te rtain th e hi sto rian of th e Irish Brigade at h er pare nts’fir eside .
He r most n otable remin iscen ce was that, on e even ing after th e ir
g ue st had take n almo st as many cups o f tea as Mr s. Thrale ever
pour ed out fo r Dr . John so n , h e turn ed to th e little girl beside himNow you can say th at you .h ave se en th e great h istorian in his
cups.
If O’
Callaghan had n ever written anythin g beyond his n ote s to
th e Maeam‘
aa Ez ez’
dz’
um, sufficie n t eviden ce of his extr aordinary eru
di tion , industry, and love of coun try might be found the re in .
Th is work drew forth th e most flatte ring tributes to th e edito r’s
h istoric accuracy and learning , even from th ose m ost strenuouslyo pposed to all his views. Thus Macaulay, for instan ce , wro te to
him To a considerable exten t our views co in cide . I admit that
th e Ir ish we re n ot like th e English Jacobites, th e defenders of
arbitrary powe r . Th e cause of Jam e s pre sen ted itse lf, n o doubt,to th e Roman Cath olics o f Munste r as th e cause of civi l and
spir itual libe rty. Wh en Macaul ay visited Ire land in que st o f info rmation bearin g on th e Jacobite andWill iamite War s in this
coun try, h e expr essed a wish to see th e editor of th e Macaw?Ee cz
'
dz'
um, and th e latter was accordin gly requested to wait on th e
e loquen t word-
pain ter whose histo ric accuracy was less conspicuous
than his brill ian t descr iptive power . O’
Callaghan , h owe ver ,
r e sen ted th is summon s as an in dign ity. No , sir ,” h e replied, I
shall n ot wait o n Mr . Macaulay. If h e desires an in terview,h e
can asce rtain wh e re I live , an d may call on Mr . O’Callaghan if h e
wish e s to do ao .
«She tvhes in Ir ish Biography. 4 1 9
A s a po litician ,O
’
Callaghan was an arde nt an d un compro
m ising n ation alist o f th e old sch oo l , of wh ich th e typical r epr e se n
tatives we re Davis, G avan Duffy, B . R . Madden , Den is Flore nce
M‘Carthy, Father Me ehan , Williams, Claren ce Mangan , an d th ose
o th e r gifted men of gen ius and letters, whose n ame s with h is own
may be found 1 n The Songs and Ballads, byWr iter s m Tl u
N ana’s,
”
publish ed m 1 846 . His habits and taste s, h oweve r , we ren ot such as to lead h im into any ve ry promin ent participation in
t h e turmo il of public political life . Neyerth e le ss, h e was a warm
supporte r of O’Conn e ll , and
°
n ot on ly in th e great Tribun e’s
gath e rin gs in Con ciliation Hall , but also at th e monster me e tings of
l 843 , wh er e O’Con n e ll , th en in th e z en ith of h is powe r , swayed th e
vast multitudes th at thronged around him at Tara , at A thlon e ,
and Mullaghmast . A t th e last n amed me e ting , in October , 1 843,con jo in tly with Hogan th e sculptor , in th e pre sence of
specta to rs, h e to ok part in cr own ing th e Liberato r with th e facsimile o f th e ancien t Ir ish regal diadem .
Th is, I beh ave , .was O’Callaghan
’s last appearan ce on a public
platform . A fter th e sece ssion of the Youn g Ir e land Party h e confin ed his po litical efforts to th e eman ation s of his prolific pen . No r
in th e more re cen t po litical affairs of late r ye ars did h e again
appe ar in th e ar en a of public life , th ough con siste n tly main tainingto th e last momen ts of existen ce al l th e opinions of his youth and
m an hood.
On e of h is late r works was th e edition of th e Maca r ite Exm’
dium ,
wh ich in 1 847 h e publish ed at th e reque st o f th e A rchaeologi calSo cie ty, and which , as the write r alr eady cite d has observed, will
a lastin g monum e nt of h is e rudition ,abil ity, and in dustry .
But his greate st work was th e Hi sto ry of the Irish Brigade in th e
Service of Fran ce and oth e r fore ign coun tr ies, be twe en th e de
thron emen t of James II. and th e de ath of th e Youn g Pretende r .
This, afte r many in e ffectual e fforts to obtain a publish er at home ,
was ultimate ly brough t out by Messrs. Cameron , o f G lasgow, in
1 867,and unquestion ably, as has bee n said, is a m in e of in for
mation fr om which future histo rian s will be glad to draw th e ir
mate r ials,”and was th e labour of love on which h e expended th e
e n erg ies o f th e best part o f h is life . As far back as March 8 , 1 843,
John O’Conn ell wr ite s from Carysfort A ve nue , Blackr ock , te lling
Davis th at h e had made ove r al l h is Irish Brigade documents to
O’Callagh an , who was than living at 37 Uppe r Merrion -str ee t,
a nd whom h e asked Davis to consult o n th e matte r , as 6 1 Baggot
str e etwas n o t ma ny paces distan t . Our author was thus preparingfor his magnum opus dur ing more than a quarte r of a ce n tury.
Th ere h as be e n more th an on e refe rence to th e fact that J C .
O’Callaghan did n o t confin e h imse lf to sobe r pro se , but n ot
frequen tly indulg ed in a po e tic fligh t, as may be se en by h is
G r e e n Book , in which are in cluded n o less than forty-two
spe cime ns of h is ve rse . Th e se , with some .exoeptions, were chiefly
on eph emeral topics of th e day, an d h e n ce have n ow lost much o f
th e ir origin al in tere st. No r can it be prete nded th at his muse
soar ed ve ry high , o r that its e ffusions are lik ely to survive th e
remembran ce o f his friends and contempo rar ies. On e specime n
may h e re sufiice—his epigram o n th e we eping and laughing
philosoph e rs
If we look ,”says Racin e , to th e lives o f th e wise ,
Wh a t oppo site maxims we fin d
He re sad He racle itus de spon din g ly on es
Wh i le Dem ocr itus laugh s at mankind .
Y e t as lo ng as my stay in th is plan e t exte nds,
To fo llow th em bo th I propo se
With o n e,may I wee p fo r my suffe r in g friends
With th e o th e r , I’ll laugh a t my foe s .
"
O’Callaghan
’
s acqua in tan ce with the forgo tten bye-ways o f
ancien t lite rary re se arch was probably un rivall ed. A s a wr ite r
(quoted in this Magaz in e , vo l . xv., page 249) says He kn ew
alm ost th e exact spot in which reposed every o ld manuscript in
Eur ope . Living as h e did amongst th e an cien ts, h e had the ir
sayings always on his tongue , and would walk in to a frie nd’
s
drawingroom quoting Han ibal in such a way as to give th e im
pre ssion th at th e gre at gen eral has just left him at th e gate . A
man to sh ed tears for th e death o f a pe t can ary, an d to lash him
se lf to fury over a tale of hum an in justice o r wrong he had a justand almost a martial spir it. He was on e of th e o ld schoo l n ow
passin g away—o f a small band o f in tr epid savan ts wh o deni ed
th emse lves much that is desirable in life in order to toil amon gst
th e ruin s of our language an d.
past, r e so lved th at all traces of th e
prin ts left by n oble Irish fe et should n ot be wh olly obliterated
from the sands of tim e .
”
O’Callaghan
’s de ath to ok place at his re siden ce in Fitzgibbon
stre e t, Dublin , in th e seve nty-seven th ye ar of his ag e . His last
422 The Ir ish Monthly.
Did yo u close your eye s in black despair .
Y ou oped on th e hi ll s—and G od was th er e .
Did you we ep with fe ar wh e n th e n igh t came o n ,
Th e face ofHope in th e darkn ess sh on e .
O stay,” I cried, for a mome n t stay
Till I pluck from th e h edg e a wi ld-rose spray.
Hark , th e swe e t birds ! Fo r a momen t stayNo son g I h ear on
‘
th e wo r ld’s hi ghway,
But cr ie s of women and°
m e n alway.
”
My o th e r se lf thus r eplied to m e
Th en th e hi ll o f Fame you will n e ve r se e ,Nor h ear th e so ngs so wondrous th e r e
A nd I passed th e ro ad th at I de em ed so fair .
Suspicion , envy, and j ealousy,I oft in my n e ighbo ur s
’eye s could se e .
A las , in my h e art th e se rpe n t grew
I smil ed lest o th e rs sh ould se e it to o .
A woman stagg e r ed an d fall ing cr ied
A s I paused a mom e n t by h e r side
To o la te , too late ! I em lost fo r aye ,
I h ave passed G od’
s r oad o n th e great h ighway.
I h ave missed th e tr e asure th a t lies be fo r e ,
A nd glimpse of Heave n I’ll se e n o mo r e .
”
I la id my h and h e r co ld h e ad upo n ,
But my o th e r se lf in my e ar said On !
Fo r th ose behind will h e lp h e r th rough .
”
I step in h e r place , but th at cry I kn ew
Was th e last sh e gave , e r e sh e sile n t lay’Ne ath th e crue l fe e t o n th e gr e at hi ghway.
A co ttage do or , as we passed, sto od wide ,
A mo th er sat with h e r babe in side ,
A nd h e r eyes b eam ed love a s sh e kissed th e chi ld,
Th at r aised its arms in its sl e ep and smiled:
In th e fie lds th at bo rde r ed th e gr eat h ighwayCh ildr e n dropped, as we passed, th e ir play.
I raised a br igh t guin e a fo r th em to se e
A go lden kin g-cup th ey h e ld to m e .
A sapphir e’s gle am from my fin g e r fe ll
Th ey gath e r ed a bun ch of th e blue spe edwe ll .
A str in g of pearls I r aised again
Iraughing th ey turn ed to th e ir daisy ch a in .
The Highway to Fame .
A youth and a maiden I n ext did se e
I cried in my h e ar t, He will e nvy m e .
He smil ed as h e kissed th e wh ite h and th a t lay
In his, and I sigh ed o n th e gr e at h ighway.
Is it wo r th all I lose and I leave beh in d ,
Th at tr easur e I se ek whi ch I may n o t find
I saw a man in my path , and h e
Stood still as we came , and h e lo oked a t m e .
Oh , so rrow’
s h ome was th a t face divin e
Oh , th e infin ite love as hi s eyes m e t m in e !
A n o ak e n cr o ss o n his sh oulde rs lay
I paused a mom en t th en turn ed away,
Fo r my o th e r se lf thus h ad cr ied to m e
"
l i e but a ph an tom you ch an ce to se e .
Lo ok ! Even n ow it h as ce ased to stay’Neath th e hurrying fe e t o n th e gre at h ighway.
So I was first in th e we ary race ,
A s, aged and wo rn , we to il ed apace .
Each man bowed low at my fe e t an d cam e
To cr own me kin g o n th e Hill o f Fame ,A nd kin g of th em all I re ign ed a lo n e ,
Y e t I shudde r ed o ft o n my go lde n th r o n e .
Th e gr ound h ad grown n o t e ar th n o r sto n e s,
Fo r th e bi ll was raised o f de ad me n’s bo n e s.
I fear my subject ’s un tirin g pra ise ,Fo r h is h and th e whil e wi th h is dagg e r plays .
My o th e r se lf wh ispe rs 0 j oy ! fo r se e,
Man an d wome n all wo rsh ip th e e ,
Thy fla tte r ed ea r to th e ir praise in clin e
En dless glory and wealth ar e th in e ;
Such fam e , such wo rsh ip, n o man h ath kn own .
‘
A h me , I sigh on my go lde n th r o n e .
Dom SIG EBSON .
The Ir ash Mon th ly.
K I N D N E S S .
LITERARY man on ce to ld m e that h e was lyin g sick in a
ve ry humble room some th irty o r for ty years ago in th e east
e n d o f London . Th e peo ple of th e h ouse we re Irish and Cath olic,
a nd th e po o r scribble r was dying from wan t an d broke n -h earted
n e ss rath sr th an from any of th e individual diseases kn own to th e
faculty. A young prie st was on his daily r oun ds, visiting th e
h ouse s of th e parish , lo oking afte r th e ch ildren , afte r th e sick , afte r
th e grown-up, afte r th e n eglig en t, afte r th e errin g . Th e good
woman of th e h ouse to ld th e priest of th e poo r young man thatwas
sick in bed . Th e priest wen t to se e him . He found on e wh o from
a life o f care le ssn e ss and som e e rror had become harden ed, and
from h is pove rty and n eglect h ad become ca ll ous even against th e
dispe n sation s o f an o ve rrulin g Providen ce . Th e priest spoke
kin dly an d co rdially, and sympath e tica lly ; but, wh ile h is wo rds
touch ed, th ey did n ot con vert th e sick man . A t parting , th e
pr ie st le ft a cr own -
piece on th e pil low, promising to call agai n . In
a few days h e re tur n ed ; th e young man had got stro ng , and in
som e way myste r iously wo rk h ad come to h is doo r . Th e youn gman h e ld steadily ou, becam e a practical Cath o lic, afte r a time
attain ed a compete n cy, an d gain ed n o little sh ar e o f lite rary fam e .
Th e youn g prie st wen t on in his humble , unwor ldly way amon glan e s an d te n eme n ts and garr ets ; but h is humility could n o t hide
his wo rth , an d to -daymore than o n e h emisph ere kn ows that youn g
priest— h e is n ow Cardin al Mann in g .
On e day as I was walk ing al ong a quie t ro ad in a skirt o f on e
o f th e Le in ste r coun tie s, I saw two children making th e ir little
baby-h ouses by th e way. Th ey se emed to be bro th e r and siste r ;
th e little g irl migh t be about e ight, and th e little boy two o r thre e
ye ars youn ger . I saw th e little gir l steppin g aside 1 o r some pur
pose , an d,with out m ea n in g it , overturn in g th e little bro th er
’s
castle . He sto od up, to ok a handful o f mud and sand, and flungit dire ctly in to h e r face . Sh e was standing some two yards o r so
from h im . Sh e wiped th e clay fr om h er eye s, an d stepping quicklytowards him , sh e Ope n ed out h er hands, put th em roun d h is n eck ,
an d kissed him on th e ch e ek . If both are living , th ey are n ow
man and woman . Ne ith e r of th em saw me .
4 26 m Ir ish Mon th ],
DEAD IN NEW YORK .
CALMLY sh e sle eps, wh ile a smile still lin g e rs
Ou h e r pallid fea tur e s as sh e lies a t r e st,
With h e r rosary h e ld in h er to il -wo rn finge rs,As h er h ands lie cro ssed on h e r tir ed br e ast .
A nd th e martyr’s e nsign , aloft in splendour ,
Th ose h ands, I doubt n o t, will on e day bea r ,
Fo r sh e gave h e r life in youth’s springtim e te nde r
Fo r h e r mo th e r’s sake , and far fr om h e r ca r e .
No t many ye ars since , a come ly ma ide n ,
Sh e le ft h e r h om e by Lough Swilly’s side ;
A nd sick and weary and so rrow-laden
Was h e r loving h e ar t on th e day sh e‘die d.
A nd o n e e arthly h ope ro se o’e r e ve ry o th e r
Th rough all th e ye ars o f h e r exi le lon e
Just once in life to beh o ld h e r mo th e r ,In h e r moun tain co ttage in In ish owe n .
N eve r fulfill ed to our car e l e ss se emin g
Y e t, pe rhaps, n o t ao , fo r th e Sisters say,
A s th ey so ftly prayed in th e gh ostly gleamin g
Of a wintry dawn , wh e r e sh e dying lay,
Th a t ar e th e tr ail th r ead o f life was e n ded,
He r pa le lips moved as in g lad surprise ,
A nd sh e murmur ed Mo th e r ! with a rms extended,
A nd an e age r ligh t in h e r glassy eye s.
A n d I some time s think th at in th at last h our
A s h e r spirit lin ge red o n e ar th th e whi le ,
S h e had on e glimpse , by G od’s boundl e ss powe r ,
0 1 h e r sh e loved in h er own dear isle .
Ma em m n Rocx.
Sa in ts an d Sigh ts eeing at A n necy.
SA INTS AND SIGHT-SEEING A T A NNECY.
THIS, your quaint old town said Jack , mockingly, as th etrain slowed into th e li ttle stati on at A n n ecy. Tall
facto ry ch imn eys and long , grey, many-windowed store s we re at
o n e side—ao tall and square and grey, th at with th e lo ng blue
column s of smoke risin g from th em , even th e n e ighbour in gm oun tains wer e almost hidde n . Fain tly, h oweve r , thr ough th e
h az e we could catch a glimpse of th e De nts de Lafon t an d Mon t
It was ce rtai nly unr easonable ; still I was disappo inted. I
scarcely kn ew what I h ad expected. Even at Ven ice and
Flore n ce , as I ough t to h ave remembe red, th e G a re and its
surroun dings are h ope le ssly commonplace . Th en th er e was th e
in e vitable Douane . I waited in th e musty ve lvet-cush ion ed’bus,
while Jack swore at th e native s in strong, te rse English , an d th eyreplied wi th sm ile s, grimace s, and a vo lley o f what h e calls
A t last we start . Oh , such dre adful ly mode rn streets and
h ouses ! I could a lmost fan cy myse lf. back in England. Pre
sently we drive into th e pre tty tre e-shaded cour tyard o f th e Hotel
d’A ngle terre ; th ere is a coo ln ess about it very re fre shing after our
h ot, dusty journ ey very ple asing , too , is th e smiling we lcome
accorded us by a smartly-dressed Fre n chwoman , wh o gre e ts na as
though we were o ld an d dear fri ends. Not English that, at any
A fte r bre akfast we started off t o explor e th e town . Leavingth e straight, in tense ly modern Rue Royals, we reach ed at last a
d ark media val stre e t. G loomy arcades on both sides, under
which shr ill saleswome n cried th eir wares—carro ts, woo l , turn ips,
sto ckin gs, braces, baskets—everyth ing , all mingled together in
most admired con fusion .
Bran ching off from th is stree t are several dark ways, made
th rough o r under the h ouses. Wh ere do th ey lead to 1’ Do th eyte rmin ate in a onI-de -sac Rather re luctan tly we e n te red o n e , for
th e odours were distin ctly unpleasan t, and th e chill darkn ess gave
o n e a dead fe e ling .
428 The Ir ish Month ly.
A fter a few minutes we emerged in to a bright sun-lit stre e t,
intersecte d by a canal . Foll owing it, we arrived at th e Place de
l’Hote l de Ville—a really handsome buildin g , but modern
glaringly, uncompromisingly modern . Before na str etch ed th e
blue -gre e n wate rs of th e lake , bordered on on e side by th e pre tty
garden s o f th e Paquie r an d th e Champs de Mars, and circled round
church spires rising ben e ath th em . The re in th e distan ce lies
Tallo ires, wh ere th ere is an old Ben edictin e abbey, n ow used as a
restaur an t, and Me nth on , wh ere St. Bern ard was bo rn . There
lived also his preceptor , St. G e rmain , in a h ermitage pe rch ed
almost on th e summit of th e Den ts de Lafont’
. Cen turies afte r his
death his re lics were removed from th e n ave and we re placed bySt. Fran cis de Sales unde r th e h igh altar of th e church , which the
sain tly pre late had repair ed and r ichly decorated in h on our of th e
h oly abbot. A fter preaching to a numerous audience and
devoutly ven erating th e re lics of th e h ermit of th e e leven th
century, th e Bish op of th e seven te enth cen tury, fe e ling himse lf
inspired by th e same spir it of con templation , th e same love o f
so litude and silence , cried to th ose n ear him : He re , inde ed, I
sh ould wish to rest ! If it wer e pleasin g to G od, willingly would
I leave th e h eat and burden of th e day to our coadjuto r , and inth is re treat se rve Ch rist and His Church with my ro sary, my
breviary, and my pen .
”Th en opening a window from which h e
coul d se e th e lake and town of A nn e cy, and admir ing th e beautyo f th e surrounding country, h e con tinued : What a splendid
prospect ! Here grand and beautiful th ough ts would fall o n th e
soul as abundantly as sn ow falls on th e earth in win ter .
A t th e opposite side of th e Can al du Vassé is a fin e church .
Was it th e Visitation
No replied an o ld woman whom I questio n ed, it is th e
church and conven t of th e Nun s of St. Joseph but furth e r on , in
th e Rue de la Providence , is th e Bercea u de la Visita tion . Th e ir
n ew mon astery and chape l are in th e Bus Royals, and th ere , to o ,are th e bodi e s of St . Francis and St. Jan e de Ohanfa l . Madam
can se e th em th ey are enclosed in waxen ethgies, liIe -siz e and
life -lik e .
But first for th e Cradle . It is an ug ly old house situated
h alf way up a ste ep hill ; it be longs to th e Nun s of St. Joseph .
On e of th em open ed the door for na . The G a le r ie isn ot shown
430 The Ir ish Mo nth ly.
Mademo ise lles de Favre and de Bréchard were doubtless
it ove r as th ey sto od at an uppe r window, watching th e pe oplepass down th e hill .
‘ Many among th em we re n ear and dear to
the two n ovices ; but th ey had parte d with th em for ever , and as
th ey caugh t th e last glimme r of shimme ring silk, h eard th e last
fain t ripple of laughte r , th eymust h ave fe lt th at th e ir strange n ew
life had inde ed commenced. Pe rhaps th ey sto le quietly down to
th e little chape l to re n ew th e ir con secration to His se rvice , and to
kn e e l in sil e n t praye r before His tabernacle , kn owing wh ere th eycould be st quiet th e first stirrings of th e ir poo r h earts, that fe lt a
little restive on re aliz in g th e life of so litude and sacrifice to which
th ey we re be ing devote d.
Me anwhi le were th e two h o ly founders talking o f what th eyhoped th e ir In stitute would be P Before h e gave th em a defin ite
rule , at various time s Fran cis let them kn ow h iswish es. Iwish
you to lead th e life of Martha and of Mary h e ofte n te lls th em
to jo in works o f charity to contemplation ,n ot to remain
clo iste red but to go forth in to th e lan e s and all eys to tend th e sick .
to h e lp th e po or , to pray be side th e dying . Un ited thus, th eactive and th e con templative will h e lp in stead of in terfe ring with
e ach oth e r . Wh il e th e Siste rs wo rk out th e ir own san ctification
th ey will also h e lp th e ir n e ighbours to lead bette r lives by th e ir
example s, and by giving th em assistan ce .
”
But th e pre judices of th e age wer e too powerful . Me n and
wom en , sain ts and sinn e rs alike , cri ed out in h orrror again st such
an in n ovation . Nun s walk about th e stree ts ! G o in to houses I
Dreadful idea ! Unh eard of and n ot to be to lerated.
”So in th e
e nd Fran cis had to give in to that powerful vow popuh'
which ha s
crush ed so many r eforme rs and taken th e h ope and th e h eart'
s
blo od out of martyr s and patrio ts .
Ou th e 30th Octobe r , 1 6 1 2, th e Nun s o f th e Visitation , th e n
numbering e ight profe ssed Siste rs and e igh t Novices, removed to a
larger h ouse in th e city, and it was th e re , an d n ot at th e little
maz'
son de la P e r r ie r e (as it was th en called) that Fran cis ah
n oun ced to St . de Chan tal h is final r enun ciation of his origin a ldesign .
I em called th e Founder of th e Visitatio n . Is th ere anyth in g le ss re ason able I h ave don e wh at I did n ot wish to do ,
Thi s is no t wr itte n by a Nun —Ed . I . M .
Sa in ts and Sight-seeing at 24m m 43 :
and what Iwish ed to do I have left undon e . Sure ly no words
are sadder or more path e tic. Wh at did sh e fe e l wh e n sh e h e ard
them Was sh e capable of th e same sublime re nun ciation o r
did sh e struggle and we ep vain te ars over th e destruction of h e r
life’s purpose Closed about by narrowing nun n ery
-walls ,’
did h er soul long for th e full e r , more active existe nce sh e h adh oped to lead Probably sh e comple te ly forgot h e r own disap
poin tmen t, having reso lved to ~ devote he r life to G od’s service in
whate ver man n e r G od chose to h ave that se rvice , and n ow sh e
accepted th e decision of h er saintly guide as th e expression of G od’
s .
will in her regard, and ende avour ed to conso le and sympath ise
with him . Not that h e would have requir ed much conso latio n
th e sacrifice on ce made , h e was n ot on e to look back and waste
time in futile regrets, but rath er at once to set about modelling th e
Order on its n ew lin es.
Le aving th e Be rceau, we walked through n arrow lan es and
dark arcaded stre e ts until we reach ed a sun -lit square , and saw
towerin g over na th e gloomy church of Notre Dame de Liesse . It
was founded in th e twe lfth cen tury, and was so ofte n restored
since that probably very little of th e origina l edifice remain s but
as it is its association s which are so in tere sting , th e pe riods a t
which each individual door , wi ndow, or n ave was added, matte rs
In 1 567 th e Ho ly Winding Sh e et was brought h e re fromChambéry by A n n e d
’Este , th e wife o f Jame s of Savoy. A mong
oth er pilgrims wh o came to ven erate th is h o ly re lic, Madame de
Boissy drove in from th e Chateau de Sales, n ear Th ore ns, about
e ight miles fr om A nn ecy. While kn e e ling in re veren t co n templa
tion of th e marks made by the Woun ds of h e r Rede eme r , sh e fe lt
h er h eart filled with proph etic joy an d ofiered to Him h er unbor n
child, promising to dedicate him to G od from h is birth . A few
mon ths late r Francis was born on th e 2l st A ugust , at th e
Chfite au de Sales, in a small room dedicated to St . Francis o f
Many years late r , in this same church of Notr e Dame , wh ile
Fran cis was pre achin g to a numerous congregatio n , a white dove
de sce nded from He aven and re sted on his sh oulde r . Both th e se
e ven ts are commemorated o n white marble tablets hung on tlm
walls.
we wen t on to th e Cath edral, which is on ly a few steps furth e r
432 The Iraqi.Month ly.
o n . It was verydark and co ld inside , n otwithstanding th e mten se
h eat and th e glow of ligh t outside . What must it be in winter ,
whe n on e shivers in it with th e th ermomete r standing at 90 1‘
Near th e door is a very o ld confessional , hacked and cut to
piece s in places, perhaps by devout pilgrims. Is it th e on e in
which Fran cis de Sales listen ed to so many tales of sin and
sorrow, con so ling and comforting so many broken-h earted, world
weary souls P Probably. We know that h e se lecte d th e con
fessional n earest th e en tran ce , in order that th e halt, th e blind, an d
the infirm migh t find him with out difi culty.
A nd h ere is th e pulpit from which h e preach ed h is first sermon
while still on ly a subdeacon , at th e expre ss wish of th e Bishop of
G en eva , Mon se ign eur de G r an ier . He prepared it for Corpus
Chr isti, but Pére Fodir i—a famous preach er of th e Order of
Cordeliers—arriving at A nn ecy, Fran cis e ntre ated him to give
the pe ople th e conso lation of h earing him .
Con sequen tly Fran cis did n ot preach un til th e Octave . Hisse rmon was pe rfectly prepared : h e h ad given much time and
study to its composition ; but when th e h our came , h e was se iz ed
with a fit of n ervousn ess, trembled in all his limbs, and had
scarcely strength to ascend th e pulpit. Th ere a numerous crowd
were e agerly awaiting h im . Recommending himse lf to G od in a
short and fe rve n t praye r , h e be cam e at once calm , and forgettinge verything but th e sublime subject h e had se lected—th e BlessedEucharist—h e e lectrified his audie nce by th e str ength and fervour
o f his language and th e clearn e ss and grace o f h is ideas . Ma ttyshed tears, and, above all , h is good moth e r , wh o fe lt th at h er hopes
were inde ed re aliz ed, and that h er son was lik e ly to be come a guide
a nd a h e lper to many. Not long after—o n th e 1 8th December ,1 593—h e was o rdain ed prie st by Monse ign eur de G rani er , and
five years subsequen tly was e lected his co adjutor . Nor was be
long to e n joy th e counse ls an d guidan ce of th e sain tly o ld man ,
whose death h e h eard of wh en re turn in g from Paris only four
He hasten ed h ome at on ce , and after makin g a Re treat of
several days at th e Chateau de Sale s, h e was consecrated Bishop in
the little parish church of Th orens. A fte r a few more days spen t
in prayer and reco llection , h e en tered A n necy and formally took
possession of th e Se e of G en eva .
Two years later , while pre aching th e Len ten Sermons at
434 The Ir ish Mon thly.
dr e am ing h e re for h our s, while .I have be en all round th e town .
and I beh ave you did n ot kn ow I had left you. Come fo r a r ow
o n th e lake , and leave the r est of th e church es for to -morrow .
Sur e ly you h ave had quite enough of your Sain t for on e day. He
is very un in te re sting , I think. Th er e are some r eally curious old
house s and gateways in some o f th e str ee ts , and such que e r old
signboards o ve r th e sh ops. and th e ir names. Le L ion r ouge de
Savoie ,’
A u tigre j aune ,’L e chz
'
eu aux yew bleus,
’
&c. Fancv
buying your cigars o r hairpins from ye llow tige rs and blue -eyed
dogs.
’
We ll , our sight-se e ing was over for tha t day. Th e r ow on th e
lake was ve ry pleasan t in th e co o l o f th e e ven ing—th e se ttin g sun
thr owing a mystic go lden ligh t ove r th e tran slucent wate rs, fading
the clear twilight of a cloudl ess n ight. Round us th e h ills grew
darker and darker, se eming to come n eare r and n e are r , un til at
last we fe lt comple te ly isolated from th e rest of the world . Th e
ligh ts in th e town gle amed and twinkl ed invitin gly ; fo r th e sense
o f still solitude (1 r1m was becomin g unbearable . G ladly we
lan ded at th e Embarcadére .
How much Jack asked th e o ld woman wh o hired out th e
boats—th e same , by-th e -way, wh o had po inted out to me th e
Church of St. Joseph in the morning .
On e fran c; twen ty-five cen times, sh e answered . A s we had
be en out for two hour s, it was absurdly little .
Slowly saun tering through th e dimly-lighted stre ets,we passed
a real ly quain t old church . Outside it looked de lightfullv
mediwval , th e m oon ligh t idealiz ing its rugged outlin e s, hidingth e wear and te ar of cen turie s, and r evealing only what was most
be autiful .
I insisted o n en te ring . It was quite dark , sal
ve wh ere th e red
lamp of th e san ctuary gleamed star-like in th e distan ce , and a few
candle s burn ed dimly before a sacred image . A devotiona l church
th en , whateve r it migh t be by dayligh t, ye t perhaps too dre am
lik e fo r true pie ty—one in wh ich th e world forge tting , by th e
world forgot, a vision ary might indulge in a h alf sensuous
devo tion—e arth’s care s and trouble s se eming so far away, a
mystical He aven so n ear .
Fallin g in to a re verie , I forgot the pre sen t and con jured upscen e s from th e past. I was n o longer in an empty church : it was
Sain ts and Sigh t-see ing a t A n necy. 435
filled with an oddly-attired congregation ; men in h ose and double t,
with clanking swords and long curling locks ; wome n in co if and
stomach e r , with curious h ead gear comple te ly cove r mg th e ir hair
peasan ts dr e ssed ve ry much as th ey still are in som e of th e Swiss
Can to ns. Th e Ho ly Sacrifice of th e Mass is be in g offe red at a
br illian tly-lit altar ; so lemnly pe e l th e deep n ote s of th e organ ,
gradually growing softer and lowe r , until at last th ey die away.
and n ough t is h e ard but the tinkle o f th e little be ll , as th e prie st
turn s round with th e Sacred Host. Domine , n on sum dignus,”
and th e faithful appro ach th e Commun ion rails. A mongst th em is
a fair , blue -eyed boy, wh o , devoutly kn e e lin g be for e th e altar for
th e first time , rece ives his Lord. On e can fan cy th e ecstatic jo ywhich th en fil led th e soul of Fran cis—alr eady at ten ye ars o f age
a ch ild-sain t, on e wh o had n eve r lost—wh o n e ve r was to lose—h isbaptismal in n oce n ce ; but was to pass through life un con tami
n ated by th e wor ld , un scath ed through th e fir e s o f temptation s
and trials.
In this ve ry church it was that it ple ased our Lo rd in afte r
years to give a signal man ife station of His love for His ch ose n
servan t. Th e face o f th e sain t wh ile pr each ing be cam e tran s
figured, shin ing with a h eaven ly light, while burn ing words fe ll
from his lips, touching th e harde st h e arts, and all re cogn ised th e
Se e r and Proph e t eve n in hi s own coun try.
0 i Q i i
I thought you we re go in g to stay h e re for two o r thre e
minutes on ly, a vo ice in te rrupts my dr e am . Migh t I ven tur e to
remark that we have n o t din ed It is past e igh t, an d I am
tr eme ndously hungry.
”
It was Jack, of course—Jack, matte r -of-fact as usual , th e
genius of commonplace , n eve r allowin g h imse lf to be whir led off
into dre ams o r reve ries, an d n ever , n o n e ver , forge tting his dinn er .
I was waken ed early th e following mo rn in g by th e ch iming o f
the balls of th e Visitation . It was only a few steps fr om th e h ote l
to th e church . Mass was comm e n cing as I en te red, and, of course ,
th ere was th e usual difficulty about chairs. However , an o ld
woman brough t m e two from a dark corn e r . I placed th em in
fron t of th e side altar wh e re repo se s th e body of St . Jan e Fran ce s
de Chan tal . Th e waxen figur e is cloth ed in th e garm en t of a
Nun of th e Visitation , and lies peaceful ly with clasped hands and
upturn ed eyes. Rather ghastly I th ough t h e r .
436 The Ir ish Month ly.
A fte r Mass I asked th e Sacristan to show me the body o f St .
Fran cis, but h e would n o t permit me to go up th e steps to se e it,where it rests beh ind th e h igh altar . I was able to ge t on ly a
g limpse of it thr ough th e grating in th e sacr isty.
In 1 622 Fran cis died at Lyons, on th e Feast of th e HolyInn ocen ts, afte r havin g e ndured a veritable martyrdom, th e doctors
e ndeavour ing by the most crue l mean s to rouse him from the
stupo r in to which h e was falling but although h e fe lt all th e pain
o f th e red-h ot irons applied to his h ead and th e back of his n eck,they on ly h e lped to acce lerate h is death . Constan t to h is in
vari able rule of n e ver asking for anything , n e ver re fusing any
thin g , h e let th em do as they would with h im , and n eve r rebe lled
again st th e ir te rrible remedies.
He rece ived Extreme Un ction , but was unable to rece ive th e
Viaticum . A s long as h e could spe ak, h e chanted th e Psalms,
and in th e midst of the most in ten se to rtur e e n ton ed th e Te Deum .
His last wo rds we re : Il fa it turd, et le j our est (Iej d bieaa ba iesé th en pr on oun cing th e Ho ly Name of Jesus, he lost
consciousn e ss and died sh ortly afte rwards.
His body was removed to A nn ecy and given to his daughters
o f th e Visita tion , wh o placed it in th e ir church . Th e re it was
pre se rved un til th e Fre nch Revo lution , wh en it was hidden away to
save it fr om desecration . Peace once more re stored, th e present
church and monaste ry of th e Visitation we re built, main lythrough
th e assistance given by Charles Fe lix , and his que en , Marie
Chr istin e . It was conse crated in 1 826, and th en th e remains of
St . Fran cis and St. de Chan tal we re depo sited h e re . It is a
handsome church in th e Ita lian style , rath er small , but perfect in
e ve ry de ta il .
Outside I was attacked by two or thr e e pictur esque o ld beggarme n ,
re semblin g those that bese t str ange rs at all th e landing
place s in Ve n ice . My last distinct re co lle ction of A nn aoy is of
two or thre e of th ese o ld fe ll ows stan ding on th e platform , hat in
h and , cour tly an d dign ified, invokin g blessings on na as th e train
slowly crept out of th e station , and we sped on our way to
G en eva .
L . M. KENNY .
438 The Ir ish Mo nthly.
o n Davis by Dufiy must be th e li te rary e ve n t o f th e se ason fo r Ir ish
men a t h ome and abro ad. No doubt th e in te r est would h ave be e n
still greate r if th e Edito r of The Nation h ad n ot a lready give n th e
wo r ld two much large r vo lumes, o n e of which at least h ad an ticipate d
a go od man y of th e pe rso nal reve la tions th a t migh t be expe cted from
h im as Davis’
s biograph e r . Occasion ally Sir C . G . Dufiy h as fe lt this
so far as to be obliged to r epe at h isprévious tr eatmen t o f cer ta in par ts o f
h is subjact ; but th e r e r emain ed plen ty o f incide n ts and documen ts to
give or igin ality and fr esh n e ss to th is first adequate accoun t o f a famousIr ishm an wh o is alr eady n e arly fifty year s de ad. Wh en h e lay dying ,th ough n o on e gue ssed tha t th e e nd was n e ar
—o n e o f h is young fri ends ,
wh o is amongst us still , utter ed in j e st wh at has proved a proph ecy.
0 . G . D . wr ite s to h im two o r th r e e days befo r e th e last John
O’Hagan says you h ave an oppo rtun ity o f r iva llin g Mirabeau bydying
at th is m inute ; but h e be gs you wo n’t b e tempted by th e invitin g
o ppo rtun ity.
” A s a fact, h e di ed a t th e ve ry mome n t th at was best
fo r h is fam e , wh e n m en o f ve ry diffe r e n t views could un ite in ch e r ish
ing his m emo ry and po in tin g to h is example . Th e clo se st ally of his
brief but cr owded manh o od h as in thi s fin e vo lum e don e hi s last dutyto h is fr ie nd, sh owin g th a t h is fe e lin gs h ave n o t ch anged sin ce , fo r tyfive ye ars ago , h e made h is ballad o f “ Th e Ir ish Ch ie fs culmin ate
in th e praye r , Oh , to h ave lived as Davis lived
3 . A n Essay con tributing to a Ph ilo sophy o f Lite ratur e . By
Bro th e r A z ar ias. o f th e Bro th e rs o f th e Chr istian Sch o o ls .
”
(New York :
P. O’Sh e a ) . Th is is th e sixth edi tio n of a wo rk publish ed sixte en ye ars
a go . Its auth o r is an Ir ishman labourin g in th e Un ited Sta te s amongth o se wh o ar e be st kn own as Ifi'
e n ch Chr istian Bro th e rs. He h as don ea grea t de al fo r Amer ican Cath o lic Lite rature , but th e pre se n t vo lumese ems to us th e most gen erally useful . It applie s Cath o lic fe e lings
and pr in ciple s to a verywide and n ecessarily supe rficia l survey of th e
l ite ratur e s o f many coun tr ie s from th e e ar li est dawn o f lite rature to
th e pr ese n t tim e . Bo oks about bo oks are th e fash ion o f th e day ; and
it is we ll to h ave such subjects tr eate d in th e spirit r ath e r o f Oz anam
than o fTain e . In our n ecessarily supe rficia l survey we have n oticed
o n e ove rsigh t Broth er A z arias very justlyplace s th at trumpe t-blast
o f chivalr ic actio n ,th e Chanson de Ro land, amon g th e most ancien t, th e
mo st be autiful , and th e mo st artistically comple te o f all th e cyclic
po ems th at h ave be e n h ande d down .
” A s a Cath o lic Irishman , h e
o ugh t to h ave claimed for a Cath olic Ir ishman—Mr . Justica O
’Haganth e distinction of h aving enr ich ed English l ite ratur e with so perfect a
me tri ca l ve rsion o f th is gr eat mediseval epic as enables na to appr eciate
th e pra ise s be stowed upon it in this exce llen t Essay towards a
Ph ilosophy o f lite ratur e .
Notes on N ew Books. 439
4 . A ids to co rr e ct and efie ctive Elocution,with se l ected re adings
and r e cita tions fo r practice , by Ele an o r O’G rady (New Yo rk ,
C in cinn ati , Ch icago Benz ige r Bro th e rs) h as, it se ems, cir culated formany ye ars in manuscr ipt amon g th e compiler
’s num e rous pupils. A
go od many of th e rule s fo r g estur e and de live ry r e ad ve ry funn ily,
but for a ll th at th ey may be ve ry use ful in practice . Th e r e is a gre at
deal of fr e shn e ss and n ove lty iri—le t n a give h e r th e be n efit of a
doubt—Jl t’ec O ’G rady
’s illustr ative extracts. With a view to a second
edition , we r eco rd our vo te against Th e He lio trope”as stupid and
un suitable .
5. Th e same Publish e rs h ave se nt na Th e Leper Que e n , a sto ry
of th e th ir te e n th ce n tury, sligh t but.
pr e tti ly don e . Fa th e r Damie n in
h eaven is, we suspe ct, partly r e sponsible fo r it, an d also fo r a ve ry
lo n g and be autiful po em in th e Jun e Ca tho lic Wor ld, in th e m e tre
wh ich mo st o f n a associate with Lon gfe llow’s Evange line .
6 . A n extr eme ly in te r e sting and an extr em e ly edifying book is
Fath e r Pe rry, F .R S., th e Je suit A str o n ome r a sk e tch o f h isLife ,
Work . and De a th . By A loysius L . Co rtie , SJ (Lo ndon Cath o lic
Truth So cie ty) . Fath e r Co r tie h as put th e simple facts toge th e r
admirably, and h as give n th e unsci en tific r e ade r th e means o f
appr ecia tin g Fath e r Pe rry’
s wo rk , and th is with a clea rn ess an d
simplicity wh ich could o nly be secur ed by a ve ry th or ough .kn owledge
o f th e subj ect in all‘
its bearin gs. Th e pe rsonal tra its of Fath e r
Pe rry’s ch aracte r ar e touch in gly edifyin g , e specially th e de tails of h is
de ath , n on e th e less in te r e stin g fo r our r e ader s o n accoun t of th e Ir ish
n am e s of th e ch ief assistan ts th e r e at , Bro th er Ro o n ey. S.J., and Dr .
McSwin ey, an o ld Clongowe s boy.
”A n exce lle n t po rtra it in fron t,
a nd e igh t illustra tion s scatter ed th r ough th e 1 20 page s, and th e pr ice
on ly o n e sh ill in g .
7 . Pla in Se rmon s o n th e Fundam en ta l Truths of th e Cath o lic
Church by th e Rev. R . D. Brown e (London : Burn s and Oates), bearsth e Nih il Obstat of an Oblate o f St. Ch ar les. Th e se sixty e igh t
se rmon s ar e for th e most par t very sh o rt, som e tim es only a page o r
two , lik e th e Five -m inute Se rmo ns of th e New York Paulist Fath ersbut Fath e r Brown e a ims at givin g a good dea l o f th e o logical instruo
tion . We do n o t th ink h e has be en very succe ssful . Some of th e
minute de ta ils about justice [and o th e r subjacts ‘
ar e h ardly judiciouswh en give n so crude ly. On e small po in t of an o th er sort is that th e
Jesuit auth o rzof Chr istian and Religious Perfection is con founded at
page 309 with our recen tly can onised laybro th er , St. A lph on sus
Ro dr igue z .
440 The Ir ish Mo nth ly.
8 . A Visi tandin e o f Baltimo re has tr anslated, and th e Be n z ig e rs
have publish ed in a fin e octavo of four h undr e d pages, Bongan d‘
e
exce llen t Life o f Ble ssed Margare t Mary A lacoque . A n Osso ryPr iest h as composed, and James Duffy and Company h ave pub
lish ed, Th e Life of ‘
St. Jo hn th e Baptist,”in wh ich all th e circum
stances of th e car e e r o f th e Precurso r ar e care fully studied by a n
e n thusiastic cli e n t o f th e Sain t .
9 . Fath e r William B. Mo rr is o f th e Londo n Oratory h as for manyyears devo ted h imse lf to th e study o f a ll th at co nce rns th e life o f th e
A po stl e o f Ir e land . His Life o f St . Patr ick h as r e ach ed a four th
edition , wh ich is by n o mean s a me r e re issue o f forme r edition s, but
con ta in s th e substance o f manydisquisitions con tr ibuted by th e auth o rto Th e Dublin Review and The Irish Eee len
'
ae twa l Record on som e co n
trove r ted po in ts in th e h isto ry o f St . Patr ick . Th e publish ers h ave
brough t out th is n ew edition with pe rfect taste .
1 0 . Mr . R . Washbourn e , 1 8 Pate rn o ster Row,Lo ndo n , h as pub
lish ed th e first En glish edition o f Fath e r Jenkin’s answe r to th e
que stion : Should Chr istian ity h aven Educa tion Th e e ssay has gon e
th r ough four edition s in th e Un ited States. Th e Cath o lic Trutl 1
So cie ty h as issued a fre sh number o f th e exce llen t pe nny ser ie s 0 t’
m editatio n s by Fath e r Rich ard Cla rke , S.J. , as we ll as a biograph ica l
sk e tch o f th e Van . Olive r Plunke t, A rch bish op of A rmagh , and :1.
sto ry full o f romance and conve rsio ns, by Miss H. M. Lush in gto n ,
ca ll ed He len Fo rayth , o r a Shadowed Life .
1 1 . Two extr eme ly inte restin g pape rs by Dr . Th omas Mo re Mad
de n h ave be e n r eprin ted fr om medica l journ als—o n e on S chwalbach
as a h e al th - r e sor t, an d th e o th e r aga in st Hypn o tism and two o th e r
medical fads wh ich ar e sh own to h ave n o t eve n n ove lty to r ecomm e nd
th em . Th e son of Dr . R . R . Madden copies h is fath e r in linkin gli te rary studies wi th th e practice o f th e h ealin g art ; but h is writings
ar e confin ed to mo r e str ictly profession al subj ects th an th o se which
e ngag ed th e auth o r of Live s o f th e Un ited Ir ishme n .
”
442 The Im h l lonth ly.
member of a well -lmown Dublin family, represen ted at presen t bythe Bish op of A rdagh and Clonmacn o ise . He was a very distin
guish ed pupil of the Jesu1 ts at Friburg , and afterwards a gold
medallist at Tr in ity Coll ege , Dublin . He was called to th e Bar ,
rewect for th e so lidity and breadth o f his legal attainme n ts ;”
and,
outside th e groove of his dutie s as a barriste r , h e had a cultivated
literary taste , which h e inh erited from h is fath er . Of th e lite rarylean ings of each of th em we may mention an in stance th at came
under our n otice , though o f a trivial n atur e . Th e e lder Mr .
Woodlo ck was th e W. W.
”who at page 232 of our fifth volume
Divin e Providence ; and th e subject of th e prese nt n ote was once
before mention ed 1 n our page s in a very unl ike ly conte xt but m
exce ll en t company, among the distinguish ed auth ors of DuhlinA crostics (Dublin : Hodges and Figgis) . A t page 359 of our
fifte en th volume (July, 1 887) th e curious re velation was 1 or the
first time made as to th e partn ersh ip in that bril lian t little quartoo f such grave and learn ed men as Baron Fitzgerald, Lord JusticoF itzgibbon , Judge O
’Hagan , and even Dr . Russe ll o f Mayn o oth .
A mong th e jun ior barriste rs admitted in to th e con clave was Mr .
William Wo odlock , wh ose solitary con tr ibution is on e of th e
Mx. Woodlock’s literary and legal skill would have qualified
him to make some useful contr ibution s to th e lite rature of his
profe ssion . He was on e o f those un aifectedlymodest men who
n e ed a certain degree of exte rn al compulsion to make th em con
scious of th eir own capabilities. It was characte ristic of his se rious,
re ligious m ind that among his manuscripts has be en foun d an nu
finish ed translation of a rath er large Span ish trea tise on th e
m e thod of demon strating th e truth o f th e Christian religion to a
youn g man of th e world. On e o f his co ll eague s, n ot of th e same
faith , in quir ing about his condition on e day dur ing his last brief
il ln ess, join ed to his expression of sympathy th e emphatic
r emark : He was always a perfect Christian .
”R. I. P.
II. In th e preceding n otice we have explain ed a signature
wh ich occurred only o nce in our page s. Th e in itials M . St. L .
Th e late Mr . Robert Reeves, furnish ed us with a ke y to the en tire
co llection which we must soon'
turn to accoun t .
Items about Ir ish Men and Women . 3 .
D . appeared in a still earlier volume of th e Magaz ins, represen t
ing on e whose death has just be en ann ounced, L ady Ma rgare t
Domville . LadyMargaret St . Laurence was a daughter of th e
th ird Earl of Howth , and married Sir CharlesDomvill e , wh o died
several years before h er . She,
was a fervent Catholic. Her L ife QfL ama r tz
'
ne , published somewhat re cently, is an excell en t piece o f
literary workmansh ip and an extreme ly inte resting biography.
III . A still slighter link conn ects with our Magaz in e on e
circumstances. A fewmore re lics of Charles Kickham (Im su
MONTHLY , vol . 1 6 , p. 1 36) ended with a very minute , simple , and
path e tic accoun t of his death , given byMrs. O’Conn or , with wh om
h e lived during his last year s, in a lette r to th e late Miss Ellen
O’L eary. This is th e Mrs. O
’Conn or who , with four of her five
ch ildren , was poison ed at Seapoint, n e ar Kingstown , on Jun e 30, byeatin g mussels which th e ch ildren had gath ered in a pond hard by.
A ll th e children were girls, th e e ldest, A nn ie , be ing thirte en years
old th en Eily, wh ose eleve n th birthday would have be en ce le
brate d on th e'
foll owing Sunday ; Moya, n ine years old ; Kathle en ,
seven , and Nora , just five . Of th ese only Moya is left to th e
bereaved fath er . Ten minute s afte r th e arrival o f th e priest A n n ie ,
th e e ldest, died ; and in five minutes more Mrs. O’Conn or , wh o
had be en attending to he r poor children to th e last moment, co l
lapsed suddenly and di ed, followed soon by two more of h e r
ch ildr en but th e four th of th e little suffere rs did not die till th e
n ext morn ing . A n immense fun eral proce ssion accompan ied th e
thre e h om es which bore th e five co lhue to G lasn evin , wh ere public
raise a fitting memorial over th ese grave s o f a
W . The Special who described his visit to th e grave o f
Th omas Dan s s Be troth ed in The Even ing Te legraph of Jun e 2 1 ,
1 890, se ems n ot to en joy th e advan tag e of being among our con
stan t readers ; e lse h e would n ot have spoken of A nn ie Hutton as
a reve lation reserved for Sir C. G . Duffy’s recen t biography of h is
most famous friend. A mong th e many coll ections, large an d
small , of letters by in te resting Irishme n and o th ers wh ich th e
kindn ess of many ben efactors has made this Magazin e the first
medium of publishing , on e of th e most valuable was a batch of th e
letters of Th omas Davis to John Edward Pigot, prin te d in two
444 The Ir ish Il onthly.
in stalments in our sixte enth volum e at page 261 and again at pag e
335. A t th e latte r page will be foun d th e story of An ni e Hutt o n ,
and an accoun t of a pilgrimage to h er grave behind th e Whi two r thHospital in Drumcondra—a pilgrimage made exactly two ye a r s
be fore that of th e Te legraph Special . Sir C. G . Duffy, of cour se ,
adds much to what we were able to publish in Jun e , 1 88 8 ,
e specially a charming letter of th e pr omessa spam which Dav i s
pr eserved with care , and which we must quote . The first hint o n
th e subject Duffy extracts fr om th e letter to John Pig ot, wh ichwas prin ted in full in th is Magaz ine (vo l. 1 6, p. It is th e r e
dated, oddly enough , Monday, I th ink, l 6th September ,’44 .
On e would imagin e that Davis was sure of th e day of th e we e k ,
but n ot of th e day of th e mon th . However , that I th ink seems to
have cr ept in by a blunder , be ing mere ly an ann otation made in
prepari ng th e letters for th e prin ter , wh en a doubt arose as to
wh eth er Davis had writte n 1 6th . This date is a mistake , fo r
Pigot’s answer is dated September Davis says to him :
Y ou have Hibern icised th e B uttons so much that th ey have
borrowed a lot of my co llection of Irish air s, and th e lady whose
n ame you write so flippan tly sings Th e Bonny Cuckoo .
’Ar e
you ve ry vain for al l this But Pigot turns th e tables on his
co rresponden t . Y ou are amusing about th e Butto ns, but your
coque try is all fair wh en you can get that graceful wild girl to singBon ny Cuckoo and A nn ie De ar for you.
’
Tis very pleasan t ,
too , to have co llections of music-books for such disin te rested
prose lytism .
”But h is patriotism had n o t improved his chan ces o f
profession al succe ss ; and th e un ce rtain ty of h is future , n ow that
h e had an oth er to think of—or wished to h ave an oth er to th ink of
—was th e cause of th e bad spirits th at he confesse s to in writingto David Owen Maddyn as late as July 3 1 , 1 845. I have be enfor some tim e , and am like ly to con tinue for a while , in a state o f
fever ish anxiety on a subje ct pure ly pe rson al, and which I hope Imay ye t be able to talk of to you.
”Y e t itwas of this pe riod that
Judge O’Hagan wr ites All wh o remembe r him during that
time can te stify to th e wonderful change h e underwent e ve n in
appearance . His form dilated, his eyes got a n ew fire , his step
was firmer , and th e look o f a proud purpose sat on him . A nd
about this time A nn ie dear wrote this lette r to h er be troth ed
How shall I te ll you h ow happy I was to ge t your dear , dear le tter , for
wh ich I love you twen ty times be tte r than before , fo r n ow you ar e tre ating me
446 1 7m Ir ish Mon th ly.
earth . I u'
y to th ink o f all h e h as be en spared ; n o woman’s lo ve oon ld
h is g lo rious spirit bein g bruised, crush ed by th e unwo rth in ess of th ose h e h ad to
deal with . No ideal I could form could be brigh te r, purer th an h e
was. One little sh ort mon th it was. and ye t a wh o le existence o f love ,
Sir Charle s Duffy quote s a friend of h ers as sayin g She faded
away from th e hour of his death .
”Sh e died on th e 7th of
Jun e , 1 853. Her tombston e in St. G e orge’s Ceme te ry, behind th e
Whitworth Hospital , adds that she was th en 28 years o ld ; and
th ese dates te ll na h ow young sh e was during th at summer month
wh en she was th e Betroth ed of Thomas Davis.
A . PROOF-READER’
S A CT OF CONTRITION .
LORD MA CA ULA Y has somewh ere h e ld up to con tempt som e
wre tch wh o con founded an aph o rism with an apoph th egm . Our
ideas on"
th e differen ce be twe e n th ese two are so lam en tably ha zythat we do n ot ven ture to determin e wh eth er th e followingstatemen t is an aph orism or an apophth egm or n e ith er , but, such
as it is, it was made in th ese page s some years ago . A s th e
own er’s eye maketh th e lox fat, even so th e auth or
’s eye maketh the
proof-sh e e t correct. Th e auth or , reading over his article , at once
de tects any epith et th at is n o t what it ought to be , and conclude s
that th e re is a misprin t which h e proce eds to investigate ; but an y
oth er re ader except th e author is less sh ocked with a sligh t incon
gruity, says in his min d, Rath er poo r, that, but g o od en ough fo r
So—and-ao -and so passes ou, leavmg th e blunder unr ectified.
Th e on ly plan fo r ensuring a. fair immunity from blunde rs is to
insist on having every page co rrected m type , at le ast on ce , by th e
write r th ereo f.
The wr iter o f a paper , which a reviewer in The Dublin Evening
A Prooj l reader’s A ct of Contr ition . 447
Ma il of July 2nd called remarkable , and which in private an
e xcelle n t judge (in two se nses of the word) call very remark
able ,”is so far super ior to th e pe tty solicitudes of auth o rsh ip, that
h e refused to look at proof-sh eets, and confided all to th e care of
the presen t write r , wh o betrayed th e trust egregiously in th e July
a ct of co n tr ition so publicly is th e hape that th is attempt at
reparation may gain an oth er careful re ader or two for that
remarkable paper on The Two Civilisations.”If we examin ed
th e Jnn e in sta lmen t care fully, we might discover some e rrata ;
h ut July is en ough for us.
Howeve r , before we begin with our own confession , we maytake refuge in th e cowardly excuse that oth ers are just as had. A
ke en eye can detect mistakes in th e be st regulate d magaz in es.
On e of th e fin e Amer ican mon thlies—Sm'ibne r , or The Cen tury for
July, had an e laborate pape r on th e The Suburban House , andquotes th e sayin g, Facihh est inoon tus adder e , wh ere sense require s
facile est invents}: adde rs. Stranger still , The Ir ish Eccle siastica l
Record of July, 1 890, giving (page 670) an answer of the Congre
gation of Rites, directin g that th e prayer at Ben ediction sh oul d be
sung r ecto tono , with a single inflexion of th e voice at th e end
recto is twice pr inte d awto . But th e most in excusable of misprints
in Latin was committed by ourse lves in pr intin g some h exame ters
of Pope L eo XIII. In th e act of stati ng that sundry microscopes
had failed to detect an alleged false quan tity, we allowed tanta
to pass in place of tan to , makin g a glarin g false quan tity of our
own , an d a bit of bad grammar and bad se nse in to th e bargain .
A. write r in The Catho lic Wor ld , reviewin g very favourablyMiss Te re sa Sparrow
’s Olympias,
”remarks that e ith er th e proof
reade r or th e author had not kept the page s as fre e as th ey
should be from small but ann oying blemish e s of a sort easily over
lo oked un til ouoe th ey have been handed o ve r to th e public—th en
they atta in th e immortality o f a perpe tual pill ory.
” We wish to
pill o ry two o r thr e e peculiarly provoking misprin ts in a graphic
sketch called Fath er Pat,’which many o f our readers se em to
have specially appreciated in our May Numbe r . The poo r widow’s
son , who is preparing for th e prie sth ood, is referred to in th e mid
dle of page 269 as th e imp whose person but a sh ort time be fore
sh e had be e n won t to tr eat with scan t courtesy. Th e impo rtan t
verb h as h er e , with ugly realism , be en changed by the composito r
448 m Ir ish Month ly.
in to beat. In page 267 , lin e 26, change have clasped in t o“clasp,
”and called in to “
call .”
A nd n ow for the cbrflgenda in Part Second of Th e Two
Civilisations. In th e fin e poem quoted from Blackwood’s Magaz in e ,
in page 359 of our present volume , th e e leve nth lin e sh ould speak
o f th e world sh outing its paecm (n ot power ) for those who havewon and its penultimate lin e sh ould contrast n ot th e martyr
o r hero ,”but th e martyrs o r Nero .
”
In th e first quotation from Tennyson , in page 361 , 1e t us read
that th e spirit of murder works in th e very veins of life and
in th e first lin e of th e second quotation , change as in to no—a small
who seem to look upon the not in some of th e commandmen ts as a
th e words of th e poet do n o t continue , but come true , and th e
Few would n eed to be told that th e writer of such prose ia s
publishing many exquisite poems, but few n obler than St.
A ugustin e at Ostia,”in our sixte en th volume , and The L eper
Priest of Lun eberg ,’last ye ar . We re fer to th em in th e presen t
me lan ch o ly conte xt for th e purpose o f changing fle eting minds in to
flutiny mu
nds m page 539 :
“ A son g ao swee t that bro ok n o r bird
If th is humble confession sh ould of our reade rs
back to th e very wise and e loquen twh ich this presen t wr iter is alon e responsible , h e will fe e l less
regret for his n egligence , while he promises n ot to do it again .
450 Th e Ir ish Month ly.
My darling is h ard to ple ase . A shfie ld is mo st de sirab le in
e ve ry way. But you sh all n o t be co e rced . Do exactly as you lik e .
”
I wi ll. r eplied th e gir l, dre amily, as sh e pick e d th e with e r e d
le ave s from h e r bouque t. Lo ok at th e se flowe rs , grandpapa ; is it
n o t sad to se e th em dro op th e ir h e ads
Very sad , de are st . But such is life ; a ll th a t’
s br igh t mus t
fade—a h ackn eyed, but true'
saying , h e r ema rked, sm iling . But .
lo oking close ly at th e bo uque t, th at is n o t th e o n e I o rde red fo r
you, Sylvia .
”
Th e gir l blush ed, and n estl ed clo se r to h is side .
No . de ar ; but I th o ugh t yo u would n o t m ind. It—it match e dmy dre ss be tte r th an yours .
”
Did Lo rd A shfie ld se nd it
No . I would n o t h ave taken h is , in ste ad o f yo urs , alth ough I
must say it was ve ry pre tty.
”
Th e n wh o se n t you th is o n e th a t yo u say ma tch ed your dre ss
be tte r th an m in e?Sylvia lowe re d h e r eye s. and h e r l ips tr emble d sligh tly .
“ I do n ’
t kn ow, gran dpapa—but I th ink—I fe e l sur e it cam e
from Paul .”
From Paul ! Sir Eustace sta r te d . My de a r , th a t is im
po ssible . He is abro ad—in Ame r ica .
”
Y e s, so I be lie ve . But in som e way—by his o rde rs , th is
bo uque t was made and se n t to m e .
Sylv ia
I am sur e of th is , grandpapa . A nd—and as I n e ve r co n cea l ed
o r k ept anyth in g fr om yo u in my li fe , I te l l you wh at I th in k n ow.
My dar ling'” He put his a rm round h e r , and pr e ssed a k iss
upon h e r brow. Was t his yo ur impo rtan t commun icatio n
Sylvia laugh ed, and la id h e r bo uque t, fan and gloves upo n t h e
co uch beside h e r .
No , grandpapa . Wh at I wan ted to te ll you was thi s : th o se
chi ldr e n , th e Ne ils. wh o cam e from Me lbo urn e with me in th e Ct'
mhr ia ,
we r e n o t drown ed .
”
My dear ch ild, h ow did you h e ar th is
Lo rd A shfie ld to ld m e to -n igh t.”
A shfield ! How do e s h e kn owIt is a cur ious story
—but ve ry in te r e sting .
A n d sh e th e n r e la ted th e va rious in cide n ts, as sh e h ad h e a rd
th em from Lo rd A ahfie ld.
Sir Eustace liste n ed a tte n tive ly ; but wh e n sh e h ad fin ish ed, h e
made n o r emark , an d sat pufl‘in g h is cigar , appar e n tly abso rbed in
th ough t .
A Str iking Con trast. 45l
I can n o t unde rstand it, Sylvia ,” h e crie d a t last, and th e r e we r e
te ars in h is eye s as h e spoke . An n e Da n e saw th em go down , and
with almo st supe rhuman str e n gth , at th e r isk of be in g pitch ed in to
th e ocean , sh e sa ved you as you wer e sinking with th em .
”
A n n e was mistak e n dece ived in h e r te rro r . Th ey did n o t sink,
and are n ow in Londo n .
”
Th e numbe r of time s sh e described that n igh t to me , and th e
ce rtain ty sh e fe lt that th ey we r e dr own ed, pre ven ted m e from
adve rtisin g—from search ing fo r th em, po o r l ittle waits. But n ow
th at we h ave found th em, we must make up fo r lost time , my darling .
and do wh at we can to h e lp th em .
”
“ I kn ew you would say tha t,
”cr ied Sylvia , joyfully. I to ld
Lo rd A shfie ld ao . He wante d m e to k e ep th e ir existe nce a secre t
fr om you. He fears th at if Lady A shfie ld h eard youwe r e g o ing toh e lp th em , sh e would se t you aga inst po o r Madge .
”
But why Is th ere anyth ing wro ng with Madge
Inde ed th e re is n ot cr ied Sylvia, fo rge ttin g tha t sh e kn ew
ve ry little about th e gir l . Sh e is wo nde rfuny good and cle ve r .
Well, dear , I sh all n o t m in d anyth ing Lady A shfie ld may say,
and wi ll h e lp th e se ch ildre n to th e be st of my power .
”
Th e n I may go to se e th em to -mo rrow
Ce rtain ly ; and wh en you kn ow th em a little , we shall se e wh at
we can do fo r th em . Th ey must h ave h ad a h a rd struggle to live .
”
Y es, ve ry. A nd just th in k , g randpapa , h ow difie re n t h as be e n
my life ,”said Sylvia, cling ing to h im , and h ow te rr ible it migh t
have be e n if A nn e had n o t saved me , and if I, to o , h ad be en cas t
away with th e se children o r all a lo n e pe rhaps.
My da rling , I thank G od from th e bo ttom of my h eart that such
a trial as that was spar ed us . We owe a de ep debt of gratitude to
An n e . What sh ould I have do n e with out you, my precious SylviaY ou would have be en lo n e ly, I th ink , sh e wh ispe red
care ssingly. Al th ough I am a ca re , and some times a wo rry.
”
Ne ve r ,” h e cried indignan tly . Neve r
Wha t No t even wh e n you ar e fo rced in to giving ba lls fo r mysake
No t even th e n , you saucy puss . A nd now, to bed , o r I sh a ll
have you lo oking as limp as your po o r bouque t, to -mo rrow.
”
Th e re is n o fear of tha t . But n ow tha t I have to ld you my
sto ry, I th ink I sha ll re tire . I do fe e l tired , I co nfess.
”
I th ough t ao , my pct . 80 n ow go od-n igh t . Do n o t come down
fo r br eakfas t, but take a lo ng sle ep to make up for all yo u have lo st .
G ood-n igh t .
”A nd throwing as ide h is cigar , h e fo lded h e r in his a rms,
and kissed h e r tende rly.
452 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
Th e n ext mo rn ingSylvia did n o t, h oweve r , fo ll owh e r g ran dfa th e r ’ sadvice , but rang ea rly fo r h e r maid ; and much to th at young pe rso n
’s
a ston ishm en t,informed h e r th at sh e wan ted br eakfast, and was go in 5;
o ut at e leve n .
Do es Mademo ise lle r equir e th e carr iage?ask ed Désirée .
No . I am go ing in to a po o r n e ighbourh o od and sh a ll walk . I
wan t you to com e with m e .
”
C’e st in croyable cr ied th e maid, as sh e wen t to obey h e r
m istr ess’s o rde r s . A fte r a ball, an d th at ball at h om e But
Mademo ise ll e A th e rsto n e h as th e str en g th o i—I kn ow n o t wh at .
Howeve r , Désirée could o nly submit, and a t e leve n o’clock sh e
a nd Sylvia walk ed briskly alon g th e Cromwe ll Ro ad.
On le avin g h om e , Sylvia fe lt full o f j oy at th e th ough t o f h e r
expe dition , a nd th e go od sh e would sur e ly be able to do th e se po o r
o rph an s . But as sh e we n t down Wa lto n Str e e t, and dr ew n e ar th e
h ouse wh e re th e Ne ils lived, sh e became n ervous and uncomfo r tabl e .
It se emed an impe r tin en ce to walk in to th ese g ir ls an d ofie r to
a ssist th em . Th ey migh t be o ffe n de d, and r ese n t th e in trusio n . It
would be be tte r , perh aps, to wr ite fir st to le t th em kn ow sh e was
coming . But n o , th at would cause a de lay. Sh e h ad promi sed
Lo rd A shfield to se e th em at on ce .
* Sh e wo uld k e ep h e r prom ise .
So on sh e we n t, h e r co lo ur a little h igh e r th an usual,h e r
h e art be a tin g tumul tuously.
Sh e r each ed th e h ouse . Miss Do ra was in . Miss Madge was at
sch o o l .
Y ou can wait h e r e , Désiré e , o r r e turn fo r m e in an h our , sh e
said, in a low vo ice . Th e Ne ils ’ r o oms we re o n th e fo ur th flo o r .
A long way up, it se em ed to th e visito r .
Ou th e last landin g th e g ir l paus ed . T h er e we r e two doo rs . A t
wh ich sh ould sh e kn ock Sudden ly th e sound o f a swe e t vo ice ,
sin gin g an o ld Ir ish air , fe ll on h er e ar and in an in stan t sh e k n ew
it must be Do ra wh o san g .
Sh e waited till th e so n g was fini sh ed, th en kn ocked ge n tly, and
was quickly h idden to e n te r . Sh e ope n ed th e do or , and stepped
across th e thr e sh o ld ; th en stopped abruptly, gaz in g with admiratio n
a t th e pictur e be fo re h e r .
Ou th e sofa lay Do ra . Boun d about h e r , like a cloak , fe ll
h e r lo n g go lden h air ; and h e r finge rs we r e busy with some yards o f
pale blue silk , th at sh e was h emming industriously. Sh e did n o t look
up for a momen t . A nd as Sylvia sto od wa tchin g h e r , Brown i ng’s
description in G o ld Ha ir flash ed thr ough h er mind, and se emed
a s th ough wr itten fo r th e o ccasio n .
Ha ir su ch a wo nde r o f flax and floss,Freshn ess and fr agran ce n floods of i t to o .
454 The 1m).Mo nth ly.
A sh o ck
Y e s . I—we h ad lo oked for you so long , so h ope lessly, tha t
wh en I saw you I n ear ly fain ted .
”
But you did n o t kn ow m e wh en I spoke to you?Oh . n o ; but afterwards , wh en you h ad gon e to th e drawin g
r o om , th e maid to ld me .
”
“ Po o r li ttle Do ra ! I wish I kn ew. I took such a fan cy to yo u
th at day, be cause I th ough t yo u l ik e mymo th e r .
”
Dora started, an d fixed h e r eye s upo n h e r in aston ishme nt.
Your mo th er P
Y e s, de ar , my dead mo th er ; I n eve r saw h er , you kn ow ; but
that morn ing grandpapa h ad just be e n descr ibing h e r to me , fro m
what papa h ad said about h e r in h is le tte rs. Sh e was small and fa ir ,
with go lden hai r and blue eye s ; and wh en I saw you upo n th e land
ing , Iwas startled, for you se emed exactly wh at sh e migh t h ave b e en ,
o r rath er what h er daugh ter ough t to be . It made me sad to thin k
th a t I was so un lik e h er . Po o r little mo th er , sh e died so young .
Was Mrs. Ne il fair
I don’t kn ow,
”replied Dora , in a low vo ice , I was only a baby
a t th e time o f h e r death .
”
0 1 course ; but th en , Madge migh t h ave to ld you.
Sh e n eve r did.
An d you‘
n ever asked Th at is strange . Did you n eve r
wonde r if you we r e like your mo th eru Y OB, o ften .
”0
I th ough t ao . Eve ry gir l do es. I th ink ; at least eve ry g ir l
wh ose mo th e r is dead,and wh om sh e h as n evor kn own . I h ave n o t
e ven a picture of my darlin g . Sh e was bo rn and di ed in A ustralia ,
and n o on e h er e ever saw h er . Wh en papa sen t me h ome with A n n e
Dan e , h e put a min iatur e o f mo th e r round my n eck ; but, a las ! it
was lost on th e nigh t of th e wr e ck . Wasn’t th at a pity
4 0 Y es.
”
.Do ra
’
s lips quivered, an d sh e closed h er eyes lest Sylvia sh ould
se e anyth in g str ange in th e ir expre ssion as sh e pressed h e r mo th e r’s
Ar e you in pain , de ar ask ed Sylvia , n oticin g th is sudde n
A little ,”whispered Do ra , but do n
’t mind me . it will pass 03 .
Po o r ch ild, I can no t bea r to se e you sufle r . But we shall so o n
make you stro ng . Y ou must leave th ese stuffy rooms a t once ;
gran dpapa will find you a ple asan t place ; you sh all se e a go od docto r ,
and th en
Do ra star ted up, and se iz ing Sylvia’
s h and pr essed it to h e r lips.
A Str iking Con trast. 455
Do n o t make me love you too much ,”sh e cried, do n o t sh ow
m e wh at a. good, n oble gir l you ar e , fo r wh e n you kn ow, wh en you
h e ar , you will h ate me , and th en—oh ,
I can no t bear it.”
A nd, ove rcome with emotio n , Do ra fe ll back , sobbin g bitte r ly.
“ My de ar ch ild, wh at ca n you mean
No th in g , n o thi n g ! Do n o t look so fr igh ten ed. But you must
n o t do , o r wi sh to do to o much fo r n a—Madg e would n o t a ll ow it ;
sh e is pro ud. But h e lp h e r to wo rk—find h e r pupils wh o will pay
h e r we l l—and sh e will bless you. Mo re , n e ith e r sh e n o r I could
a ccept, un le ss—but th at Madge would n e ve r co n se n t to .
”
Sylvi a smile d, an d, smoo thing back th e go lden h air gen tly, kissed
.th e gir l’s fair br ow.
Wh at a pair o f proud siste rs,”
sh e sa id, playfully.
A shfield was r igh t wh e n h e sa id
Do ra tr embled ; h e r pale ch e eks gr ew scarle t.
Lord A shfie ld?Did h e te ll youHe to ld m e all—wh e r e you we re , wh o you we r e , and h ow
a nxious h e was to h e lp you.
”
He h as h e lped us, in many ways.
Sylvia lo ok ed a t h e r in surpr ise .
Really I th ough t h e h ad n eve r be en able to do anyth ing .
Lady A shfie ldWas cruel—o h , so crue l to po or Madge .
I um so rry, ve ry so rry to h e ar that. For th ough fond o f
m anaging pe ople and th ings in h e r own way, sh e is n o t unkind.
”
No ,”sa id Do ra bitte rly, but sh e was to Madge ; so much so
th at we r e so lved n e ve r to accept any h e lp from h e r h ands . Howeve r ,
sh e h as n eve r troubled us . From th e even ing th at Madg e cal led upo n
h er , we have n eve r h ea rd from h er .
Lo rd A shfie ld to ld m e h ow gr ieved h e was at h is mo th e r’s
c onduct.”
I th ough t h e would h e , cr ied Do ra . I to ld Madge h ow goo d,
h ow n oble h e was . But, alth ough h e saved na from te rrible mise ry
by paying our r en t, sh e cann o t be ar to h ear his n ame m en tion ed—anda ll be cause o f h is mo th e r .
”
Sh e is wron g th e n , said Sylvia grave ly. For h e is exactlywh at you say, n oble and go od.
Do ra looked at h e r clo se ly, th en turn ed away to lay h e r wo rk upon
th e table . Do you like him ve ry much?sh e ask ed.
Ve ry much . I have kn own him since I was a ch ild.
Do ra sigh ed, and moved restlessly fr om side to side .
I mig ht have known ,”sh e murmur ed to h e rself, I migh t h ave
kn own everything—why n o t th is as we ll
456 Th e Ir ish Mon th ly.
A n d you will te llMadg e fr om m e , co n tinued Sylvia , n o t n o ticin gth e lo o k o f so rrow o n Do ra
’s face , th a t sh e must n ot jadg e people
rashly. It is wro n g to blam e Lo rd A shfie ld fo r hi s m o th e r’
s fault .
”
Y e s, ye s, crue lly wro ng .
”
A n d I thi nk—I um afra id Madge must be ra th e r fo o li sh som e
time s . Lady A shfie ld was anxious to h e lp you, but your siste r
offended h e r de eply, by some thing sh e said o r did. Oi course I wa s
n o t th e r e , a nd so do n o t kn ow h ow it h appe n ed . But Madg e sh ould
be mo r e ca r e ful .”
Dora cove r ed h e r face with h e r h ands, and gro an ed a loud.
Poo r Madg e ! Oh , it you o n ly kn ow ! But I dar e n o t, I ca n
n o t te ll you. A nd n ow, I h 0pe you may n e ve r kn ow.
We ll , dear , you spe ak myste r iously. But I sh all n ever ask you
to te ll me anyth in g th at you wish to ke ep secr e t. A n d if it is anythin g again st Madge , I sh ould pr e fe r n o t to h ea r it, because
A gain st Madge Do ra’s small frame quive red , and h e r blue
eye s flash ed omin ously. A ga in st Madg e ! Sylvi a A th e rsto n e , a r e
you dr e aming?Did anyon e say th e r e was a nyth in g aga in st Madge
No , but”
A gai n st Madg e ! Madge wh o is so go od and true . Madge wh o
h as labour ed and struggled . Madge wh o ha s be en fath e r , mo th e r ,
siste r ,eve ryth in g to m e . A s if th e r e co uld be anythin g aga in st h e r
as if
Sylvia laid h er h and upon Do ra’
s, and pr essed it ge n tly.
My dear ,”sh e said so o th ingly, do n o t be angry with m e . I
mean t n o h arm . I am sur e Madg e is all you say. I spok e th ough t
le ssly. But your myste r ious h in ts misled m e .
”
I must speak myste riously unl e ss- but te ll m e , Sylvia , sh e
askcd a lmo st fierce ly, are you pr oud o f your position , your nam e
Would it pa in you to becom e po o r , to fa ll from be in gMissA th e rston e ,to be com e a po o r gir l like me
Sylvia lo oked at h e r won de r in gly. Sh e could n o t unde rstan d
th e dr ift o f th ese stran ge questions, an d fe ar ed th e gir l’
s m ind must
be as fe eble as h e r body.
I could n ot imagin e such a ch an ge , dear , sh e sa id g e n tly. Se
do n ot le t na talk about th e impossible . Th e question n ow is, h ow
grandpapa and I can h e lp you and Madge
Do ra. flush ed painfully ; sh e did n o t spe ak and two large tea rs
fe ll from h er eyes, and ran unh e eded down h e r ch e eks.
Dora ,”cri ed Sylvia , flinging h e r arms round h e r . My de a r ,
you ar e unh appy. Te ll me—wh a t is it Wha t is this myste ryf ’
Do ra allowed h e r h ead to re st upo n Sylvia’s br east ; and, raising
h e r face to h e rs, kissed h e r with lin ge ring tende rn e s. Th en sudde n ly,
sh e push ed h e r rough ly away.
458 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
murmur ed Do r a , as th e do o r clo se d upon h e r visito r . But, o h , h ow
s h all we e ve r le t h er know th e truth How sh all we dr ag h e r fro m
h e r h igh po sitio n , make h e r h is in fer io r in bir th , unwo rthy to be
h is wife I co uld n o t do it—I co ul d n o t do it,”and th e swe e t face
was ful l o f pai n a t th e th ough t A las, wh at a crue l destiny is m in e .
But n ow I must try to be h appy. I um ple ased that sh e is so k ind,
s o go od, and i i—but I will wr ite to Madge , and te ll h e r to“
hurryback . Mrs. Sims will take my no te to th e sch o o l on h e r way h om e .
I lon g to te ll my dar ling th e good n ews, th at sh e may so o n l eave
t h o se in so len t g irls at Pen e lope Lodge for some mo re conge n ial
o ccupatio n .
”
A n d, r isin g slowly from th e so fa , Do ra wen t to th e table , a nd
t a king pencil and pape r sa t down to wr ite to Madg e .
CHAPTER XIX.
A l! UNEXPECTE’
D MEETING .
Just as Sylvia reach ed th e str e e t, h er m ind full o f Do ra, an d
h er pr e tty ye t pe rplexing ways , a youn g man o f about six o r seve n
a nd twe n ty, en te r ing th e h ouse , me t h e r . He was'
n o t tall , hardlya bove th e a ve rage h e igh t, and ve ry sligh t, with dark gr ey eyes, and a
bro ad, n o ble brow, from wh ich masses o f fa ir curling ha ir wer e th rown
in a rtistic car e lessn ess. His coat was a we ll -wo rn black ve lvet , and
th e h a t h e carr ied in his h and a ra th e r sh abby so ft , grey fe lt .
Th e girl’s glance fe ll upo n h im as h e appro ach ed, and sh e gave a
little cry ; th en , stopping sh ort, steadied h e rse lf against th e ban iste r ,
a nd examin ed him mo re clo se lyPaul
,
”sh e wh isper ed. oh , Paul , is it possible
A t th e soun d of h er voice th e young man started . Th e h o t blo od
r ush ed to his fo reh e ad ; his eyes se em ed to have absorbed th e
sunsh in e .
He ran forward joyfully, caugh t bo th h e r h ands, and carried th emrapidly to h is lips. Sh e dr ew th em g en tly away, and looked straigh t
in to h is eye s, He did n o t flinch o r quail be n eath h e r glance . His
was as true , as faith ful as h e r own .
Paul ,”sh e ask ed with h e igh te ned co lour , as h e turn ed to ,
aecom
pany h e r a few pace s in th e str e e t, why ar e you h ere We th ough t
you we r e in Ame rica .
”
A Str iking Con trast. 459
I am h er e .” h e cr ied , be cause Ame r ica is to o far away. Be tter
to starve in th e same town , with in a few str e e ts o f you, than grow
r ich with an ocean be twe e n na.
”
Wh at ar e you do ing?”Wo rking o n e day, idl in g th e n ext.
A nd 1 8 th at yo ur ide a of h ow a man sh ould live if h e wish es to
m ak e a n am e i
Name h e cr ied bitte r ly. I sh all n eve r make a n ame .
I am very so rry to h e ar th at . I h oped—I be lie ved you would.
Y o u did n o t ta lk so in th e o ld days.
I was a simple to n th en—a fo o l .
Th en a ll your dr eams—a ll yo ur ambition h as go n e Th e
p r omise s you made
Sylvia , do n o t blame me , h e implo red . I h ave be e n unl ucky
a l l th rough . Th e fates ar e again st m e .
I do n o t se e th at.”
Y ou do n o t se e it, oh , h ow ca n you say ao?Th ink wh at my lifeh as be e n . A s a boy, I was tak en from my po o r h om e to Sir Eustace
A th e rston e’s sple ndid man sion . I was surrounded with luxury. spo il t
a nd patted, a me re playth ing for th e lo n e ly millio n a ir e . Th e n yo u
cam e . I was cast aside . But I car ed little fo r th at . I ado r ed yo u
my siste r . my tr e asur e . A l l my th ough ts we r e of you—e ve rythi ng I
did was to ple ase yo u. A nd my first r e aso n fo r wish ing to be a n
a rtist was, th at I migh t pai n t your po rtrait. Th en fo llo wed our ye ar s
abroad. My boyish love gr ew to passion . I to ld my love—an d th e
pe nn iless depen den t was se n t away, turn ed adri ft with h ard words,
to sink o r swim as ch ance de cr e e d .
”
Y ou are un jus t and un grateful , cr ied Sylvia warm ly. G rand
papa wish ed to co n tinue your allowance , but you”
Refused to e at th e bre ad o f ch arity. Y e s, Sylvia , wh e n I
sudden ly r e alised that you and I, th ough we lived in th e same h ouse ,
a nd ate a t th e same table , wer e n o t co n side r e d equa ls, I saw th e
injustice that h ad be en don e to m e .
”
In justiceY es, I r epea t it, in justice . Wh at r igh t h ad Sir Eustace to tak e
me out of my n a tural po sitio n , teach m e luxur ious habits, br in g m e
up on tom s o f equali ty with you, h is gr anddaugh ter , an d th en , wh e n
I told h im o f my lo ve fo r you, spurn m e and te ll me I was a b eggar
He paused, and turn ing h is eye s full o f indign an t fe e lin g upo n
h er , se emed waiting for a r eply.
But n on e came . Sylvia did n o t spe ak . He r swe e t face wo r e an
expressio n of so rrow, h er mouth a lo ok o f pain . B or br igh t co lour
h ad faded as Paul became ve h emen t ; an d as h e gaz e d a t h er ,
460 The Ir ish Month ly.
lo ngin g fo r a wo rd of sympathy, h e was sudden ly struck by h e r
extr em e pa llo r .
Sylvia , you are ill—I h ave an n oyed you, h e said, trying t o
take h e r h and. Oh , my love , my love , fo rgive me .
”
But th e girl spran g aside .
Do n o t touch m e ,”sh e cr ied, no r call me by tha t n am e , til l
you h ave e ar n ed th e r igh t—till
Sylvia
Paul, liste n to m e . Y ou h ave spok en unfairly, un gen e rously o f
my gran dfa th e r . In th e bitte rn e ss o f your soul , you h ave take n a ll
th a t h e h as do n e for you, all th e kin dn e ss h e h as lavish ed o n you, in a
wr on g spir it . Y ou h ave called h im un just . Y ou must un say th o se
wo rds, a nd sh owby your life th a t th ey ar e un true , o r—o r n eve r spe ak
to m e again .
But, Sylvia, h ow can I do this?By your life by givin g up your idle ways, and wo rkin g
h o n estly, man fully.
Oi wh a t use would it b e 1?Of gr e a t use
—to sh ow th at you ar e a man , and n o t a m e re
creature o f wh ims and fancies ; to sh ow th at th e afie ctio n , th e mon ey,
and oppo rtun ities bestowed upon you by Sir Eustace , h ave n o t b e e n
t?hr own away ; to prove to m e th at I h ave n o t loved a wo rth less
Sylvia , spar e me . I kn ow—I fe e l my own sh o rtcomings. Do
n o t mak e me h ate and despise myse lf.
”
N sh e said, and th ere we r e te ars in h er vo ice as sh e spok e ,
th a t is n o t my obj ect. Oh . Paul , if you would on ly be true to your
se lf, exe rt yourse lf, and n o t fr itte r away th e tal en ts G od h as give n
you, h ow h appy we m igh t be .
Sylvia , do you mean th is Could any efiort o f min e mak e a
difier e nce Could I under any circumstance s be r eceive d as yours
Th e gir l’s wh ite face grew crimso n , and h e r eye s fe ll ben e ath h is
gaz e .
“ A las h e cried,“
you kn ow it could n o t be . I, th e son o f a
simple tan n e r , could n ever aspir e to th e r ich Miss A th e rston e . G o od
He ave ns ! Why ar e you n o t po o r‘
1’ Why ar e you n o t po o r
‘
1’ Why
are you n o t like th at young g ir l upstairs, Miss Do ra .
Ne il If you
were o n ly in h e r position , and th at my wo rk could h e lp to suppo rt
you, I’d to il n igh t and day.
”
Th e n , why n o t do ao , if only to please m e—and grandpapa
He do e s n ot car e .
”
Th e r e you ar e mistaken . He car es a gr eat de al ; h e l oves you,
Paul, and misses you, I kn ow.
Th e n why did h e send me away Why did h e forbid m e h ish ouse
462 The Ir ish Mon th 131 .
upo n h im in e a rn est pleadin g , the last remn an t of false pr ide fe l l
away, and h e fe lt de eply pen ite n t , and ful l of r emo rse . In an in sta n t
h e was by h e r side aga in .
Sylvia ,” h e cried, in a vo ice o f anguish , do n o t le ave me just
ye t . Liste n to m e , I implor e—I en tr e a t. Your words h ave ope n e d
my eye s, to rn down th e ve il th at my pride h ad hung be fo re th em . I
h ad always lo oked upon myse lf as th e pe rson mos t wr o nge d. Bu t
n ow I se e h ow sh ameful , h ow ungrate ful, h as be e n my co nduct .
A lo o k o f joy flash ed across Sylvia’
s love ly face, and smilin g
radian t ly, sh e put h e r h and in h is .
Br ave ly spoke n , Paul,”
sh e cr ie d. Your pride blinded you, Ikn ow. But pro ud as you a r e . yo u are ge n e rous a lso . and, h avin gse e n and ackn owledged your faul ts , you wil l, I um sure , a to ne fo r
th em as quick ly and as fully as yo u can .
”
A las I can n e ve r do th a t .
”
But you can , if you will .”
Will Oh , Sylvia , if I o n ly kn ew h ow, tha t will n e ve r b e
wan tin g .
It is quite e asy, sh e said g e n tly. A t least, I th ink it sh ould
n o t be so ve ry h ard. Y ou must go to Sir Eustace , and te ll h im wha t
you fe e l, ask h im to fo rg ive you, and be lie ve me your praye r will n o t
be long unh e ard .
”
A nd sh all I te ll him wh at my life has be e n h e ask ed
abruptly. How I h ave wasted my tim e and my tale n ts, pain tin gonly wh e n forced to do so by bare n ecessity
Y e s, te ll him all . But also te ll him th at you ar e about to ch an g e
your way, th at you ar e go ing to work at last .
I can do l ittle . My ro om is smal l. I h ave bad ligh t .
Th e n you must take a studio . Th e re are some exce lle n t o n es in
th e Fulh am A venue . I h ave be e n th e r e o n Show Sunday, wi th
grandpapa .
”
Th a t is impo ssible . A poo r b egga r lik e m e can n o t affo rd such
a luxury. I to ld Lord A shfie ld so on ly yeste rday.
”
Lo rd A shfie ld Do e s h e kn ow you ar e in town
Y e s. He has sat to me fo r hi s po rtrait, like a go od fe llow, and
since th e n I h ave re ce ived an o rde r to pain t th e wife o f a ci ty n o ble .
wh o is pro ud to h ave h er por tr ait do n e by an artist wh o h as justtaken th e liken ess of an e ar
I em glad to h e ar tha t, for it sh ows me th at yo u a re n o t quiteso idle as you would h ave m e be lieve . But n ow you must take tha t
studio .
”
Paul lo ok ed a t h e r grave ly, an d sh o o k h is h e ad .
I m e a n wh a t I say,”sh e r eplied ea r n e stly. Y o u must take it.
A Str iking Co ntrast.
But th e m on ey h e asked impatie n tly. Wh e r e is it to com e
from
From Sir Eustace . Now do n o t tur n away, but liste n to m e,
Paul . Some time ago grandpapa o ffe red you an a llo wan ce . Y ou in
yo ur ange r r e fused it . But n ow you se e y ou we r e wron g , and yo u
ackn owledged your fo lly. Th en go and say ao . He was yo ur fath e rfo r years. Co nfess your fault, an d in a ll humi li ty a sk him to h e lp
you fo r a few ye ars till you beg in to ge t ou. Th is, sur e ly, is n o t a
v e ry difi cul t th ing to do
a It wil l be te rr ibly h ard , but to ple ase yo u, Sylvia , I will do ir.”
Th at is righ t,”sh e cried brigh tly. Y o u ha ve made m e ve ry
h appy. I am sure if you will o n ly try, yo u will succe ed splendidly.
A nd you must te ll grandpapa th at yo u a re de te rm in ed to do so , th a t
you h ave a h igh ambitio n , a n oble purpose to a ch ie ve .
"
A nd may I say th at you, Sylvia , h a ve h e ld o ut a h ope tha t
sh o uld I o n e day distinguish myse lf, th a t yo u will th in k k ind ly o f‘
m e A nd pe r haps
Sylvia h eld out h e r h ands , a nd , as h e pre ssed th em to h is lips ,
sh e looked at h im earn e stly.
Paul ,”
sh e whispe red ,wo rk and h ope . G od wi ll tak e car e o f
our futur e .
Th e n sh e turn ed fr om h im , and ra n swiftly o n h e r way.
My G od ! h e cr ied , as sh e van ish ed from h is sigh t , wh a t
fo o l I h ave be e n , wastin g my life in idle n e ss and fo lly but it sh a ll
b e so n o lo ng e r . Sh e—my Sylvia , my lo ve sha ll live to be pro ud o f
me , to r e jo ice at my succe ss.
A n d h e we n t in to h is ro om and lo cked th e do o r .
Th at e ven ing as Sir Eustace A th e rsto n e sa t re adin g in th e
library, a £0 0 t en te r ed, and asked if h e m igh t adm it a g e n tlema n .
wh o wish ed particularly to se e h im .
What is h is name
He r efused to give it, Sir Eustace .
Y ou may sh ow him in .
”
Th e se rvan t bowed and r e tir ed . A mom e n t la te r th e do o r ope n e d
aga in , and th e strang e r walk ed in .
Sir Eustace la id aside h is bo ok , and turn ing lo o ked at h is visito r .
May I ask ,” h e be gan , th e n paused , a nd spra ng to h is fe e t.
Paul—you h er eY es, Sir Eustace , I um h e r e , h e r e to te ll yo u o f my so rrow fo r
my past conduct, and to implo r e you to fo rgive my wild wo rds, mybitter ingratitude .
’
My boy,”said Sir Eustace with much emo tio n . and graspin g
h im warmly by th e h and, I fo rgave you lon g ago . Your beh avio ur
464 The Ir ish Jl outh ly.
was th at o f a h o t-h e aded. fo o l ish yo uth . I k n ew you would b e so rry
wh en you h ad time to refle ct yo u h ave tak en a lmost a ye ar to do so
but be tte r late th an n e ve r ; I em truly glad to se e you. This wi ll b e
go od n ews fo r Sylvia .
”
Sh e k n ows a ll . Sh e i t wa s wh o bro ugh t me to my se nse s .
sh owe d m e h ow wick e d, h ow fo o lish I h ad be e n .
A cloud passed o ve r th e o ld m an’s face .
Sylvia sawyo u Ta lked to yo u, and ye t did n o t te ll m e?Tha t
can n o t be ; o n ly last n igh t sh e spok e myste r iously of a bouque t th a tsh e th ough t came fr om you, but sh e n eve r sa id sh e h ad se e n yo u.
”
I did n o t m e e t Sylvia till to-day. Sh e was as surpr ised as you
to find I was in Lo ndon . Fo r a lth o ugh sh e may have gue ssed th a t
I sen t th e bouque t , because o f a ce r ta in a rran geme n t o f th e flowe rs,
sh e co uld n o t kn ow th at I h ad come back to England. W e m e t by
a ccide n t, a t th e do o r of th e h ouse in whi ch I l odge .
”
Oi cour se ; I m igh t h ave kn own my dar lin g would n eve r h ave
co nce a le d your m e e ting . But I have b e en away all day, an d h ave
n o t seen h e r since mo rn in g . A n d n ow, Paul , wh at about yourse lf
Wh at h ave you be e n do ing A r e you ge ttin g o n in your pro fessio n
I h ave made n o way, Sir Eustace . I h ave pa in ted fo r my dai ly
b r ead . Wh e n I h ad e n ough fo r th at, I idled and spen t th e m on ey I
e arn ed.
W e ll, we ll , you must turn o ve r a n ew le af. Y ou h ave sown
your wild o ats . Now you must b e g in to wo rk se r iously.
”
I am de te rmin ed to do ao ,”answe r ed Paul, decidedly. A nd
n ow, Sir Eustace , I h ave a r equest to mak e . Y ou on ce o ffer ed m e
a n all owan ce ; I r efused it wi th sco rn ,be cause since I could n o t h ave
your m ost pr e cious j ewe l, I would h ave n o thin g . I would n ow ask
you to give m e th a t h e lp, un le ss you h ave lost all fa ith in me,an d
h ave ce ased to tak e an in te r est in m e and my car e e r .
My de ar Paul , fo r ye ars you we r e dear to m e as a son , an d,un ti l th at unh appy quarr e l , I n eve r r ece ived a rude wo rd from you ;
you n ow r e tur n suin g fo r pardon , and I g ran t it, wh o lly and en tire ly.
Fr om thi s h our we ar e fr ie nds again . Th e th r e e hundr ed a year I
a llowe d you wh en in Rom e h as be e n duly paid in to th e Un io n Bank fo r
you e ve r since th at day wh en I fir st m en tion ed it to you. Sand fo r
your bank-bo ok , and you will doubtless find you h ave a goodly
ba lan ce to your n am e .
”
Paul was spe ech less fr om emotion , and hi s eyes we r e we t and
sh in ing as h e raised th em grate fully to h is ben efacto r’s face .
Y ou ar e go od, to o go od,” h e stamme r ed at last. How sh al l I
sh ow my gratitude 1
By wo rk ing h ard, and mak in g a n ame fo r yourse lf . Le t m e
466 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
m o re cultivate d th an I, sh e h as g rown to lo ve m e , th e frie n d of h e r
youth . I came h e re this e ve n in g r e so lve d to te ll you al l ; th e r e sh a ll
be n o th ing de ce itful in my co nduct.”
Th e n you m e an to te ll m e
Paul’
s eye s sh on e r adian tly, h e sto od proudly e re ct, and sh o o k
back th e fair h a ir from h is browwith a ge stur e o f de l igh t.
Th at Sylvia lo ve s me Y e s. th an k G od, I am sure o f it.
Th e o ld man sank in to a ch air , and cove ring his face with h is
h an ds , murmur ed sadly
Oh , my dar lin g , h as it come to this Has it come to th isBut pr e se n tly h e rose up, and go ing clo se to th e young ar tist ,
lo ok ed at h im anxiously.
Pau h e said, in tr embling acce n ts, your words ar e a
r eve latio n to me , and ch ang e all my ide as. I th o ugh t my Sylvia wa s
a ch ild still . A nd n ow, as I remembe r many th in gs she h as said,
m any expr e ssion s o f h e r love ly face , I kn ow yo u a r e r igh t . Sh e is
a woman . Po o r dar ling ! G od k e ep h e r from sor row.
"
Sir Eustace , cried Paul passio n ate ly, you do n o t th ink I coul d
ever brin g so rr ow to my love Y ou can n o t—yo umust n o t say ao .
Paul ,”cr ied th e o ldman so lemnly, are youwo r thyP Has your
life b e en o n e to mak e you wo r thy to l ift your eye s to a girl so n oble ,
so pur e and h o ly, as my Sylvia
No . to my sh ame , I own it . It h as n ot .
Th e n , h ow can you expect me to we lcome you as h e r h usban d
I um spe ak in g to you n ow as I would spe ak to any o th e r man , we re
h e o f th e n oble st in th e la nd. Bir th , r ich e s, h o n ours a re l ittle va lue
compar ed to th at of an uprigh t , a spo tless ch ar acte r . A nd to no o n e
livin g sh all I g ive my dar lin g till h e h as proved beyo nd doubt tha t
h is l ife is h on ourable in eve ry way.
”
Sir Eustace , you ar e r igh t,”said Paul with hum ility. I bow to
your de cr e e . But I ask you h on e stly to te ll me wh at your decision
is. If I work h ard, if from th is h our I l e ad a life of industry, if mylabours are cr own ed no t, pe rh aps, with wo rld-wide fame , but with a
fair amoun t o f success, and at th e end o f this ye a r I come to you, and
yo u find th at Sylvia still love s m e , will you th e n e ncour ag e m e to
h ope to win h e r as my wife‘
1’
Th e o ld man to ok his hand, and lo oked straigh t into h is face .
I beh ave you are in earn e st, Paul ,” h e said. G o d g ran t you
all po ssible succe ss. Eve ryth ing tha t I can do to h e lp you in yo ur
pro fe ssion sh all be do n e . A t th e e nd o f th e ye ar , pe rh aps b efor e , you
sh all h ave a mor e defin ite an swe r . But leave Sylvia to me . Do n o t
se ek to se e h er . Le ave h e r fre e , and—we ll , we sh al l se e .
”
Th e n I may h Ope , cr ied Paul , with quiver in g lips. Oh , Sir
Ma rtyrs. 467
Eustace , I sh a ll n ow work n igh t a nd day. No toi l sh all tire me , n o
labour se em to h ard. A ye ar will appe ar a s a m on th
Do n ot le t your e n th usiasm m isle ad you, Paul. Many th ings
may happen in a. ye ar . Be fo re th at time ms on , Sylvi a’s fa th e r ,
re turns. . I may th e n h ave n o powe r ove r my da rlin g’
s life . He mayh ave o th e r vi ews, o th e r ide as fo r h is daugh te r
'
s future .
True , but you will spe ak kindly o f me , th ink kindly o f :me,
promise me th at, Sir Eustace .
”
I promise .
(1 5he continued. )
M A R TYR 8 .
To Ha r tm an oamh'
datm laudatjez eroc'
tm .
ASHIMMERING hand all fair and wh ite ,
Nearest th e Thr o n e’s impe r ial ligh t,
Th ey stand, th e purified and blest,
On e very br ow th e Martyr’s cr e st.
Th ro ugh seas of trouble and distress,
Th rough pain and wan t and wearin ess,
Thr ough pe rse cutio n , fire and flame ,
Th rough blo od and ago ny, th ey came ,
Reviled and sco rn ed, in gr ie f an d wo e ,Fe ar less and brave , th ey m e t th e fo e ,Fresh str e n gth r e ce iving eve ry h our
To wre stle with th e Tempte r’s power
A nd n ow. th e ir weary warfar e past ,Befo r e th e Thr on e th e ir cr owns th ey cast,Th e ir vo ices jo in th e ange lic so ng ,A pur ified and h o ly thr o ng .
II.
A nd ar e th e days o f Martyrs o’e r
Do es Satan tempt frai l man n o more
A re our po or lives so fr e e from
Tha t n ough t impur e can en te r in
We kn ow our fa ith may n ot re quireTo test its strn th by th ong or fir e
468 The Ir ish Month ly.
But are we n ear er , Lord, to Th e e ,Or n ear e r lon e G e thseman e
A r e th e re n o passio ns to be stilled,
No empty mom e n ts to be filled,
No ch e r ish ed wish to be de n i ed,
Er e we can r each Thy r iven Side
A pe n an ce lon g e ach life must be ,
A n d blo od-stain ed e ve ry step to Th e e ;
A xto rtur ed se lf e ach must e ndur e
Th e h eaven ly pardon to se cur e .
Th en , wh e n e arth ’s pilgr image is o
’e r ,
An d we h ave r e ach ed th e an n lit sh o r e ,
G ran t, Lord, th at we may j o in th e so ng ,A nd praise Th e e with th e wh ite
-ro bed th ro ng .
S . B .
THE SEBA PH OF A SSISI .
IWILL ask you, dear reader , to
.go wi th me for a few
momen ts to that sunny land, th e h ome o f sain ts, the ce n tr e
o f Catho licity, and witn e ss in fan cy a strang e spectacle in th ese
days o f unfaith and in justioe . Betwe e n th e A pe nn in es, that lift
th e ir co ld crests high in to th e ever blue air , and the sunny plains
far ben eath th em that kn ow n o win te r , th ere is many a de licious
val ley wh ere Natur e , exhausted n eith e r by excessive co ld n or h e at,
but in vigorate d by temper ed bre ez e s, brin gs forth all its we alth of
fruit and its pomp of flowe r , and wh ere on e would imagin e me n
would n ever think of Heave n at all, so pe rfect is th e paradise
around th em . By in th e most beautiful of th ese rich valleys 1 s
that which is ca lled th e Umbrian ; and cre sting th e Umbrianvalley, looking down upon and crown ing all its beauty, is the cityof A ssisi . A nd, this warm summe r day, is it a jubil e s pagean tthat stirs th e ancien t cityP Is it some worldly fe ast of king o r
emperor , or some political triumph , that brings from e ve ry part o f
Italy th ose sun -brown ed, dust-stain ed, trave l wearied pilgrims,
who throng every square and str e et of th e city, and wh o linge r
470 The Ir ish Month ly.
Maste r . But th ere are just th re e sce n es in his life which r ivet our
atten tion , and make na wonder at th e sin gular grace s which flowed
from th e h and of G od upon our Sain t, an dwh ich made h im so holy ,
so perfect, so sublime , that th e pe ople called him another Chr ist,
and be lieved that th e happy days o f gospe l histo ry h ad come back
It is his n ative town . Fran cis, th e son o fPica and Bernardon e ,
has been kn own as th e gayest and h andsomest youth amongst h is
e quals in so cial standing . He h as th e pleasan test face , and th e
swe e test vo ice , and th e most agre e able man n ers o f all th e youngmen of th e place . He dre sse s sumptuously ; an d at th e ir reve ls h e
ho lds th e place o f maste r , and all obey him . Sudde nly h e r etire s
from A ssisi , gon e n o on e kn ows wh ith er , and th en as sudde nly
re appears in his n ative stre e ts. But h ow ch anged ! That br1ght ,
handsome face 1 s grave , and wo rn an d disfigure d ; that exquisiteraimen t is replaced with rags ; tatte red and waywom as on e wh o
has come from a long journ ey, Fran cis move s slowly along th e
pavemen t of th e stre e ts. A nd h e has come from a long journ ey !He has passed from Egypt in to Israe l , h e has gon e out fr om the
world of men in to th e compauy o f Jesus Christ ; h e h as stepped
fr om rich es in to th e de epest pove rty, and commen ced his life longjourn ey in th e pain ful steps o f his Divin e Maste r . His eyes have
been illumin ed by th e Spiri t o f G od, and his heart has be en
touch ed by th e grace o f his Saviour , and h e has se en th e wor ld and
its supreme follies by th e ligh t that falls from Heaven abo ve , byth e lurid ligh t th at shin es from He ll be low ; and h e has abandon ed
all things to find h is G od, and h e has embraced as h is spouse and
Que e n that h o ly Poverty which Ch r ist, our good Maste r , cam e
down from Heaven to embrace , and which He raised up, san ctifiedand enn obled by His Life and Passion and Death .
But what do th e people of A ssisi th ink of h im 7 We ll, th e
pe ople o f A ssisi were like th e pe ople of to -day, and every day ;
and th ey came to th e ir doo rs, and h oo ted him through th e ir str e ets,
and ca lled him by that n am e it is so painhfl to me n to h ear—theycalled him Thou fo o l l
Francis a foo l . Y es, but th e days m gcomin g wh en G od willprove that h is fo lly 1 8 th e wisdom of th e Cross. Hands a foo l .
Y es, but a little while , and h e will appear to th e Pon tifi in h is
dr eams as a pillar of th e Church . Hano i: a foo l I But th ere
will spring from his in spirations and h is praye rs gen erations o f
The Se raph of A ssisi . 47 1
m en who will carry th e fir e of th e love of G od, and cast it over
the en tire surface of th e earth ; wh o will break down h e re sies, and
e xtend to r emotest lands th e empire of Je sus Ch rist. F rancis
a fool Y es, but lo ng ce nturie s afte r th is pe ople shall h ave passed
away, temples will sprin g to his name , th ousands will be clad in
imitation of h im , that rough brown h abit will be th e favour ite
fashion in th e Church of G od. F rancis a foo l Y es, but when
G od’
s good time go es by, this fair land o f Italy will be cove red
wi th mon aste ries and conven ts whe re his ch ildren will dwe ll ; ando n th e sunburn t plain s of Spain , and amongst th e vineyards of
France , and by th e Ir ish rivers, and far away wh ere th e warm
Pacific Oce an wash e s th e distant sh ores of A mer ica , the praises of
th e G odwh om h e loved so te nde rly will be chan ted by th ousands
from th e cho irs of church e s built in h is,
h on our,and by th e lips
of men and wome n wh o are fighting th e good fight under his
g uidance an d in h is h oly n ame . Francis a foo l But h e re around
A ssisi will ye t be gath ered th e grande st sch o o l o f artists that
Chr isten dom eve r produced ; and h o ly m en , in th e pause s of th e ir
prayers, will take up brush and pen cil and pain t Crucifixions that
will make strong men weep, and Madonn as so pur e and pe rico
that A nge ls al one could dre am th em ; and in th e far -o if ages
that is, in th is our day—Pro testan ts, and even infide ls, will l inger
in Umbria for on e purpose alon e—to reve re th e m emo ry o f our
Sain t, an d to study th e marve llous works that have come from th e
h ands o f th ose on wh ose souls his in spiratio ns fe ll , wh o embraced
the same pove rty that made him in th e eye s o f th e world a foo l ,
a nd that same simplicity wh ich made him in th e eyes of G od a.
What a lesso n for us is h ere ! In this n o isy, turbule n t life of
o urs, with our passionate straining afte r pleasur e , and power , and
gaiety, h ow reproachh l is this example of St. Francis, ch e erfully
g iving up all th ese th’nge , and embracing th e rough , hard way of
th e Cross, de termin ed to carry it through step by step, afte r his
Divin e Master , to th e e nd ! A n d in th is hard, mon ey-seekin g ,
ambitious life of our s, wh e n Mammon once more has been se t up
in the marke t-place as th e idol of men , wh en th e h eaping-up of
mon ey has become th e busin e ss, and th e only busin ess of th e world,
and wh e n eve n th e just wh o strive to be pe rfect are carried away in
the curren t of fashion , and strain eve ryfibre of th e h eart for go ld, and
are miserable and disquie ted at th e slighte st re vere e , what a divin e
472 The Ir ish Monthly.
commen t on th e ir madn ess is St. Francis,standin g with outstre tched
arms, begging at th e do ors of th e churche s in Rome , and walkingth e stre ets of A ssisi 1 n his rags ! A n d, to th is proud haugh ty ,
in te llectual gen e ration o f ours, pufied up with th e wisdom that i s
n ot un to e tern al life , wh at a rebuke is th e di vin e simplicity o f our
Sain t, wh o was th e fath er in the h ands of G od o f a spiritual
race , before wh ose handiwo rk , an cie n t as it is, th e proudest
in te llects of to -day are fain to fall down and worship.
II.
Th e n ext scen e , dear reade r , I h ave to showyou is on e that has
be en famil iar to you from ch ildh o od. Fran cis, th e gay, th e
worldly young man , has become tran sformed in to th e mask an d
lowly child of G od ; an d,h aving o nce given himse lf to G od, he is
de termin ed to go on with swift str ide s in to pe rfect commun icatio n
with his Master . He go es out, then , from th e socie ty of men
altoge th er , h e wan ts to be alon e with G od. He n e eds silen ce andso litude to strength en him , and th e immediate presen ce of th e
Divin ity to san ctify h im still more . It can n ot be had down h ere
amongst th e busy haunts of me n ; but th er e are th e blue moun tains
risin g above him and afar off ; and in th e ir re cesses th e voice of
man has n e ver be en heard , only th e scr eams of th e e agles, and the
music of th e wate rfa lls and sometim e s G od’s majesty descends
upon th em ve iled in clouds, as it descended on th e Lawgiver on
Sin ai ; an d Fran cis think 3 h e will go up th tre , and, alon e with
G od in prayer , h e will try to come n earer and n eare r to h is Maker ,
and, perhaps, see behind that awful ve il that has dropped down
be for e th e eyes of us poo r mortals, lest we sh ould be blinded
with th e effulge n ce that str eams from th e great white thro n e ,
o r appalled at th e awf11 1 mysteries that lie concealed behin d it .
A n d ao , as our Blessed Se vicar took with Him Pe te r and Jm as
and John wh en goin g up th e moun tain for his Transfiguration ,
our Sain t take s with him thr e e disciples, and,afte r a weary journ eyof many days, h e ascends his Calvary
— the h oly moun tain , th escen e o f so much auste rity an d pain , of so much miracle and
and mystery. Th e landscape is on e that it very un like what h e
has be en accustomed to from his ch ildhood. Instead of rich
valleys and fertile plain s, h e se e s a black andgloomymoun tain , a
picture of de so lation , and th e so litude of it isfri ghtful . Th ere are
dange rous precipices by th e way, and caverns wh ere the wild
474 1 710 Ir ish Month ly.
affectionate compassion in to Him , wh o by an excess of char ity has
wish ed to be crucified for na,sudden ly saw on e of th e Se raph im,
wh o sh ot down from Heave n towards him with th e swiftn ess o f
ligh t. A n d, as h e appro ach ed, th e sain t saw that h e h ad six win gs,sh in ing with th e brillian cy o f fire , two raised above his h ead, two
extended, an d be twe en th ese two a figur e o f th e Crucifixio n , wh ich
was partly ve iled by th e o th e r win gs. Se e in g th is won derful
vision , Fran cis was surprised . It was familia r to h im ,for day by
day h e had ben t ove r h is crucifix and studied eve ry wound, e ve ryin th e body ofHis Divin e Maste r ; but fan cy can n eve r pain t
th e re ality, and n ow Fran cis saw th e very figure o n which Johnand Magdalen h ad lo oked on Calvary, and th e contemplation of
wh ich was th e sharp sword wh ich pierced th e h e art of th e Blessed
Moth er . Th e white body o f our Rede emer was be fore h im ,
darken ed h ere and th ere by th e crue l scourge ; th e head was th e re .
ben t unde r its royal crown o f th orn s ; th e gaping wound in his
side was th e re , from wh ich flowed blood and wate r un to th e
h e aling of th e n ation s ; and, abo ve all , the gen tle , but oh ! sorrow
ful and anguish ed face was th e re , lo oking down at h im with
pitying eyes ; and, th ough th e lips n ever spoke a word, th e m erci
ful eyes made kn own to th e kn e e ling saint things which n o ton gue
may reve al . Th e vision van ish ed ; th e Saint re turn ed to himse lf
again ; but 10 ! the Passion h as le ft its mark upon h im, for h e re in
his own hands and in h is sandaled fee t are th e marks o f the n ail s,
and Fran cis kn ows that h e to o is crucified, n ot by th e hands o f
m en , but by th e love o f G od h imse lf.
0 wo nderful Passio n o f our Lo rd Jesus Christ ! 0 Book o f
al l th e sain ts ! 0 mystery o f all myste ries ! Th ere we can r ead
th e love of G od that is in compre h eusible . Th ere we can re ad th e
m alice of sin wh ich is indefin ite . Th ere we can r ead the me an ingo f th ose things which puz z le na so much
—G od ’s justice and man
’s
in iquity. Th e re , above all , can we read th e n ature an d th e malice ,
th e shame and th e crime , o f th ose sin s which we ourse lves have
committed 1 n our chi ldh ood, in our manh ood, in our o ld age—sin s
coun tless ln th e ir hide ous sum , sin s that mocked G od by th e cool
n ess with which th ey we re committed, sins that lay ligh tly upon n a
as th e down upon a fe ath er , and we we n t on. our way h eadl ess'
and
th oughtless, n o t carin g that eve ry sin ful th ought was a th orn in
th e brow of Jesus, and eve ry sin ful de sir e a lash on the te nder
flesh of Jesus, and e very sin ful word was.
a pain to the heart o f
1 7m Seraph of A ssisi . 475
Je sus, and every sin ful de ed was a blow th at drove the n ails
d e epe r and de epe r th rough th e h ands and fe e t of Jcan s, and
fasten ed Him on th e cross, as Fran cis saw Him,tortured, pain
str icken , dying of th e wounds inflicted by us and His own dear
Love .
Oh , if G od would on ly open our eye s to se e th e th ings that
Fran cis saw in hi s vision ; if G od would only touch our stonyh earts to unde rstand th e anguish an d th e de se latio n and th e pain
o f Chr ist in His agony ; if G od would on ly teach na th e unutter
a ble love of His dyingSon for e very soul th at was purchased by
th e Precious Blood wh mh fe ll upon th e gre en grass o f G e thsemani
and Calvary, we would n ot indeed fe e l th e sacred stigmata as
Fran cis fe lt th em , but we would pray G od to give na back th ose
years that we sen t in to e tern ity lade n with our sins ; or rath er , as
th ose ye ars cann ot be re cal led, we would beg o f G od grace and
str ength to make th e time that remain s a. time of reparation ,
devo ted to th e faithful service o f our crucified Master . May such
a vision come to na before we die , and with it th e grace to under
stand its ful l mean ing !
III.
Y es, th e past is irre vocable . Each go lde n day rose from
e te rn ity, and passed into etern ity again , laden with our good or
e vil de eds, and is n ot to be summon ed back by any reward. Each
g o lde n day was a le af in th e Book o f Life , writte n in black and
wh ite , which our go od ange l turn ed ove r and sea led down , n ot to
be open ed again till th e day of fin al judgme nt. But th e future is
o ur possession , to make o r mar , for be tter , for worse , and th e
pressing question is, how shall we use it for G od’
s glory and our
own salvation . We ll , the lit9 of every sain t is a track of ligh t,
which , if we follow, we shall come to th e dawn ing of e te rn al day.
Th e life of th e humble st se rvant of G od is a G ospe l, con tain ingmany an d many a lesson of wisdom un to perfect san ctity an d
ho lin ess. A n d th e life of such a sain t as St. Francis is so h oly, so
wise , so sublime , th at we may po nder ove r it e ve ry day of our
lives, and ye t find n ew marve ls o f san ctity, n ew myster ie s of G od’s
o nin ipotent love .
Y et h ere I can fancy som e o n e saying : But St. Francis lived
seven cen turie s ago , and th e wo rld has advanced in many ways
since th en. Don’t you think that th e age of evange lical virtues,
476 The Ir ish Month ly.
th e age of myste ri es and miracles, o f supe rnatur al visions and
supe rn atural auster ities, is gon e for ever Don’t you th ink the
example o f a more mode rn , and le ss ecstatic sain t, would be tter
me e t th e exigencies of our time Y es, certain ly, if G od had
come to terms with th e world ! Y es, it a truce had be e n made
betwe en sin and grace ! Y e s, if G od had revisedHis G ospe l, andexpunged from it th ose terrible things wh ich His D ivin e So n hadsaid against th e world I cam e n o t to br in g pe ace , but th e
swo rd.
”Y es ! if there were n ot at this mome n t a terrible conflict
rag ing above us, and around na, and within na, betwe en G od and
Satan , good and evil , ligh t and darkn ess, virtue and vice , sin and
grace , Ch rist and Be lial . But we are e ngaged in such a figh t ;
and, as so ldiers go ing to battle fortify th emse lves by tales of high
valour and victory exhibited and won by those who are go n e before
th em , so we , by reading th e virtues of our sain t, may strength e n
A nd, stran ge to say, in th is age of progre ss and education , in
this age of mammon and ungodlin e ss, in this age of infidelity,
wh e n G od is ign ored and r e ligion de spised, th e re is a fascin atio n
about th e life o f St. Francis, wh ich even fr e e th inkers cann ot resist .
It is a roman ce of simplicity, o f humility, of charity, that will be
re ad with ple asure cen turies after we , I h ope , shall have see n th e
Sain t in Heave n . His love of Nature and of this wonderful wo rld,his love of everything that G od had made , because th e hand o f
G od had touch ed it, is in expressibly beautiful . He was a ch ild in
th e picture gallery of G od, and eve ry day open ed to him fre sh
reve lation s of his Fath er’s mercy, and his Fathe r
’
s power . Th e
firmamen t flocked with clouds , or blaz in g with stars, was th e open
Book of Omn ipote nce . Th e ear th , so varied and beautiful, was
his home wh ich h is Fath er had made and decorated for His child .
The winds were to him a swe e t psalmody ; and th e h oarse roar o f
th e ocean was a vo ice from e te rn ity. Th e flowerswe re be autiful in
his eyes, for G od had pain ted them . No wonder th ey bowed th e ir
love ly h eads to him as h e passed. A nd th e dumb beasts, wh om h e
call ed his broth e rs and siste rs, cam e to him, as th ey came to th e
martyrs in th e Roman amphith eatr e , and fawn ed upon him , and
th e birds san g with him th e praises of the ir Make r, I kn ow
no th ing half so beautiful in all th e legends of the sain ts as th at
story of St. Fra ncis, who , afte r th e evenin g vespers in th e ch oir ,
47s The Ir ish Month ly.
some h e avenlymeditation , for th e momen t when h e , like his Lo rd,and with h is Lord, sh all ar ise again .
”
For us, however , his life has a de epe r lesson . It is a perfect
fo llowing o f Chr ist. Take th e h o ly gospe ls ; and min d, th e h o ly
go spe ls are n ot obsole te or an tiquated. The gospel teachings are
as true to -day as wh en Christ spoke his wo rds o f wisdom by th e
sea of G alile e , or on th e moun tain . By th e go spe ls we sha ll be
judged Take the h oly gospels, and place side by side with th emth e life of our Sain t, and you will find that eve ry th ough t, an d
word, and de ed, of h is life corre spond with th e ir high te ach ing .
Contempt fo r eve rything th at do es n ot lead to G od—th ere is th eon e great maxim of his l ife . Sacrifice of eve rything that kept
him from G od—th ere was h is on e gre at practice . Hatr ed o f th e
world that h ates G od—h ere was on e great passion . The complete
crush ing o f every sin ful inclin ation—h er e was his pe rpe tual study .
To spre ad in eve ry soul love fo r h is Divin e Maste r—h ere was h isdaily task . To save sinn e rs—h e re was his on e ambiti on . To be
crucified with Christ —h ere was his glory, as with St. Paul . Oh 1
how th at blessed figure rises up be fore n a, pe rpe tually rebuking our
co ldn ess, our sen suality, our pride . 0 h ! may G od gran t that,
as Christ put th e marks ofHis own de ar wounds in th e body of
our Saint, so our holy Fath er would print upon our souls some
fain t image of His own gre at san ctity. If we cann ot embrace
h is absolute poverty, le t us love it at least in spirit, for ble ssed are
th e poor in spiri t. L et n a practise it by h on ouring , loving and
ve n erating th e poor , wh o are th e spe cial friends of G od. We
cann o t practise h is awful austerities ; but h ere are passions to be
daily kept under , h e re are mortifications to be daily e ndured, h ere
are crosse s to be daily born e . Eve ry soul has its own cross ; let
it bear it me ekly for th e love of G od and St. Fran cis. We are
not cal led to bear th e stigmata as our Sa in t ; but if we are faithful
to Christ, we h ave a daily martyrdom to endur e in th e struggle
with th e world and ourse lves, and that martyrdom will le ave its
scars and wounds upon a s th at will be to na a glo ry h ere afte r , as
will n ot be se n t to na—ange ls will n ot visit na —Chr ist will n otappear to na—what do I say P I um wrong
—quite wrong .
For soon , ve ry soon , fo r man’s life is but a vapour that
appe are th fo r a little time , that strange re ve lation will be made
to us wh ich is made to every ch ild of A dam . Soon , very soo n ,
Seraph of A ssisi . 479
for man’s life is but a dream o f him that awake th from sleep,
th e ve il will be lifted, and, in a sile n ce unbroke n by th e levity of
me n , each lon e ly soul in turn shall find itse lf face to face with
th e Son of Man . Th e dre am o f our life is re alised. Th ere is th e
sile nt and gen tle Jesus wh om we h ave kn own . Th e wounds are
in His h ands and fee t and side , as th e se raphic Francis saw th em ,
be twe en th e wings of th e se raph on th e mountain . His eye s are
lookin g in to ours, scann in g every featur e of our souls to se e if we
are kn own to Him . Oh ! wh at a fe arful th ing it will for us if
Je sus does n o t re cognise us th en ! ii , se e ing in our souls on ly th e
marks of our pride and sensuality, th e smile di e s from His face,
His h ands are str e tch ed to repe l n a if icy an d co ld and te rrible
th e words come from His sacred lips : A m e n , I say to you, I
n eve r kn ew you. But h appy, thrice happy, is th is oth er soul !
A s th e moth er lingers over eve ry lin eame nt in th e face of h er longlost ch ild, so do th e eye s of Jesus lin ger ove r th e fe ature s of th e
soul th at has loved Him . He knows th em we ll ! He has see n
th em at th e m orn ing Mass, at th e even in g ,devotions. He has
se en in th e twiligh t, wh en , un se e n by me n , that soul cr ept into
th e darkn e ss o f His temple , and, in lon e lin ess and so rrow, prayed
to Him in His Tabe rn a cle . A nd, n ow,it is all over ! Th e win te r
is past ; th e rain is ove r and gon e th e flowers have appeared in
our land ; arise , make h aste , my love , and A nd Je suastre tch es forth th e stron g arm o f His Omn ipo ten ce , and ge n tlylifts it over the dark str eam of dea th , an d places it in th e e tern al
ligh t th at glitters round Hi s Thron e . That such a vision may
come on e day to us, may our h o ly a cis pray, th at Christ may
gran t !
P. A . SHEBHA N .
480 The Ifi sh Monthly.
MEMBERS OF THE CONGREGATION.
0 beautiful sunbeam, straying
In th rough th e wide church doo r ,
I wish I was with you, playingDown th er e on th e coo l ston e floo r .
Fo r I um so tired o f sitting
Uprigh t and stifi an d still ,
A nd you, you go dancin g , flittin gG a ily, wh ere ve r you will ;
A nd you’ve n othin g to do but gliste n ,
A nd n o on e is eve r vexe d
Be cause you forg e t to l iste n ,
Or can’t r emembe r th e text .
Dear sunbeam, I’m ponder ing , pondering
We re th ey fast asle ep, th e flowe rs,
Wh en you came o n your brigh t wings wanderingTo e arth in th e mo rning h ours
A nd wh e r e have you sin ce be e n roamin gTh e long, long h o t day thro ugh
Will you we lcome th e purple gloamin gTh at m eans go in g h ome to you
Have you been to th e r ive r , I wonder?Th e river shinin g an d wide ,
Did you se e th e big da isies bobbing?Wer e th e spe edwe lls lik e bits of sky?
Did you h e ar th e sad grasses sobbingWh e n ever th e wind wen t by
Dear sun beam, I’ll be so lon e ly
Wh en you h ave go n e quite away,A nd even n ow you are o n lyA fain t go ld splash on th e grey.
A h ! at last th e sermo n is over ;
I kn ow th e text G od is Light .”
Wait a minute , sun beam , you r over ,
A nd let -me bid you G ood-n ight .
482 The Ir ish Month ly.
stand-o ii air in h er be ar ing towards}her humbler n e ighbour s.
A n d so sh e wen t h er way undisturbed by the criticism th at n eve r
reach ed h er e ars. The cr itics, too , after a whi le grew tired of dis
cussing h e r . Soon , h owever , th ey be gan to whisper again , and in
truth this timo th ey had something to whispor about .
He r own girl, Mary Malo n e , tould it to me ,”asserted on e o f
th e whisperers, Mrs. Daly, wh en doubt was cast upon th e tale .
It’s little time sh e h as for gosth erin
’
, th en ,”
said th e
Wh o ’s that asked a n ewcomer who had h eard th e last
words.
Why, Mary Malon e , Mrs. Dunn e’
s girl , was th e answe r .
K itty, bring out a creepy h er e . Sit down a while , Cath erin e . I
didn’t lay eyes on ye this mon th 0
’
Sundays.
”
Th e first speakers were seated on a ston e bench outside Mrs.
Daly’
s h ouse—an unmann e rly h ouse that turn ed its back to th e
village and its gable to th e road,and ye t chival ric in th at it
secur ed th e tr io at its fron t door from obtrusive passe rs-by.
Did you h ear what happen ed th em beyan t, Cath eri n e
in quir ed Mrs. Daly, wh en Cath er in e had se ated h erse lf comfort
Th e Lord take care of n a all, e jaculated h er first co nfidan te .
Th e ould man’s n ot dead, sur e ly,
”said Cath erin e , lo oking
from on e to th e oth e r .
Whish t ! No I’
ll te ll ye every word iv it, but do n’
t spake
iv it again , for fear it’ud do harm to Mary, poo r girl . We ll , the
night iv th e fair iv Drum Mat wasn’t h ome till late , and
, iv
coorse , th ere wor th ings for Mary to do afth er h im , an’the
misthress wen t to bed. She was afth e r hangin’up a mug on th e
dhresse r an’was turnin
’roun
’to rake th e fire , wh en G od
take care of us muttemd Rosie ;“ A men ! answered Cath e rin e]
what did sh e se e sittin’at th e fir e but a beauti ful young girl ,
with fair hair , all wavy, hangin’about h e r , and h e r h ead down on
h er hand, sorrowful- like . Mary turn ed an’run to bed as quick as
e ve r sh e could.
’
No wondh er , said Rosie , while Cathe rin e cro ssed h erse lf.
Y ou may well say it,”said Mrs. Duly. We ll , to make a
long sto ry sh ort, Mary tould what sh e se en the n ext day, and th e
o uld man gev ordh e rs that th e fir e was n ever to be tuk down at
n igh t, an’that there was always a good fire to be left.
1 11 11 73 Duh ne’
s Ca rs. 483
Such was th e story th at was wh ispe red about for a wh ile , and
talked of louder wh en Mary le ft Dunn e’
s at th e end of h e r half
year . Th e n ew girl came , and soon h eard th e sto ry, an d, more
over , added a sequel to it. She h ad got n o dire ctions about
leaving on a go od fire , and, in fact, it was raked eve ry n ight justas usual . Heads were shake n and looks exchanged at this in fo r
mation .
Throth , an’
sh e’d h ave just as much luck if sh e left th e bit 0 ’
fire , said on e .
A n’
if sh e wasn’t so tigh t about a ban
’ia l of male to a poo r
woman ,
”said an o th er .
Perhaps th e prophe ts we re right, for as time wen t o n h e avytr oubles came to th e Dunn e h ouseh o ld. Old Tom Dun n e died,but that was a long
-expected e ven t. Oth e r and so re , sore so rrow
came , stealin g from Mrs. Dunn e some of the good looks, and with
th em much of th e hardness that had accompan ied th em . He r
first ch ild had di ed just as it could laugh in h e r face and ca ll h e r
n ame . A nd of six oth ers e very on e had be e n sn atch ed, soo n er or
later , from h er clinging arms—e very on e except th e last. No
wonder sh e watched that on e n ight and day, and prayed, with h er
very h eart lookin g out of h er supplicating eyes, that h e might be
that had softe n ed th e on ce sh arp glances of those eyes ; weepingover so many little coffin s that had lesse ned th e hardness of th e
mouth ; speaking h eart-broken words of love to little sure that
would n eve r h earken to human vo ice again that had take n th e old
imperious harshn ess from vo ice and tongue . A n d, pe rhaps, it was
parting with so much that was pre cious that had open ed th e
n iggardly hand, nay th e n iggardly h e art, too , so that the platter
of meal, less stingy in measure than of o ld, was given with a
sympathy that was of itse lf a charity.
”
80‘
we n eed n ot be surprised that, wh en on e bitte r win ter’s
nigh t a po or woman with a ch ild in h er arms begged a sh e lter ,
Mrs. Dun n e bade h er en te r with h earty eagern ess. Th e woman
se em ed wretch edly ill , aswe ll aswe t and co ld ; but th e child was so
strong and h ealthy, that Mrs. Dunn e , as sh e noti ced it, locked with
a sigh at h e r own puny boy.
Is it far n ow to Kn ockmore th e woman asked with a
Th ey to ld h er th e distance—many a day’s journ ey for a
484 The Ir ish Monthly.
I wish to G od I n ever left it, sh e said sorrowful ly. The n
in wo rds often in terrupted by a sh ort, sh arp cough , sh e to ld them
h ow sh e h ad married a so ldier a few ye ars be fo re .
Two ye ars ago , an’I was on
’
y a slip th en , for all I look o ld
n ow—I won’t be lon g in it. If I could struggle h ome an
’lay
little Mary with h e r grandfath e r , I wouldn’t care h ow so o n th e
Lord ’id take m e .
”
Sh e spoke in a loud, mon oton ous vo ice , h e r dry eyes gazing at
th e h t e , as if to o we ary even to we ep.
That n igh t Bri gid waken ed with a loud m oan in g soundingh er e ars. He r first th ough t was o f h er boy, but h e was sle epin g
calmly. Sh e liste n ed, and fin ding th e sound cam e fr om th e
kitch en , hasten ed th er e . Th e poor woman lay by th e fir e wh e r e
th ey h ad given h e r a bed of straw,and a co ve rle t. Sh e was gasp
ing fo r breath , and calling pite ously be twe e n every spasm for a
priest, a pr ie s Br igid saw th at sh e was dying , and h ad soon
de spatch ed Mat for th e priest . Sh e laid th e fr ighte n ed ch ild in
h er own warm bed, and th e n sh e and th e gir l kn e lt by the dyin gwoman , giving h er wh at smal l re lief th ey could, and saying Rosaryafte r Ro sary th at th e priest migh t overtake h e r .
”
He was only in time , and wh e n th e n ew day dawn ed sh e had
laid down th e burde n that had be en too h eavy fo r h e r to bear .
Sh e couldn’t bear th e on e death , eu
’th e little poverty, eu
’
sh e havin’th e child,
”th ough t Mrs. Dunn e wonder ingly, with h er
own tro ubles in mind.
Th e strange woman had n ot to ld h er n ame , and Kn ockm ore
was very distan t, so th ey buried h e r in th e ir own litttle churchyard.
Mat,”sai d his wife , whe n th e fun eral was ove r , and thin gs
put to r igh ts, wh at do you think about th e ch ild
Throth I don’
t kn ow,
”said Mat, discon so late ly. I suppose
Fath e r Byrn e id write an’ax about th e grandfath e r .
But,
”broke in his wife , we don
’t kn ow any n ame .
If th ere’
s n othin e lse fo r it th en , I suppose it must go to
th e workh ouse .
” He said it unwillingly en ough . That was th e
A n e ighbour wh o h ad taken care of th e ch ild all th e morn ing ,
came in with it n ow in h er arms.
Th ank ye , Mrs. M‘Cartn ey, said Brigid. I’ll take h e r
n ow.
Se e in g sh e h ad broke n in on a domestic conclave ,Mrs.M‘Cartney
discre e tly withdrew.
486 The Ir ish Month ly.
G od, wh om sh e h ad prayed for with such in te nsity o f ye arn ing in
th e early days, and wept ove r with such h eart-wrung te ars, when
at last sh e gave in to his affli ction .
So on e n igh t wh en Mike was gon e to bed, and everyth ingready for th e n igh t, sh e called Mary to h er , an d told h er of th e
plan sh e had formed in h er own min d.
Th ere’s n ot on e for th e place wh e n I
’
m gon e , sh e said,
but h imse lf ; and wh o’
ll take care o f him What’ll become of
Th e words were few, and in th emse lves cold en ough , but all
th e anguish of h er h eart was in h e r vo ice , and Mary, mute up to
this with astonishment, and rath e r in clin ed to be indignan t, was
touch ed for the momen t. But, was it to be all h im—wh at abouther P We alth sh e would have to be sure , but who was to repay
h e r th e care sh e was to bestow o n him?His face is like a picture ,
”sh e said, con tinuing h e r thinking ,
but speaking aloud n ow, and I wouldn’t mind th e lam en e ss if
h e sh e stopped, she did n o t like to say th e word th at was on
h er lips to th e moth e r , wh o caught h er m e an ing , h owe ver , and
broke out bitte rly“ A n
’would I car e if h e had any sense at all?I took you in
wh en th e re was n o place for ye but th e workh ouse , an’I gave ye
sh e lte r eu’food eu
’clothin
’
, an’thrated ye like me own child, an
’
n ever cast it up to ye , an’n ow ye wouldn
’t do that much— ye
wouldn’t promise to take care iv me boy wh en I
’m gon e , th e way
I took care iv ye wh en ye had n o on e e lse . A n’wouldn
’
t ye
have th e wh ole place undh er ye Sur e h e could n eve r in th erfare .
”
So sh e con tinued , putting forth every argumen t she though t
could affect th e girl . Sh e was in part succe ssful . Mary’s pity for
th e moth er’s distr eu , h er gratitude , and th e advan tages that
would accrue to h er from th e pmposed un ion (for h er n orthe rnde sce n t made h er fully alive to th e latte r con sideration ) all might
h ave we igh ed down h er di shke to mar riage with a cripple and an
idiot, but for a certa in spice of Boh emian ism,a longing fo r vari e ty
in h e r , th at she must h ave inh e rited fr om h er so ldi er fath er , as sh e
did h e r in stin ct of thr ift from h er Ulste r mo th er . However that
might be , it h ad given h er h ours of discon te n t with th e samen ess
of her eve ry-day life , and fil led idle momen ts with gorgeous
vision s so dazz lin g th at on e could disce rn n o defin ite form . Such
vision s crowded. on h e r mind n ow, shape less as e ve r , but so br illian t
Mike Dunne’
s Cm 487
and glowing , that, thinkin g h ow acqui e scence would shut out th e
possibilities of th em from h e r life , she could only say in answe r to
Mrs. Dunn e , on e low-murmured I couldn’
t.”
Next day a n e ighbour came in, looking for some of Mrs.
Dunn e’
s famous hatching eggs.
Mike ’s n ot we ll P sh e said, in terrogative ly, n oticing th e
place be gen erally sat in empty.
N said Mary, laoon ically .
G od h elp h im , poo r boy said Mrs. M‘Cartn ey, oommise r
A s sh e to ok th e eggs from Mary, sh e saw that th e latte r h ad
be en crying .
Mrs. Dunn e’s hard to live wit
’
an odd time , sh e said. think
ing to co nso le Mary for some little sharpn ess on Mrs. Dunn e’
s
part, but don’
t fall out over a crassword, agrah .
”A nd she to ok
up h er eggs and departed .
A week passed, and th ose wh o had occasion to visit Dunn e’
s
farm remarked that Mike was n ot in h is usual se at. Mary eu
swer ed all n e ighbour ly enquiries about his h ealth rath e r shortly,
and if it we re th e gir l that was asked, she could only say sh e
didn’
t kn ow.
”But wh en an oth e r we ek came , and still n o sign of
Mike , pe ople began to grow shy o f making any remark about him
at th e te rm , th ough h is absence and Mary’
s curtn e ss began to form
subjects of conve rsation through the village . So on a piece o f
genuin e information gave th em food for something more than
surmises, or rath er it gave them a substan tial foundation for such
surmise s.0
Coming from Mass on Sunday mornin g , Mrs. M‘Cartn ey had
ca lled in to ask for Mik e . Dunn e’s girl was just in before h er ,
and Mary, with h e r hat on ready to go to th e later Mass in Drum
beg , was giving directions about th e dinn e r .
G od save ye l said Mrs. M‘Cartn ey.
G od save ye kindly,”answe red Mary.
A n’h ow is Mik e th e day He
’s havin
’a sore turn , if it was
th e will of G od.
’
Mary turn ed away quickly, saying with sudden impetuosityTh ere
’
s n o use te llin’lies about it, Mrs. M‘Cartn ey. Mike ’s
away !
Lo rd ! was Mrs. M‘Cartn ey’
s first exclamation of mingled
aston ishm e n t and in cre dulity . Why, h ow could h e go away eu’
as n ot to se e him go in’
sh e continued.
488 The Ir ish Month ly.
We ll , h e’s gon e any way, an
’if I don
’
t hurry I’
ll be late fo r
Mass. Th er e’
s th e pri e st gon e . G ood morn in g ,Mrs. M‘Cartn ey.
”
Mr s. M‘Cartn ey would have begun a low-voiced catechism o f
th e gir l , h ad n ot th e latter po in te d mean ingly to Mrs. Dunn e’s bed
room . Th e visito r understo od, and with a disappo in ted shake o f
h er h ead, took h er departure .
Mike Dunn e was away, Mary had said on Sunday mo rning .
With th e G ood Pe ople ,”th e village h ad universally added by
It‘
was such a tale as th ey had all h eard, but n ot o n e had
kn own from actual expe rien ce . No wonder th at m en and women
formed in to groups this pleasan t May eve n ing to discuss it, speak
in g always with respectful retice n ce of th e G ood Pe ople ,”but
with more or less condemn ation of Mrs. Dunn e . What call h adsh e marryin g h e r fir st cousin P said th e voteens n o wonder sh e
had trouble all th e days of h e r life . A nd ooteem and all ch im ed
in wh en blame was cast upon h er wan t of h ospitality to th em tha t
Fath er Doh er ty, riding past, cam e upon on e of th ese groups.
It was May, as we kn ow, and th ey we re to h ave service in the ir
chape l . Th e parish priest was abse n t, and Fath er Doh erty, havin gto say a second Mass in a ch ape l at th e oth e r end of th e parish ,had n ot br eakfaste d that morn ing at Dunn e
’
s. Consequently h ewas surprised wh en in an swer to his ch e erful A ny n ews some
o n e said :
Except about po or Mike Dun n e , yer re ve rence .
Mike Dun n e ! h e ech o ed.
“ Is h e ill
Worse n or th at, G od take care of us ! obse rved an oth e r .
Not dead. sure ly,”said the pri est, turnin g towards th e last
speaker . Th ough’twould be we ll for h im , poor boy.
”
That’
s G od’s thruth , yer re ve ren ce , said h e who had spoken
But wh at is th e matter inquired Fath er Doh erty, lookin ground fo r an answer .
Th ere was a little h esitation befo re an old man said slowly
We ll, yer reve re n ce , th ey say h e’s away wit
’
th e fair ies, G od
pe ed th em !
We ll , that’s be ats al l said Fath er Doh erty, givin g th em
th is ph rase of th eir own with a good-humour ed smile , ove r h is
sh oulde r as he rode away.
490 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
was glad to acceptMary’s offe r of a com fortable h ome in r e turn fo r
what h e lp sh e n e eded about th e h ouse , and th e two live d th e
quie te st o f lives. Mary ofte n wondered wh at had com e ove r
h er .
” How sh e had longed for anything to take h e r out of . th is
life , th at e ven th e n with Mrs. Dun n e bustlin g about, and Mik eto be looked afte r , bad seemed so deadly mo n oto n ous ! Now sh e
might lift th e latch and walk out any day ; but sh e h ad n eve r th e
smalle st wish to do ao . Perhaps the qui e tude came from a se nse
of remorse , a desir e to make aton ement for what after all was n o
fault of h ers. But th e sight of th e moth er’s so rrow h ad made h er
fe e l that sh e had be en crue lly hard and ungrate f111 . Nay, sh e felt
actually guil ty. How dared sh e be th ere , usurpin g th e place of
the lost boy A nd ao , while sh e devoted h e rse lf to the duties
that so strange ly devolved upo n h e r , sh e prayed n o less e arn estlythan th e pilgrim moth e r . L et what G odwould happen to h e r, but
resto re to that se ekin g , so rrowful , h oping m o th e r , th e darlin g of
h er h eart . Utte red many a time in words, th e same prayer went
up from h e r h eart a hundred time s a day, as sh e lo oked at th e emptycha ir , as sh e came across on e little memen to or an othe r , bringingback wi th sharp distin ctn ess the thought of th e h e lpless boy, with
his sad, handsome face . Th e th ought of him was n ot le t die , or
fade to a dim memory, as if h e himse lf h ad be en dead, for n othin gof his was put out of sigh t
—eve rything was th ere waiting as for
on e wh o might en te r at any momen t.
80 things we n t on , and it was A pril in th e'
seve n th year after
Mike had gon e away. Th e sun was sh in in g brightly after a
showery morn ing , and Mary and th e Widow Doran , were ge ttin gth eir pa ils ready for th e milkin g , wh en Mrs. Dunn e came in , look
ing so white an d worn , that Mary stepped towards h er in alarm .
Sh e had be en chang in g , inde ed, for many a day. How could it
be oth erwise , conside ring th e life sh e led Seven years ago sh e
h ad th ought sh e was dyin g , and had been je alously care ful of
her life , for h e r son’s sake . For his sake , too , sh e had eve r sin ce
be en just as re ckle ss of it, and th e recklessn ess was te lling on h er
at last. Howeve r , sh e smiled wh en Mary remarked on her eviden t
illn ess, sayin g that sh e was only tir ed.
You’ll go away n o more n ow, moth er , th e girl said, coax
ingly. You’re n ot able for such journ eys. Sure the re ye have
th e chape l be side ye , an’
ye can go up an’
pray in it all day if ye
like , an’th e n you
’ll h ave a comfortable hit an
’a good bed to come
’M'
ike D zmne’s Cur e . 49 1
h ome to instead of havin’to walk a couple of mile to th e Lord
kn ows what so rt of a bed o r a male .
”
Th ere’s a m ission go in
’to be in Drum th e first we ek in
May, an’I’m go in to th at , with G od
’s h e lp.
”
Sh e sa id it in such a way th at Mary saw th e re was little use
in arguing th e matte r .
We ll , you’ll stay till it
’
s time to go th e re , anyway, said
Mary.
I will , dear . A n’n ow I th ink I
’ll go to bed.
Mary was so alarmed atMrs. Dun n e’
s obvious unfitn e ss for e ven
th e sh ort journ ey to Drum, th at sh e slipped out afte r a little to
consul t Mrs. M‘Cartn ey, a proce edin g which con side rably as
to n ish ed that matro n , for Mary was n ot won t to co n sul t anyon e
about anything . Howe ver , sh e promised to h e lpMary in tryin gto dissuade Mrs. Dun n e from th e proposed journ ey. Sh e came
in th e n ext day, an d, startled at th e ch ange in th e po or woman’s
appe arance , at, th e fir st opportun ity proce eded to put h e r promise
in to practice .
It’s fit for ye r bed, ye are , sh e declared, an
’th e re
’
s wh e re
ye ought to be . G od bless ye , e u’stop at h ome , like a sensible
woman , eu’le t Mary take care iv ye , and don
’t be killin
’
yourse lf .
G od h e lp as,if you
’r e n ot fit to go straigh t to Heave n .
”
But n o argumen t was of any avail . Sh e would be bette r afte r
this rest , sh e said. A nd, inde ed, it se emed as if sh e did grow
be tter . Still Mary’s h eart g rew sad, and n e ighbours sh ook th e ir
heads forebodingly as sh e walked—ao feeble n ow—through th evillage two or thr e e days before the first o f May, o n h er way to
Th e Rosary was over on th e first May eve ning in th e vil lage
church , and th e pe ople we re lo ite ring h omewards. Lin es of girlsarm-in -arm , discussing th e ir n ew summe r prin t gown s. G roups o f
young men , so ho iste r ously e ngrossed about th e last foo tbal l match
as to forge t th e damse ls. Olde r men sagaciously con side r ing h ow
the last Land Bill would affect th em . Matr ons, last of all, step
ping with matronly slown e ss, nay, standing n ow and again , in th e
earn estn ess of th e ir discourse about th e price of butte r and fowl ,
and last week’s marke t, and th e high price of cows th ey wan ted to
buy, and th e poor price fo r pigs th ey wan ted to se ll , and th e
n otion s of th e ir girls, and—wh at was th at ca rt do ing at Dun n e
’s
door and th e re was Mary be ckon ing to th em . Mrs. M‘Car tn ey
492 The Ir ish Month ly.
hasten ed forward from th e group, in time to se e a tall younglift from th e cart a se emingly in an imate figure , and be ar it into
th e h ouse . Sh e , guessing what h ad happe ned, remain ed to he lpMary. Th e oth ers wen t slowly on , the prie st passing th em before
th ey cam e to Dunn e’s. Th ey saw th e man stop him , and bring
him in , and as th ey walked past, the same young man was nu
yoking th e h orse .
On e of th e women crossed h erse lf as sh e passed . G lory be to
G od,”sh e said, wh en th ey had gon e a few steps. Th at
’
s Mike
Dunn e
Most of th em laugh ed at h er that n ight . But those wh o ca ll ed
n ext dayto ask for Mrs. Dunn e , and m et th e man with th e cart, as
th ey had up to this design ated him , said h e had Mike Dunn e’s face ,
th ough grown more man like . Th ey’d h ave kn own it in a
hundred. But this man was n e ith er a cr ipple n or an imbe cil e .
His limbs wer e straight as any of th e ir own , and wh en h e spoke
(with Mike Dun n e’
s vo ice ) th e re was in te llig en ce as acute as th e ir
own prompting th e words . But by n ever a word did th ey hin t
that they had kn own h im in any oth er state , and h e vo lun te ered
n o in formation , save that h e h ad se en his moth er fain t in th e
church at Drum ,and had borrowed a cart to bring h er h om e .
Meanwhil e Mrs . Dun n e , th ough r eco ver ed from h er fain tingfit, did n ot regain full consciousn ess. Sh e call ed th ose about h er
by th e ir n ames, but sh owed plainly that sh e had lost h er o ld
clearn ess of in te ll ect.
To th e frequen t good-natured in quirie s for h er th ere was
a lways th e on e answer No be tter . A t last th ey carried h e r
out to th e kitch en—sh e could n ot move of h erse lf—and placed h er
in Mike ’s o ld chai r .
Thr oth an’h e
’
s th e ho rn image of h er , said th ose wh o saw
h er th ere , e ven if h e is a man an’sh e a woman . Y e don
’t
n otice it in him till ye se e it in h er , an’thin ye
’d think it was h is
face got ould.
”
Wh ativer ail ed Mike Dun n e , said an o racular o ld ge n tle
man , pun ctuating every wo rd with a pun ch of his stick . Wh ativer ail ed Mike Dun n e ails h is moth er n ow.
’
Thro th , it looks like it,”said an oth er .
How could Mike Dunn e , th at wasn’t able to sthre tch out h is
l eg , or put a foot on th e lim e , be able to walk n ow with th e best iv
ye That’s n ot for
494 The Ir ish Month ly.
A TWILIGHT VIGIL .
From sunse t to star -r ise ,
Wh ile sh adows lo ng and dr e ar
A nd de epe r fall on bie r and pall ,
On e myste ry grows clear :
Th e fo lded h an ds, th e ash en face ,
Still ed h ear t and dark e n ed eyes,
Re ad m e th e wo rth o f all life ’s grace
Wh en h er e life str ick e n lies .
From sunse t to star -r ise ,
By naked banks and flowe rful banks ,
In r ipple and r epo se ;
A nd swallows circle high above
Or dip along th e wave ,
With angry n o tes o r n o te s o f love ,
Hard by th e n ew-digg ed grave .
From sun se t to star -r ise,
Th e r e pass before th e doo r
A tro op o f boys with me rry n o ise ,
A nd friends o f his, a sco r e ;
I listen as th e ste ps come n e ar ,I h e ar th em di e away ;A las !does n o t o n e e n te r h er e ,A nd h e di ed but yesterday?M om sunse t to sta r -rise ,In th e de ath -ch ambe r dr ear
Death’
s eloquen ce h o lds bound my se n se .
Th 0 mystery is cle ar
The secr et of th ose full brigh t days
Wh er efr om as n o thing wo rth
A r e cast out pr ide and love of praise
Of th e unr ememberin g ea rth .
Pigeonho le Paragraphs. 495
PIGEONHOLE PARA G RAPHS.
Th e littl e acciden tal acce sso r ie s of a k ind act som e times touch th e
h eart o f th e perso n ben efited mo r e th an th e substan ce of th e act
itself. A fr iend m e t m e wh en I was waiting fo r a ra ilway tra in th a t
h ad just brough t h im in from a se aside village to wh ich I was h asten
in g . I h ad se ttled down in my pla ce wh e n my fr iend turn e d up again ,
h aving mea nwh il e gon e to th e bo okstand and bough t a n ew magaz in e
to be guil e my we arin e ss on a h alf-h our’s journ ey. But h e r e comes
th e po in t of th e sto ry, if po in t it can be called . Th e magaz in e was
un cut, and with it my fr ie nd pre sen ted a little pape r-kn ife . Th is was
th e kindest cut of all . This was th e last straw th at br ok e th e came l’s
back, th e last drop th a t made th e cup of gratitude flow ove r . Th at
little pape r-kn ife sh owed gr ea te r th ough tfuln ess th an th e big
m aga z in e , be st of its kind, which con tain ed th is quatrain by Matth ew
Rich ey Kn igh t, wh o eve r he may be
Th e praise tha t spurs th ee on
A nd h igh er lifts thy quest
Heaven sen d th e e ! Be tte r n o n e
Th an in it th ou sh ouldst r est .
’
i i
I h ave always be en touch ed by th e kind way in wh ich St. Ambr o se
e xcuses th e mo th e r o f St . Jam e s and St. John fo r wh at migh t se em
h e r ove rwe e n ing ambition on th e ir beh alf . Th e passag e is quo ted inth e Br eviary, Wedn esday afte r second Sun day in L en t
, from th e
second ch apter o f h is L ibor 5 do Fido ad G r atianum. Because sh e was a
moth e r , h e h o lds tha t h e r anxie ty for h er son s’
advancem e n t was to be
pardon ed, even if som ewh at imm ode rate ; a mo th e r , inde ed (h e adds ) ,advan ced in age , of a re ligious disposition , be r eft o f so lace , fo r sh e
snfler e d h er so n s to be away fr om h e r at a tim e wh en sh e migh t h ave
expe cted t o be suppo rted o r h e lped by th em ; and sh e pr e fe rr ed to
h er own comfo r t th e r eward th at h e r so n s sh ould be fo llowin g Ch r ist,
Le avin g th e ir n e ts and th e ir fath er,th ey fo l lowed Him .
” He r eSt. Ambro se quo te s r eliotis r e tz
'
bus et p a irs, and h e says n o thin g
about th e omission of,th e m oth e r
’s n am e in this accoun t o f th e ir
prompt sacr ifice , Sh e , th e re fo re , in dulgin g to o much th e eage rn ess
of mate rna l so licitude—studio matemae ceduh tatis indulgen tio r , addr e ssed
h er indiscr e e t e n tr ea ty to th e R ede em e r . Et u’
error , pietatic tam err or
Con tinued from page 276 of th is vo lume .
496 The Ir ish Mon thly.
est. Nam'
na t am'
m matom a viscera pa tiea tiam e tsi votc’
aoara , tame »
am iabih'
e cupiditac. Th e mo th e r’s h e ar t kn ows n o t h ow to be pa tie n t .
Th ough h e r wish is extravagan t, h e r ambitio n is excusable , fo r i t
cove ts n o t mon ey but grace , and h e r pe titio n is n o t fo r h e rse lf, but
fo r h e r chi ldr e n . Co n side r th e poo r mo th e r , thi nk o f th e mo th e r .
"
Th ese a r e o n ly some o f th e touch ing excuse s th at St . Ambro se puts
fo rward fo r th e mo th e r of th e so n s o f Z ebe de e . Th e son o f Mon ic a
could n o t h ave fal le n in to be tte r h ands.
Wh en I r e ad G e r al din e mo re th an fo rty ye ars ago , I remembe r
o n e o f my ma ste rs foun d th e thi rd vo lume in my h and. and h e ve ry
pr ope r ly r ema rk ed th at th e sto ry would h ave b e e n b e tte r if th at th ir d
vo lum e h ad b e e n a lto g e th e r omitted . It ce rta inly r e ads oddly e n ough
n ow as a th r e e -vo lum e n o ve l . Miss A gn ew h ad n o t th e li te rary a r t
of th e youn g h igh-bo rn lady, wh o , as a Pro te stan t stil l, was th an
wr itin g Elle n Middl e to n .
” I m e ntio n thi s Tal e o f Co nscie nce a t
pr e sen t fo r th e purpo se o f pr e se rvin g a few lin e s wh ich ar e pr efixed a s
a m o tto to th e last ch apte r , and a re th e r e said to h ave be e n wr itte n
by a Nun o n r e ce ivin g th e Ble ssed Sacrame n t at h e r pr ofe ssio n i n
Sa lfo rd Co nve n t .
” Wh at Co n ve n t Is th e r e anymo r e o f th is po em
He com e s n o t in powe r , He comes n o t in wra th ,
A nd th e g lo ry o f h e ave n is n o t on His pa th ;Th e ch ildr en o f men be a r th e mon arch o f mi gh t ,
A nd , low wi th th e lowly, He ve ile th h is ligh t :Y et lift up your gate s, O ye pr in ce s —’
tis He ,
Th e mon arch o f g lo ry, wh o come th to m e .
Wh o th en is th is mo narch of g lo ry R eply
Th e Lo rd stron g in ba ttle . th e g re a t G o d o n h igh .
But wh o is th is m on arch of g lo ry?0 say
Favour ed soul’tis th e Spouse tha t has wo n th e to -day.
3 G
We ofte n fo rm to ourse lve s a fixed idea o f th e pe rso nal appearan ce
o f pe rson s wh om we h ave n eve r se en fr om th e ir wr itin gs or spe e ch
o r th ings th a t we h ave h eard about th em. A frie nd o f min e o n ce
ask ed, in a company of thr e e o r four , th e .ide a e ach h ad fo rm ed o f
Lo rd Macaul ay, th e n in th e h e igh t o f h is fam e . Most of n a imagin e d
h im to be a tall man , wh e rhas in r eality h e was sh o rt and stout, e ve n
un to pudg in ess. I am r emin de d o f this in a de scription tha t h as justcome across m e of th e pe rson o f St. Francis de Sales : From his style , h i s
ge n e ral ch aracte r , e tc. I sh ould h ave imag in ed him brisk and live !yi n his man n e r ; and I h ad a lur kin g idea that h e was sma ll an d
compact. But Ch arles de Sal e s, quo ted in an exce lle n t little book ,Th e He art of St . Fran cis (1 9 Sal es,
”te lls us that h is figure wa s
498 The Ir ish Month ly.
wh ich for some years h as go n e by th e n ame of Re views andViews.
Y e t Mr s. Meyn e ll, in b estowin g h e r we ll -balan ce d and fin e ly-
phrased
criticism on Mr . Henl ey, says n o t a wo rd about his bo rrowed title
Pe rh aps h e begg ed le ave to borr ow it . By-th e -way, th e July instal
m en t of Mrs . Meyn e ll’
s Reviews an d Views con ta in s some fin e
pag e s about Brown in g ; and e lsewh e r e , in th e sam e numbe r , sh e says
th at Ke ats, th e po e t o f th e gr e at so nn e t and th e thr e e gre a t o de s
and th e n oblest o f blank ve rse , wro te th e couple t de testably.
” Th e
pr e ceding page con tain s a dictum o f a diffe r en t kind. Th e re h as
n eve r be e n an e n tir e ly dign ified man ; and th e r e h ave be en extr eme lyfew e n tire ly dign ified women .
Th e cleve r co ll e ge Magaz in e r e fe rr ed to in th e paragraph pre ced
in g th e last o f th ese paragraphs gave , wh en The Mikado was th e
n ewest o f th e Sullivan -G ilbe rt ope ras , a classical re n de rin g o f on e o f
i ts de ligh tful bits of foo lery. Th us san g W. S. G ilbe rt’s muse
Ou a tree by a river a little Tom -tit
Sang Will ow , tit willow, tit willow
A nd I said to h im , Dicky bird , why do you sit
Sing ing Willow, tit wil low, tit willow 1’
Is it we akn ess of irite lleot , birdi e?I cried,
Or a rath e r tough wo rm in your li ttle inside
With a shake of his poor little h ead h e re plied ,
o h , willow, tit willow, tit will ow
He slapped at h is ch est as h e sat on that boughSing in g Will ow, tit willow, tit will ow
A nd a co ld perspiratio n be span g led h is brow
Oh , willow, tit willow, tit wi llow !
Th en h e th rew h imse lf in to th e billowy wave ,
A nd an ech o arose from that suicide’s grave ,
Oh , willow, tit willow, tit willow .
"
Th e corresponding e le giaos ar e ca ll ed Pe r i r ecin en tis ome n ,
and are pr efaced by th e statemen t th at a tom -tit is called in Latin
parus
A rboria in fo lus, fluviales Paras ad undas,
Paro s e t Salices carmin e oonsociat.
Huio e go : Dic vo lucr is ! guzan an tibi causa sede ndi
Quid mih i , sic Paro s tu Salioe sque sonasPDio avice lla tibi mans imbecillio r exstat?
A t caput exiguum miserabilia ills .revo lvens,
Paro s e t Sa lice s improbas in geminat.
Pigeonho le Paragraphs. 499
(Cum Paro est ite rum oommemora ta Salix)Circumstat g elidn s roran tia te mpora sudor ,
Suspirans, lacrymans, sin gul tu guttura torquen s,
Quam para t ipse sibi re sonan te his vocibus urn a“ Pare ! Salix ! ite rum Pare ! ite rumque Sa lix !
”
a x
The Catho lic Un ion and Times of Buffa lo , in New Yo rk coun ty,
h avin g comple ted its e igh te e n th year (lik e ourse lve s) began its n in e
t e e n th ye ar with a ve ry Spe cial Numbsr , with con tr ibn tion a fr om
Maur ice F . Egan , Will iam J On ah an , and o th er distinguish ed
C ath o lics. Th e fo llowing is from a pape r by Bro th e r A z ar ias, wh om
we h ave o ften n am ed to our r eade rs, but n o t un til n ow by h is Ir ish
n am e o f Mullany. He is speakin g sympath e tica lly o i th e wo rries o f
a Cath o lic edito r
Th er e is th e auth o r with wh ose bo ok you have found faul t ! He be comes embittered again st you. Lo ok n ot for words of comm en dation from h is lips. He iswro th with himse lf for having don e you th e h on our o f sending you h is bo ok fo r
criticism. Perhaps h e even wro te you a le tter laudatory of th e good taste evide n t
in your criticisms, an d in dire ctly pleadin g fo r a favourable judgmen t . But you
could n o t call pin oh be ck go ld , and you found it n ece ssary to speak plain truth ,
wh ich to th e auth or was unpa la table truth . We have kn own an autho r—and an
auth o r of some me rit—to go out of h er way to stab th e gre at Brownson , under
co ver of an unsign ed n ewspaper article , in reven ge fo r stricture s h e made upon on e
o f h er bo oks. But , as an auth or with wh om th e cri tics have dea lt gen e rously
b eyon d his dese rts , th e write r would plead e arn e stly in favour of handlin g as
ge n tly as possible th e youn g Ca th o lic aspiran t wh o appeals to a Cath o lic audi en ce .
Remember th e many ways in wh ich th e Cath olic‘
wr ite r'
1 3 handicapped h is difl
cultice in publ ishing ; h is chance s of failure to secure a wide en ough circle o f
reade rs ; th e ve ry few inducem en ts h e has to write as a Cath olic 1 n comparison with
th o se pre sen tin g th emse lves in th e fie ld of secular le tters. It beh ooves us n o t to
discourage th e Cath o lic writer wh o sh ows tal en t and g ive s promise of be tter thing s .
A Cath o lic bo ok sh ould at first flush go h ome to th e sympa thy o f th e Cath o lic
re vi ewers. Of course th e worthless bo ok , th e book inadequa te to do justice to itssubject , th e book of many pr e te nsion s , th e inaccurate book , th e ill
-wr itten book
h e se sh ould e ach and all be estimated a t th e ir true worth .
”
500 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
CARDINAL NEWMAN .
R . I. P .
THE great Cardin al is dead . Th e soul of G e ron tine has at
last made that journey which n o poe t o r pre acher o r th eo lo
gian o r asce ticwriter th at we have ever se en has descr ibed h alf
so we ll as G enon tius himse lf. The Dr eam of G er on tius is re alised.
John Henry Newman was born in Lo ndon , February 2l st,1 801 Cardinal Newman di ed at Birmingham , A ugust 1 1 th , 1 890.
Th e story that lies betwe en th ose two dates has be en to ld brieflyin hundreds of journ als th ese last few days. But n on e of th e
English n ewspape rs, in narratin g Dr . Newman ’s conversion h as
m ention ed th e Irish priest of wh om th e illustr ious convert himse lf
has said in his A pologia My dear fr iend, Dr . Russe ll, th e
prese n t Predde nt of Mayn ooth , had, pe rhaps, m ore to do with myconve rsion than any on e e lse .
”It will be our duty h e reafte r to
give an accoun t o f a friendship wh ich , beginn ing so far back as
1 841 , lasted till Dr . Russe ll’s death in 1 880 . Th e corresponden ce
like this in th e lette r to Fath er Dan i e l , which is autograph ed in The
Freeman’s Jcarna l, in th e numbe r descr ibing th e Cardinal
’s burial ,
wh en twen ty bish ops, many n obleman , and twe n ty thousand pe ople
fo llowed h im to h is grave at Redn all , a small village n ot far from
h is h ome at Edgbaston . Ou th e 23rd of February, 1 879, h e
wrote : It is a great pleasure to me to be told that th e Cath o lics
of Ire land take an in te re st in me . I have n ever forgotte n th e
kindn ess th ey sh owed me wh en I was in Ire land.
”
Am ong th ose wh o followed th e san ctified remains of th e aged
Cardin al to what is wrongly called th e ir last resfin g-place , was
Lord Co leridge , who late ly said in a lecture which h e publish ed
in a magazin e two mon th s ago Raffae llo is said to have thanked
G od that h e had lived in th e days of Michae l A nge lo ; there are
score s of men I kn ow, th e re are hundreds an d th ousands I be li eve ,who th ank G od that th ey h ave lived in th e days of John Henry
Newman .
”
Th is was said dur ing his lifetime ; and n ow that h e is gon e , h e
is praised, e ven by th e organs of th ose cre eds an d opin ions which
h e re n oun ced, with a un an imi ty an d an e arn estn ess for which no
502 The Ir ish Month ly.
THE MELANCHOLY OCEAN! F
Far ofl, amid th e me lanch o ly ma in .
Inh abiting an island wash ed by a melan ch oly ocean .”—Lord Bedwmfid d.
Oh ! th e salt A tlan tic br e e z e s,How th ey swe ep reviving th r ough m e
How th e ir fr esh enin g spir it se iz e s
Soul and sense , to raise , re n ewm e !
Oh ! th e grand A tlan tic surge s,How th ey march , and m oun t, and m ingle ;How th e ir spray exultin g scourge s
Jutty cl ifi and sandy din gle
Talk of m e lan ch o ly oce an ,
If th ou fe e le st wan e an d with e r
Eve ry ge rm o f glad emo tio n ,
Come , O Vivian G r ey ! come h ith er .
Sit and mark th e match less g lo ryOi th e clouds th at ove rsh ade n a,
Ai r e e ts of th e Easte rn sto ry,
Titan s such as Keats portrayed na,
Till, maj e stica lly ble nding ,Fo lded on th e weste rn bill ow,
Th ey awai t th e ir lord’s de scending ,
Strewi n g hi s impe rial pill ow.
No t in youth’s in toxica tion ,
No t in manh o od’s stran ge succe sses,
Didst th ou dr ink an in spiration
Such as h e r e th e h e ar t co nfesse s.
He r e wh e r e joy surr ounds th e e wh o lly,If thy th ough t a mome n t li ste n s
To in truding m e lanch o ly,
It is bo rn of r eminiscen ce ,
Oi th e o ld fo rsake n causes,
Of th e h igh e r fame’s be r e avem en t,
Of a life time of applause s,
Barr en , barr en of ach ievemen t .
We re scue this from an o ld Specta tor of twe lve years ago : Its signatur e
h appily familiar in our page s.—Ed. I M .
Notes on N ew Books. 503
G en ius in ign oble traces.
Le ading ran ks wh om th ou de spise st,
Till thy se lf-willed fate efiace s
A ll th a t in thy soul th ou priz est .
Fo r th e proph e t’s fire and m o tio n ,
Icy mask and sn e er sardon ic,
Be it so l Maje stio Ocean ,Th ou ar t Me lan ch o ly
’s to n ic.
NOTES ON NEW BOOKS.
l We h ave mor e th an on ce comm ended LadyMargare tDomville’
s
Lofi of Lamar tim . We comm e nd it again , th ough it is n o t n ow a n ew
bo ok, for th e purpose of cor r ecting a misstatemen t wh ich in our last
issue we copied fr om sun dry n ewspape rs . Lady Margar e t Domville
happily is livin g still to do o th e r go od wo rk for Cath o lic l iterature .
2 . Th e A rchbish op of Dublin has publish ed a Statem en t of th e
Ch i e f G ri evances of Ir ish Cath o lics in th e matter o f Education ,
Pr imary, In termediate . and Un ive rsity (Dublin : Brown e and
Nolan ) . We read with amaz em e n t on th e cove r th e wo rds price
on e sh il ling and sixpe n ce ,” fo r what was probably in tended to be a
pamph le t has pro ved to be a fin e octave vo lume of 420 admirably
prin ted pages. No on e wish in g to be acquain ted with th e past,
pr esen t, and (le t as h ope ) futur e of Irish Education , can dispen se withth e study of this vo lume—a study wh ich is imme nse ly facilitated byth e table o f con ten ts wh ich immediate ly follows th e title -
pag e , and
wh ich se ems to na a mode l of cl e ar ar ran g emen t, alm ost do in g awaywith any n e ed fo r an alph abe tical in dex. Besides giving th e h isto ryof th e que stion , th e A rchbish op deve lops h is views o f th e obdn ge s
still requir e d ; an d bo th in th e body o f th e work and in a long se rie s
o f appendixes h e furn ish es a vast numbe r of pron ouncem ents by
persons o f auth ori ty, and various oth e r documents be arin g on th e
3. Forgo tte n Hero in e s, or th e Histo ry of a Conven t in th e days
o f Luth e r ,” by th e auth or o f Tybom e (London : Burns and Oates), is,
first of all , as pr e ttily bound a book as on e migh t wish to se e . Mo th e r
Magdalen Taylo r te lls th e path e tic and edifying story of th e sufie rings
o f ce rta in g en e rations o f Domin ican Nuns at Strasbourg , afte r th e
h orr ible Reformation , brin gin g in skilfully an allusio n to th e ir Ir ish
Sisters in th e Rose Co n ve n t, G alway, and Sienn a Conven t, Drogh eda
Sh e comm emo rates also , in a sh o rt sk e tch , th e ce n te nary of th e Fr ench
Nuns wh o sufier ed o r died h e ro ically in 1 790.
504 The Ir ish Month ly.
4 . Th e sam e publish ers h ave brough t out in exce ll en t taste , Th e
Life o f St. Th omas A quin as , th e A n ge lic Docto r . Edite d by Fath e r
Pius Kavan agh , O .P.
” It co nsists of some 250 page s, an d is illustra ted
by e leven pictur es of more th an o rdinary m e r it . Th at th e r e sh ould
be r o om in En glish l ite ra ture fo r such a popular and yet extended
Life , afte r th e gre at Life by Cardinal Mo ran’s predecesso r in th e Se e
o f Sydn ey, speaks well fo r th e devo tion felt towards th e An gel o f th e
Sch oo ls.
5. Four small bo oks may be grouped togeth e r . Th e ch e apest an d
b est is a pe n ny tract ublish ed by th e Cath o lic Truth Socie ty Th e
Faith o f th e An cie n t nglish Church co n ce rn ing th e Ble ssed Virg in
Mary.
” A s is usual wi th eve rythin g comin g fr om Fath e r Br idg e tt’a
pe n , it co n tains str o ng and use ful po in ts ut be tte r th an almo st anyo n e e lse could ut th em . Maxims and on a ssls of St. Ph ilip Ne r i
(Dublin : M . G i ll and Son ) , is a r eprin t o f th e tr an slatio n issued
by Fath e r Fabe r , in 1 847 . Th e Life o f Our Lo rd, repared, chi eflyin th e wo rds o f th e G ospe l . fo r use in Sch o o ls,
” by TDMurphy, o f St .
Mary’
s Tra in in g 0 0 119 e , Hamme rsmith (London Burns and Oate s).is a go od ide a very we carr ied out, and ve rymuch mo r e r eadably a n d
a ttractive ly pr in te d th an many similar bo oks fo r th e youn g . Lastly,
ve ry m inute , but very cle ar type co nde nse s in to two hundr ed pag e s an
imm ense quan tity of info rmation about th e h istory, co nstitutio n s,an d ce r emonial of th e Thi rd Order of St. Francis (London Burn s
and Oate s) .6 . Illustrated Cath o lic Missions (Londo n J Do n o van . 1 9
He n r ie tta Stre e t, Cove n t G a rden ) , is a mon th ly illustrated re co rd,ublish ed in conn ection with th e Socie ty fo r th e Propagatio n o f th e
gaith . It is an exce edin gly in te re stin g pe riodical , and ough t to be a
favourite , n o t on ly in conven ts, but also in Cath o lic h ouseh o lds. Th eillustr ations ar e nume rous. and ve ry good, and th er e is a gre at va ri e tyo f info rma tio n about th e fo r e ign mi ssions and subjects co nn e cted wi thth em . Is thi s th r e epen ny magaz in e suficiently kn own in Ir e lan d
7 The Weekly Begabter gives th e fo llowing accoun t of a tal e whichth is maga z in e h ad th e privflege of fir st giving to th e world
A n ew and po ular edition of Miss Rosa Mulh o lland ’s Wi ld B ird: of KMwill be widely w corned. It is seve n care sin ce th is en trancin g story was firstublish ed, and every year sin ce th en gain ed for it a n ew circle of re ade rs.
and orig inal , th is idyll o f roman ce back to th e simplicitie s of th ing s oflife , o f n ature , and of art. A sto like must be re a lly more powe rful th an an
in tr icate and sensatianal on e , whi with matricions aids, add to its in te re st , a n dwo rks up a tour de force to its , perhaps, fin e and forceful dcnom m t. Here e achpag e se ems to have be en writte n for its own sake . Th e charm and poetry o f th eCe ltic cha racter and tempe ramen t, which is of th e h eat rea lism, and most re albecause it is of th e h igh est, make s vital th e open in g apte rs of th e nove l. Th e no n thr ough a wide variety of sce ne th e story winds, in creasing in beau with
g limpse s e very h ere and th ere of th e h ea ven in human natur e and of th e se ve n
beyo nd , un til towards th e close , wh e re th e afi’e cting ,(ye t withal quiet, cl imax o f
reward and frui tion is reach ed. Love ’s enn oa an love’s sanctification , wer e
n e ve r mo re afiectin ly, and less aflecte dly, put one na ; and we wish tha t eve rycon ven t in th e lan would g ive th is pure an d wh o lesome bo ok to its g irn in e out of e ve te n of th em ,
mean t in G o d’s pro vidence to kn ow lo ve and to love
a swives and m
506 m Ir ish Mon th ly.
de clared h e had wan fut in th e gully-h ole , would supply
average sized cc-ope rative store .
Th en th ere are th e beggars o f every age and varie ty, from the
mite wh o can scarce ly walk alon e to th e cron e who remembe rs th e
R ebe llion . Our sto res of ancient garmen ts are exh austed ; our
fin gers, by din t o f constan t stitch in g , reduced to the condition o f
nutmeg graters. It se ems to as that we must have clothed th e
e n tir e village , and still th ey come .
Th e fact of our be ing a commun ity of ladies, th ough in gen e ral
rath er an advan tage from th e beggars’
po in t of view,as implyin g
greater tende rn ess of h eart and n imble n ess of hand, has occasio n
a lly its drawbacks. Wh il e still at breakfast th e other morning , wewere in form ed that a boy wish ed to se e us ; th e £00 t
thought, bashfully, th at‘h e wan ted cloth es.
Clothes I How o ld is he
A bout twe n ty, ma’am I
”
Not be ing outfitte rs on quite so large a scale , we were re luc
tan tly compe lled to draw th e lin e at youths of twen ty .
Th e o ld l ady wh o favours us most fre que n tlywith h er compan yis, to use th e ve rn acular of th e coun try, som ewhat crabby as to
h er temper , an d eccen tr ic in h e r demean our .
My moth e r h aving on on e occasion pre se nted he r with (savingyour pr e se n ce ) a fine ,warm,flan n e l pe ttico at, stipulated th at Mary
was to wear it, and added—kn owing how frequen tly such garmen tsfoun d th e ir way to th e n earest pawnshop
—that sh e would expe ct
to se e it on th e latter’s n ext appearance .
A ccordin gly, wh en again in wan t of a grain o’tay, Mary
was de scr ied makin g h er way towards our h ouse , with th e whi te
pe tticoat jaun tily dispo sed outside h e r ragged gown .
Why, you’re ve ry grand to
-day remarked an acquain tan ce .
Wh o gave you th e fin e pe tticoatWhereupon Mary, jerking h er thumb forwards, replied r espect
fully : A . widdy woman beyan t th e re !
Subsequen tly, findin g th e garmen t in question deficient in th even tilation to which sh e was accustomed, sh e tr udg ed up to
remon strate with th e don or , assertin g in much displeasure that sh e
was kilt wid th e hate .
”
Most of th e recipie nts of such charity as we can bestow, h ow
e ver , rece ive it in a more kindly spir it. I shall never forge t th eh ansports of gra ti tude in to which on e very ancien t dame was
Unde r the G o lden Spea rs.
thr own on be ing presen te d with a pair of boo ts. Th e blessi n gs
which sh e showe red on our h eads, th e praye rs which sh e poured
fo rth , th e g ood wish e s which sh e formul ated, were as e arn e st as
May yez n iver thirst ! sh e cried, afte r e ngaging a bed in
Heave n for e ach o f us, and invokin g th e n in e ch ore s o f ange ls
o n our behalf, may yo z dhr ink o’th e rive r that run s through
Heave n !
A fter this poetical outburst sh e beto ok h erse lf to th e n e igh
h o ar ing conven t to sh ow off h er tr easur e s to th e nun s, wh o would,sh e assur ed us, be leppin
’wid de ligh t.
In about half an h our sh e re turn ed , h e r wrinkled face flush ed,
h e r bright blue eyes almost starting out of h e r h e ad wi th excite
m en t. It did n ot transpire that th e go od Siste rs had be en so far
carried away by th e ir e n thusiasm as actua lly to pe rform th e an ti
c ipated athl e tic feats, but on e of th e comnmn ity had be en moved
to some purpose , havin g be stowed a pair of sto ckings on our white
h air ed pro tégée , wh o se n e th e r- limbs were n ow comple te ly arrayed .
Standin g well in fron t o f our drawingro om windows, and kilting uph er tatte red'garmen ts so as to afford n a a good vi ew of h er po or o ld
spin dl e-shanks, sh e gaz ed downwards o n th em with an expre ssion
o f reve r e n ce almost amoun tin g to awe , and exclaimed : G lory be
to G od, to think I sh ould come in to th e world to be wearin’
th e
stockin’
s o’th e con secrated to th e Lord !
Quain t an d picturesque as is this village of ours , its de ligh ts
are forgotte n in th e con templation o f its surroundings ; th e beautyof th e 'mountains alon e be in g e n ough to eclipse all o th er charms of
scen ery.
Here is form for th ose who adm ire most th e grandeur of form .
Her e th e rugged outlin e s of BrayHe ad with its patch of blue
g r een fir tre e s climbin g th e side , its de ep h ollows and bo ld expanse
o f rock and th er e th e Sugar-loaves, or G o lden Spears
-to use th e
more expressive and po e tic name worn by th em long ag es before
som e practica l Brito n (of a comme rcial turn ) bestowed on th em
th e ir pre sen t title . A big , solemn , majestio figure is th e greater ofth ese G o lde n Spears ; its rocky summit piercin g the h eave ns ; its
imposing form changing in aspect with every turn of the manyro ads that wind about it, and dominating th e surrounding coun try.
Not a valley in the n eighbourho od is complete without th is sombre
figure in th e background ; wh erever we betake ourse lves in our
508 The Ir ish Mo nth ly.
daily walks o r dr ives, shut in th ough we may be , in le afy gla n s,
surrounded by chain s of h ill s, th e re is still th at state pre se n ce
lo om in g above us , ke eping guard ove r moun tain an d da le , an d
se em ing to be th e prote ctin g ge nius o f th e place .
A gain , be sides th e se distin ctive landmarks, are th e r e n o t,
str e tch in g away beh ind th em , range upo n ran ge o f majcetic h il ls,in eve ry variety of sh ape , and of eve ry sh ade of co lour , some o f
th em fan tastically crown ed with r ocks, while o th e rs raise th e ir
h eads from among a dusky growth of pin e s
Th en th is un dul ating tract o f coun try to th e right, with its
smoo th hillocks, its wild, unkempt h edge rows, th e quain t a n d
picture sque— ii occasion ally com’
fortle ss —oabins dotte d abo ut
amon gst th e tr ee s : has it n ot also a be auty of its own
A s for colour , th e re was sur e ly n e ve r such a place for co lour a s
h ere am id th e Wicklowhills. Kin g Sugar-loaf we ars pr oudly h is
ro yal m an tl e o f exqui site bron z e , r e lieved with ambe r trimm in g s ,
and furth e r se t o ff, as befits a regal garm e n t, by abun dan ce o f
gold— th e go ld of low-
growin g Ir ish gorse . His youn ge r bro th e r ,Be an agb
-be g , to give him h is an cien t title , is a blaz e of ye llo w
and purple , wh ile th e hue s of th e more dista n t hill s vhry from th e
most e th e r eal blue to a den se glo om that is almo st black .
Colour ! Wh at about th e h edge rows Oh , th ose Irish h edg e
r ows, th e me re sight of wh o se luxur ian t growth would drive a
British farme r distracted, h ow love ly th ey are ! Pe rhaps mo r e
love ly n ow than at any oth e r time , fo r th e last of th e summ sr
flowe rs still n e stle at th e ir fe e t and th e tan gle above is rich with
th e glorie s of autumn . Str e tch e s o f black-th orn th at almo st
se em o n fire , so brillian t are th e ir oran ge s and r eds,alte rn ate with
a wild con fusion o f gorse and br amble , of pale- le aved sa lly an d
sturdy haz e l ; wh ile h er e an d th e re a sapling o f de licate ash o r
e lde r starts up, pur e st go ld or ble ach ed almost white fr om amid th e
fern s an d m osse s ben e ath . Th ose fe rn s, h ow th ey grow ! Withwhat grace th ey curve outwards from th e ivy
-clad bank , downwards
to th e tiny stream be low ; with wh at cun n in g , n o t to say coque try ,
th ey cre ep in th e ir still vivid gre en in to such clo se proximity wi th
a scarle t tuft of cran esbill , or pe ep out from amid a dr ift of late lyfal len russe t leaves. Side by side with th em grow cx-eyed
daisies,dan de lion s of eve ry den omin ation ,
brillian t poppies, de li
cate spe edwe lls ; and th e irregul ar lin e o f h edgerow above is
broke n every now and th e n by a full -grown h awth orn wh ose leaf
51 0 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
n ot weep for gladn e ss, and to il-worn hands fo lded on his bre ast , to
fin d his last h ome in som e we ll-kn own spot, wh er e h is own gre en
may wave undisturbed above him, and h is h e art lie at peace in
Irish so il .
It has be en said of late by on e wh o laboured for years amongIrish em igran ts, th at th e ch ildr en born to th em in distan t lan ds,
in h erit this stran ge love , an d that many of th em on reach in gmanh o od are drawn by this tran smitted longin g across th e wide
seas to th e o ld coun try which th e ir pare nts have described in such
glowing te rms to th em .
But th ey n ever come a se cond time , says th e emigran ts’
fr ie n (1 . Pe rh aps th e ir youn ger , ke e n e r eyes, escaping th e spe ll
that fascin ated th e ir fath e rs, look on a. pove rty-stricken cabin , a
waste of ill -tilled land, as a cabin and a waste , n ot as th e h ome
on ce coun te d all in all o r perh aps th e ideal un con sciously form ed
with in th em was too lofty, and th e fairyland of which th ey
dream t dise nch an ts th em with th e reality, or again , it is perh aps
be cause of a simple h ank ering afte r th e fle sh pots of Egypt
th at th ey are so re ady to re -cro ss th e desert ocean , and to tur n
th e ir backs upon th e Canaan for which th e patr iarchs of th eir
tribe h ave sigh ed in vain . Poor Ir e land ! beautiful , de se r ted
m oth e rland ! to th ose th ou we rt a r eality, obstin ate ly clung to ,
passio n ate ly be loved ; to th e se but as a phan tom-island, con jured
up for a br ief space amid th e sh in in g wate rs, an d th en lost sight
of for evermore !
No e vide n ce o f th e disturban ce so wide ly spr ead ove r th e
coun try is pe rceptible (at least to a casual observe r) in this quietneighbourh ood . Th e pe ople are kindly and obligin g , o ld
-fash ion ed
e n ough still to remove a pipe or drop a curtsey as th ey pass you,
and re adily giving a ch e ery word in answer to your gr e e tin g .
Th at th ey have po litical opin ions of th e most advan ced type is of
course understood, but th ey are careful n eve r to obtrude th em o n
you. It was amusing to se e th e cautious way in which o ld Dan ,
th e oracle of th e vil lage yonde r , eyed me wh en I tried to extr act
fr om h im an expre ssion of his sen timen ts as to th e state o f th e
coun try. Th ere’s oth e rs,
” h e r emarked, ockypied about it at
th e prese n t time betth e r able to dale with it th an me se li .”No t.
with standing his assumption of humility, h e is a ve ry great pe r
son age in th ese parts, and h is opin ion carries con side rable we igh t .
His history, to o , is curious. Born in’98 (h is father
’s house
Unde r the G o lden Spea rs. 51 1
having been wre cked and burnt in th o se troubled times, and his
twin -broth e r pe rishin g in th e flame s) h e sough t his fortun e byturns in England, in Fran ce , an d in Al gie rs. Not succe edin g in
finding it , he return ed to his n ative village , wh er e h e live s (in a
loft) on such char ity as is ofler ed to him , for h e will n ot sto op to
beg . He has a great de al to say about his var ious expe rie n ce s in
a curious jargo n o f his own , wh ere provin cial English is m in gled
with h is n ative brogue , and furth e r embe llish ed with n o t a few
words of extreme ly eccen tr ic Fr en ch , which , h oweve r , h e is careful
to tran slate as h e go es on . On e an ecdote in particul ar h e relates
with much gusto , de scriptive of his arrest on ce by a gendarme wh o
took him for a spy .
He got a h oult 0’m e , eu
’h e str ipped me— savin
’
ye r pre
sen ce—eu’sarch ed me eve ryway. A n
’all at wan st h e come s upon
on e little medal hangin’round me n eck . Common g P h e says,
vous, Han gle te rre , Catho lique (mean in are you an Englishman
an’a Catho lic P Nong ,
’says I, Hire landy,
’says I
—te ll in ’
h im I were an Irishman , ye kn ow. O Hire landy ! h e says, eu’
h e claps me on th e back . Hir e lan dy, bo n g Christian , bongCath o lique—A ngleterre méme ch ristien que cheval !
Th e ideas of many of th e coun tn'y-
people h ereabouts with
regard to England are to th e full as un complim en tary as is this
surprising statemen t.
Englan d’s a terrible bad place ! remarked on e old woman
ofmy acquain tance . Th e wickedn ess over th er e is awful . Th em
Wh ite -cha rch murth e rs, n owWhite -chape l you mean .
Lord save as, ma’am ! —in de eply scandalised ton es sur e
th ere isn’t e
’e r a chape l the r e at all ! Ch ape l be ing th e term
gen erally employed to design ate th e Cath o lic place of worsh ip, and
th e good o ld lady be ing convin ced th ere could be n on e such in so
un h allowed a spot.
Th e peasan try he re is by n o mean s en tire ly Cath olic, h owever ,
un like that of oth e r coun ties,wh e re a member of an oth e r persuasion
is so gre at a rarity as to be gen erally spoken of as “ the Protestan t,”
or the Pr esbyte rian , much as we sh ould m en tion th e HighSh er iff, or th e Lo rd Mayor . Her e , th ere are repre sen tative s of
many re ligious den omin ation s, and some wh o appe ar to make out
a cr e ed for th emse lves. A n ancien t dame be longin g to this last
category was h eard to declare on on e occasion that sh e wan te d
51 2 The Ir ish Month ly.
n o embassador , nayth er priest n or min isth er , be twe en h e r a n’
th e Lo rd.
” I kn ow I’m in th e right road 1”sh e added defian tly .
Oh , that inde ed, ma’am P maybe so , ma
’am ,
”responded a
sarcastic Catholic n e ighbour . Wait ti ll you come to th e cr oss
ro ads, ma’am—I’m afe ard ye
’ll take a wro ng turn thin .
It was th e latte r sturdy matron wh o , on be ing recommended
to pray for th e co nve rsion of th ose with wh om sh e difie red inste ad
o f quare lling with th em, return ed indignan tly that th ere we r e
some in th e n e ighbourh o od that all the divils in h ell would be
h ard set to conve r t !
But, whil e I um gossiping h e re so idly on th e top of Kin dl es
town hill ,th e sun h as dropped behind the moun ta in s Opposite , an d
th e bank of clouds which h as be en slowly gath er ing , turns of a
sudde n fiery red. We must hasten h omewards, for it is late an d
we have some way to go .
Through th e sh adowy wo od again , our passage hailed bymany shr ieks and twitte rs of bird-voice s, many wh irr ings an d
flutter in gs of startled win gs—and out once more on th e high road.
Half an -h our’
s brisk walkin g , an d we are at our own gate s.
Our big black hill stan ds out again st th e background of lambe n t
ye llowish gre en , an d, th ough th e glowing cr imson to the left h as
somewhat paled , th e sky is still smear ed and splash ed in place s, as
though care lessly daubed over wi th a fiery brush . Th e last o f th e
beggar s has depar ted, th e po liceman’
s crying baby is asle ep, a
so litary rook sails h omeward just above us, slumbrous shade s
r est upon th e h ill-side s, pe ace has de sce nded on th e valley, and th e
so lemn G o lde n Spe ars, re leased fr om th e n ecessity of guardian ship,
lean against th e darken in g h eaven s, and commun e at ease with
kindred piles of clouds.
M . E. FRA NCIS.
51 4 The Ir ish. Mon th ly.
Se e ! th e ful l m oo n , round and larg e ,Tr emble s in th e orch ard bough s
Loudly fr om th e r ive r’s marg e
Low th e h eavy-udde red cows.
A n d th e bloatin g o f th e fo ld,A n d th e sh eph e rd
’s h ayin g h ound,
Swe e tly th rough th e twiligh t go ld
Fr om th e purpl e h illsides soun d.
A ve Mary ! n ow we pray,
G l e an in g o’e r and to ilin g don e ,
Ke ep n a safe from sin alway,
Til l life’
s gue rdon sh al l be wo n .
G o d be pr aised h ow r ich ly r ipe
G low th e rows o f go lde n wh e at
Now fo r h om e . with flute and pipe
Tun in g to th e dan ce rs’fe e t .
Ours is such a we igh t o f wo e ,Tearful to il and gr ie f and wron g
Must h ave crush ed us lo n g a go ,
Save fo r so lace o f our so ng .
A ve Mary ! r e st is swe e t
Un to th e e a t se t o f sun
Flock thy ch ildr e n ’s e ag e r fe e t ,
Fo r thy ble ssin g , to ilin g don e .
PA TRICK J Com mas.
U.S.A .
A STRIKING CONTRA ST.
m rm : AUTHOR o r“ m m ean or m e eoounr ,
” m m u l e s m vws rmms
o r um sn own no r ,” m o .
CHAPTER XX.
A SUDDEN DETERMINA TION.
S so on as Do ra h ad wr itten h e r n o te to Madge , and dispatch ed i t
safe ly by Mrs. Sims, a go od-n atur ed woman wh o occasio n ally
did a little cle anin g up an d down th e h ouse , sh e gr ew re stle ss and
excited. Sh e could n o lon g e r be still upo n h e r so fa , and h emming th e
A Str iking Con trast. 51 5
blue fr ills be cam e impo ssible . So sh e flun g th em aside , and began
to wa lk impati en tly r o und th e ro om .
Madge is late r th an usual , to -n igh t ,”sh e cr ied at last, sin k in g
wear ily in to a ch a ir . Just be cause I wan t h e r to be ea r ly, th ose
pe ople k e ep h e r gr indin g ove r th e ir exercise s. But, th ank G oodn e ss,
sh e may soo n g ive th em a ll up. Sir Eustace is r ich an d powe rful , a nd
Sylvia will n o t fo rge t n a, I kn ow. So if Madge is n o t to o
proud
A sh a rp kn o ck a t th e do o r in te rrupted h e r r eflectio n s, an d sh e
started to h e r fe e t in surprise .
I may come in ,I suppose ask ed an unkn own vo ice , an d a
tall lady, in a tra ilin g silk dr e ss, e n te r e d th e ro om . and to ok th e girl
afiectio n ate ly by th e h and .
Y ou do n o t kn ow m e,de ar , sh e said, and r e ally it is so dark
th at o n e can h a rdly distin gui sh o n e thin g from an o th e r . But, by
your fair h a ir , I kn ow you ar e Do r o thy. How it h as grown sin ce Isaw you last . Do you ofte n we ar
‘
it lik e th at
I beg your pardon . May I ask you wh o you ar e said Do ra ,
surprised at th e str ange , fam iliar m an n e r . I think you must h ave
com e in to th e wro ng ro om . Th e r e a r e many pe ople livin g in thi s
h ouse .
”
So th e r e ar e . But I fan cy I h ave com e str aigh t to th e place Iwan ted . Y ou ar e Doro thy Ne il . I em your fr iend, Lady A shfield .
”
Dora tr embled, and grasped th e back of a ch a ir .
Lady A shfie ldY e s, de ar child. Y ou se e I h ave n ot fo rgo tte n you, n o r mv
promise to assist you. Y ou h e lped n a, to o , brave ly wh e n our h o rse s
ran away. Nowwe must fin d out wh at we can do fo r you. But
pray ligh t th e gas. I wan t to se e wh a t you ar e like .
”
Dora struck a match , and sile n tly lit th e gas above th e ir h e ads.
Sh e was very pa le , and h e r eye sflash ed in dign an tly as sh e r em embe r ed
th e crue l m an n e r in which Lady A shfie ld h ad tr e ated h e r siste r . Sh e
lo ok ed upon this visi t as an in so len t in trusion , and fe ar ed to speak le st
sh e sh ould be tray th e ang er sh e fe lt .
Th at is be tte r ,”said Lady A shfie ld, looking th e gi r l cur iously up
an d down . Now I can se e you, and very pr e tty you h ave grown .
my de ar . Th at h air is wor th a fo rtun e .
"
Doro thy cr imson ed and tur n ed away h e r h ead.
I do n o t wish to mak e you va in, de ar child,
”con tinued Lady
A shfie ld, takin g 03 h e r h e avy plush clo ak, and layin g it on th e so fa .
But you ar e pr etty, as I te l l yo u—an d ye t,”sh e added
, exam in in g
h er cr itically, it is n o t th e pr e ttin ess. th e beauty I migh t say, o f th e
51 6 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
a ristocracy. N0 o n e would e ve r pick you out in a ro om ,as th ey
would Sylvia A th e rston e , fo r instance . She be ars th e stamp o f
n obil ity—o f family in every featur e and m oveme n t ; whi lst you
—we ll ,
yo u ar e a swe e t lo o kin g g ir l, but you come o f a lowe r class . No
living pe rson wo uld eve r be lieve you to be an A th e rsto n e . Y ou do
n o t lo ok it in an y way. Sylvia do e s. It is wo nde rful h ow bir th
sh ows itse lf in th e ve ry small e st pa r ticul a rs .
”
A n d, l e an in g back in h e r ch air , Lady A shficld a rran g ed ‘h er n e ck
lace,an d h e ld h e r satin -sh od fe e t up to th e fir e .
A s Do ra lo o k ed at th is fashi o n able lady, in h e r go rg e ous even in g
dr e ss and sparkling j ewe ls, an d h e a rd th e crue l wo rds th at fe l l from
h e r lips, a gr e at rag e to ok po sse ssio n o f h e r . This woman kn ew th e
secr e t o f h e r life , kn ew th a t sh e was r e ally Sylvia A th e rston e , an d h ad
come th e r e to in sul t h e r , an d accuse h e r an d Madg e o f lyin g . Fo r a
mom en t th e r o om se em ed to spin roun d ; h e r ton gue clo ve to th e ro o f
o f h e r mouth ; h e r lips r e fused to utt e r a sound.
Wh at a silen t child you ar e ,”cri ed h er visito r . Y ou se em to
h ave n o th in g to say fo r yourse lf to-nigh t . I came h e r e a t som e
in co n ve n ie n ce to myse lf, o n my way to a din n e r par ty, to se e you an d
Madg e and find out wh at I could do fo r you. A n d, in ste ad o f be ing
ple ased to r e ce ive my visit an d te ll me a ll your tr o uble s, you stan d
th e r e starin g as if you we r e dumb .
”
I em n o t dumb, n o r em I de af, r eplied Do ra with digni ty. Ih ave h e ard your wo rds and un de rstand th em pe rfectly. Y ou ar e n o t
our fr iend, an d Madge an d I must r espe ctfully declin e all h e lp from
you
Y ou ar e in so le n t.
No , o n ly h on e st . Wh e n Madge
We ll , de ar , what of Madg e?A r e you r eh earsing fo r a play,
Dora ask ed h e r siste r . wh o came in as sh e was spe akin g .
Or but I beg your pardon . I th ough t my siste r was al o n e .
G oo d e ve n in g , Lady A shfie ld.
An d bowin g co ldly to th e visito r , Me dg e put h er arm round Do ra ,
a nd h avin g qui e tly r emo ved th e plush clo ak to a n e igh bour ing ch a ir ,
m ade h e r lie down upon th e sofa .
Y ou lo ok ill, da r l in g ,
”sh e whispe r ed . Clo se your eye s and
r e st . I will talk to Lady A shfie ld, an d g e t r id of h e r as so o n as po s
sible .
oh , Madg e , Madg e , why is sh e h e r e n ow?cried Do ra , clingi n gto h e r sister an d kissin g h e r tende r ly.
“ I h ave such go od n ews,dear , if sh e
’d o nly go .
”
Hush , lo ve , we must n o t be rude . We must tr e a t o ur visito r
with prope r civili ty.
”A n d fr e e in g h e rse lf fr om th e gir l
’s embrace ,
sh e we n t ove r to th e fir e and sto od be side Lady A shfie ld.
51 8 The Ir ish Monthly.
fr am e sh ak en with suppr essed passio n , fo r th is day I was dismissed
a t a mon th’s n o tice fr om th e sch oo l in which I te ach .
Madg e Dor a gave a littl e cry, and sat up on th e sofa .
I h ave n ot a friend in th e wo r l con tinued Madge , layin g h e r
h and so o th in gly on Dora’s h e ad . But n ot fo r all th e r ich e s o f th e
unive rse would I sell my darlin g’s bir th -r ight . Did I do ao , I sh ould
d ese rve to die .
”
Lady Ashfie ld laugh ed sco rnful lyY ou would mak e a sple ndid actr ess.Miss Ne il . But I must
confess your tragic mann e r do e s n o t afiect m e . Y ou imag in e th a t bytalking n o nsense like th is, you may impo se upon m e and mak e m e
believe your r idi culous sto ry. But .I te l l you such a th ing is impo s
sible . Ne ith e r I n o r any o th e r human be in g wil l eve r be lieve it fo r
a n in stan t Miss A th ersto n e is about to marry my so n , Lo rdA shfield
Do i-a started and caugh t Madg e by th e arm .
A nd it is n o t probable ,”sh e co n tinued, th at two po o r gir ls lik e
you could eve r prove th at Sylvia , grandd augh te r o f Sir Eusta ce
A th e rston e , and wife o f a pe e r o f th e r e alm , was o th e r than wh a t sh e
is supposed to be . G ive up a ll th ough ts o f such a thing . A nd I wil l
promise you to do fo r you wh atso eve r youmay ask .
Do ra r ose slowly fr om h e r se at upo n th e sofa , and, walkin g o ver
to th e table , l e an ed h e avily aga in st it . Sh e was ve ry pale ; but h e r
swe e t face wo r e a lo ok of str o ng de te rmin atio n .
Lady A shfie ld ,
”sh e sa id. a nd h e r vo ice ran g out cl ear ly th rough
th e ro om , do n o t b e un easy. Ne ith e r Madg e n o r I sh all e ve r disturb
Sylvia A th creto n e .
Do ra
Madge flung up h e r h ands and lo ok ed wildly a t h e r sister .
Th ink of wh at you ar e sayin g , de ar est ,”
sh e cri ed in gr e at
a gita tion . Th ink wh at such a prom ise me ans.
I h ave th ough t, Madg e . I kn ow it we ll, and a little sob ,
ch ok ed h e r utte rance ,“ I h ave n o t fo rg o tte n wha t a troubl e it will be
to you, dar ling . But my m ind is made up. I r en ounce a ll claim to
th e nam e of A th e rsto n e . Ne ith e r Sylvia .n or Lord A shfie ld sh all eve r
suffer in any way thr ough m e . An d—and I h epe th ey may b e
Lady A shfie ld smiled, and lo oked tr iumphan tly at Madge .
I em glad,”sh e said with a sn e e r, th at on e of you h as se nse .
I suppose I may mak e .thi s mon ey ove r to you, my pre tty Do ra,”and
a gain sh e h e ld out th e n o tes.
But Do ra. shrank away, and flin gi ng h e r arms round Madge ,burst in to te ars.
A Str iking Contrast. 51 9
Lady Ashfie ld, said Madge , bitte r ly, you h ave obta in e d th e
promise you r equir ed. Put away your mon ey, and go .
”
Y ou may r epe n t your in so le n ce befo r e lo n g , Mi ss Ne il1 cried
Lady A shfie ld, an g rily. But, as you say, I h ave obtain ed all I
r equi r e . 80 I wish you go od n igh t.
A nd puttin g o n h e r cloak, sh e gath er ed up h e r sil ke n skirts an d
swept pr oudly from th e r o om .
CHAPTER XXI.
MADG E IS PERSUA DIZD TO BE SILENT .
Dora ’s sudden de claration th a t Sylvia sh ould be left in th e full
e n joym e n t of h er prese nt h appy po sitio n , fil led Madg e with dismay.
Was this th en to be th e e nd o f all h e r dr eams, all h e r h opes fo r
th e futur e?Was this po o r ch il d to dr o op and pin e for eve r in th e
mids t o f dre ary pover ty, wh ilst S ylvia spe n t h er life in luxury,
sur roun ded o n a ll sides by th e evide n ce s of we alth and afiectio n th at
did n o t lawfully be lo n g to h e r?Fo r some mome n ts afte r Lady A shfie ld
’s departur e th e two girls
wer e silen t . Do ra clung to Madge , h e r face hidden on h e r br e ast .
h er arms r ound h er waist . Sh e tr embled vio le n tly, and, from time to
time , a sob escaped h e r .
Madg e sigh ed h eavily, and, smoo thin g back th e go lden hair ,
kissed h e r lovin gly.
Y ou ar e n o t an gry, dear est?whispe r ed Do ra . Oh , say you
are n o t angry wi th m e?“ No t an gry, da rlin g ; I n ever could be th at with you
—but grievedand surprised . Why did you mak e th at promise , Dor a?Why didcut th e ground from under my fe e t?
Because—o h , Madge , wh e n you kn ow h e r , you will fe e l as I do .
Sylvia is so good, so n oble , I could n ot do h e r h arm.
”
But, dearest, that is n o r e ason . Because Sylvia is good, you
must n o t suffer . That would n o t be just.”
Just o r n o t, I am de termin ed n o t to in terfer e wi th h er in any
way. I sh all r ema in Doro thy Neil all my life .
But what if I object, Do raY oumust n o t,Madge . A n dyouwill no t,I am sur e ,wh en youkn ow
h ow I lo n g to leave Sylvia in th e h ome sh e beh aves to be h er own .
”
But th e poverty, Do ra Th ink of th at. Howcan I h ear to se e
y ou wan t wh en I r emember what your life sh ould be
520 The Ir ish Month ly.
A ll th at is at an end, Madge we sh a ll be poo r n o l o n ge r , said
Do ra , smil in g th rough h e r te ars . Sylvia was h er e to -day.
”
Sylvia Why did you n o t te ll me th at befo re
I did n o t car e to do so be fo r e Lady A shfie lQuite r igh t, de ar e st. I fo rgo t. But h ow did Sylvia fin d us o ut
Wh o to ld h e r oh , darlin g , our po si tio n grows h arde r and h arde r .
”
No , Madge , th e r e you ar e wr o ng , Sylvia came to na as a
min iste ring an ge l—h er h ands full o f gifts, h e r h e ar t full o f love .
”
But we cann o t accept e ith e r g ifts o r love .
”
No t if we we r e plann in g h e r ruin . No t, if lik e Juda s, we wer eacceptin g h e r love th at i t m igh t h e lp n a to be tray h e r . But I h av e
r eso lved, and you, dear Madg e , must agr e e to do like m e , to be com e
h e r frie nd, to tak e any kin dn e ss sh e o r Sir Eustace may do as with
gr atitude , and n eve r , by wo rd o r lo ok , sugg est th a t she was n o t bo rn
to th e high po sition th at sh e fills so n obly.
”
Oh , Do ra , h ow can I ever ag r e e to this
Ve ry e asily, de ar e st , wh en you th ink th e matte r o ut. An d
be li eve me , th e r e will be n o in justice do n e .
”
But,Do ra , wh at is to b e come of na Mrs. Pr im h as dismissed
m e . In four sh o rt we eks my tim e a t Pen e lope ,
Lodg e will h aveexpir ed , an d th en wh at a r e we to do
My de ar , I am deligh ted to h e ar of Mrs. Pr im ’s di smissal . It
will save yo u th e tr oubl e o f dismissin g h e r .
” Do ra laugh ed so ftly .
Se e h e r e , th e se ar e th e addr e sse s o f ladie s, fr ien ds of Sylvia’s, wh o
r equir e a music mistr e ss fo r th e ir ch ildr en . Y ou ar e to go th ere to
mo rr ow, and I fancy you will n o t lo n g r e gr e t th e large sa lary you
r e ce ived at Pe n e lope Lodg e . Sylvia said th ese pe ople would pay yo u
h andsom e ly. So n ow, de ar Madg e , you must n ot fre t, but promise
to do wh at I ask .
”
My darling , I can n ot r efuse you. An d th e h ope lessn ess o f
provin g our story tempts m e to accept th e se o ffe rs of fr iendsh ip ,
and ye t my m ind misgives m e . I wish it h ad n o t come to thi s. It
would h ave be e n be tte r h ad Sylvia stayed away.
Madge ,” whisper ed Do ra , with de epe n ing co lour , h er comin g ,
decided m e . Sh e is go in g to marry Lord A shfie ld. His wife must beof n oble , o f high po sition . No act , n o words of min e sh all cast a
doubt upo n h e r , sin ce h e love s h e r .
”
My dar lin g , two wr on gs do n o t make a righ t,”
sa id Madge
sadly. Howe ve r , I agr e e to do as you wish . To -morrow,I sh al l
go and se e th e se ladi es.
”
So , with a h eavy h ear t and many doubts as to th e h on esty o f h e r
conduct, Madge at last con se n ted to be sil en t and gratefully accept
522 The Ir ish Mohth ly.
a n abso rbing affe ctio n , and to ok will in gly from h e r h an ds th e many
gifts bough t fo r h e r , with wh at sh e kn ew to be h e r own mon ey. Fo r
th is tro ubled h e r little . Sh e h ad all , and m or e th an sh e r equir ed .
Sh e was n o t ambitio us, and was we ll co n te n t to se e Sylvia r eign
supr eme , as mistr e ss o f h er gran dfath e r’s establishm en t.
So th e days th a t we re fo rme r ly spe n t in dr e ary lon e lin e ss, h emmi ng
frill s fo r Mdm e . G a rn itur e , o r mour n ing o ve r h e r h e lpless condi tio n ,
we re n ow passed in dr ivin g with Sylvia , visitin g muse ums, picture
gal le rie s, and th e a tr e s Iun chi ng at on e h ouse , an d drin king te a a t
an o th e r . Fo r as so o n as Do ra was se e n with Miss A th e rsto n e , and
kn own to b e h e r fr ie n d , invitations o f a ll kin ds pour ed in upon h e r .
He r extr eme de licacy pr even ted h e r from go in g out at n igh t, and
so sh e could n o t go to e ith e r dinn e r o r dan ce . But th is sh e did n o t
r e gr e t . In th e eve n in gs sh e h ad Madg e , always e ag e r to we lcom e
h e r back , and eve r r e ady to listen to h e r accoun ts o f a ll sh e had se e n
an d do n e dur in g th e day. Fo r Madg e rar e ly took par t in th e se rounds
o f ple asur e . Sh e live d in th e pr e tty ro oms pr ovided by Sir Eustace ,
and k ept a te nde r wa tch o ve r h e r dar lin g . But n o thi ng would induce
h e r to sit down ,an d e a t th e br ead o f idl en e ss. . Th e ir ben e facto r was
g e n e r o us ; h e wa s we a lthy, sh e kn ew,and would n eve r miss th e sum
o f m o n ey h e al lowed th em in th e year . But Madge was proud . Sh e
h ad n o le gitimate cla im upo n him ; sh e woul d n o t be depe nden t on
h is bo un ty. Th r o ugh h e r co n n ection with th e A th e rsto n es sh e so o n
o btain ed many we ll - to -do pupils . A n d ao , th ough n o t wo rked so
uncea singly as in the o ld time s a t Pe n elope Lodge , h e r days wer e we llfilled up.
A n d a s sh e wen t from place to place , h e r th ough ts we r e eve r full of
Do r a an d h e r futur e . Sh e fe lt th a t thi ngs could n o t always go on as
th ey we r e at pr e se n t, an d sh e wo nde r ed wh e n th e e nd would com e .
Wh e r e was A n n e Da n e?Wh at would h appe n wh e n th ey m e t
Th e se que stio ns r ose freque n tly to h e r lips an d tr oubled h e r sadly.
Eve ryth in g was ple a san t n ow. But sh e was sur e thi s tran qui llitycould n o t last, an d sh e be lieved th at th e lon ge r th ey all lived as th ey
we r e do in g , th e m o r e b itte r would be th e ch ang e wh e n it came .
Y e t, in spite o f th e se misg ivin gs, Madg e was ve ry h appy. Sh e
r e jo iced to se e Do ra livin g in comfo rt, pr e ttilydr e ssed, and temptinglyse rved. Sh e h ad n e ve r in all h e r life be en so fre e from car e , and sh e
h ad mo n ey fo r a ll sh e r equir ed .
Thi s sudde n ch an g e in th e Ne ils ’ po sition, an d th e str an ge mann e r
i n which Sir Eustace h ad tak e n th em to h is h e a rt, an n oyed LadyA sh
fie ld extrem e ly ; and sh e lived in constan t te rror l e st Do ra sh ould
fo r ge t h er r e so lutio n an d te ll som e on e th e sto ry of th e wr eck, th at is,Madg e
’s ve rsion o f th a t un lucky n igh t. No t th at sh e beh aved it, but
A Str iking Contract. 523
that sh e dreaded th e mise ry and vexation th at would come upo n th em
a ll sh ould th e suspicion of such a th in g ge t n o ised abroad. Un like
Madge , sh e fe lt sure th at eve ry day passed by th e Ne ils in th e ir pr e
se n t position was a decided gain , makin g disclo sur e mor e impo ssible ,
and bin ding th em mo re emph atica lly to sile n ce
We r e Sylvia and A shfield safe ly marr ied, i t would matte r but
li ttle ,”
sh e th ough t. Th e se ttle me n ts woul d be made , and such
n o nse nse would n o t trouble th em. Sir Eustace would so o n hush th e
matter up, and Sylvia , away with h e r husband, would n eve r h ear o f
it. Even th e go ssips woul d n o t be h ave it so e asily, o nce'
sh e was LadyA shfie ld. But I confe ss I do n o t understand th ese two . A t th e '
A th e rsto n e’
s ball th ey se eme d devo ted. Now—we ll, h e go e s to th eh ouse o fte n , but thin gs do n o t pro gress. He still declar es th ey ar e
n o th ing to e ach o th e r . He is mo st provoking .
”
A n d as Dora saw mor e of Sylvia, and cam e to kn ow h e r m ore
in timate ly, sh e to o wo nde red o ve r h e r ma nn e r to Lo rd A shfie ld. Withh im th e g ir l was frank an d gay ; ple ased to se e him wh e n h e cam e ,
but indiffe r e nt as to wh e th e r h e we n t o r stayed. Wh e n h e was
absen t, sh e rar e ly m en tion ed him, an d, wh en sh e did ao , it was in a
casual way—fr iendly, but n oth in g mo r e .
Lord A shfield’
s be h aviour so o n becam e as incompr eh en sible
as Sylvia’s. He visited constan tly at th e h ouse , dr ove with th e g ir ls
in th e Park , walked with th em in th e Bo w, accompan ied th em to
co nce rts and te as. Y e t, e ve n to Do ra ’s in exper ie nced eye s. his
demean our was th at o f a privil eged fr iend, rath e r than th a t of an
accepted love r . Al l this bewilde re d and sadde n ed simple Dora , ye t
sh e tr ied h ard to be lieve in th e lo ve of th e se two . Fo r th ey we re
e ngaged to be mar ried, sh e kn ew. Lady A shfield h ad said ao . Sh e
was h is mo th e r . Sh e must sur e ly k n ow.
So Do ra h e ld alo of wh e n Lo rd A shfield was n e ar . In th e h ouse ,
sh e bur ied h erse lf in a bo ok o r wo rk ed in dustriously at h er embro idery.
In th e Park and e lsewh e re , sh e gaz ed about h e r , o r talked to Sir
Eustace , do in g e veryth ing sh e could to g ive h e r fr iends pe rfect fre e
dom in th e ir in te rcourse . But all se emed of little use . Lo rd A shfie ldand Sylvia woul d n o t allow h er to with dr aw fr om th e ir society. In
all th ey did and said, sh e must tak e a part . A n d much again st h e r
will Do r a fe lt co nstrain ed to do ao .
Th en followed a tim e of an guish—a tim e wh e n Dora was on e day
miserably unh appy ; th e n ext full of joy and n ervous excitem en t .
Sh e ough t to h ave be en h appy, sh e felt. Sh e wish ed, ye t draaded to
be so , for h er inin d was to rn with doubt and th e fe ar of causing grief
to Sylvia .
Wh en sh e fir st m e t Lo rd A shfield at th e A th e rston e’s, h e sh owed
524 The La b Mon th ly.
gr e at pleasur e a t r e n ewing th e ir acquain tance . He was po lite an d
atten tive , tr e atin g h e r with th e sam e con side ration as h e migh t h av e
be stowed o n th e high e st lady in th e land . To h e r past life h e n ev e r
al luded. A nd wh e n Do ra th ank ed him tr emulously fo r h is goodn ess
in disch arg in g th e ir debt to th e ir cr ue l landl o rd, h e implo r ed h e r
e arn e stly n e ve r to men tion it aga in . It gr ieved him to r em embe r it ,
fo r it proved h ow h e and h is m o th e r h ad n e glecte d th e ir promise o f
h e lpin g th e o rph an s in th e ir h our o f n e ed .
Full o f th e ide a th at h e was en ga g ed to Sylvia , Do ra was dista n t
and r e ser ved . Sin ce th e day o f th e accide n t in Cornwall h e h ad b e e n
a h e r o in h e r eye s . Th e sound o f hi s vo ice , th e touch o f hi s h and ,
th ri ll ed h e r . Th e fe e ling th at h e was n e ar filled h e r with h appin ess .
Y e t Sylvia was to be h is wife , an d n o wo rd o r lo ok o f h e rs sh ould
disturb h e r pe ace . Th at th e se two m igh t b e h appy sh e h ad r en oun ced
h er birth -r igh t, a nd l eft Sylvia in un disputed po sse ssion o f h e r h ome
and fo rtun e . Fo r th e ir sak e sh e would do mo r e . Sh e wo uld
conque r h e r own h e art, and kill th e gr e at love that was growing up
But in a sh o rt tim e Lo rd A shfie ld’s conduct began to pe rplex
th e po o r g ir l , th en fill ed h er wi th a larm . In ste ad of ta lk in g to Sylvia
o r Sir Eustace , h e devo te d h imse lf to h e r . Hi s long visits wer e
spe n t by h e r ch air watch in g th e pro gr ess o f h e r embr o ide ry, o r
co n ve rsin g with h er 1 n low, e arn e st to n e s . To Dora th e h our s we n t
past all. to o r apidly. Sh e lived in a dr e am from which sh e fr eque n tlyawok e with a sh ock , as sh e r em embe r ed h ow crue lly sh e was dece ivin g
h erse lf, h ow bitte r would be th e e nd th at would sur e ly com e to th ese
blissfully h appy days.
On e aft e rn oon th e gir l was ask ed to sin g . Sh e co nse n ted and we n t
to th e pian o . He r son g was a simple se tting of Mrs. Brown in g’
s
po em
Love strike s on e h our Love Th ose never loved
Wh o dre am th a t th ey loved once .
Do ra sang with path os. Sh e forgo t th e company. Sh e put h e r
wh o le soul in to h e r vo ice , and th e wo rds rang out cl e arly, path etica llythr ough th e r oom .
Lo rd A shfie ld stood by th e pian o . He listen edwith rapt atten tio n ,
and wh en th e last swe e t n o te h ad died away, h e b e nt hi s h ead an d
th ank ed h e r in a lowwhispe r fo r th e pl easure sh e h ad give n h im .
Do ra look ed up, h er th ough ts full o f th e sad idea o f th e song . Th e ir
eye s m e t for an in stan t . A de ep blush ove rspr ead th e gi rl’s de lica t e
ch e ek, h e r eye lids quive r ed sligh tly, and, r ising slowly from th e
music-stoo l , sh e walked blindly to a distan t seat .
526 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
Sylvia glan ced a t h e r inqui r ingly.
Oi course , I kn ow you would, de ar e st . A nd I would do th e
sam e fo r you. But your h appin e ss will be qui te secure with out myh e lp, n ow. Th e re is little doubt o f th at.
”
No , Sylvia . Th e r e is n o r e al h appin ess po ssible fo r m e . Si r
Eustace and you h ave be en go od and gen e r ous . Y ou h ave sur
r ounded m e with comfo r t an d luxury. I h ave all I wan t in th at way .
But
My dear Do ra , you r equir e ch ange of a ir . Y ou a r e sufie rin gfr om depr e ssion . G randpapa and I go in to Surr ey so o n , to our dear ,
de ligh tful Summ e r lands. Y ou must com e with n a . Will youY es ; I sh oul d like to . I do wan t ch an ge , de ar .
Th at will be ch arming . A n d n ow we sh all go in to th e stre e ts
th e park lo oks g lo omy. Th omas,”to th e foo tma n , dr ive down
Piccadilly and up R e gen t stre e t .”
Y es, mi ss .
”
Th e co achman turn ed his h o rse s and we n t out at th e We llin gto n
G ate .
A fte r th is th e g ir ls r e lapsed in to sile nce . Bo th se em ed lo st in
th ough t Th e car riage we n t o n as swi ftly as possibl e thr ough th e
cr owded str e e ts , and many h eads we r e turn ed, many glan ces of
admi ration we r e be stowed upon its two love ly o ccupan ts as it dr ove
alon g .
A t Piccadi lly Circus th eywe re sudden ly stopped, th e ir h o rse s k ept
back by th e po licem an to allow a number o f pedestr ians to cro ss th e
ro ad .
A youn g man we ll-dr e ssed and h appy lo okin g , sto od amongst th e
crowd. A s Sylvia’s car riage dr ew up clo se to him and h e r eco gnised
th e gir ls, h e utte r ed an exclamation o f ple asur e , and raised his h at .
Sylvia .
”
Th e gir l starte d an d look ed roun d . Her co lour de epe n ed, and sh e
Paul .
He r eyes m e t his in on e lon g searching glan ce o f enqui ry. Th ey
we r e n o t n ear en ough to speak n o r sh ak e h an ds . But th a t lo ok to ld
h er much , an d se t h e r h e ar t be ating gladly, tr iumph an tly.
Th e po l iceman stepped a side , th e h o rses dash ed fo rward, and sh e
was so on far away up R egen t Str e e t .
Th e m e e ting h ad be e n sh o rt, n o wo rds h ad passed be twe e n th e
two , ye t it fill e d Sylvia with joy. Sh e h ad n o t se en Paul since th e dayin th e Ne ils
’lodgi ng , an d th e ch a n ge in h is appea ran ce and be arin g
was r emarkable . Sh e h ad h eard h e was do in g we ll, wo rking ste adilyat his pr ofe ssio n ; sh e n ow saw th at h e h ad r e cover ed h is self-r espe ct,
A Str iking Contr ast. 527
an d was h appy. To se e h im thus, to kn ow th a t h e was l e ading a life
o f in dustry, actin g a s sh e h ad wish ed and advised him to do , was ,
in de ed , a pleasur e . A n d as h e van ish ed fr om h e r sigh t sh e sank back
in th e carriage tr emblin g with exciteme n t a nd de l igh t .
Do ra lo ok e d a t h e r in surprise . Wh at did thi s m e an How didSylvia kn ow Paul Vyn e r , th e ar tist Wh at could h e h ave to do withh e r Why was sh e so agitated on se e in g h im A ll th e se que stio n s
passed in quick succe ssion thr ough h e r m ind. But sh e did n o t dar e
ask h er compan ion why sh e was so much disturbed. Sylvia se emed
unconscious o f h er pr e sen ce . Se Do ra k ept h e r th ough ts to h e rse lf.
A s th e carr iag e turn ed in to De Ve r e G arden s, Sylvia star ted from
h e r r e ve r ie .
Must you r e ally go in , Do ra sh e ask e d.
Y e s . I coul d n o t go h om e with you to -day. I must r e st . I fe e l
n ot ve ry we ll .
Po or little Do ra I em so rry. I wish you we r e h appy like m e .
Sylvia blush ed de eply. Y ou h ave se en Paul . He—you must h aven o ticed my joy, my de ligh t a t se e in g him . He is go ing thr ough h is
tim e of probation , Do ra , and is do in g we l l—n obly. He nce , myh appin e ss . G o od-bye .
”
Do ra listen ed as o n e in a dr e am . Sh e kissed Sylvia te nde r ly,
a nd turn in g away swiftly, ran in to th e h ouse an d up th e stair s . He rh ead was in a wh ir l ; h e r eye s sparkl e d brigh tly ; h e r lips we r e
par ted in a happy smi le . Th e cl ouds of m ise ry h ad sudde nly ro lled
away, an d h e r h eart was be a tin g joyfully.
Sylvia loved Paul Vyn e r . Oi that sh e was n ow quite ce rta in .
Th e re for e sh e did no t love , n o r could sh e be e n gag e d to marry, Lo rdA shfie ld .
CHA PTER XXII .
DORA IS r a mp BEY OND n an s'
ramro 'm .
Th a t eve n ing wh en Madg e r e tur n e d to din n e r sh e was surprised to
find Do ra lo okin g br igh t and we ll . Sh e was dr esse d in a dain ty
wh ite muslin , wi th pal e blue r ibbons an d clouds o f filmy lace . On e
love ly te a-r o se n estled amon gst th e fo lds o n h e r br east, and h e r go lde n
h a ir was taste fully arra ng e d on th e top o f h e r li ttle h e ad .
Madg e look ed at h e r admir in gly. Sh e h ad n eve r se en h e r look so
be autiful .
Th is is a wonder ful r esur rection , my pe t,”sh e sa id, k issin g h e r .
Do you fe el quite we ll th is eve ning?
Quite .
Do ra fin ge red h er ro se ; h e r co lour de epe n e d an d paled again .
Wh at an exqui site h owe r . Wh er e did you g e t itLo rd A shfie ld se n t it an d som e books. He h eard I was n o t
He is ve ry atten tive . I suppo se for Sylvia’s sak e h e lik es to b e
kind to h e r fr ie nd.
Madge —Dora’s swe e t face grew cr imson it is n ot fo r
Sylvia’s sake . It is—th ey ar e n ot e n gag ed.
”
Madg e lo ok ed up in surprise .
No t engag ed My de ar , you ar e m istak e n . Lady A shfield
Y es. But sh e was wr on g . Sylvia car e s n o thin g fo r Lo rd Ashfie ld, an d h e
Do ra paused, and to uch ed h e r rose with lovin g fin g e rs.
We ll, de ar est He is gr ieved, I suppo se
No , I th ink n o t . I don’t fan cy h e car e s. From thin gs I
‘
k n ow,
h ave se e n , and fe lt, I think h e car e s fo r some o n e e lse .
”
Se your sacr ifice , your promise n o t to in te rfe r e with Sylvia , wa s
n o t n e cessary an d will n o t affe ct him wh om you wish ed to save from
ann oyan ce .
”
No . It will n ot make any diffe r e nce to him—at least, as far as
Sylvia is con ce rn ed. But, Madg e
Do ra sank upon a ch air ; h e r co lo ur faded, a look o f an guish cam e
in to h e r eye s .
Wh at is it, dar lin g?A r e you ill
Madge spran g to h e r side and h un g h e r arms r ound h e r .
No . But an awful th ough t h as com e to m e ,”sh e gasped . I
h ave prom ised Lady A shfie ld . I e m fo n d o f Sylvia , pledged in a
th ousa nd ways to k e ep th a t promise . A nd ye t—oh , Madge
—sh e
hid h ar face on h e r siste r’s sh oulde r I love Lo rd A shfie ld—and
ii—h e sh o uld car e—ask m e to marry h im , wh a t sh all I do
Madge gr ew de ath ly pale . Sh e pr e sse d Do ra clo se to h e r h eart ,
an d ra ised h e r eye s appe a lin gly to He ave n .
Oh , my G od,”sh e murmur ed ,
“ h e lp this poo r ch ild. In Thy
gr ea t m e rcy so fte n this tr ial th a t h as com e upon h e r . He lp h e r tobe ar it patie n tly, with r e sign atio n .
”
Spe ak , Madge ,”wh ispe r ed Do r a , wh at sh all I do
A las ! my dar lin g , I em afr aid to te ll yo u wh a t I th ink , wh at I
fe e l to be th e o n ly course ope n to you. By your own pr om ise , made
in impulsive g e n e ro sity to secur e th e h appin e ss o f thi s gir l wh o h ad
acted kindly towards you, you h ave placed yourse lf in a te rr ible
po sitio n . Havin g made th is prom ise , you cann o t r eve al th e se cr e t o f
530 The Ir ish Mo nth ly.
pa in ,and offe red fe rve n t pr aye rs to G od th at He would be me rciful
an d spar e h er darlin g . Th en , at last, th e feve r passed away, an d th e
patie n t cam e slowly back to life . Th e docto rs pro n o un ced h e r out o f
dang er , a nd gave gr e at h epes of h e r ultimate re cove ry.
But h e r convale scen ce was lo n g and tryin g . Sh e se emed we a ry o f
living , and expr e sse d n e ith e r wish n o r h ope th a t sh e migh t gr ow
stro n g e r . Th is apathy fill ed Madg e with te rro r . Wha t if h e r pe tsh oul d fade away and di e in spite o f th e docto rs A nd, as sh e ga z ed
a t th e gir l as sh e lay listl ess and indifie r en t upon th e sofa , sh e lo ng ed
fo r som e thi ng to ro use and in te r e st h e r .
Do ra was n ow but th e sh adow o f h e r forme r se lf . He r lon g g o lde n
h air h ad be e n cut clo se to h e r h ead ; h e r figur e h ad sh runk , and was
th in to atten uatio n . He r ch est,a lways n arrow, h ad a lo ok o f co n
tr actio n , pain ful to b eh o ld ; h e r face was whi te and wan , and h e r
love ly eye s we r e abn ormally larg e . and sur r ounded with wide , bla ck
Durin g a l l th is dr e ary time , th e g irl’s frie nds we re co nstan t i n
th e ir a tte n tion s. But Do ra would se e n o o n e . Sh e be gg ed to b e le ft
a lo n e . No thi ng daun ted, Sylvia co ntin ued to implo r e fo r admissio n ,
and afte r som e time , th e in va lid yie lded, an d a llowed h e r to pay h e r
a n sit . Th e sigh t o f th e g ir l’s be autiful face did h e r go od , an d
r e n ewed th e de ep affection sh e h ad always h ad fo r h e r . Sir Eustace
spe edily fo llowed in hi s granddaugh te r’s fo o tsteps, and Do ra r ece ive d
h im with som e thi n g lik e an expr e ssio n of ple asur e in h e r we a ry eye s .
Y ou must h ave ch a n ge o f air to brace you an d se t you up, my
dear ,”h e sa id. Sylvia and I go down to Bumm e r lands n ext w e ek .
Y ou must come with us .
”
Do r a pro te sted fe ebly. Sh e did n o t wish to le ave h ome . Th e n
Madg e was appe al e d to . Wh at did sh e think
I must ask th e docto r , Sir Eustace . If h e says it will ag r e e
with Do ra, sh e sh all go . I em sur e -it would b e ve ry go od fo r h e r .
”
Ch an g e of a ir was exactly wh a t sh e r equi r ed, de clar ed th e docto r
o n his n ext visit, a nd Summ e r lands th e place of all o th er s th at h e
would r ecommend . It was bracin g and h e a l thy.
So , n o twith stan din g Do ra’s disin clin ation to m ove , all arran ge
m e n ts we r e made , an d it was r e so lved th a t in a few days sh e sh o uld
tr ave l down in to Surr ey, in a clo se carr iage with Sir Eustace and
Sylvia . Madg e , wh o h ad som e affair s to se ttle in town , would fo l low
in as sh o r t a tim e as po ssible . Me anwh il e sh e kn ew h e r da r l in g
would be in go o d h ands an d woul d be car efully and lovingly te nded .
Ou th e afte rn oon b efo r e th e day of h e r departur e fo r th e coun try,
Dor a se emed r e stle ss and e xcited . Sh e appe ar ed anxio us to say
som e thi n g to Madg e , ye t appar e n tly dr e aded to speak .
A Sh i lli ng Con trust. 53 1
Madg e was busily occupied in packin g , and did n o t at first n o tice
th e gir l’s n e r vous mann e r . But afte r a time , som e th in g unusual in
h er appe arance caused h e r to pause in h e r wo rk , and th e n sh e
r ema rk ed, with wonder , th e burn in g spo t upon e ach wan ch e ek .
Wh at is it, pe t A re you n o t fe e ling we ll sh e cr ie d
anxiously. Sh a ll we postpon e th is visit to Summ e rlan ds Y ou can
go down wi th me . I’ll wr ite
No , n o , Madg e . We must mak e n o ch an ge . I em r es t l e ss
th at is all . I wan t to ge t away.
” Sh e cove r ed h e r face with h er
a lmost transpare nt h ands . I dr ead, ye t lon g to se e , Lo rd A shfie lMy dar lin g !
Y ou may, pe rh aps, se e h im, Madge , and I wan t you to te ll
h im
Th e se r van t suddenly open ed th e do o r .
If you please , Mi ss Ne il , th e r e is a ge ntleman outside , wh o
wish es very particular ly to se e Miss Do ra .
A g en tleman
Y e s, miss. Lo rd A shfie ld.
Do ra gave a little cry, and fe ll back upo n h e r pillow.
Y ou sh all n o t se e him, de ar e st,”cried Madg e . Y ou must say
th at Mi ss Do ra is n o t able to r e ce ive visito rs, Mary. Or stay, I will
speak to him myse lf.”
Madge Do ra caugh t h e r dress and would n o t le t h e r go .
must se e h im . Mary, admit Lo rd Ashfie ld.
”
Th is is foo lish . Y ou ar e to o ill—to o we ak , Do ra .
No , my joy wil l give me str en gth .
A nd it se em ed as th ough sh e was r igh t . Fo r wh e n Lo rd A shfie ldto ok h er hand
'
an d ask ed h e r h ow sh e fe lt, sh e answered quie tly tha tsh e was be tter , an d begged him to sit down .
Madge could n o t but wo n de r at this sudde n ch an g e .-A ll trace o f
n e rvousn e ss h ad van ish ed . Th e feve rish co lour h ad faded from h e r
ch e eks, an d sh e was n ow wh ite as alabaste r . A nd in h e r eye s was a
look of peace , an expr ession of con ten t, th at Madg e h ad n o t se en in
th em fo r mon th s.
Sh e love s him , ah , h ow de ar ly, my po o r darlin g ,”sh e th o ugh t
with an guish . How will it a ll e nd?” A nd un able to ch eck th e
r isin g te ars, sh e hurried fr om th e room .
Wh en Lo rd A shfie ld found h imse lf face to face with th is girl ,
wh om h e te nde r ly loved, h e was de eply agitate d. He was sh ock ed at
h er appe aran ce . He h ad n ot m e t h e r since th at afte rn o on a t th e
A th e rston e’s, wh e n sh e had touch ed him gr eatly by th e be autiful
pa th o s of h er son g . A nd n ow But h e soo n r ecove r ed his usua l
ca lm deme an our , and Do ra had n o t a n o tion of wha t h e sufie red .
532 The Ir ish Monthly.
My G od, wh at a ch ang e th ese we eks of illn ess have made in th is
po o r ch ild,” h e th ough t . Will sh e eve r be strong?Could car e ,
love , an d afiection brin g ro se s to h e r ch e eks, str e ngth .and h e alth to
h er limbs
But Do ra’s swe et voice di sturbed hi s rever ie , r ecall ed h im to
It is ve ry go od of you to com e to se e me , Lord Ashfie l sh e
But you we re always kin d an
G o od of m e h e cr ied passio n ate ly. Oh , Do ra , do you n o t
kn ow th at I h ave be e n a t your do o r mo rn in g and n igh t Do you n o t
kn ow th at all my h opes of h appin ess ar e ce n tr ed in your r e cove ry‘
P
Th at, h ad you died—I—my life would h ave be e n a blank—fo r I lo ve
you, darling , and have but on e wish on earth—to win you as my
wife .
Do ra gaz ed at h im with dilated eyes and h e igh te n ed co lour . Sh e
tried to speak , but n o soun d came fo r th .
Have you n othing to say, Do ra Have I startled you
Fr igh te n ed you by my e ag e r wo rds Y ou ar e weak . I sh ould n o t
h ave spok e n so soon . But oh , my lo'
ve , my lo ve , th ese days ha v e
se emed lo ng and we ary, yearnin g as I h ave be en , to kn ow my fa te .
Do you love m e Can you be my wi fe
Do ra lower ed h e r eye s. Sh e could n o t bear to m e e t that te nde r ,
pleadin g glan ce . He r h eart was hi s, but sh e dar ed n o t say so .
Be twe e n th em and h appin ess lay th e secr et o f h e r birth , an d th e
promise sh e h ad made n eve r to r e ve a l it.
N sh e sa id, and h e r wo rds we r e so low th at h e h ad to be n d
fo rward to ca tch th em . I can n o t be your wife .
Lo r d A shfie ld stagg ered to his fe e t . His face was livid ; h is eye sfull o f so rrow and disappo in tm e n t .
Do you m e an thi s h e ask ed in tr emulous acce n ts . Have I
be e n dece ived—h ave all my efio r ts be e n in vain Do you n o t—co uld
you n o t love m e—eve n a little , my darlin g
Th e gir l lo ok ed up, h e r face ful l o f radian t ligh t, h er lips par ted
in a h appy sm ile . Oh , yes, I love you de ar ly,”sh e wh ispe r ed low.
Th en ,
” h e cri ed, h ingin g h imse lf o n h is kn e e s by th e co uch , and
takin g h e r littl e h and in h is, why can you n o t marry m e If you
love m e, why do you h esitate
Because -Do ra dr ewh e rse lf away from him I cann o t, I dar e
n o t . Th e r e is a r e aso n .
”
A r e ason?My dar lin g , sur e ly th at is impossible . If we l o ve
e ach o th e r , wh a t r e aso n can th e r e b e to pr eve n t our marriage Te ll
me wh at it is . I
I cann o t, murmuredDo ra , fain tly. It is a secre t. Madge
The Ir ish Monthly.
Madge b lush ed de eply,but sh e rai sed h e r h e ad proudly, a n d
look ed a t Lo rd A shfie ld .
Y e s, it was, partly. Lady A shfie ld would n o t be li eve my wo rd.
Th en thi s se cr e t is conn ected with you, n o t Do ra
Pray ask n o mo r e , Lord A shfie ld ; it is Do ra’s wish and your
mo th e r’s th at I sh ould be sil e n t . But thi s se cr e t must sure ly l e ak
o ut so o n e r o r la te r . Howe ve r in th e meanwh ile , ple ase be lie ve th a t
th e r e is n o thin g to b e ash amed o f in it n o th ing th e le ast disgrace ful
to e ith e r Do ra o r m e
I can we ll beh ave th a t,”h e cried . A nd n ow, go od
-bye , I
must se e my mo th e r , and implo r e h e r to r evea l th is se cre t to m e a t
o n ce . Wh en I kn ow all, Do ra m ay th e n co nse n t to be my wife .
”
I h ope so m o st sin ce r e ly ; but Lady A shfie ld h as o th e r vi ews fo r
you—sh e may n ot be wil lin g to te ll you all sh e kn ows .
”
“ Sh e must . My m o th e r and I do n o t a lways agr e e in sm a ll
matte rs, but I g e n e ra lly ma n ag e to mak e h e r do wh at I wish .
”
(To be con tinued. )
TO THE NIG HT.
l
vOST h o ly n igh t, th at still do st ke ep
1 Th e k eys o f al l th e do o rs o f sle ep,
To m e , wh e n my tir ed eye lids close ,
G ive th ou r epo se .
A n d bid th e drowsy songs o f th em
Th a t ch an t th e dead day’s r equi em
Mak e in my ears, wh o wake ful lie ,
So ft lullaby.
Bid th em th at gua rd th e h orn éd moo n
By my be dside th e ir m emo r ie s cro o n ;
80 shall I h ave strange dr e ams and blest
In my br ie f r e st .
Fo ld thy gr e a t win gs about my face ,
Hide day-dawn fr om my r e stin g place ,
A n d ch e at m e with thy false de l igh t ,
Mo st h o ly Nigh t .
Hum an Bu t oc.
G OOD-BY E TO OBER-AMMERG A U TILL 1 900.
THE vall ey of th e Amm er , n early thre e th ousand fe et a bo ve
th e leve l of th e se a , is coo l an d fr esh an d gre en , with a
fr e shn e ss and gree nn ess born o f mountain rain s and moun ta in
str e ams. It is closed in at its uppe r e nd by lofty peaks, o ve r
wh ose pin e-clad crags wre aths of whi te mi st o ften lin ger , as th ough
e n ta ngled amon g th e tr ee s. Th e h ills at th e o th e r end are le ss
rugged, be ing grass-
grown on th e ir lowe r slope s, and appear to
m e rge fin ally in to th e leve l uplands. Through th e valley flows
th e A mm er , its gen tly moving wate rs givin g hi s to th e quietsce n e . Th e two village s o f th e valley, Obe r -Amme rgau and
Un te r -A mme rgau, ar e built upo n its banks. Th e former con sists
o f a numbe r of h ouse s with h igh , re d-brown roo fs, som ewhat
ir r egularly arranged, th e in te rven ing space s formin g grass-
grown
stre e ts, and some tim e s small garden s. Wo ode n fo ot-bridge s span
th e A mm e r , a po rtion of wh o se wate rs h as be en dive rted from
th eir course to turn a saw-mill . Th e h ouses ar e two sto rie s, e ach
co n ta in ing se veral small ro oms. Th e re are n o huts or cabin s to
be se en , and th e wh ole place we ars an air of h ome ly prospe rityvery ple asan t to witn e ss. Th e in habitants are a h n o race , we ll
buil t and g ood-looking . I do n ot think I have se en a mean face
since I came h ere , some of th e visitors, of course , excepted. Such
o f the villag ers as take part in th e playgen erallywe ar th e ir hair lon g ,which give s th em a picturesque appe ar an ce . I often m e et St .
Joh n , wh o takes ofi his hat to m e , an d St. Pe te r on ce set m e right
when I had lo st myway. I regre t to say, h oweve r , that I saw two
little long-h aired ange ls smoking cigar stumps in a quie t n o ok byth e r iver
,a state of affairs for which some o f th e tour ists are
probably re sponsible .
Th e church , which stands n e ar the rive r at th e uppe r
e nd of th e village , is a spacious buildin g in th e renasce n ce
style . To m e it appe ars much too h igh ly de co rated. Th e r e are
always a numbe r of prie sts among th e visito rs, an d most of th ese
say Mass in th e church th e re sult be ing a. constan t succe ssion of
Masses for two or thre e h ours in th e'
early morn ing , four o r five
be ing often said at th e same tim e . Rows of priests o f var ious
536 The Ir ish Month ly.
ranks and n ation alitie s sit in th e cho ir awaiting th e ir turn .
Purple—capped dignitar ies, wh ite -r obed Domin icans, brown Fr an
ciscan s, secular priests in th e ir grace ful soutan es an d bire ttas, a l l
lend picture squen e ss and varie ty to th e scen e , which fo rms a fittin g
pre lude to th e play.
Th er e are few subje cts o n wh ich we h e ar so many and such
varied opin ions as th e Passion Play. Th e re are some , usual ]y
th o se wh o h ave n ot se e n it, wh o speak of it with sh -o ng disappro
bation . Th ey conside r any attempt to put such a subject o n th e
stage r e volting ,irreve ren t, wron g ; while o th ers are en thusiastic in
the ir praise , and say that th e play h as en abled them to re alise th e
scen es it r epre sen ts ina way that would have bee n o th e rwise
impo ssible . Ce rtam th er e are associations conn ected with th e
m ode rn stage which make us shr ink at first thought from usin g it
as a m edium for th e represen tatio n of re ligious subje cts. But we
must remember that th e Obe r -A mme rgau play h as its ro ots de ep
down in th e middl e age s wh e n such associations we re un kn own ,
and wh en th e drama was conside red quite as appropriate a me a n s
of brin gin g re ligion h ome to th e pe ople as e ith e r paintin g or
sculpture . It is true that th e vow of which the Passion Play is th e
fulfilmen t was n ot made un til 1 633, but it is n ot to be suppo se d
th at th e idea of it originated with th e pe ople of Ober-Amm ergau .
Th e mysteries and miracle playswhich we re performed in Engla n d
in th e sixte e nth ce ntury probably lingered much later in th e
Bavar ian Highlands, and th e actors in th e first Passion Play h ad ,
doubtless, se e n many rude attempts at similar subjects. It seem ed
to th em as fitting a means of do ing h on our to G od as it woul d to
day se em to na to pain t a picture or ch ise l a statue . A nd this
ge rm of faith and gratitude has n e ver died out, though it h as
deve loped in to something of wh ich the original actors n eve r
dre amed . It is living , an d th ere fore possesses th e powe r o f
own substance modern ideas in lite ratur e and art, and utilised th e
products of mode rn science . Th e origin al actors would n ot re co g
nise th e ir play in its pre sen t guise , but th e two are iden tical . Th e
Passion Play of to-day is th e re sult of the labour and though t o f
gen e ration s,whil e th e artistic and dr ama tic powers of the actors
are inh e rited in stincts, fo stered by th e ir occupation and surroun d
mgs .
We are se ldom able to rea lise what we read for ourselves a s
538 The Ir is}; Mon th ly.
by th e late parish prie st , Herr Daisenberg , po sse sse s lite rary an d
dramatic qualitie s of n o mean o rde r . It adh ere s wh en po ssible to
th e words of Scri ptur e , but wh en th e se have to be amplified, as
in th e discussion s amon g th e prie sts, and th eir in te rvi ews with'
Judas, th e language forms n o unworthy settin g for th at of th e
in spir ed wr ite rs. But it is in th e con ception of some of th e
character s th at th e wonderful dr am atic power of th e play 1 8 mo st
appare nt . Th e characte r of a Chn stus cann ot, of course , be di s
cussed . But Jo seph Maye r br in gs to th e part a dig n ity an d
swe etn e ss of demean our which is all th e more wonderful wh en we
remember th at his featur e s are som ewhat h eavy, th e ir beautybeing
a lto geth er th at of expre ssion . He se ems to have lived up to h is
part fo r so many years th at hi s face has acquired th e M p o f
h olin e ss. He is ve ry tall and sin gularly grace ful in his eve ry
movem e n t. His vo ice is de ep an d swe e t, and his ar ticulatio n
Th e part of th e Ble ssed Virgin is in th e text full of beauty an d
dign ity. Th e girl wh o un de rtake s th e part doe s n ot, I th ink , do
it full justice . If th e sam e par t is in trusted to h e r in 1 900, sh e
will probably realiz e it be tte r .
But as it is th e sh ade s whi ch brin g out th e pictur e s, we sh ould
e xpect to fin d th e most power sh own in th e ch aracte rs of Judas an d
Pilate , an d such is th e ca se . Judas as h ere depicte d is at fir st a
man fr e e from cr ime , but totally devo id of in lagin ation ,and givin g
a ll h is th oughts to th e so rdid care s of life , and all his anxie ty to
the se em i n g of his own futur e . This is indicated in th e first words
h e speaks : But, Maste r , wh e n Th ou hast given away Thy life ,
what will become of us He has appar en tly jo in ed th e ranks o fth e disciple s a s a m ean s of live lih ood, be in g in this, as in all e lse , a
type of th e unworthy prie st . He again expre sse s his anxiety fo r
h is own future wh e n Christ warn s h im , tellin g him to beware le st
th e tempte r overtake him . Th e warn ing is disregard ed, howeve r ,and Judas left al o n e expla in s th at h e had h oped th e Master would
r esto re th e kin gdom of Israe l, but th at h e allows every oppo rtun ityof do ing so to pass by. He h imse lf h as h oped and waite d long ,
but h e has become tir ed of h opin g and waiting , an d n ow that
tr ouble appear s to be comin g on th e Maste r h e mean s to withdraw
from th e company of th e disciples and se ek som e o th e r mean s of
live lihood. He has taken advan tag e of his post of purse-bear e r to
G ood-bye to Ober -A mme rgau. 39
o intm en t, and thinks h ow its value would h ave added to his store .
His lack of im agin ation make s h im un able to understand the
Master , of wh o se divinity h e is apparen tly quite un con scious, whi leth e sam e defect blin ds h im to th e de sign s of th e prie sts. Wh en at
length , h is tr each ery accomplish ed, th e plain words, No ah vor
dem Fe sts so ll der G alilae r sterbe n ,’bring th e truth h ome e ve n to
his dull mind, h is agony is fearful to witn e ss. What have Ido n e Must He di e I
,
did n ot in te nd that. I will n ot h aveth a He wande r s about trying to obtain tidin gs, and fin allymake s his way in to th e pre sence of Caiph as and th e prie sts, wh o
r e iterate th e ir determin ation , Er muss sterbe n ,”and wh e n Judas
tr ie s to shift th e re spon sibility from himse lf by prote sting , asPilate
doe s later , that h e is free from blo od-
guiltin e ss, th ey te ll him co n
temptuously, Thy Maste r must die , an d th ou hast given him upto de ath.
’Judas h e re fiin gs back th e pur se con ta in ing th e thirty
pie ce s of silve r an d go e s out, te llin g th e prie sts that th ey sh all sink
with him in to th e depth s of h e ll . His de spair be come s m ore and
m ore te rrible ; th e sam e wan t of imagin ation which pre ven ts his
understa nding his Master is also an obstacle to his fin ding comfort
in th e th ought of pardon , and through out his passiona te se lf
upbraiding th er e is scarce ly a word which sh ows his kn owledg e of
wh o it is h e h as be trayed . His re gre ts are for th e kin dMaste r , th e
guiltless man wh o is to di e , n o t for th e outraged G od. He do e s
inde ed express a wish th at h e could on ce m ore beh o ld his Master’
s
face , an d clin g to him , th e only safe ty. But h e se ems in capable
o f un derstanding th e real n ature of Him wh om h e has be trayed,and be cause h e can n ot stand face to face with Him and expr e ss his
so rrow, h e deems himse lf without h ope or safety, and re so lve s to
bre ath e away his accursed life .
”Th e curtain falls as h e loosen s
h is girdl e and prepares to bind it roun d his n eck .
Th e name of Pon tius Pilate has com e down to poste r ity in th e
words of th e cre ed as th at of th e pe rson re sponsible for th e death
o f th e Saviour ; in irony, as it we re , of hisweak attempt to cast off
that respo n sibility. Th ose wh o are familiar with th e G ospe l
n arrative kn ow that h e was but th e unwillin g in strum en t of th e
Jewish prie sts, but I think even to th em th e characte r of Pilate as
set forth at Obe r -A mm ergau must be a re ve lation . Th e acto r who
takes th e part is a man of considerable dramatic power , and suc
coeds in e nlisting our sympathi es on behalf of th e Roman n oble
whose loftin ess of character inclin es him to reverence th e Teache r
540 The Ir isk Mon th ly.
of wh ose wondrous de eds h e has alre ady h eard ; while his judicia lmin d and in n ate sen se o f justice compe l him to se e th at th e charg e sbrought by th e prie sts ar e , eve n if true , quite in adequate as the
basis of a de ath sen te n ce . He is much impre ssed by the
coun ten an ce and bear in g'
of Chr ist, and some glimm e r of th e truth
se ems even to have r each ed h is min d. Wh o kn ows, h e sa y s,
th at th is man m ay n o t be th e so n of som e god But, Roman
th ough h e is, h e h as n ot sufficie n t force o f ch aracte r to en able h im
to h o ld to th e righ t, o r perh aps it is be cause h e is a Roman th at h e
is ready, Brutus lik e , to sacrifice his own fe e lings and sense of
justice to th e we lfar e ofRom e , which would be comprom ised by th e
e nm ity of th e Jewish prie sth ood . A n d whe n h e finds him se lf
yi e lding to th e pre ssur e of th e pr ie sts, h e pleads for th e prison e r
befor e him m e loque n t and path e tic words.
Is th en your h atred of this man so de ep and bitte r , h e says,
that even th e sight of His ble edin g woun ds cann o t satisfy it .
9
Y ou force m e to spe ak my th oughts plain ly. Urged o n by
unworthy passion , you pe rse cute h im be cause th e people fo llowHimrath er th an you.
”
An d wh en Pila te has be en ,as it were , caught in his own to il s,
"
and his confiden t appeal to th e pe ople has, th rough th e un ser n
pul ous man oeuvre s of th e prie sts, re sul ted in th e cho ice o f
Barabbas, and th e cry of Crucify him , crucify him ,
”h e bre aks
fo rth , I can n o t unde rstan d th e se pe ople . But a few days sin ce
you led this man through th e stre e ts of Je r usalem with sh outs an d
rejo icings. Can it be po ssible th at it is th e sam e pe ople wh o
to -day demand hi s death Such fickle n e ss is past be lie f.
”
A nd wh en Barabbas has be e n brough t out, and Pilate sh ows
him to th e pe ople , h e says : Look upo n th e se two m en ; th e o n e
of ge n tle aspe ct, dignified demean our , th e type of a wise te ach e r ,
in wh ich characte r you yourse lve s h ave long h o n oured h im ;
guiltless o f a single evil dead. Th e oth e r—a h ate hxl , lawle ss
be in g , a cr imin al . I appeal to your be tte r judgmen t, to your
fee ling s of human ity—which shall I re lease to you Barabbas o r
Je sus wh o is cal led Chr ist?A nd wh en th e pe ople have repeate d th e expre ssion of th e ir
ch oice , and th e prie sts demand th e fulfilmen t of his promise to
abide by th at ch o ice , h e te lls th em th at h e yi e lds to th e ir demands
to ave rt a gr e ate r evil . He calls out his secre tary, wh o re ads th e
de ath sen ten ce in due fo rm , and Pilate says, in a vo ice wh ich h e
The Ir ich Mon th ly.
CARDINA L NEWMAN .
Ix Mm o nn n .
OH, gr eat , pur e soul , go n e from our earth !
Fin ish ed is n ow thy mo rtal life .
G od, in His kin dn e ss, len t th e e lon gTo this dark world of sin an d str ife ;
A nd, in His tende r love to th e e ,Ordain ed th at, pur ified b e low,
Th ou migh t’st o n rapid win gs asce nd
To wh e r e brigh t an ge l face s glow.
Con secrate from thy ear ly youth ,
As if some in stin ct, dim , abstruse ,
Warn ed th e e n o e arthly ti e must bind ;
Th at so thy Church fo r h igh e st use
A mind so rich in var ied gifts ,
A n d h eart in grace s rar e , could claim ,
Se t as ch o ice gem upon h e r br ow,
A nd ’mid h er sain ts e n ro ll thy name .
Th e wo r ld can ill afiord to lose
A soul so true , so strong , so swe e t ;
But Heave n h as won an o th er sain t ,
A nd ang e ls fit compan io n gr e e t .
Fr om 03 th at distan t, sh adowy sh o re ,
Oh , com e th e r e n o t some ech o e s dim,
Bo rn e on our eage r , str ain in g se nse ,
Of th at se raphic, h o ly hymn?Y e t migh ty leader in th e re a lms
Of th ough t and spir it, th ou h adst ice s ,
A s th ey must eve r h ave wh ose aims
A r e h igh e st, pur est ,-wh o
’mid th ro es
Of de ep h e art-an guish , le avin g all,
Fo llow o’e r dim an d tan gled ways,
A n d to ilsom e h ills, th e wh ite bird, Truth ,Led on through glo om by h e avenly rays .
Y e s, th er e wer e th o se wh o dar ed defame
Th at n oble spirit, fa il ed to kn ow
A gr e at soul and a master -min d
Wh a t matte r, sin ce to this we owe
Cardina l Nm an . 543
Th at r eco rd o f h is inmost life,
With all its struggl es, doubts, unr est,Ending in perfect pe ace at last,
Peace h e r e , and peace n owwith th e ble st .
Oh , h ow our h earts se emed kn it to h is,
A s by some str an ge and mystic power ,
In all his upward strivin gs, griefs
A n d it was in th a t ve ry h our ,
Wh e n time an d space be twe e n se emed n ough t,
Th e sad n ews came th a t h e was de ad,
We n eve r n ow could se e th at face
Th at vague but ch e r ish ed dr eam was fled.
In pan ragm'
csca t Slow
A nd so lemn swe lls th e Requi em Mass ;
On th r ough th e black-draped , sile n t church
Th e de ep, path e tic e ch o e s pass.
A nd as th e laden ce n sors swin g,
A nd on th e h e avy, odo rous air
Th e last sad Do Profundc’
a sounds,
En tr eat we , in our turn , h is praye r .
Oh , sain tly soul , fo r e ve r sa fe !
Pray fo r n a, th at th e kindly ligh t
Wh ich led th e e on o’e r moo r an d fen ,
O’e r crag and to rr en t
,
”th r ough th e n igh t,
May guide our steps—wh e re ’er it will
A nd may we fo llow, blin d to all,
Save on ly to th at h e avenly beam ,
A nd deaf to eve ry earthly cal l .
Th e on e thi ng n e edful but our th ough t ;
What of it, sh ould we sufie r painWh en th e swe e t Vo ice Divi n e we h ear ,Saying ; My child,
’
tis fo r thy gain ,
Fo llow th ou Me ,”as a m h eard,
A nd, h ear in g , eve r o nward pressed,
On , with pur e h eart and steadfast aim ,
Ou—to th e pe rfect Mom , and r e st.
Th e A pologia , wh ich th e write r was reading wh en th e news came of Cardinal
Newman ’s death .
The Ir ish Mon th ly.
ST. YVES OF BRITTANY.
San ctus Y vo e rst Brita ,
A dvoca tus e t n o n In tro
Res miran da populo .
”—Old Rhyme .
THE Rome of th e stranger wh o dwe ll s but for a. tim e with in
h er walls may truly be said to comprise many little wor lds
within its own . Th er e is th e m ere tourist wh o come s to do his
Rom e , as much of it as h e can accomplish under favour of Messrs.
Cook or his Baedeker ; th ere is th e visito r wh o h as e stablish ed
himse lf to spend h iswin te r th ere , and en joy itsmingled educatio n al ,climatic, and social advan tage s ; th ere is th e historian an d
an tiquarian , full of e ager in te r e st in ruin s and r e lics, in br ick and
ston e , in site s an d sce n e s, which every corn er and cran ny are h o ldi n gfo r him in full est profusion ; an d th e re is th e pilgrim proper , wh o
has come to reve l in all e ccle siasticRome can ye t give of ce rem o ny
and shri n e , of m emor ie s and worships, of th e foo tsteps of th e dead
sain ts an d of th e ir living succe sso rs.
Y et with all th ese vari ed vocations, th e se multitudin ous an d
ke e n -eyed in te rests, th e re is on e little corn er in h e r midst which we
will ven tur e to asse rt th at many of th ese Rome- lovers have missed,
an d so guess n ot at its peculiar association s of half roman tic, hal f
cle rical in te rest. Wh en th ey visit th e Church of San Luigi de iFran ce si , th e n ation al sh rin e of th e once Elde st Daughte r of th e
Church , th ey pr obably pass with out n otice a. little o ld, very
obscure church , in th e Via Ripetta , a few steps on ly distan t from
thatwe ll-kn own n ation al san ctuary, an d be ar in g over itsdim po rtals
the fo llowing inscripti on
Divo Y von i , Tr econ en si paupe rum e t viduamm advoca te
Natio Brita ninse wdem h an c jam pridem consecratam re stauravit,
A nn o 1 568 .
In th e year 1 568 , th e n ation of Brittany re stored this church ,
a lre ady con secrated to St Yve s of Treguier , th e advocate of th e
poo r and of th e widow.
For th is humble san ctuary, so in significan t and un n oticed
n ow-a-days, claims th e pr oud disti nctio n of be ing a Na tio na l
Church , n o le ss than is its siste r , St. Louis de Fran ce , hard by. It
546 The Ir ish Mon tkly.
request for aid to th e Cardin al -Pro tecto r, who sends it to o n e of
th e membe rs to lay before th e meetin g . This associate examin es
th e case , and if th e two con ditions of pover ty and a just cause arefoun d to be fulfilled, an advocate is chosen by th e bre th r e n
assembled from among th e ir number , and an eloquen t defen ce inco ur t n ot seldom fo llows, for , as we have said, some of the m o st
illustri ous cf th e Roman lawye rs ar e numbered in its ranks.
A n oth e r chape l and confr atern ity of St. Yves wer e ere cted at
Paris in th e year 1 348, and th is confratern ity also was prin cipal ly
compo sed o f lawye rs and prie sts . It flourished up to th e time o f
th e Re vo lution , and th e chap91 became th e r esort of all who we r e
in legal difficultie s, and was said to be thr onged with pe ople Of
e very class, from the prin ce to th e peasant, wh o came to be g fo r
succe ss in th e ir unde rtakin gs and a favourable de cision in th e
would bring ccpies of th e judgme n ts obtain ed, an d hang th em
upon th e walls as ex-votos. Th e an cien t Cath edral of Par ish ada
special cifice of St. Yves among its r ites, and a cur ious an d
in te re sting pictur e of th e Sain t was hung on its all- embracin gwalls, pr esen ted by a Breton Se ign eur , and .
represen tin g St. Yve s
pro str ate be fore th e Blessed Virgin , pre sen ting to h er , on on e side
th e lawyers of France , an d on th e o th er all th ose wh o we r e
e ngaged in legal suits.
Th ere is a sto ry told in Rome—o r , perhaps, rath er th ere w
a s
o n e—fcr th e little e cclesiastical quips and jokes with which th e a ir
o f old Rom e was on ce so full , must all be stifled and forgo tte n
n ow,in that n ew city of bricks and mortar , railways an d
placard s—h owever , ther e was, we say, a story runn ing thus
Amon g all th e professions and trade s of civilisation , e ach of which
bo asted th e ir own special patron sain t—as St. Luke for the pain te r ,St . Crispin for th e sh oemake r , SS. Cosmas and Damian for th e
physician , St. G e orge and St. Maurice , in his fair youth ful
stre ngth for th e soldie r , St. Nich o las for bo th sailor and m e rchan t ,
as we ll as for good childre n of e ve ry clime , St. Hube rt for th ehun tsman , St . Barbara, with h er towe r, for th e armourers and
gunsm ith s, St. Ph ocas for garde n ers, St. Ce cilia fo r musician s, St .
Blaise for wo o lcombe rs, St. Elo i for go ldsmiths, locksmith s, and
all kinds of me tal workers, St . Julian Hospitator for fe rry-m e n
and bo atmen , St. G en evieve for sh eph erde sse s, and so on— th e
lawye rs, alon e of th em all , foun d n o sain t to bless th e craft . A nd
St. Yves of B r ittany. 547
ao , o n e day a d eputation from th e ir numbe r waited upon th e th en
re igning Pon tifi, and besought him that h e would n ame som e
sain t whom th ey might claim for th e ir own . Th e Pope listen ed
grave ly to th e ir request, and th en , G o ,”said he , let on e of your
numbe r he blin dfo lded, take him in to th e Church of St. JohnLate ran , wh ose vast n ave is circled aroun d with statues of sain ts ;
le t h im th en bo ldly advance an d lay han ds on on e o f th e statues,
and whicheve r h e shall ho ld that on e shall eve r afte r be your
Joyfully the n did th e men of law h aste n to obey th e Pontifi ;a represen tative .was ch ose n , blindfo lded, and sen t forth upon h is
m om entous e rrand down th e grand, marble-
paved n ave of th at
majestio Basilica which bears th e proud titl e of Moth er and
Mistress of all Church es, taking preceden ce even of St. Pe te r’
s.
Some half way down , impatien t for the re sul t , h e tur n ed, clasped
th e n earest figur e , and tore off th e blinding bandage fr om h is
eye s, on ly to find, to his horror , that h e h ad halted before Si .
Michae l and the Devil, and clasping the la tter to him ,h e ld, as h is
cho ice , th e arch -en emy of mankind. From th en ceforth it is said
that th e devil is th e patron of lawye rs.
Rome in th ose days was a long way from Brittany, e lse th eywould have learn ed for th e ir comfort that that remote distr ict
boasted th e proud distinction of po sse ssing a true lawyer-sain t to
r ede em th at most unsain tlik e of profession s from its opprobr ious
state of unblest ign ominy in St Yves, parish prie st and eccle sias
tical lawyer , cc-
patron of Brittany with St. A nn e , an d wh o was
born , lived, died, and was bur ied within its lim its ; on e to wh om
th e most je al ous patri o t could n ot re fuse th e title of un vrai
br e ton by n ame , family an d inh e ritan ce . He h as man aged to
win for himse lf an almost unparalle led popular ity in h is n ative
provin ce , and even beyond it, an d it is a curious fact that th ousands
th ough th e numbers be of beatified and can on ised sain ts
among all possible orders in re ligion o r states of life , th e Bre to n ,
St . Yve s, beside s be in g th e on ly lawyer , is also th e only se cular
pari sh pr ie st wh o h as ye t be en raised to th e altars of th e Church .
He was born on th e 1 7th of October , 1 253 , and was th e son
appare n tly th e on ly on e—of a gen tleman and landed proprie to r , as
we should n ow term it, wh ose prope rty lay clo se to Treguisr , in
L ower Br ittany. His pare n ts se n t h im to Paris to study law at a
somewh at e arly age , and, afte r succe ssfully go in g thr ough a course
548 Tbe Ir ish Month ly.
o f study, h e return ed to Renn e s, th en , as n ow, on e of th e ch i e f
ce n tr e s of legal learn ing in France , andbecame a sort of e cclesiastica llawye r th ere , attach ed to th e court of th e archdeacon of that pla ce ,
a pe rson age th en of far more importance than are such dign itari e s
n ow.
Fo r se veral years h e was occupied in trave lling about from place
to place , re forming abuses, ple ading in trials, inve stigatin g an d
r edr essin g wrongs under th e dir ection o f his superior and employe r ,
th e Bish op of Tréguie r , and purgin g the di oce se o f various ope n
and cryin g scandals. His private life was as h oly as h is exte ri o r
on e was r e n own ed, andwh en , after som e ye ars, th e Bish oppre se n ted
him with a livin g in r ecogn ition of his service s to th e se e , Yves,
pe rh aps somewhat to th e surprise of his super ior s, imm ediate lyso licited an d obta in ed o rdin ation , and proce eded to lead th e life o f
an obscur e cur é de campagne , givin g himse lf up e n tire ly to th e
se rvice of th e po or and sick , and devoting his Splendid e loque n ceto th e preachin g of th e word o f G od. Like a true lawyer , h e issaid to h ave be e n lite rally un tiring in spe e ch , and, when his bish opwould take him in his train o n som e of th e episcopal visitation s,Yve sfe lt th e passion of ple ading so stro ng with in him that h e would tur n
aside by th e way to preach to any little groups of h earers h e
e n coun te r ed , an d se emed as th ough h e could n ot repre ss th e torr en t
o f bur n in g words wh ich ro se to his lips wh en eve r h e chanced to
encoun te r an impromptu audi en ce . Four or five se rmons a day
would h e pour forth , some time s becoming so exhausted with speech
and i ssting th at h e had to be carried out of th e pulpit. He is
de scribed as a. very n oble -lo okin g man , tall and state ly, with
o f birth and distin ction about him which , join ed to his flashin geye an d e loquen t tongue , coul d n ot fail to impress any audie nce .
On e of his broth er -priests has le ft on r ecord th e fo llowing description of St. Yve s’ daily life as parish pri est : Early everymorn ingh e said Mass 1 n his ch ape l , an d th e n read aloud a. long portion o f
th e Ho ly Scripture s ; th en h e distr ibuted alms to the poo r wh o
happe n ed to be presen t, and pre ach ed a sem en which lasted fill
midday. He th en din ed, sh ar ing h is dinn er with th ose poor
person s wh o h ad be en in th e ch ape l , and afte rwards re tired in to
h is ch amber and gave h imse lf to praye r and meditatio n un til th e
e ve n ing , wh en , join ing th e o th er priests wh o lived with him , th eysaid th e ir cifice toge th er , and co n ve rsed or discussed questions onr e lig ious subj ects till n ightfall .
”Th e on ly variations in th is
550 The Ir ish Month ly.
and opposing th e crown office rs wh o h ad be en sen t to se iz e th em
so valian tly that th ey found th e ir utmo st e fforts comple te ly fo ile d.
It is to ld th at on e day h e me t an officia l leading off a valuable
ho rse be longing to th e bishops as paymen t of the disputed tith e s,
n o on e darin g to say h im n ay ; but Yves, calmly takin g the h or seby th e bridle , put aside th e astounded sergent, and led it back to
th e stable , while its conductor indignan tly mutte red, Y ou rogue ,
you are placing n a in dang er of losing e verythin g we have , whi l e
you care n ot because you h ave n othin g to lo se .
Y ou may talk as much as you please ,”said Yves, leadin g
away his priz e tr iumphan tly. A s long as G od prese rves my life ,
I shall use it to defe nd th e Chur ch and h er liberties.
A n d it was probably de emed unwise to pro lon g a con te st with
on e so ven erated aswas our sain t, fo r we h ear of n o more spo liatio n s
o f th at n atur e .
Many sto ries are to ld of th e miracle s which h e wrought durin ghis life time ; how h e h ealed th e sick, and cast out devils like th e
apostle s of o ld ; h ow fo od multiplied be n e ath his h an d, and river s
parted be for e his fee t. Like St. G regory and oth e r sain ts, h e
som e tim e s en te rtain ed an ge ls un aware s.
”On e day, after he had
made his usual distribution of bre ad to th e poo r , a particularlyloathsome beggar prese n ted himse lf, too late to re ce ive alms with
th e o th ers ; wh e reupon Yves took him to his own table , and made
him eat from th e same plate with him . Wh e n th e man had e aten
a little , h e rose from th e table and we n t towards th e door ; th en
turn in g to his h ost , Farewe ll ,”h e said, speakin g , as is specially
n oted by th e chr on icler , n o t Fr en ch , but th e Bre ton tongue , may
th e Lord be with an d, as h e spoke , h e grew radiant in
wondrous be auty, so white and shin ing that th e who le h ouse was
fil led with h is ligh t, and as h e disappe ared, St. Yves burst intote ars, exclaimin g : Now I kn ow that th e me ssenge r of th e Lo rdhas be en among na. 0
But pe rhaps th e quain test o f th e popular legends surroundinghis name , and undoubte dly th e most un comm on , are th ose which
te ll of his lawye r-life—that passion for justice which has made his
n ame th e syn o nym o f all that is gran d and gracious, sagacious and
chivalrous ; th e succe ssful defen ce of th e po or again st th e rich , o f
th e weak against th e str ong , of right against might, in public and
private alike . On e of th ese , as illustrative of th e man ners of th e
time s, may h ere be given . It runs as fo llows :
St. Yves of Br ittany. 551
On a certain day St . Yves came to Tom on som e legal
business, and wen t to lodge at a h oste lry wh ere h e had be en
accustomed to put up, and was th erefore acquain ted with th e
h oste ss. On h is arrival h e found th e good woman in a te rrible
state of distress, and asked h er wh at ailed h er .
Oh , sir ,”
sh e said, I em a ruin ed woman . I have be en
summ on ed before th e judge by a wicked man , and to -morrow I
sh all be summon ed to pay 1 200 go ld écus, which I cann ot do
with out se lling all my po ssessions.
Th e sain t spoke some words of comfort, and desired h er to te ll
him th e particular s of th e affair , which sh e did, saying that about
two mon ths before , th e re came to h er h ote l two we ll-dr essed me n ,
represe n tin g th emselves asme rchan ts . On th e ir arr ival th ey placed
in h e r charge an ir on cofier duly locked and very h eavy, and
charged h er n ot to de live r it up to e ith e r on e of th em in th e
absence of th e oth er . This sh e promised, and th ey left th e box in
h er ke epin g . A fter five or six days, as sh e was standing at th e
h ote l doo r , th ese two merchan ts,’with some other m en , passed
along th e road, and called out to h e r as th ey passed that sh e must
prepare th em som e supper‘
.
Wh e n th ey had passed, on e of th e two turn ed back and said
G o od h ostess, give me our box, for we have to make a paym en t
from it to those merchan ts whom you se e with us.
So sh e fetch ed th e box and gave it to h im , and h e disappe ared.
Bye-and-bye th e oth er man came back and asked if sh e had
seen his companion .
“ No ,”said sh e ,
“ I have n ot se en him since I gave h im th e
Y ou have given him th e boxP exclaimed th e man . Th en
I am ruin ed l A nd h e proce eded to upbraid h er in th e strongest
terms, saying that sh e had been forbidden to give up th e box to
e ith e r .on e of th em alon e . Wh er eupon h e summon ed h er to court,
an d r e lated, on oath , what had occurr ed, saying that th e box
con tain ed 1 200 pieces of go ld, besides valuable papers ; and
to -morrow, sh e concluded, judgme n t will be given , and I shall becondemn ed.
’
St. Yves, after in terviewi ng h er avocat, and finding that
eve rything was as th e poor woman had stated, accompani ed h er
to th e court n ext day, and asked leave to take up h er case .
Permission be ing given , My lord, the judge ,’said h e , I have
652 1 71 0 1 1 1 1111 Month ly.
to bring to your n otice a fre sh piece of evide nce which has tra ns
pir ed sin ce ye ste rday, and which must materially afiect your
judgmen t. It is th at, thanks be to G od ! th e box in questio nhas bee n found, and shall be sh own as eviden ce in due time by th e
defen dan t .
Ou this th e coun se l for th e prose cution demanded that th e box
should be brought in to court at once , or judgmen t be given again st
th e lan dlady.
My lord, r epli ed th e undaun ted Yve s, th e expr ess in jun ctionof th e pro se cuto r and his companion on givin g th e box to th e ir
landlady was th at it sh ould n ot be given up to e ith er on e of th em
save in the p r esence of bo th le t, th erefore , th e prosecutor summo n
h is companio n ; and in th e ir jo int presence sh e wil l produce th e
box.
Th e judge agre ed that this demand was just , and, at h is
decision , th e soi-disan t merchan t tur n ed pale and became e viden tlv
much discon certed , so that all eyes were turn ed on him , and
suspicion grew stron g . He was imprison edwh ile awaitin g furth e r
oviden ce , and it fin ally transpired th at th e famous box h ad be en
filled, n ot with gold pieces, but with iron n ails, and th e who le
affair a. con ce rted plo t for exto rting mon ey from th e poor woman .
Th e pre tended merchan t con fessed h is guilt and was executed.
It was thismarve llous combin ation of sagacity and ben evo le nce ,.
th e lawye r’s wit join ed to a sain ts’ all-embracing charity,which has
won fo r Yve s of Bri ttany such passionate and enduring devo tio n
th at h e is lo oked upon by th e de sce ndan ts of th ose wh om h e
wonder -worker , lik e th e Chr istoph e rs and Thaumaturgi of old .
In th e popular mind h e grew to be almost ubiquitous ; wh e re verth e poor were slighted, th e feeble wro nged, th e re stood Yve s at th e ir
side , ready, n ot with th e sword of St . G eorge or th e spear of St .
Michae l , but with th e on e magic word—justice ! A nd human
malice failed, and plotte rs own ed th emse lves outwitted, wh en Yves
de Kermartin en te red th e lists again st th eir most skilful com
On e darke r side indeed th ere is to this grand spirit of faith which
h as lighten ed so many h e arts, and lifted so many burdens durin g th e
six ce n tm'ies which h ave e lapsed since Yves th e lawyer passedfrom town to town of his n ative Brittany, br inging jusfice and‘
peace to alL Th e Breton people are , as we have said, essen tially
554 The Ir ish Month ly.
own in te r est as we ll as yours Y ou woul d fee l glad, would you
not, if you had overcome an e n emy I fee l the same gladn ess at
th e approach of death , sin ce I kn ow that my e n emy is at last
con quered by G od’s grace .
”A n d so it came to pass that afte r
this h e grew weake r and weake r fo r some days with out an y
appare n t cause , till all could se e th at h is end was at hand. Ou th e
e ve o f th e A scension , th ough to o weak to drew h imse lf, h e said his
lastMass and h eard his last confession ; th en , complete ly exhausted,
h e sank on his rude bed to rise n o more . His bre thr en en tr e ated
h im to let th em put a little str aw un der him , and rest h is h ead o n
a pill ow, but h e re fused, sayin g that h e was not worthy of such
indulgen ce , and th at h e was more at e ase , as h e was accustomed to
lie , with on ly a ston e to suppo rt his h ead. Th en h e began to
speak to th ose about him of spiri tual th ings, refusing to call in any
docto r , and saying h e desire d n o physician save Jesus Christ ; an d
so h e lay for thr e e days, h is life ebbin g slowly away, un til fe e lingh imse lf n ear th e e nd, h e asked for and rece ived the Sacramen ts.
He jo in ed fe rvently in th e praye rs sa id over him, and th e n
remain ed rapt in contemplation through out the remaining h ours,
un til , on th e Sunday afte r A sce nsion Day, May 1 9 , 1 303, h e fe ll
asle ep with out a struggle .
How th e th oughts and love o f his people followed him , an d
h ow miracles were wrough t at his tomb, it n eeds n ot h ere to
e nlarge upon . This ve ry year , in th e month of Septembe r , a
sple ndid shr in e was unve iled o ver his tomb in th e Cath edral o f
Tregui e r , wh e re his body lies ; and e ven apart from any bagio
l ogical in terest, th e thr ongs of Breton worshippe rs wh o th e r e
assembled presen ted very many fe atures of unusual and varie d
in te rest . We wonder wh e the r any Breto n m oth er th er e re la te d
to h e r children th e Odd little story to be found amon g th e ir
numerous popular an ecdotes, of How St . Yves en te red Heaven .
”
Am o n g th e crowd of souls who were en te rin g th e gates o f
Paradise , Yve s slipped in with out be in g n oticed. St . Pe te r , th e
doo rke epe r , fin ding this out, wish ed to eject him , but St. Yve sdeclared, lawyer-wise , that h aving once obtain ed po ssession , h e
could on ly be turn ed out by a ha im'
er .
’ St. Pe te r recogn ised th e
justice of th is, and immediate ly wen t all ove r Paradise hun tin gfo r a huissier ; but in vain , for n o huissz
'
e r has ever en te redHeave n .
So Yves remain ed th e r e !A huissie r is a Sh e riff’ s ofi cer o r Ba ilifl.
A Cao in e . 555
A ccordin g to an oth er accoun t, Yves pre se n ted himself at St.Pe te r
’s gate in company with a numbe r of nuns. Wh o are
you said St . Pe te r to on e of th ese . A re ligious, sh e replied .
Oh , go to Purgato ry for a. while , we h ave nun s en ough h ere
Th en to Yves,“ A nd who are you?” “ A vocat .
”A h , we
h ave n on e of th ose h e re , so come in
Tn aouo aa LA NE Tsa nm o .
A CAOINE.
IT was h ard to h ea rke n th e tale th ey to ld,
Th at.
Boyle O’Re il ly was de ad a nd co ld,
In h is g o lden prim e,in h is coun try
’s n e ed
Of e ach n oble wo rd and e ach wor thy de ed .
We loved h im truly and we l l and lo ng ,
Wh o o nly kn ew h im by wo rd an d so ngBut around th e fe e t o f o n e mo th e rland
Br e thr en quickly se e and so on unde rstan d .
Th e ga l lan t life was a wave o f ligh t,
Se ttin g fair h is race in th e wide wo r ld’s sigh t.
So r e stri ck en n ow in h e r loss and pa in ,
Wh en wi ll Ir e land lo ok upo n hi s like aga in
We ll may sh e mourn h im in wh o se h e ar t h e r love
Burn ed pur e and warm as G od’s sun above .
We ll may sh e moan fo r h im wh o co uld n o t r e st,
E’e n in dea th , h is h e ad upon h e r h all owed br e ast.
G od’s pe ace be with h im wh e r e h e sl e eps to
-day’Ne a th th e fri e ndly flag o f fr e e Ame r ica ;
But with us is so rrow, and wo e , an d dr e ad,
Fo r Jo hn Boyle O’R e il ly n ow lies co ld an d de ad .
Ro an Kavu uo n .
556 The Irwh Mo nth ly.
PARADISE LOST .
FAIR at my fe e t th e lak e o f Como l ies
I h e ar its murmur ous r ipple s ebb and h ow.
A roun d m e,ran gin g proudly r ow o n row,
Th e dr e amy, purple-cr e sted m oun ta in s r ise .
A ll br igh t be fo r e m e wh e n I l ift my eye s
Stands qua in t Var en na in th e sun a -
glow
A nd eve rywh e r e th e crowdin g ro se s blow
In this most pe rfe ct place , th is paradise .
A nd ye t my wayward th ough ts will n o t be bo un d ,
No r r est at all in th is e nch an ted ground ;
Th ey wan de r fo rth far o ve r lan d and se a ,
A nd th rough th e Lo ndon str e e ts in ch ill and gloom
Th ey th r e ad th e ir way to som e on e , wan tin g wh om
Eve n Par adise is Paradise Lo st fo r m e .
Mmagg io , May,’
1 890 .a onsWm s 1c.
NOTES ON NEW BOOKS.
1 . We h ave befo r e n a two page s o f cr iticisms , a se n ten ce o r two
fr om e ach, passed o n Judg e O
’Hagan’s maste rly tran sla tion o f The
Song of Ro land by th e various o rgan s o f li te rary opinion , The EdinburghR eview
,Saturday Review,
A thm aum, Sp ectator , A cademy, an d all th e
r e st . A ll combin e to pra ise th e con summate skill displayed in th is
ve rsion . We r e fe r to it fo r th e purpo se o f cla im in g th e same lite raryskill fo r a much less dign ified production o f th e sam e pen , name ly,“ Th e Ch ildr e n ’
s Ballad Ro sary (Lo ndon : 1 8 West Squar e , S.E. )Judge O
’Hagan h as perfectly fulfil led h is in ten tio n , wh ich was, as h e
te lls n a,“ toto g ive th e divin e facts comm em o rated in th e Rosary in a
fo rm wh ich may a id i n impr in tingth em on th e minds o f th e youn g at
a time of life wh en th e m emo ry i s str o n g , and mo r e te n acious o f ve rse
tha n o f pr o se . He devo te s a do z en four -lin ed stan zas to e ach o f th e
fifte en myste r ies, de scribin g all th e circumstan ce s a lmost in th e wo rds
o f th e G ospe l. an d ye t in true ballad fo rm . This penny bo ok , wh ich
even in its dain tie st bindin g co sts o n ly fourpe n ce , wi ll h e lp man y
bo th youn g and o ld , to practise with mo r e profit and pleasure th is
most so lid and scr iptural devo tion o f th e Rosary
658 The Irish Mon th ly.
speclfied wh e r e e ach item may be found Th e fron tispiece is a ve ry
path e tic po rtra it o f th e be loved o ld man , take n a few we eks be fo r e h is
de a th by Fath e r A n th ony Po llen .
6 . We ve n tur e to dr aw special atte n tion to a se rie s of pe n y
sk e tch e s o f Th e Ch ildr en of Ho ly Scr iptur e (G lasgow : H.Margey)by r eveal in g at once th e in te r e stin g fact tha t
“ C . E :”o n th e title
pag e ar e th e in itia ls o f th e Most Re v. Cha rles Eyr e , A rchbish op of
G lasgow. Th e high e st priced of e igh t o th e r publica tio ns o f His G raceis a biblical drama
, Jo seph an d h is Broth e rs ,”wh ich co sts sixpe nce
-twice as de ar as“ Th e Mo th e r o f Me rcy : a Myste ry Play.
”Two
o th e rs are Child’s Life ,”and Our Chi ldr e n , th e ir privil ege s and
te ach in gs.
” Th e Sco ttish A rchbish op se ems to h ave a spe cia l shar e
o f th e spir it ofHim wh o said : Sufie r th e little o n es to come to Me .
”
Th e first four numbe rs o f his n ew se ri e s are Ism a e l , o r G od’
s car e o f
ch ildr e n ,” Isaac, o r th e Ch ild of Promise ,
” Jo seph , o r under G o d’s
special providen ce ,”
an d Be n jamin , or th e be auty o f fami ly
affection .
” Wh e n Dr . Joh n so n sa id it was easy to write fabl es about
ta lkin g an imals, G o ldsmith ve ry prope r ly r e to rted th at, it th e Docto r
tr ied h is h an d at it, h e would make th e littl e fish es ta lk lik e wh ale s.
Pe rh aps it was a fea r o f th is kind th at h as made our A rchbish op
sh rink fr om a ttemptin g to te ll th ose sto rie s about ch ildr e n to ch ildr e n
th emse lves in th e lan guag e that chi ldr e n unde rstand . He do es n o t
spe ak to childr en dir e ctly, but th rough th e ir par e n ts a nd te ach e rs .
But e ve n chi ldr en may pr efe r this calm, sobe r style , fo r th ey dislik e
be in g talk ed down to . Dr . Eyr e give s all th e circumstan ces about
e ach o f hi s young h e ro e s ve ry fully and cle ar ly,an d deduce s fr om
e ach very useful lesso ns fo r th e youn g . In his first page we learn
tha t o f th ese Ch ildr e n o f th e Bible th e r e ar e nin e te e n in th e Old
Te stam en t, and about twe lve in th e New. But, probably, th e r e is n ot
en ough to ld about many of th e se ch ildh oods to furn ish matter fo r
thi r ty separate penny bo okle ts.
7 . The Illustrated Catho lic Mission: fo r Septembe r (Don ovan : 1 9
Henr ie tta Str e e t, Coven t G arden , Lon do n ) h as a particularly in te r esting an swe r to th e que stion , “ Wh o we r e th e fir st Chr istian Missio n e rsin Am e rica It se ems th at r ece n t r e se arch es of emin en t Ame ri
can ists, especially M . Beauvo is in hi s wo rk, La Légende de 8 .
Co lumba ch e z le s Mexica ins du Moye n A ge ,”tend to sh ow th at th e
go od tidings we r e carried eve n as far as Mexico in th e n in th ce n tury
by Ir ish o r, at le ast, Ke ltic mo nks, disciple s o f St. Co lumba , o f wh om
th ey fin d num e rous trace s in Mexican tradi tion . Th e Ir ish race have
ce rta inly don e much fo r th e Faith in th e N ewWo r ld in th e n in e te e n th
cen tury. Wh a t if th ey be gan th at wo rk in th e n in th
Notes on New Books. 559
8 . A n o th e r Magaz in e—Ihc Lamp—se ems to h ave made a n ew
depar tur e . Its cove r h as assumed a br igh te r h ue ; an d within th e r e
is much exce lle n t matte r . Th e mo st in te r esting item is, of course , th e
r emin iscen ce s of Cardin al Newma n by an o ld Edgbasto n boy. Thi s
is o n e o f th e ve ry be st of th e coun tless tr ibute s paid to th is mo st
ven e rabl e and m ost amiable memo ry . We can n o t pr e tend to h ave
r e ad a ll th e sto ri e s, but we h ave r e ad Odysseus th e Youn g e r , byHila ir e Be lloc, wh ich , sligh t as it is, an d simple and even h ackn eyed
as ar e th e incide n ts o f th e ta le , appe ars to us to be a lite ra ryach ievem e n t of r emarkable m e rit, making us se e ve ry vividly wh at
th e wr ite r describes , and making us fe e l wh at h e fe lt in te llin g th e
little sto ry. Th e style h as a pe culiar cha rm .
9 . Th e Re v. A r thur Devin e is an Ir ish disciple of St. Paul o f th e
Cro ss. A Passionist could ch o o se n o mo r e appr opria te subj e ct th anth e Histo ry of th e Passio n (London : Burns an d Oate s) . Th e
n o te s and comm en ts added to th e go spe l n ar ra tive ar e man ife stly th e
fruit'
o f lo n g and earn est m edita tio n and study. Space is n o t taken
up with rh e to r ical r efle ction s , but so lid ma tte r is furn ish ed whi ch
must sugg est many r efle ctions . Fath e r Devin e has se le cted with ve ry
g r e a t industry th e opin io ns of th e be st auth o r itie s o n e ach inciden t o f
th e Passio n , an d th e wh o le is woven to ge th e r in a cle a r an d co rr ect
style wh ich suits th e so l emn th em e . Th e pri e st wh o turns ove r th e
th re e h undr ed pag e s o f this vo lum e a t a bo okse lle r’s coun te r will be
v ery lik e ly to add it to h is wo rking library. Th e fai th ful also may
co nsult it wi th profit and edification .
1 0 . A seco nd edition h as appe ar ed o i Principle s o f A n thr opo logyand Bio logy,
”by th e Re v. Th omas Hugh e s, SJ . (New Y ork ,
Cin cinna ti , and Chi cago Ben z ig e r ) . A Ca th o lic Te ach e r , E.
h as compiled, with a special view to th e In te rm edi ate Examin ations,Th e Ca th o lic Ch ild
’s Histo ry of Englan d.
” It is comprised with in
th r e e h undr ed page s of rath e r la rge type , wel l bound, fo r two
sh illin gs. Th e Cath o lic Church and Social ism , by Con do Pall en
(He rde r : St. Louis) , is a so lution of th e social problem on Ch ristian
principle s.
The Ir ish Mon th ly.
THE MONTH’S MIND AT EDG BA STON .
NG LAND. thy m igh ty h e a rt h ath pulses str o ngA s de ath , wh a t tim e th e batt le -crimso n ed ch ie f
Is bo rn e to g lo ry’
s g rave ; n o r le ss thy g rie f
Th o ugh Newman sle eps n o t’m o n gst th e migh ty th r o n
Life is a comb at : h is was dr e ar an d lo n g’G ain st princedoms da rk ; n o t e ve ry gle an e r
’s sh e af
Sh ows in th e g lo am in g go lde n g rain and leaf
No t r iftle ss eve ry Victo r'
s e ve n so n g .
O t im e ly ch ampio n , se n t at so r e st n e ed
Oi ba ttle -brun t, pe ace come s o f battle won
A n d h e wh o tr od th e win e -
pr e ss in sh e e r n igh t
Of th e wo rld’s trava il
,towa rd th e r isen sun
Th at sinks n o m o r e , h ath led thy fo o tsteps r igh t
Hom eward. To G od th e pra ise , to th e e ful l m e ed .
L o ! o n th e eve r lastin g hi lls a fa r
Stands Ch rist in glo ry gle amin g :’twe re mo st m e e t
To k iss th e rub ie s o f His h an ds and fe e t ;Wh ile Sh e wh o se emblem is th e mo rn in g star
Be am s fr om th e radian ce , wh e r e th e virgins are
In r a im e n t wh ite , th e bidde n gue st to g re e t
He art un to h eart“ th r o bs utte ran ce stran ge and swe e t ,No r n o te of disson an ce m ay th e ir music mar .
Th e lo rdly m an sion s of e te rn a l life
En th ro n e th e ir m o n archs : A th an asius’
e e rs
A cclaim a. compe e r to th e md-r obed o ir :
Dear Fath er Ph ilip le ads th e ch o ral strife
Oi sa in ts with se r aphim : n o r mute th e se e rs
Wh o spake in e lde r time with to ngues o f h t e .
Th ough En glan d e rstwh ile sto od in stem arrayOf sco rn , mistrust , and bias—th ese to th e eWe r e but as ch afin gs o f th e sull e n sea,
Wh e n sk ie s ar e cle ar , to mar in e rs in bayTh e kindly ligh t,
”de scr ied thr ou h fie rce assay
Oi str e ssful sto rm ,r e ve a led th e s e lte r in g le e .
Th ou h ast k ept th e Fa ith—sped thr ough th e n igh t
-
gate s fr e e
From out th e se sh adows un to pe rfect day.
0 witn e ss th at G od live th to th is h our !
0 co h e ir with th e quicken ed just on h igh !In eig ht o f th e unwise th ey se em to di e ,Wh o se e nd is pe ace . Crown , Lo rd, with buddin g flowe rA n d cluste rin g frui t th e vin e of Ch rist, th e Kin g .
In glad-vo iced summ e r afte r second sprin g .
Sep tember 1 1 , 1 890 . JOHN D . Co ncaouo u .
Co r ad cor q ui tm ' was th e characte ristic mo tto ch o sen by Cardin al Newman .
562 The Ir ish Month ly
Leahy’s Domin ican life . He was an oth er example of th e fact
that de licate people are ofte n long-lived, pe rhaps somewhat in th e
same way that in shipwrecks th o se wh o can n ot swim have o fte n th e
be st chan ce of be ing re scued in th e end, th e ir very h e lple ssn e ss
hinderin g th em from rash attempts. He was of a very delicate
constituti on from th e h t at . Two of his sch oo lmate s in Co rk we re
Dr . Delan ey, afterwards th e bish op of th e ir n ative city ,and Fath er
Bar tho lomew Russe ll , his bro th er Domin ican , wh o was a year
o lder , and died a few mon th s be for e him .
Hi s se cond sch oo l , Blo omfie ld Co llege , was at th e seaside , n ear
Me rrion , and had r ecen tly be en ope n ed by Fath er Vin ce n t
Haro ld, a Domin ican wh o h ad just r e turn ed from th e UnitedState s, wh ere h e h ad con siderable reputation as a pre ach e r . Here
John Leahy had among h is classfe ll ows R ich ard Mon te squien
Be ll ew,a promin en t public man in Ire land a gen eration be fo re h is
death ; and also th e Rev. Dr . Jam e s G artlan , of Dun dalk , Re cto r
o f Salaman ca,an d Vice -Rector of th e Cath olic Un iver sity of
Ire lan d unde r Dr . Newm an . Blo omfie ld College was so on give n
up, but n o t fil l th e de licate young lad from Co rk was ready to
pre sen t h imse lf for admission in to th e Order of St . Domin ick . He
was se n t to make his n ovice ship in Lisbon , accompanying Dr .
Haro ld and Fath er John Ryan ,wh o is de scr ibed as a famous
pre ach e r— h ow fle e ting is such fam e He re , rem oved from all
distraction s,th e youn g Domin ican devoted himse lf wi th gre at
e arn e stn e ss and with gr e at succe ss to th e study of philo sophy an d
th e o logy, whi ch h e was also se t to te ach to o th e rs at th e e arliest
po ssible age . Twen ty year s of such study and such te aching made
h im th e so lidly le arn ed pri est wh ose profoun d hum ility could n o t
save him from be ing raised to th e episcopal office .
This trial befall him a few year s afte r be ing r e ca ll ed to work in
his n ative lan d and his n ative city. Th ere h ad be e n on e break in
his Lisbon life . He h ad come h ome about th e ye ar that an oth e r
Cork man , th e po e t Callah an , wen t to Lisbon to di e . Oi th is visit
to Ir e lan d a very in te re sting re lic has be e n placed in my h ands.
Th ough Fath e r Leahy was but twen ty-seven year s of age at th e
epoch of Cath o lic Eman cipation , h e was on e of thr e e ch osen to
repre se n t th e Regular Clergy of Irelan d in a difficult emergen cy ;a n d th is also sh ows th e high Opin ion of his judgmen t and abilityalready en te rtain ed by th o se who kn ew him best . His associate s
were an A ugustinian , Fath er O’Conn or , afterwards Bish op o f
John P ius L eahy, 0 .P . 563
Saldes,‘and an oth e r A ugustin ian , Fath e r Rice , a re lative , we have
h eard, of th e founde r of th e Irish Chri stian Br o th er s. Two faded
an d dish e ve lled leave s, which manife stly date back to un eman ci
pate d Ir e land, con tain th e fo llowing n o te s of th e embassy jotteddown at th e time by Fath er Le ahy
Thursday, A pr il 2nd, j wa ited o n Mr . Pe e l , ag r e eab ly to hi s n o te ,
a t two o’clock . Mr . O
’Con n o r , h aving in troduce d himse lf, apo lo gised
for th e libe rty we h ad tak en in addr essing h im from Birm ingh am ,
tha nk ed h im fo r th e r eady mann e r in whi ch h e h ad gran ted us th e
h on our o f an in te rview, to ld him th a t we we r e sen t ove r by the
Re gula r Cle rgy of Ir e land to thank him fo r th e ve ry grea t be n efits h e
was co nfe rrin g on it, and to pr e sen t ourse lves to th e gove rnm e n t in
o rder to sa tisfy th em in any mann e r th ey m igh t de em advisable th at
th e re was n o th ing e ith e r in our constitution o r our co nduct wh ich
could ca ll fo r our destructio n
We ll , but (sa id Mr . Pe e l) you pe rce ive I h ave cautiously abstain edfrom impe ach in g your loyal ty. In de ed, I ha d n o in formatio n wh ich
could warran t m e in do in g ao . I eve n r esisted succe ssful ly seve ral
am endm en ts wh ich would have made th e clause oppr e ssive . Iun de rsto od th at it was in tended to m ove an ame ndmen t o rde ring in
thr e e o r five ye ars all th e R egulars to quit th e kin gdom ; but Iin tim a ted th a t I wo uld oppose th is wi th a ll th e fo rce o f th e G ove rn
m e n t ; an d, wh e n Sir R . Vyvyan m oved th at in th r e e mo n ths from th e
da te of this, educa tion sh ould be ta ken away from you, I successfullyre sisted th e ame ndme n t, n o t wishin g th a t you sh ould snfie r any
person a l inco nve ni e nce o r th a t veste d righ ts sh ould be disturbed.
Mr . O’Co nn o r r epli ed th a t, wh en seve ral would drop off, we sh ould
be com e a burth en to th e pe ople , be in g pr ecluded from r e ce iving anyn ew m embe rs, and cons eque n tly from having th e assistan ce of mo r e
youthful associate s.
Mr . Pe e l r emarked th at h e th ough t our con gr egation s woul d
Dean O’Brien , of Lim e rick , pre ach ed on e of h is most e loquen t se rmons at th e
fun eral of th is h o ly and amiable pre la te some twe n ty years ago . His nam e is
recorded h ere , partly in mem o ry o f th e Fe ast o f th e Se ven Do lours, 1 864 , wh en h e
th e sple ndid Church of th e A ugustin ian Fath ers. On e of th ese , a youn g
Vincen tian , the R ev. Th omas Corcoran , celebrate d Mass on ly once , and di ed within
th e first mon th of his pri estho od. Th e two o th ers were th e Very Rev. A braham
Canon Plunke tt, P.P., V .G . ,
Blackr ock , Cc . Dublin , and th e presen t writer .
f Th e ye a r is n o t men tion ed, but an o ld ca len dar te lls me th a t Easter Sunday in
1 829 fall on th e 1 9th of A pril . Th erefore in th is year , and in this ye ar only, th e
2nd of A pr il was Thursday.
564 The Ir ish Month ly.
become larg e r . Mr . Rice said th at this would b e pe rfectlyz co rrect, if
we we re able to atte nd to th em—wh ich we could n o t do wh e h
labourin g under th e infirmitie s of advan ced ye ars.
Mr . O’Con no r th en e n te r ed o n an explan atio n of our In stitute s .
said th at we h ad discla imed by our o a th of allegi an ce any fo re ig n
auth o r ity in tempo rals , an d th at, as to an auth o rity in spirituals, we
we re le ss unde r th e fo r e ign jur isdictio n th an se cul ar prie sts, fo r th is
r e aso n : all jurisdictio n in th e Ca th o lic Church is de rived from th e
Pope—fo r th e se cular priests thr ough th e Propaganda , fo r th e
Regulars th r ough wh at we r e call ed th e ir G e n e rals. But th e difiere nce
was th a t th e Bish ops could exe rcise no jur isdicti on un til th e ir
confirmatio n , wh e r e as our Supe rio rs, afte r be ing e lected bywh atwe re
call ed our Ch apte rs, immediate ly en te r ed o n jurisdiction , th e co n
firmstion o f th e G e n era l be ing a m e r e fo rma lity, wh ich could n o t be
r efused except fo r a can on ical fault .
Mr . Pe e l ask ed wh e th e r all our jur isdiction was no t de rived from
th e Bish ops .
Mr . O’Co nn or sai d th a t all jurisdictio n ove r th e pe ople and a ll
r igh t to admin iste r sacrame n ts was certa in ly de rived from th em .
Mr . Pe e l ask ed was n o t jurisdictio n r e fused th e r egulars by some
of th e Bish ops No .
”Some j e alousie s No t of anymome n t .
”
We r e th e r e n o t some late ly in G a lway?Mr . O
’Conn o r r emarked th at th e se wer e about some ceme ter ies.
A nd Mr . Le ahy added th a t, n o twithstanding th is, th e secula r priests
and th e Bish op o f G alway h ad com e fo rward to pe titio n in our favour .
Mr . O’
Co nn o r r emarked th at th e b ish ops and lai ty would h ave come
forward in stronge r te rms in our de fe nce , but th at gratitude for th e
R e lie f Bill hin der ed th em from adoptin g any course wh ich m igh t
embarrass th e gove rnme n t. A r e th ey we ll sa tisfied asked Mr .
Pe e l. Inde ed (said Mr . O’Co nn o r ) , th e ve ry pro spect of r e lie f h a s
produced wonde rful efiects, it h as acted l ike a spe ll . Th e ir gratitude
to you and th e Duk e of We llin gto n is extr eme . It is, sir (sa idMr . Le ahy) comple te ly Ir ish gratitude—it is un bounded.
”
Oh ,aye ,
”said Mr . Pe e l . “ In giving r e li e f at a ll , it was bette r
to do it g en e r ously.
”
Mr . O’Conn o r th e n co n tin ued h is explan ation of our in sti tute s
He remark ed th at we h ad n o pr ope rty, th at we we re suppo rted byvo lun tary co n tributions .
“ But (said Mr . Pe e l ) th e re is some prOpe i'ty be longing to th e
th e diffe ren t Orde rs, some property in th e funds.
”
Th e r e is (said Mr . O’Conno r ) some property o f th at kind h e ld by
th e Nuns.
”
A nd by th e Co nve n ts, to o , added Mr . Pe e l , for so it is
566 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
Mr . O’Co nn or answe red th at it was decidedly th e Super io r h e r e ,
and in stan ced himse lf ; remarkin g , in addi tion , th at be in g obliged byour co n stitution s to r ece ive n o mo re th an each mon aste rywill suppo r t,
an d th at suppo rt depending o n th e pe ople , we could n o t mak e an y
gre at addition to our numbe rs. A n d h e to ok th a t opportun ity o f
r emarkin g th at it was as much our wish as it could be th at of th e
gove rnm en t n ot to r ece ive fo re ign e rs, fo r we sh o uld be oblig ed t o
suppo rt th em , wh e reas, n o t kn owin g th e language , th ey could n o t
perfo rm th ose duties of which our suppo rt was an equival e n t .
To th is Mr . Pe e l se emed to assen t, an d Mr . O’Co nn o r furth e r sa id
th a t h e m igh t tak e th e lib er ty o f r emarkin g th a t if our numbe r s
would be ve rymuch dimin ish ed, th e pe ople would fe e l it ve ry sensibly ,
But (asked Mr . Pe e l ) are th e r e n o t many places in Ir e land in
wh ich n o R egulars exist
Mr . Le ahy said th at wa s on ly true o f th e coun try place s, but th a t
th ey we r e in a ll th e citie s and town s ; and Mr . Rice e nume rated th e
town s in wh ich th ey we re foun d, addin g th at th ey wer e in all par ts o f
Ireland except th e North .
A n d is n o t Divin e Service pe rfo rm ed th e r e and th e Sacramen ts
admin iste r ed to Cath o lics equally we ll as in o th e r parts ask ed Mr .
Pe e l .
Y e s, said Mr . R ice , but th e numb e r of Cath o lics th e r e bears n o
propo rtion to th o se of th e o th e r provin ce s.
Mr . Pe e l ask ed if th e numbe r of Regulars h ad n o t gre atly
dimin ish ed sin ce 1 757, fo r so it was stated by Dr . Murray.
Mr . R ice sa id th at such was th e fact, owin g to th e loss of our
con tin e n ta l e stablishmen ts dur ing th e Fr ench Revolution ; but th at we
h ad r ecove r ed th em at presen t .
Mr . O’Co n n o r e n tr e a ted Mr . Pe e l to use h is influen ce tha t at len t
n o mo r e pen al e n actm en ts m igh t pass th e Lo rds . He prom ised na a ll
th at h is advice and influence could sh e e t ; an d, on our takin g le ave ,
ask ed if we did n ot in tend to wa it o n Lo rdWe llin gton to r equest tha th e would oppose any seve r e r en actm en t
Mr . O’Con n o r said th at we did, an d ask ed wh e th e r we migh t tak e
th e libe rty of sayin g tha t we h ad call e d o n h im (Mr . Pe e l ) .He imm ediate ly sa id th at we mi gh t , and desir ed n a to te ll Lo rd
We llin gton th at h e h ad r e comm ended na to wa it o n h im .
In th e course o f conve rsation ,Mr . Rice also m e n tio n ed th at we
we re n o t agitato rs, th at we h ad cautiously abstain ed from mixin gour se lve s up with po litics
—cc much so (added Mr . O’Conn or ) as to
in cur th e r epro ach es of som e of our coun trym en , som e of th em sayin gth at it was th ey, n o t th e gove r nmen t, h ad a r igh t to complain o f n a.
John P ius L ea hy, 0 .P . 567
It has se emed right to give th is accoun t in‘
fun, from Dr .
Le ahy’s to rn and faded auto graph of sixty years ago . th ough it is
sligh tly out of place and proportion in th e pre se n t sketch . Mr .
Le ahy would probably have played a more promin en t part in
th e in te rview if h e h ad n ot h imse lf be en th e r eporte r ; but, be side s,
h e was eviden tly junior counse l on th e occasion , and we kn ow
that th e big leade r doe s n ot let h im say much . Th e subsequen tin terviewwith We ll in gto n , as th e Bish op to ld th e fr iend to whom
we owe th e mater ials for this paper , we n t over n early th e same
groun d. He was ve rybusin e sslike , and ve ry po lite ; and h e urged
chiefly th e many difficul tie s th ey h ad to face in forcing th rough
Parliam ent this tr emendous me asur e .
A fte r this in terlude , Fra Pic r e turn ed to his learn edLusitan ianexil e for some seven o r e ight year s more . Th e ye ar 1 840 found
him Prior of th e Dominicans in Cork , and in due course h e was
re -e lected for a second te rm of cihoe . In 1 847 h e was appo in te d
Provin cial of Ire land, still con tinuing to re side in hi s n ative city.
It was about this time th at a very gifted an d sain tly woman
put h erse lf unde r th e guidance of th e prior of St. Mary’
s. Th e
sixth vo lume of our Magaz in e (1 878) con tains th e full est accoun t
that can be given of Ellen Down in g , wh o in co llections of Irish
poe try is kn own as Mary of 1 7mNatio n, and wh o , as a membe r
of th e th ird orde r of St. Domin ick, took th e n am e o f Siste r MaryA lph onsus. Nothing could exceed th e reveren ce and gratitude sh e
fe lt for th e h o ly priest wh o survived h er so lon g . In on e of h e r
le tte rs sh e says : Th e more h e doe s th e more h e se ems anxious to
do . I think h e lives upon fasting , prayi ng , and in ce ssan t wo rking . A n d in an oth e r : Th ough I grow mor e grateful to him ,
I have alm ost ceased to fe e l th e pain of putting him to tr ouble .
Only G od can repay what I owe to him—may h e do so in his owntime and way ! Sh e te lls an oth e r co rresponde n t : Fath er
Leahy preach ed at early Mass to -day, and it appe ars to m e that,
as is to ld of th e priest se en in a vision by swe e t St. A l oysius, th e
Holy G h ost must have fo rmed every wo rd h e utte red, for it was
on love , and it th rill ed lik e fir e . Even from him I do n ot
remember to have ever h eard so burning a sermon . It left an
in tense worsh ipping for e veryon e as a livin g imag e of th e livin gG od. Y ou could scarce ly pass a little child in th e stree t afte r it
without wan ting to kn ee l before h er guardian ange l , and almost
se e ing G od above and around you. If I do n ot become a sain t
568 Th e Irwh Month ly.
with such h e lps, I do n ot kn owwhere I shall hide myse lf from
G od.
”
Dr . Ie ahy’s guidance of this beautiful and sufier in g soul
began appropriate ly on th e eve of th e Feast of th e Seven Do lour s
o f th e Ble ssed Virgin , th e third Sun day of September , 1 848 ; an d
it con tinued till h er de ath in th e January of 1 869, th ough dur in gmost o f th e se years, sh e could on ly con sult him by lette r . A very
in te re stin g account of th e re lations be twe en th ese two souls is
given by on e wh o was devoted to th em both , Moth er Ime lda
Magee , a n ative of Lurgan , Prioress of th e Sienna Con ven t,
Drogh eda . Th er e are few more spiri tual biographi e s than h e r
ske tch of Ellen Down ing prefixed to a vo lum e of m editation s
and praye rs composed by th e latter in h on our of St . Cath e rin e o f
Sien n a , and oth e r saints. To this h o ly vo lume Dr . Leahy, in1 879, prefixed a de ligh tful pre face , giving , in turn , an accoun t o f
Mo th er Im e lda , wh o had died a sa in t’s death just afte r fin ishin g
h e r part o f th e book . He h ad publish ed, to h er gr eat joy, in 1 868 ,
a coll e ctio n of Miss Down in g’s sacred po ems, un de r th e title o f
Vo ice s from th e He art .
”Th e fo llowing n ote re fers to this
8 York Place , W. ,
June 1 6 , 1 868.
Mr Du n Lo an ,
I beg to than k you for your kin d n o te and th e little book , wh ich I will tak e
with m e to -m orrow and re ad o n my journ ey. It is alwaysa pleasure to fin d poe tr ywr itten by th ose wh o lo ve truth , as fo r th e mo st par t truth and beauty are to o fa r
asun de r in our En g lish Litera ture .
I tr ust Irelan d is re vivin g in h ope . My be lief is th at a brigh te r ag e is comin g
Be h ave me , my de ar L ord,
Your afi'
ection a te se rvan t and bro th er in Ch rist,
uld 1 1m m E . Mu tan ts .
A s we are spe aking of ve rse s for which th e subject o f our
ske tch was respon sible , we maywith con siderable misgiving ven ture
to pr e se rve a po e tica l tribute paid to h im by on e of his Co rk fr ien ds
more th an fo rty years ago . It will be a curious proo f of wh at was
th ough t o f h im . What bish op was ever before ce lebrate d in so
e laborate an acr ostic But h e was n o t ye t a bishop.
Wha t tun es th e h eaven ly ch o ir above
To sounds o f swe e t , se raphic love?Wh at guide s th e plan e ts in th e ir courseWith stri ct, unde viat in g force 1
?
570 Th e Ir ish Month ly.
O
which thrilled thro ugh the de ep and measur ed so lemn ity o f hi
lan guage . Ou what a solid foundation o f th e ology this un ction in
pre ach ing was based may be con je cture d from th e fact that th e
se cul ar and regular clergy of Co rk combin ed in insisting th at
Fath er John Pius Le ahy sh ould be appoin ted to pre side ove r th e ir
th e o logical con ferences, and th at Dean Neville , wh o to ok part in
th e se confe re nces for a short tim e as a curate be fore gain in g a
professor’s chair at Maynooth , spoke to his class with great re spe ct
of Dr . Le ahy’s auth ori ty as a th eo logian . His judgmen t an d
le arn ing made th emse lve s fe lt also in th e Syn od o f Thurle s in
1 850, which h e atte nded as Pr ovin cial of his Orde r .
Th e late Primate , Dr . M‘G e ttigan , wh il e h e was still Bish op o f
Raph oe , and wh en th e Sec of A rmagh was vacan t, had to visit
Rome with th e o th er bish ops. His Raph oe flock, wh o long ed toke ep him to th emselve s, were in despair , for th ey said : Wh enth e Pope se e s him ,
h e will make h im Primate . Dr . Le ahy’s
fe rven t ch an ts in Cork might h ave fallen into th e same despair as
so on as circumstan ce s forced h im to appear among th e Irish
pre late s. Such a man was sure to be made bishop on th e fir st
Oppo rtun ity. Dromore was th e fortun ate dioce se . The appo in t
men t of Dr . Leahy has ofte n , eve n late ly, in th e prin ted accoun ts
of his car e e r , be en attributed to Cardin al Cullen ; but n ow,for th e
fir st time , we ar e able to cite th e Cardin al’s positive testimony to
th e con trary.
Dr . Le ahy pre se rved care fully th e followmg le tte r and some
oth e rs re lati ng to th 1 s cri sis m hi s h fe :Dublin , May 2nd , 1 854.
MY DEA R Da . L u au,s
I de layed answ er in g your le tte r , havin g be e n a lmost con tinually sin c eI rece ived it . I am n o t surprised tha t th e th o ugh t of be in g remo m th e
pe ace of th e clo iste r sh oul d prey h ea vily o n your m in d, and tha t your humilitysh oul d sh r ink from occupyin g a promin en t and public po sition in th e Church.Howe ve r , in such matte rs t hapa th e best way is to leave ourse lves to th e wil l
o f G od and th e wisdom of th e o ly Se e . Th e Pope , I am sure , befo re h e tak es anste p in your case , will we igh all th e circum stan ce s and act with g re a t cautio n .
do n o t kn ow wh e th e r anythin g h as be en do n e as yet , n o t h a h ad anycommun ica tion from th e Propagan da . I suppo se th ey co rrespon dwith e Plims t ein th is ca se , as Dromore be lon gs to h is pro vmce . It was n o t I wh o mposadyournam e to th e Pro ganda . I ca n , th e re fo re , h ave ve ry little uen ce m th e
question . Sh oul I, h owe ve r , be co n sulted , I will n o t fail to make kn own you
o bje ct i on s. In th e mean time I wil l un its with you in recomm e ndin g th e wh o lebusin e ss to G od and I h ope tha t wha te ve r is for th e grea te r glo ry o f His h o lynam e will be do n e ,
Beh ave me to be , with sin ce re st e ste em ,
Your de vo ted se rvan t ,v3 Pu n . Cou n t .
[Conclusion next mon th] .
TO A SORROWING MOTHER .
H, comfo rt th e e !
’Tis but a li ttle wh ile
,
Perch an ce h e lin g e rs n e ar ,
With radian t brow an d tende r loving smil e
To soo th e thy fa llin g te ar .
He is a chi ld fo r eve r , and for h im
A ll fe ars ar e la id to r e st ;
Ne’e r sh a ll sin stain , n o r touch of so rrow dim
Th e pe ace of th at still br e ast .
Ne’e r shal l h e le arn th a t sadde st wo rd , far ewe l l,
Fo r , e r e his spir it passe d,
De ep sle ep h ad laid o n h im a so lemn spe ll
Wh ich boun d h im to th e last.
In life h e brave ly played hi s littl e part ,
Th ough sh o rt th e path h e tr od,
A nd n ow th e Ch rist- lik e ch ild,th e pur e in h e ar t,
Re jo icin g se es h is G od .
G RA CE Bu ss .
A STRIKING CONTRA ST.
M m AUTHOR or“ mm : mm o r m asoomz'r ,
”m s m ums m m m nns
o r um n sxowmwp ,
"m o .
CHAPTER XXIII.
LADY ASHFIELD CHA NG ES HEB TA CTICS .
HIS sce n e with Lo rd A shfie ld tried Do ra seve r e ly, and th e n ext
morn in g sh e was to o ill to mak e th e jour n ey to Summ e rlan ds .
Sir Eustace an d. Sylvia would n o t g o with out h e r , and po stpon ed th e ir
go in g un til sh e sh ould be able to accompany th em .
But afte r two days of com ple te r est sh e declar e d h e rse lf e age r to
depar t, and, to th e gre at de ligh t o f h e r fr ie n ds, se em ed brigh te r and
mor e in ter e sted in everyth ing th an sh e h ad be e n sin ce th e be gin ning
o f h e r illn ess.
Th e r e ason of th is sudde n ch an ge was kn own only to h e rse lf and
572 Th e Ir ish Month ly.
Madge . A nd it bro ugh t much h appin e ss to both , but particula rly to
Do ra . Fo r n ow sh e fe lt sh e h ad som e thi n g to live fo r—som e th in g to
k e ep in h e r own h ear t and r e jo ice ove r . Th iswas th e kn owledge th a t
L ord A shfie ld loved h e r a nd was an xious to tak e h e r just as sh e wa s,
with out fo rtun e o r n ame—a m e r e wai f cast up by th e se a, an d mak e
h e r hi s wife . Sh e h ad r efused h im because of th e se cr e t of h e r li fe .
But h e loved h e r—th at was sufficie n t. Sh e could wait pa ti en tly fo r
wh ate ve r h e m igh t brin g abo ut o r r evea l.
A n d ao , th ough thin and wa n , we ak almo st to pr o stra tion , Do r a
wo re an expre ssio n o f peace ful happin e ss as sh e was carried down to
Sir Eustace’s carriage .
G od bless you, my pe t, whi spe r ed Madge , as sh e co ve red h e r
with rugs and a r ranged th e cush io n s un de r h er back . I trust th isjourn ey may n o t tir e you to o much .
”
I think n o t. dear . I fe e l so h appy, and quite excited.
Do n o t be un easy, Madge ,”said Sylvia . Sh e se ems so much
be tte r th at I um sur e th e dr ive will n o t hurt h e r . G randpapa and Iwill look afte r h e r we ll .”
I am sur e you will, dea r . Y ou are all th at is go od and kin d .
A n d, acting on a sudde n impulse , Madge sto oped and kissed
Sylvia o n th e lips. This was th e second tim e sh e had embraced h e r
sin ce th e n igh t of th e wr eck , wh en sh e h ad clasped h e r in h e r arms in
t e rro r and a larm . Ou th e first occasio n , on th e beach at Se apo rt, sh e
did n o t kn ow th at th e chi ld was h e r siste r . But n ow sh e was we ll
awar e o f th at fact, and h e r h e art fe lt full of love for th is girl, wh om
sh e h ad o n ce guarded with so much te nde r affectio n .
Fo r an in stan t Sylvia was surpr ised a t this un expe cted sh ow o f
frie ndsh ip fr om Madge , wh o was g en e rally ve ry r ese rved. Th e n
smilin g , sh e put h e r arms r oun d h e r n eck and r e turn ed h e r embrace
Madg e burst in to te ars, sh o ok Sir Eustace by th e h and, and
h urr ied back in to th e h ouse .
Po o r Madge , sh e cann o t be ar to lo se you eve n fo r a day, Dora ,
sa id Sylvia , as th e carr iag e bo re th em swiftly on th e ir way. Sh e is
t ruly a loving siste r .
”
Y e s,
”sa id Do ra ten de r ly, Madge has a h eart of go ld.
Meanwh ile Madge r e turn ed to h e r r oom , and, h avin g r e cove red
h e r usual calm,be gan to arran ge wardrobe s and drawers th a t h ad
b e e n upse t in h e r pr eparations fo r Dor a’s departur e . Sh e worked
l o n g and ste adily, and by lun oh-tim e eve ryth ing was in o rde r , an d sh e
was fr e e to tak e th at m e al in pe ace b e fo re going out to pay som e
visits .
But as sh e sat at h e r so li tary lun ch e o n sh e had littl e appe tite .
574 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
Te l l th e m esseng e r yes,”sh e said to th e ser vant. I will b e
with Lady Ashfie ld at th e h our sh e n ames.
A t h alf-past th re e . pre cise ly, Madge rang th e be ll at 1 6 Be lg rave
stre e t. Th e do o r was quickly ope n ed, and th e fo o tman led h e r a t
o nce to Lady A shfie ld’s boudo ir .
My de ar Miss Ne il, h ow extreme ly go od of yo u to come to me so
pun ctually,”cried Lady Ashfie ld, rising from h er chair and comin g
fo rward with outstr etch ed hands . I am ve ry glad to se e you.
”
Th ank you,”said Madge , co ldly. But m y I ask why yo u
sen t for m e
Ce rtain ly. But pray be seated. I h ave just be en wr itin g to
Summ e rlands - to Do ra .
To Dora0
Y es ; to Do ra . But I do n o t se e that tha t n e ed asto n ish yo u.
Lady A shfie ld smoo th ed th e fo lds of h e r dre ss and k ept h e r eye s we l l
away from th e gir l’s face . My so n te lls m e h e wish es to marry h e r ,
th e refor e , I
Madg e started fo rward with smi lin g coun ten an ce .
Y ou h ave to ld him th e sto ry o f th e wr eck , and, re so lvin g to k eepit a secr e t kn own only to ourse lve s, have g iven your conse n t to h is
marriag e with Dora?Oh , Lady A shfie ld, thi s is rea lly kind. It
is wh at I h oped—but
No t so fast, my dear Miss Ne ill, you misunde rstand m e qui te ;I wish my son to marry Sir Eustace A th e rston e
’
s h e ir ess, and i t
ma tte rs little to me wh e th e r sh e is tall and dark , o r sma ll and fair .
Mon ey and birth are wh at I r equir e ; so I have writte n to Do ra tor e l e ase h e r fr om h e r promi se of k e e pin g this matter a se cre t. A s so o n
as sh e proves with out doubt that sh e'
is G e o rg e A th e rston e’s daugh ter .
I g ive my co n se n t to h er marr iage with Lo rd A shfie ld—n o t be fore .
”
A nd wha t if sh e r efuse s to put fo rward h e r claim
Th e n sh e may r emain Do ro thyNe il fo r th e r est of h er life . But
I um n o t afr aid, Th e love sh e profe sses fo r Sylvia will n o t carry h e r
quite so far . Sh e is n ot like ly to sacr ifice a brilliant futur e as Lo rdA shfie ld’s wife to an absurd ide a of spar ing thi s usurpe r pain .
”
Madge ga z ed at h e r in sad surprise .
Y ou spoke quite difler en tly, Lady A shfie ld , o n our first me e tingin th is ro om . . Y ou th en tr e ated m e with soom—r efused to be lie ve my
sto ry, and talk ed a g reat dea l about your love fo r Sir Eustace and
Lady A shfie ld co lour ed sligh tly.
It was o n ly n atural I sh o uld doubt th e truth o f such a str ang e
an n oun cem en t, sh e said quickly, an d my fri endship fo r Sir Eustace
made m e th ink of it with terro r . I did n o t wish to be li eve it. Y ou
A Str iking Con trast. 575
and your siste r wer e n o th i ng to m e ; Sylvia and h e r grandfath e r
we re much .
‘
But, n ow, eve ryth ing is ch an g ed . My so n wish e s to
marry Dora . It is n ece ssary sh e sh ould pr ove h e rse lf h is equal inbir th an d
'
fo rtun e .
”
Th en wh at do you wish m e to do?I wish you to go to Sir Eustace , te ll h im your sto ry, and br ing
forth all th e proo fs you posse ss.
”
Th ey a r e few -utte rly value less, you to ld m e yourse lf.
I was wrong . I h ave th ough t it a ll out , and come to th at
co n clusion . G eo rg e A th e rsto n e’s wife was fa ir ; th at portrait, an d
Do ra’s lik en e ss to it , may pro ve str on g evide n ce ) ?
“ A nd if Sir Eustace do es n o t be li eve m e?If h e r e fuse s to cast
forth th e gir l h e h as loved and ch erish ed as hi s own fo r th e sak e o f
a compara tive strang er—wh at th e n
We must go to law,hun t up A n n e Dan e , and h ave h e r
exam in ed an d cro ss- exam in ed—l e ave n o sto n e un turn ed till we r e sto r e
Do ra to h e r righ ts.
”
A n d fo r th is purpo se um I to use th e m on ey bestowed upo n m e
by our g en e rous be n e facto r?A r e we to tur n upon h im , an d, wi th hi s
o wn go ld, work h is mise ry an d un h appin e ss“ Your man
‘
n e r is th e att ica l, as usual .Miss Ne il ,”
said LadyA shfield, with a h ar sh little laugh . But I do n o t wish you to use
Sir Eustace’
s mo n ey. I am qui te willin g to be ar all th e expe nses .
”
Y ou ar e ve ry g en e rous , But, te ll m e—do e s Lo rd A shfie ld wish
th is to be do n e?Is h e r eady to e n te r upo n th is law-suit?
In dy A shfie ld sh r ugg ed h e r sh oul der s.
I sh all n o t consult him about th e m atte r . He is quixo tic to th elast degr e e . This mo rn in g wh en h e to ld m e of h is wish to m arry
Dora , I th ough t it righ t to let h im kn ow th a t sh e cla im ed to
be Sir Eustace A th er ston e’
s granddaugh te r . He se emed ove rjoyeda t th e n ews . He n ow kn ew th e te rr ible secr e t, h e cr ied, tha t
h ad made th e gir l r efuse to becom e h is wife . He was de ligh ted
wh en I ackn owledg ed th at th at was th e r e ason , and declar ed th at
it was of n o impo rta nce , and sh ould n o t stand in th e way of th e ir
un ion . But, I sa id, you wi ll sur e ly tak e steps to r esto r e h e r to h e r
prope r po sition . Y ou cann o t marry h e r till th e world kn ows sh e is
n ot a m er e dr e ssm ak e r’
s appren tice suppo rte d by Sir Eustace , but h is
son’s on ly ch ild, and h e ir to a lar ge fo rtun e .
”
An d h e r epli ed ask ed Madge , e ag e rly.
Tha t h e would tak e n o such steps. Th a t h e loved Do ra , e tc.,
a nd tha t h e car ed n o th in g fo r mo n ey o r birth . Just wha t I expected
from hi s radical ideas. Howeve r , I sh all n o t ask his opin ion n ow, but
se t to wo rk a t once . With your h elp
576 The Mon thly.
Th at Imust de clin e to g ive , Lady A shfie ld .
Wh at . Sh e g lar ed angri ly a t Madge . Y ou do n o t , yo u
can n o t m e an wh at yo u say?I do m e an it most decidedly. I am th ankful, G od o nly kn ows
h ow th ankful , th at Lord Ashfield h as sh own h imse lf so g e n e ro us in
in this ma tter . Had h e acte d o th e rwise , h e would ha ve be en unwo rth yof my swe e t Do ra .
A r e you a foo l, Miss N e il, o r mad, cried Lady A shfie ld , th a t
you talk in th is absurd fashi o n
Pardon m e .”sa id Madg e grave ly. I am n e ith e r mad n o r a
foo l . But I um g lad th at this wo r ld is n o t all se lfish an d graspin g
glad, above all , th at th e man wh o is about to wed h e r wh om I h ave
lo ved as a siste r all th e se lon g yea rs; is full o f kind impulse s, un ta in te d
by wo r ldly fe e lings and a so rdid love o f mo n ey.
”
Y ou spe ak wi th wonde rful iudifie re nce abo ut th ese m atte r s, n ow
tha t my so n h as propo sed fo r your siste r ,”said Lady A shfield, with a
co n temptuous sn e e r . If you will n o t. and do n ot prove th e truth o f
your sto ry, I will lo ok upon you as a most arran t imposto r . Fo r ,
un le ss you a r e , why sh ould you h ave ch an ged so suddenly A ye ar
ago you we r e all eage rn e ss to depo se Sylvia and put Do ra in h e r place ,
and n ow,fo rso o th , you would n o t pain h e r o r h e r g rahdfath er .
”
A ye ar ago I did n o t love Sylvia—I did n ot kn ow h er—sh e was a
m e r e n am e to me ; and my swe e t Dora was ill and in wan t. I h ad n o t
accepted favours in nume rable fr om th e h ands of Sir Eustace A th e r
sto n e ; h e was an utte r strange r to m e . I was n o t h e ld back by any
fe e lin g o f pity fo r pe opl e I did n o t kn ow. I th ough t on ly of Do ra . I
fe lt bound to do a ll I could to h ave h e r ackn owledged as G eo rge
A th e rsto n e’s daugh te r . Now all is ch ang ed. My hands are ti ed —th e
two pe ople wh o are m ost oonoem ed in in th e matte r , Do ra an d Lo rdA shfie ld,wish it kept a secr e t. Un til th ey ask me to re veal wh at I kn ow,
n o t a wo rd sh a ll e scape m e ; so I th ink , Lady Ashfie ld, you h ave
li ttle ch an ce o f pro vin g your case .
Little ,” sh e said gr imly, and I am n ot quite fo o l e nough to try.
But I te ll you so lemnly th at un til Dora is proclaimed to be Sylvia
A th e rston e . I sh all n eve r consen t to h er marriag e with my son .
“ Lo rd Ashfie ld 1 8 of age . He can do as h e pleases.
”
True . But I h o ld mon ey h e cann o t touch . Sh ould h e displease
m e, I can will it away, le avin g h im an impove rish ed pe e r , with litt le
but hi s title to r ecomm e nd h im .
”
Th a t is a que stion th at do e s n o t co nce rn m e , said Madge coldly,but must be se ttled be twe en yo u and Lord A shfie ld. A nd n ow, as
you th o r ough ly unde rstand my fe e l in gs and in tentions, I shall wish
you g o od-day.
Y es, but I r efuse to h ave a nyth in g to do with it till
paused and blush ed
Till yo u ar e marr ie d?No , n o t eve n th e n . No t till you r equir e it n o m or e . A nd I
h ape—o h , so sin ce r e ly, th at th at may n ot b e for ye ars and ye ars to
come .
”
G o od little girl . Y ou would m iss yo ur o ld g randpapa?Hisl ove is of gr e at value in your eye s .
”
G randpapa, I’d rath e r h ave your love
—th e kn owledge th at I
was your own be st b e loved granddaugh te r , than all th e r ich e s an d a ll
Summ e rlands ever h e ard of in th e wh o l e wo rld .
”
Y ou h e ar , Do ra?h e sa id in a vo ice full o f pr oud de ligh t .
Wh at a loving l ittl e g irl th is 1 8 l
Y e s,”r epli ed Do ra smil in g , sh e is a devo ted granddaugh te r ,
Sir Eustace .
Devo ted, inde ed, and h e r devo tio n is fully r e tur n ed. Th e r e is
n o th in g I would n o t do fo r my Sylvia . He r love h as be e n a pr ecio us
bo o n to m e , and eve ry day I th ank G o d o n my kn e e s th at A n n e Dan e
was able to re scue h e r fr om a wate ry g rave and place h e r safe an d
we ll withi n my arm s.
”
Oh ,
”th ough t Do ra with be atin g h e art, wh o would, wh o could
brin g trouble to th e se two?Wh o wo uld disturb th e ir h appy lo ve ,
a nd sh ow th em in wh at a crue l m an n e r th ey h ave be e n dece ive d?I
ce rtain ly coul d n o t . I’
d rath e r di e .
”
Y ou lo ok sad, little Do ra ,
”said Sylvia , laying h e r h and ca r ess
in gly o n th at o f th e in valid. A r e you ge ttin g tir ed
N0 n o t at all ; but I was think in g , Sylvia , o f th a t stran ge , sad
n igh t o n board 1 710 Cimbr ia .
But you cann o t r emembe r i t I cann o t .
”
I se em to r ememb e r it dimly, an swe r ed Do ra , th ough tfully .
A t l e ast,I thi nk I do . But th e n , Madge and I h ave talk ed it ove r
so ofte n , th at, pe rh aps, I o n ly fan cy I do . But, Sylvia , wh at becam e
of A n n e Dan e Is sh e de ad
De ad?” Sylvia laugh ed m e rrily. No t at all . Sh e is as we ll a
possible , alth ough sh e some tim e s fan cie s h e rse lf somewh a t we ak , po o r
o ld dear . Sh e h ate s London fo gs, and le ads a. life of comfo rt, and, Iumafraid, idle n ess at grandpapa
’s place in Lancashi r e . Howe ve r , yo u
sh all have th e h appin e ss o f se e in g bar'
aco a . I h ave invited h e r t o
Summ e rlands expr e ssly to m e e t you.
”
Sylvia ! Dora turn ed pal e ; a lo ok of te rro r came in to h e r
We ll , de ar . I th ough t yo u’d like to se e h e r fo r th e sak e o f o ld
time s.
A Str iking Con trast. 579
Y e s, yes, o f course , sa id Do ra quickly . I wo uld n o t kn ow
h e r again . But Madg e
Madg e would r em embe r h e r , o f course ; an d I kn ow sh e wan ts to
se e h e r . Lord Ashfie ld to ld m e so lo n g ago . I tr ied to g e t h e r to
come up to town , I e ve n to ld h e r it was to m e e t h e r o ld fr ie nd, Madg e
Ne il . But sh e would n o t mo ve . Sh e is ve ry car e ful o f h e r h e alth , I
assur e you.
”
A n d did sh e promise to come to Summ e r lands to m e e t Madg e?No , th at is th e fun . I h ave prepar ed a pl easan t surpr ise for h e r .
Sh e h as n o t th e sligh te st ide a th at e ith e r you o r Madge will be th e r e .
I um lo n g ing to se e h e r face wh e n sh e se e s you first .
Sylvia , you h ave n o t don e r igh t,”
cried Do r a , with emo tion
Y ou h ave n o t inde ed.
”
Sir Eustace and Sylvia lo ok ed at h e r in asto n ishme n t .
No t do n e r igh t My de ar Dora . wh at can you m e an?th ey cried to g e th e r .
No th in g , n o thin g , sa id th e g ir l in confusio n . But A nn e
is o ld . It wi ll be a sh o ck to se e us with o ut warn ing .
”
A s fo r th at,”r epli ed Sylvia , gaily, yo u n e e d n o t be alarmed .
A nn e is n o t easily sta r tled . A nd th e n , yo u kn ow, sh e h as h e ard lon g
ago tha t you we re saved from th e wr eck. So sh e wil l n o t tak e you
fo r gh o sts, dea r . Howe ve r , le st you sh ould be un e asy, I sh a ll se nd
fo r A n n e , and te ll h e r of your arrival . Will th at satisfy yo uY e s
,
”an swe r ed Dora , dr eami ly, th at may ave r t som e o f th e
dan ge r I dr e ad . But I must wr ite to Madg e an d war n h e r .
”
We ll . de a r , do as you lik e ,
”sa id Sylvia . But imag in ing o th e rs
as weak as your se lf. I th ink you exaggera te th e impo rtance o f th e
m e e ting . Madg e will take it ve ry qui e tly, I um sur e .
”
Pe rh aps so I h ope ao , de ar e st, A nd , o f course , I um ve ry
weak , and easily alarmed .
”
Y ou h ave ta lked too much , de ar ch ild, said Sir Eustace kin dly.
Your vo ice soun ds tir ed, so close your eyes and go to sl e ep.
”
Y es, I thin k I h ave ,
”sh e an swe r ed with a fai nt smile . I fe e l
very we ary.
Po o r dar ling , it was a sh am e to le t you wear yourse lf out,
cr ied Sylvia . I um ve ry angry with myse lf fo r all owin g you to do ao ,and n ow you must n o t spe ak again . L ie back th e r e , and clo se your
eye s.
”
Do ra did as sh e was to ld, and, with a sinkin g h ear t, th ough t
sadly of th is fr esh complication in th e ir affairs. Sh e fe lt bewilder ed
and alarmed. A me e ting be twe en A nn e Dan e and Madg e was to be
avo ided above all th ings; A nd n ow, Sylvia , in h e r inn ocen ce an d
igno ran ce , in h opes of giving a pleasan t surprise to h er fr iends, had
plann ed to br ing it about in th e most dang e rous mann e r po ssible .
82 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
True to h er prom ise , Dora did h er best to ea t th e da in ty lun ch
that Désirée placed befo r e h e r ; but h e r appe tite was small, and wh e n
th e tray was carried away, th e amoun t of ch ick en consum ed was
scarce !y n o tice able .
A t th r e e o’clock Sylvia lo ok ed in , dr essed in h e r out-do o r th in gs .
I am go in g for a wal k with grandpapa , Do ra . He wan ts m e tose e some impr ovem en ts at th e farm . I h ope you will n o t fe e l lon e lywh ilst I um away
Nat at al l . I will tak e my afte rn o o n sle ep. Do n o t hurry 0 1 1
my accoun t . I sh a ll be quite h appy.
”
Ve ry we ll , de ar . Sle ep will do you good .
Th en Sylvia kissed h er ten de rly, an d, dr awin g on h e r glove s,
wen t to jo in Sir Eustace .
A fte r a time Désiré e came in and put some fr e sh cool on th e fir e ,
and h oping th at m ademo ise lle would so on fall asl e ep, l eft h e r alo n e .
But Do ra could n o t sl e ep ; sh e fe lt re stless and un se ttl ed. He r
mind was full o f th e th ough t o f A n n e Dan e and h e r me etin g with
Madg e . Th e adven t o f th is woman fill ed h e r with te rro r , a sen se o f
dan ge r th at sh e could n o t sh ake ofi.
But, r e ally I um fo o lish to th ink so much about h e r , sh e said t o
h e rse lf. “ If Madge is warn ed, all wi ll be we ll . Sh e will n ot com e ,
I am sur e . wh e n sh e h ears that A n n e Dan e is h e r e ; sh e could n o t m e e t
h e r in a fr iendly spi rit, and sh e n o’
w wish es to spar e Sylvia and Sir
Eustace . I will gr e e t h e r qui e tly, b e co ld an d dista n t in my mann e r ,
and say n o th ing about th e wr eck . But Madge could n eve r do th a t ;
th e sigh t of th e woman would mak e h e r forge t everyth ing but my
wron gs. 0 h , m o th er , mo th er ,”sh e cr i ed dr awing fo rth h er be love d
min iatur e, and pr essin g it to h e r lips , wh at s
'
ad str aits I am in .
Kept out of my birth-r igh t , my lawful inh e r itan ce , longin g to b e
r esto r ed to th e po sition th a t sh ould be min e , fo r th e sak e o f th e m a n
I love , ye t pr even ted fr om pro claim in g my r igh t to it by th e affecti o n
and gratitude I fe el towards th o se wh o h ave be e n so go od an d kind to
me .
”
Th en ; as th e dayligh t wan e s, a fe e ling of we arin ess tak e s po sse ssio n
o f Do ra , and sh e falls in to an un e asy slumber . Even ing com es o u ,
th e fir e blaz e s up, an d th e flames play fitfully upon h e r wo rn ch e e ks,
and touch h e r go lden h ai r with th e ir br illian t ligh t .
Sudden ly th e do o r open s, and a st ea lthy fo o tstep appro ach e s th e
sofa . D o ra do e s n o t h e ar—is un con scious to a ll around, till a h a n d
is laid upo n h e r bo som , and sh e dr eams th at some on e is trying to
wr e st h e r mo th e r’s po rtrait from h e r n eck .
Th en sh e awak es with a sta rt ; an d, open in g h e r eyes, se es a n
e lderly woman be ndin g o ve r h er and fe e ls h e r h o t br eath upo n h e r
face .
A Str iking Contrast.‘
583
Wh o are you?” sh e asks indignan tly. How dar e you touch
Th e woman do e s n o t r eply, but gaz es fixedly a t th e gir l .
A ll a t on ce a ligh t br eaks in upo n Do ra . This is th e nur se wh o
be tr ayed h e r maste r’s trust . Thi s is th e cr e a tur e wh o h ad th rust th em
all in to th e ir pr e se n t fal se po sition . A s thi s fla sh e s quickly th r oughh e r m ind, sh e ra ise s h e rse lf o n h e r pil low, and graspin g th e min ia tur e
firmly with o n e h and, sh e push es th e unwe lcom e visito r away wi th th e
o th e r .
I kn ow wh o you ar e n ow,
”sh e cr ied br e ath lessly. Y ou ar e
A nn e Dan e .
”
A n d wh a t if I am , r epli ed th e woman with a sn e e r .
ar e you
1? Dora lo ok e d a t h e r with r epro aohful eye s . I um th e
po or little infan t yo u le ft to pe rish on bo a rd The Cimbr ia .
Y ou r ave ,”cr ied A n n e , h e r vo ice growin g h o ar se an d loud in h e r
a nge r . My maste r’s child was my o nly care . I saved h e r . Th at
wa s all I could be expected to do .
An d th a t you did n o t do . Y ou kn ow, and Madg e Ne il kn ows,that I um Sylvia A th erston e , wh ilst th e ch ild you saved from th e
wr eck was Dor o thy N e il .
A n n e becam e livid with passion , and sh e raised h e r hand as th oughto str ik e th e g ir l be fo r e h e r . But Dora sh rank away with a cry, an d
th e woman le t h er arm fa ll once mo r e to h e r side .
If you say th a t again ,”sh e hi ssed, I migh t, I am sur e I would,
kill you.
”
No , n o , sa id Do ra , r ecove r in g quickly from h e r fr igh t, you
a r e n o t wick ed e n ough fo r tha t, bad as you ar e . But you can n o t deny
my sta tem en t . Y ou kn ow it is true . Now oo nfe ss—is it n o t exactly
as I say Am I n o t Sir Eustace A th e rsto n e’s grandda ugh te r , an d is
th is n o t th e po rtr ait o f my mo th e r
A n n e g lar ed at h e r fie rce ly. and tr ied to sn atch th e m in iatur e fr om
h e r h and .
Y o u lie , sh e cr ied . Y ou and your siste r h ave trumped up
thi s sto ry. But n o o n e will eve r be li eve it : an d if you eve n
h in t a t such a th i ng , Sir Eustace will drive you fr om h is do o r .
”
Pe rh aps ao . But n ow, co nfess, A n n e Dan e , um I n o t th e r eal
Sylvia A th e rsto n e A n d do you n o t fe e l boun d to ackn owledg e h e r e ,
be twe e n ourse lve s, th a t th e li ttle girl you placed in Sir Eustace
A th e rsto o e’s arms was n o t his gr an ddaugh te r , but th e ch ild of a
str an g er , an d Madg e Ne il’s siste r
I will confess n o th ing .
”
Th e woman’s wo rds we r e fr o z e n o n h e r lips ; sh e tr embled in every
584 The Ir isk Month ly.
l imb . For th e re in th e doo rway, h er face white as marble , h e r eye s
full of wild te rro r , sto od h e r young mistr e ss .
Sylvia clung to th e curtain tha t separate d h e r ro om -from Do ra’s ,
as th ough afra id to fall . Sh e did n o t speak , but look ed from o n e to
th e o th e r with an expr essio n of in tense ago ny.
Do ra cover ed h e r face wi th h e r h ands. and utte r ed an exclamatio n
o f dismay. A n n e turn ed away and se emed about to leave th e ro om .
But Sylvia waved h e r back to h e r place . Tr emblin g vio le n tly .
th e woman obeyed, an d sto od in sile n t ange r befo r e th e suffe rin g
An n e Dan e , is this sta tem en t true?Sylvia
’s vo ice was low an d h o arse , h e r wo rds scarce ly audibl e
but th ey se emed to burn in to th e bra in s of th o se wh o h eard th em .
A nn e did n o t r eply ; h e r eye s we r e fixed upon th e gr ound ; sh e kn ew
n o t wh at to an swe r .
Speak . Is this sto ry a n in ven tion in sisted h e r mistress,
is it true?Is sh e Sylvia A th e r sto n e , o r am I
An n e laugh ed wildly.
My de ar Miss Sylvia , sh e cr ied, r e cove r in g h e r se lf-possession ,
can you be live such n on se n se fo r an instan t?Thi s gir l and h e rsiste r h ave made up this sto ry be twe e n th em . Lo ok h ow ash amed sh e
is. Try h e r , ask h e r to swear to th e truth of it , and you will se e tha t
sh e dar e n o t .
Do ra sh ive r e d ; sh e could n ot spe ak . Sh e would n o t destr oy h e r
de ar fr ien d’s happin e ss ; an d ye t sh e coul d n o t te ll a lie ; so sh e ga z e d
ste adi ly a t th e fir e , an d utte r e d n o t a sin gle wo rd .
Sylvia gaz ed at h e r lon g in gly. Oh , if sh e would o n ly lo ok up an d
say tha t it was all un true . If sh e,h e rse lf, could awake and fin d tha t
it was o n ly a dr e am ! But, alas, sh e was n o t asle ep. A n d th e re sh e
sto od, with this h ateful st o ry to rtur in g h e r min d and fillin g h e r h ear t
with sorr ow.
I do n o t beh ave th at e ith e r Madge o r Do ra would willin glywr o ng m e ,
”sh e said sadly. Th ey would be in capable of inven ting
such a l ie as this would h e , we r e it n o t true .
Oi course ,”cried A nn e , th ey would n o t do such a thin g ,
for I
h ave h ea rd th ey ar e bo th as go od as go ld. But, probably, po o r
Madg e’
s h e ad was turn ed th e nigh t of th e wr eck (it was an awful
expe r ie n ce ) , a n d sh e fan cied h e r siste r wen t in t h e bo at alo n g with
m e ; th at’s just wh at it is, Mi ss Sylvia and th is girl, wh o was an in fant
a t th e tim e,n aturally kn ows n o thin g about i t, but be li eve s wh a t sh e
has be e n to ld .
”
Sylvia watch ed A nn e clo se ly. But th e woman’
s coun tenan ce was
inscrutable . Sh e lo oked pe rfectly h o n e st a ll h e r n e rvousn ess h ad
disappear ed , an d sh e talk ed with th e gr e atest co o ln ess and decision .
586 Th e Ir ish Mon th ly.
de are st ,”
sa id Sylvia so o thi n g ly. Y ou h ave n o t destr oyed my
h appin ess a lth ough you h ave di sturbed my pe ace . But it is r igh t
th a t th is sto ry sh ould be made kn own and th o roughly sifted. Y o u
and ,Madg e sh o uld h ave to ld us soo n er . G randpapa,
”h e r vo ice
br ok e a little , h e r lips tr embled must h e a r it at on ce , and mak e al l
n ece ssa ry inquir ie s.
Sylvia oh—do n o t te ll him . If you on ly kn ew h ow anxious I
we h ave b e en to k e ep it from h im—from you.
A nd in th a t yo u we r e wrong . But n ow,let na say n o mo r e
about thi s matte r at pre se n t , Y ou ar e tir e d. Y ou must try to g e t
som e r e st .
Sylvia ran g th e be ll , an d De'
sir ée appeared .
Mi ss Ne il wish e s to go to bed,”sh e said . Please se e th a t h e r
r o om is r eady
Sylvia , wh ispe r ed Do ra , as th e maid wen t in to th e adjo in in gch ambe r , te l l m e th at you fo rgive m e—th at I—th at you love m e
still3,
My dar lin gSylvia claspe d h e r in h e r a rms and kissed h e r te nde rly on lips an d
br ow.
Th er e is n o th ing to fo rg ive , Do ra . It is n o t your fault . A n d I
love you as de ar ly as e ve r .
”
(To be concluded next mon th
DE PROFUNDIS.
”
HE tide flowed 1 n’
n e ath a sun lit h az e'l h e g li tte rin g fo am o n its br e ast was wh ite
It swept to th e black clifi’s sh adowe d base ,
Th e n burst above i n a plum e o f ligh t .
Th e se a -
gulls turn ed th e ir br e asts o f sn ow
To th e summ er sun with sh r ieks o f gle e
A n d I th o ugh t, if th e e ar th be ful l of wo e ,Joy live s at le ast in th e h e ar t of th e sea .
”
Th e n a co ast-
fii
l
l ard wande r ed al o n g th e clifiA nd I saw m ey e r tur n o n th e tide
A co n stan t watch , h is face was grave .
A r ope and grapn e l hun g a t h is side .
De Profemd is .
”
A nd'
I scarce kn ew why, but it se emed to meTh at th e se a i tse lf ew dr ear and dr e ad
Th at th e sun l igh t to o a crue l le am
Th at th e sh r iek o f th e se a -
g jar r ed o’e rh e ad .
A n d th e air grew chi ll . I laid asideTh e pall e tte an d brush—I could scarce ly spe ak
Th e questio n wh at do yo u lo ok fo r He sa idTh e youn g girl
’
s body—dr own ed last we ek .
Sh e was r eadin g h a lf-way down yo n de r clifiTh e day was fa ir and th e ebb was low,
Wh en a tida l wa ve g r ew up in th e we st
A nd cr ept in sh o r e -ward , sur e a nd slow.
Th e few th at saw gave a warn in g sh o ut ;Sh e h e ard it and r o se to h e r fe e t , th ey say,
Th en n eve r stirr ed, but quie tly watch edTh e wave as it r o se and to ok h e r away.
Sh e sank at o n ce pe rh aps th e fe ar
Had made h e r fa in t. So 1 wute h th e sh o r e .
A m an’
s co rpse flo ats o n th e e leve n th dayA woman
’s r ise s a day be fo r e .
”
He turn ed and wen t, an d I saw h im still
Be nd hi s tir e le ss watch on th e wide wh ite fo am .
Th e se a gave a bitte r mo urn ful cryA nd I th ough t of th e vaca n t ch ildl e ss h om e .
0 Lo rd, 0 G od Th ou h ast to ld n a th is ,Th at thy ways in th e m idst o f th e wate r s li e .
So th e de ath -tra ck le ads to th e fo o t of thy Thr o n e ,Wh at matte rs it wh e r e o r h ow we die?
A n d th e wo rds I h ad h eard cam e back to my bra in
Sh e saw it an d r o se to h e r fe e t , th ey sayA woman rise s a day befo r e
”
He r body is due to rise to day.
Do pr ofundz’
a clamavi Je sus, Lord IIf th e bon e s must lie in th e dim co ld de e
So Th ou br in g th em at last to Thy lovin g511 00 ,Wh a t m atte rs it h ow o r wh e r e th ey sle ep
Sh e h e ard it. and r o se to h e r fe e t Wh o kn owsWh at vo ice sh e h e a rd in th at mo und o f fo am
,
A s it bur st , and to ok h e r fo r th o n its br e ast'l
'
hy Vo ice , 0 Ch r ist, as it call ed h e r Home .
0 bitte r br e ak e r o f h e arts 0 Se a
With your lur id glimm e r of gr e e n a nd spum e
Of s
aray, your dr e ad powe r pale s at His wo rds,ive Me back My De ad in th e Day o f Do om .
Mo s r a o u L . G R IFFIN
58w
l
588 Th e Ir ish Month ly.
SIR CHA RLES HA LLE THE MUSICIAN.
A N AUTOBIOG RAPHICAL SPEECH.
[Befo re Sir Ch arle s Ha llé started for a pro fessiona l tr ip to A ustralia , from wh ichh e has just re tur n ed, h is Man ch e ste r fri e nds gave h im a far ewell banque t , and h eg ave th em th e fo ll owin g accoun t o f h im se lf, which se ems to n a wo rth re scuin g
from th e n ewspape rs o f last A pril . No t n ea r ly e n ough is don e to cultivate th e
musical taste s o f th e Irish pe ople .]
THE h on our wh ich you pay me , I take for gran ted, mean s
much more—th e appr eciation wh ich you all fe e l for th e ar t
which I profe ss, th at is, for music, which has be e n a sort o f
re ligion to me a ll my life a n d if e ve r in my closin g days I can be
proud of anyth ing ,it will be that I have during my long life
a lways endeavour ed to ear ve th e cause of music, and to serve i t
we ll . A fte r all , I think music is a very importan t factor in
civil ised life . It h as oe rta in ly influe n ce s beyond those of any oth er
art. That is my opin ion . I do n o t th ink th at by the sight of an
admirable pictur e , an admirable piece of statuary, crowds of pe opl e
will ever be so moved as by th e strain s of music. They touch al l
pe ople , educated an d un educated, and h ave a gr e at softe n inginfluen ce upon th e large mass of th e pe ople . Spe akin g o f th e
powe r of music, would it be possible to think th at with out be ingalli ed to music, th e wo rds of, say th e Marse illa zlse
, r ecited n ever so
we ll , could h ave stirred th e pe ople of Fran ce so much , and caused
the effects of which we re ad Un le ss th e Ma rse z’
lla zlse h ad be en
a llied to music that would n o t h ave be e n don e . A nd, o n th e oth er
han d,would th e po e try of G od Save the Queen , e ven if admirably
spoken ,h ave the sam e influen ce on th e people as whe n we h ear it
sun g That music h as advan ced 'durin g th e last forty years in
England is un doubted, but I have be e n pe rhaps in a position to
watch its progre as m o re than any oth e r musician through my
wande ring life , some tim e s be ing in th e n o rth of Englan d and in
Scotland, and some tim e s in th e south ; co n seque n tly I h ave be e nable to se e th e progre ss made . I con side r that th e forty ye ars I
h ave spen t in En gland h ave be en much mo re in te restin g to m e
than if I had spe n t th em anywh e re e lse , because cert ain ly th e same
progre ss h as n o t be e n m ade in any o th e r coun try as in England.
L e t me say a few wo rds about th e differ en ce in th e state of
90 The Ir ish Mohth ly.
men in scie nce , lite ratur e , an d art, and also distinguish ed fore ign
pe ople . I r emembe r that I had th e gre at and in estimable
ad van tage several time s to con ve rse—n o , n o t to conve rse , 1 wil l
explain th at late r—but to se e and to liste n to Al exander vo n
Humbo ldt. Tha t can n o t be sa id by many at th e pre sen t day, an d
o n e e ve ning I was asked, wh en h e was th e re , to play—a privileg e
which I appre ciated ve ry bighly but I em so rry to say it was n o t
as much appreciated o n h is part. Th e h ouse of M. L eo was n oted
fo r its o rde r . Chopin used to play th ere con stan tly. Th e visito rs
we re we ll train ed, and th e re was usually n o t a m o ve n or a wo rd
whi le th e music was g o ing on . But Al exan der von Humboldtn ever wan ted any con ve rsatio n , because h e always ta lked alon e . I
h ave watch ed h im very ofte n . He got h o ld of a little circle an d
h e ld for th . I n e e d n ot say eve ryth ing h e said wasmost in te restin g
from beginni ng to e nd ; but h e n e ve r allowed anybody e lse to put
in a word. I r em embe r , wh e n I sat down at th e piano , be had two
o r thre e pe ople n ext to h im ,and h e h e ld for th o n some topic th at
was in te r e sting to th em,wh il e I also h e ld forth ; so that we we r e
pe rforming a due t—or , pe rh aps I sh ould say, a due l . Som e tim e s
I ove rpowe r ed h im, but more ofte n h e overpower ed me . I sha ll
n eve r fo rget th e pitiful face s o f th e g e n tleme n to whom h e wa s
talking , an d wh o kn ew very we l l that it was n ot th e th in g . Now
and th e n they would cast a glan ce at me , as much as to say, We
cann o t h e lp it .
”
Now, to speak o f th e music at that time—I do n ot wish to
exagge rate in any way, and I shall n ot do ao . Wh en I came toLondon first, kn owing a good many people in Paris, I was
furnish ed with le tte rs of in troduction to many pe ople th e re . I
will only m en tio n L ord Brougham, Rich ard Cobden , th e G e rma n
Ambassador—Ch e valier Bunse n—and seve ral oth e rs. Wh en Iwe nt to L ord Brough am , h e rece ived me kindly, but at o nce
confe ssed that music was perfectly out of his lin e , a statem en t
which I found was perfe ctly co rre ct. It was said that h e was
n ever able to distinguish th e tun e of G od Save th e Que en from anyoth er , and I drew my in feren ce from that. A n oth e r gen tleman ,
wh o later on be came a Mi n iste r of State , was extreme ly po lite .
He in vited me to his h ouse and asked me to play something to his
fri e nds. Oi course I was anxious to do so , but I was startled ,wh en , on leaving him , h e asked me a few questions, amongst
o th ers, in what style I played It was difficult to understand
Sir Char les Ha lle'
. 591
what h e me an t, as he n am ed an oth er emin en t pian ist and said
Do you play in his style P and I h on e stly said No I upon
which h e said I um so glad, because h e plays so loud that h e
pre ven ts th e ladi es fr om talking .
”That is an actual fact . The n ,
o n e e ve n in g a few days after my arrival , I played at th e G e rman
Embassy, an d to my surprise I found a wh o le company con sistin go f many Al exande r Humbo ldts. Th ey all talk ed at th e top of
th e ir vo ices, so much so that, alth ough I sh orten ed th e piece as
much as possible , later on , wh e n I was asked to play again , I
played th e sam e piece over again and n obody was th e wise r . Th en
I found th at if I asked a gen tleman be lon gin g to so cie ty,
“ Do you
play any in strument it was con side red an in sult . But time s
have wonderq y ch an g ed . Wh en I came to Man ch e ste r,th e on lysociety wh e re you could h e ar go od music was, of course , th e
So ciety o f G e n tlemen’s Con ce rts. I must con fe ss th e first con ce rt
at which I assiste d produced a disastrous effect upon me . I
th ought I should have to pack up and go away. But,of course , I
got accustom ed to it . A t that time th at was th e on ly place wh ere
music on any large scale could be h e ard ; but it was e n tir e ly
private . It was,in fact, simply a club, from wh ich th e public
we re excluded. We ll do I rem embe r th e lo n g struggle I had with
th e th en dire otors—all mo st exce lle n t men— to obtain th e privilege
that th e programmes sh ould be made public. I did obje ct toconducting con ce rts in se cre t , but th ey did n ot se em anxious to l e t
th e public kn ow wh at th ey did . Howe ve r , th ey co n se n ted, but
th at sh ows that outside that so cie ty n o music was h eard . It I have
be en in any way instrume n tal in bringing about th e change , I um
proud of it.
A s fo r th e effect music h as upon th e lowe r classe s—we ll , some
o f my gre ate st pleasure s h ave com e from th e re cogn ition of th e
lower classes. A few years ago I was waitin g fo r a tr ain at De rby,
wh e n a railway porter , wh o e vidently kn ew me , said : Can you
te ll me , Mr . Hall é, wh e n th e E ly'
ah will be pe rfo rm ed in Man
ch e ster , because I can h ave pe rmissio n to take my missus th er e
I assure you that gave me unboun ded pleasure . The n it has
h appen ed to m e that a common workman has brought me a piece
o f cloth worked by himse lf, an d asked me to accept it as a toke n o f
th e pleasure derived from .my con certs. Th ese are satisfacto ryin stan ce s, and sh ow th at th ese con ce r ts h ave a good influen ce .
Yeste rday I happe n ed to be at Sh effie ld, and a music se lle r , who is
592 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
ina positio n to kn ow, said casually to me : We have amongst
our artisans h er e at least five or six hundr ed who play th e violin
I was surprised, but h e said : I kn ow it, because th ey buy music
at my sh op.
”Th ink of that and compare it th e state of
1 848 . It is marve llous.
INTERPRETING .
ISAW a song
-bird so ar up o n h igh ,
I h e ard it sing in th e radian t sky
Its wo ndr ous son g of mir th .
G lo ry to G od in th e h igh e st—Ame n !
A nd peace and joy to th e h om e s of m e nOu e ar th , o n e arth !
His eyes se em ed to pie rce th e az ur e dome
Th at le ads to our Fa th e r’s ble ssed Hom e
A nd qua in tly curious th en ,
A s if n o sca le o r m easure h e kn ew,
But j oyous as up and upward h e flew,
His so n g burst fo rth
G lo ry to G od in th e h igh e st—Am en
A n d psa lm and an th em and g lo ry again ,
A n d peace and joy to th e h om e s of me nOu e arth , on e ar th !
A ye , sa in ts h ave be e n wr apt in ecstasy,
Exta tic bird ! 0 , would I we r e th e e ,
To pra ise with migh t and main ;A t th e do o r of h e ave n th ou sin g e st thy gle e
With h allowed lips, lik e th e pr oph e t , fr e eFrom sin and stain ,
Wh ile an g e ls we lcome th e sacr ed stra in ,A nd gladly catch fr om its soft r e fra in
Th o se wo rds of wo r th
G lo ry to G o d in th e h igh e st—Am e n !
A n d psalm and an th em and g lo ry agai n ,A nd pe ace an d joy to th e h om e s o f m en
On e arth, o n e a r th !
594 The Ir ish Month ly.
an d to th e car e of orphan s and of th e aged poor . In 1 872 Fath e r
Woods began to give mmsmns and retre ats through out th e
Colonie s, ,and h e spen t th e rest of his life main ly in th at work . A s
a preach er h e posse ssed a swe e t an d persuasive e loque nce . In
Tasman ia h e rece ived, it is said, 500 con ve rts in to th e Church in
th e sh ort space of thre e years. Dur in g his busy mission ary care er
be devoted his le isure time to scien tific studies, and publish ed
seve ral large works on th e ge o logical formation s of differen t par ts
of th e Co lon ies. He was th e auth or also of Th e Hi story of th e
Discovery andExploration of A ustralia ,’and of several education al
tre atise s. His publish ed writings on botany, paleon to logy, andnatural hi sto ry are nume rous. He be came the Pre siden t of th e
Lin n ean Socie ty of New South Wales, and rece ived m edals and
h on ours from Eng lish , fore ign , an d co lon ial societie s. In 1 883 h e
wen t to Singapore , at th e invitation of his fr iend, Sir Freder ick
We ld, th e G overn or of th e Str aits Se ttlements. He was aecom
pan ied by Fath er Ben edict Sco rte ch in i , of Que e n sland, who , likeh imse lf, was devoted to science . Fath er Scortechini , in a sh ort
time , fe ll a victim to malarial fever ; but Fath er Woods travell ed
exten sive ly thr ough Java , Born eo , th e Ph ilippin e s, and par ts of
Chin a and Japan . He return ed to A ustralia in 1 886 with th e
mate rials for seve ral n ew scie n tific works, but h e was soon afte r
wards attacked with a long and fin ally fatal sickn ess. On e of th e
Passion ist Fath ers attended him in his last momen ts, and h e died,
tion s are be ing collected to place a suitable memorial over h is
P enny Postage . Ou January 1 st, 1 890, pe nny postage cam e
in to ope ration through out th e Co lony of Victoria in accordan ce
with a law e nacted last year by th e Me lbour n e LegislativeA ssembly. Th is boon , which has be en we lcomed with r e jo icin g ,is a proof of th e great prospe r ity of th e Co lony wh o se capital is
Me lbourn e . Th e population of Victo ria is on ly a little over a
of to th e Po stal re venue dur in g th e curre n t year ; but
oth e r source s of weal th render th e be ar ing of that loss compara
tive ly easy. Mo reove r , it is confide n tly h oped that th e Po stal
r eve nue will soon re cover from th e temporary ch eck , and will
even tually brin g in a gre ate r re tur n than h ereto fore . Th e pe ople
of th e United Kingdom obtain ed pen nypostage in 1 840, wh e n th e
[lems fi°
om A ustra lia . 595
populatio n was m ore th an twe n ty-five million s ; Victo ria has be e n
gran te d th e bo on wh en h er population is on ly a million , and her
pe ople are scatte red over an area greate r in exten t th an that
Mom igno r t pa tr ick. Mon sign or Fitzpatr ick , th e Vicar
G e n era l of Me lbour n e , died on th e 2 l st of last January He wasborn in Dublin , Ire land, in 1 81 0. Afte r finishin g his th e o logical
studies at Mayn ooth Co ll ege , h e ch ose A ustralia as th e sce n e of
his priestly labours. He was fir st station ed 1 n Sydn ey (1 837 ) butsh o rtly afte r Dr . G oo ld
’s con se cration as Bish op of Me lbour n e in
1 848, h e was n amed Vicar -G en e ral of th e n ew dioce se . In 1 850
th e foundati on sto n e of St. Patr ick’
s Cath edral , Me lbourn e , was
laid by Dr . G‘
roo ld, assisted by Fath er Fitzpatrick . From that
tim e till th e Vicar -G en eral’s death , a period o f forty years, th e
building of th e Cath edr al was th e work of love to which be de
voted his tim e , tale n ts, and z e al , and h e may we ll be called th e
builder of that n oble pile . A s a priest, h e was so lidly an d .un ob
strusive ly pious, kin d and gen erous to th e poor , an d of such
re tir ing m odesty that wh e n h e was named Monsign o r , h e could
n ot be pe rsuaded to accept th e h o n our . To avo id displeasing him
his fri e nds abstain ed from using th e title . A t th e Mon th’s Mi nd
for th e repo se of his soul, a public me e ting was conven ed by th e
A rchbish op of Me lbourn e , at which it was decided that th e
memorial to be e rected in h on our of th e late Vicar G en eral sh ould
be th e comple tion of th e Cath edral . In open ing th e m e etin g th e
A rchbish op stated th at, according to th e accounts , which had bee n
kept with gre at accuracy by Dr . Fitzpatrick up to a few days
befor e his death , th e sum of had be e n already expended
on th e Cath edral buildin gs, an d n o debt had be en in curred. IA rge
of mon ey were at once h anded in , and in a few days th e
subscription s reach ed a total of £2 Th e Cath edral, wh en
te stan te , co n trasting Cath olic place s of worsh ipwith th ose of oth e r
denomin ations, have said that th e faith of Cath olics in th e pe r
pe tuity of th e ir r e ligion has made th em build church es,wh ich fromth eir stre ngth and so lidity must last for all tim e . This remark
applie s especially to St. Patrick’
s Cath edral, Melbourn e , and to St.
Mary’s, Sydn ey. Th e vastn ess and durability of th ose great
Cath edrals form a striking monum en t to Cath o lic faith , and pro
claim th e piety, ze al, and se lf-sacrifice o i th e childr en of th e
596 The Ir ish Mon thly.
Catho lic Church in raising suitable temple s for th e wo rship of th e ir
Creato r .
I may be allowed to r emark h e re th at durin g a se ries o f
r e ligious services, h e ld in February to ce lebrate th e completion o f
th e san ctuary of St. Mary’
s Cath edral , Sydn ey, Dr . Donn e lly ,
auxiliary Bish op of Dublin ,who has late ly visite d th e Colon ie s
for th e ben efit of his h ealth , refe rred in a r emarkable se rmon to St .
Mary’s as a n oble work of which A ustralia h ad e ve ry reason to be
proud. He expre ssed th e h ope th at th e courage and e n ergy
h ith erto displayed would con tin ue un til th e archi te ct’
s sple ndid
design was carr ied out to th e last lin e . He also spoke in terms o f
praise of th ose wh o , th ough n ot Cath olics , had g ive n substan tial
aid in th e e r e ction of th e Cath edral , and h e urged h is h eare rs to
h o ld in grate ful r emembran ce th e kin dn e ss and libe rality of th o se
g en e rous fri e n ds.
The Federation of A ustra lia . In th e mi ddl e of February an
importan t Conve n tion was h e ld in Me lbour n e to co n side r th e
advisability of un itin g th e A ustralian Co loni e s un de r on e ce n tral
Fede ral G ove rnme n t . Th e Co loni e s r epr e se n ted by de legates we re
New South Wal es, Victo ria , Que e n sland, South A ustralia ,
We ste rn A ustralia , Tasman ia , an d N ew Zea land Th e de liber a
t ion s of th e Co nven tion , which excited e ager and wide -spread
a tte n tion in A ustr ali a , wer e open ed by Sir He nry Parkes, th e
Pr emie r of New South Wale s. He proposed th e followin g
9‘Th at, in th e opin ion of this Con feren ce , th e best in te re sts
and th e pre se n t an d future prospe rity o f th e A ustr alia n
Co loni e s will be promo ted by an early un ion under th e Crown .
an d whil e fully re cogn isin g th e valuable service s of th e membe rs
o f th e Con ven tion of 1 883 in founding th e Federal Council, it
declar e s its opin ion th at th e se ven ye ars th at h ave sin ce e lapsed
h ave deve loped th e n ation al life of A ustralasia in population , in
wealth , in th e discovery of re sources, and in se lf-gove rn ing capacityto an exten t which justifies th e h igh er act , at al l times con tem
plate d, of th e un ion of th e se Co lon ie s unde r o n e Legislative and
Executive G overnmen t, on pr in ciple s just to the seve ral
Coloni e s.
In his spe e ch th e Sydn ey Pr em ier drew atte n tion to th e fact
that in A ustralia th e subject of Fede ration was n ot n ew. Th e
ablest men in th e Co lon ies had left on re cord th e ir approval of th e
Items fr om. A ustra lia . 599
c o lony wh ich has trea ted me so we ll if I did no t preser ve to h e r a ll th e pr ivilege s
o f th e coun try ; it must be a body framed with plena ry powe r , with all th e
functionswh ich pe rtain to n ation al governm en t . But it may po ssibly be a ve rywise th ing inde ed th at some of th ese powers sh ould come in to force with th e
co n cur ren ce o f th e State L egislatures. Th a t it was in design from th e very first to
g randest and h igh est functions o f th e na tion , cann o t, I think, he a ma tte r of
doubt .
’
Th e oth er de legate s proposed th eir views, and th e subject wasve ry fully discussed . Th ey agre ed that th e re we re many sources
o f we alth which could be deve loped by on e powe rful governme n t,
and n ot efiective ly by indepe nden t provin cial States. Amongth ese were men tion ed fish e ries, th e efficie n t ligh ting of th e co asts,
an d more pe rfect means of commun ication . On e spe aker sh owed that
th e A ustralian Colon ies in po in t of te rr itory and population , are
n ow in a
'
condition parall e l to that of th e Un ited State s of Am erica
whe n th ey federated, and geographically th e difficulties of m ee tin gin a Nation al A ssembly would be far less in A ustralia than theywere in Am e rica . Th e Fisca l question was fe lt to be th e chiefobstacle in th e way of Federation , but it was th ought that
it would n ot prove to be an obstacle impossible to overcome .
Th e motion proposed by Sir Henry Parke s was un animouslyadopted . To it a clause was added to the effect that New
Zealand would be e n titled in th e future to jo in the un ion of th e
A ustralian Co lon ie s. It was also agreed that a National Conven
ti on sh ould be h e ld n ext ye ar for th e draftin g of a Con sti tution ,
a nd that each se lf-governing Colony should sen d to th e Conven
tion seven delegate s and each Crown Colony four . A n address of
loyal ty to th e Que en brought th e deliberation s to a close .
B le ssed Peter Cha ne l. A joyous festival was h e ld in Sydn eyduring th e first we ek of May in h on our of Blessed Peter Ch an e l .
Th e re ligious ce lebrations were carried out with befittin g splendour
in th e Church of th e Marist Fath ers. HisEmin en ce th e Cardin alA rchbishop was presen t, and pre ach ed an e loquen t sermon on th e
r ecen tly beatified martyr of Future . In his discourse h e gave a
str ik ing accoun t of th e mission ary care e r and death of Blessed
Chan e l, and said in con cludin g th at Cath olics throughout
A ustralasia would re joice with th e Marist Fath ers in celebrating th e
festival of on e who h ad n oblywon th e martyr’
spalm and crown , and
600 The Im h Month ly.
who had special titles to th e ven eration and afie ction of th e m ember s
o f th e A ustralian Church . A ssembled as h is h eare rs we re that dayaround th e after to pay h omag e , for th e h t at time , to th e sain tlymissionary wh o had n ow be e n en rolled in th e glorious h eave nlywhite -robed army, it was fitting that, while th ey lifted up th e ir
h earts to G od and sought th e in te rcession of Imm aculate Mary ,
they sh ould se ek also th e inte rcession and the blessing of th e first
h oly m artyr of th e South e rn Se as.
A re ligious festival is to be h eld n ext Septembe r in th e island
of Futuna in th e church which has been built on th e spot wh er e
Blessed Ch an e l was killed. Cardin al Moran , accompan ied byseveral bish ops and priests, will h on our th e ce le bration with h is
pre sence , and will , n o doubt, avail h imse lf of th e opportun ity to
visit some of th e oth er mission s in th e South Seas before re tur ning
BONNET.
LIFE’
S darkest h ours ar e n o t th e h ours we we epPron e on th e grave o f r ece n t h appin e ss ;
Th e soul’s worst pain is wh e n th e pain gr ows less ,
A n d so rrow, wear ied, lays h e r down to sle ep.
Our high est powe rs ar e huite . Ever cr e epTim e
’s icicle s about o ur we lls of tears
Oi love and loss, with slow succe eding years,
Th e n arrowed h ear t may on ly memor ies ke ep.
Fath er of al l , wh o fashi on edst our dust,
Wh en th ou wouldst h e al th e h ear t th ou mak’
st to ble ed,
Fo rbe ar ! A gre ate r boo n I ask of th e e
Oh , gran t m e stre n gth to live , if live I must ,
Howeve r brie f th e joys th ou h ast decre ed,But le t my gr i ef, gr e at G od, e te rn al be .
The Ir ish Month ly.
Th eme after th eme re turn ed to his mind as h e sat alon e at th e
Organ-bo ard , oblivious of everythin g save th e presen ce of th e Most
Ho ly, an d th e sacr ed music o f th e Church .
A way down in th e sil en t san ctuary, h oweve r , a sacristan and
h is assistan ts were quie tly removing eve ry ve stige of th e day’s
pomp, eve ry sign of th e fe ast wh o se h ourswer e scarce ly ye t run out.
In th e gre at sacristy beyond, th e o ld prie st was already standin gve ste d in a black cope . Before th e san ctuary scre en a bier had
be e n placed . Six ye llow tape rs flickered glo omily in th e shadow
of th e ro od loft .
Fath e r L itch e nbe rg smiled as th e o rgan’s diapason reach ed his
in th e in n e r sacristy.
It is be tte r so ,”be murmured to himse lf it isfitting ; Iwil l
n ot disturb him .
”
No mourn ers were visible as th e prie st and sacr istan s met the
coffin at th e e n tran ce of th e church . Only th e me n in charge of
th e fun eral we re th er e—suflicien t in numbe r to carry. th e bodyfrom th e h e arse to th e bie r . Perh aps th ey marve lled at th e jubilan t music—tor it was no hm eral march . He rr G rafmann played
as th e little proce ssion , all un se en by him, made its'
way down th e
n ave of th e church .
Th e sh ple receptive rite was so on ove r , and th e be are rs do'
parted. Th e sacrista n made h is last arran geme nts for th e night,but th e prie st an d th e o rgan ist bo th remain ed.
Fr ie ndle ss and alon e , with n o t a soul to watch or pray beside
th e coffin ,”said th e fath er to himse lf, as h e came back in to th e
church and kn e lt at a prie-dieu by th e bie r . A t least h e would
g ive this po or soul th e be n efit o f a few prayers. For h im to
watch was e asy an d n atural ; to pray was , as it were , to breath e
and live .
Th ere had be en little o r n o ce ssation of th e music, only it h ad,again and again , changed its characte r , Occasio n ally, in de ed, themusician h ad be en h eard praying aloud. Snatch e s of th e complin e
psah s reach ed the o ld prie st’
s e ars,re cited rath er than sun g , as
th e o rgan gave out long so ft chords with e ver-chan ging h armo ni es,l ike th e ech o of many E o lian harps stirred by a distan t wind.
Ecce nun c ben edicite Dominum . Qui statis in domo
Domini . In n octibus exto llite manus vestraa in san cta, e t ben e
dicite Dom inum .
Ne ith er priest or o rganist h e eded the flight of time . Th e
The Organ ist’s Vigil. 603
chur ch was n ow in comple te darkn e ss, fo r th e sacristan h ad put
o ut th e candle s around th e bie r , and th e san ctuary lamp was
little m o re than a spe ck of light . High up in th e cle r e sto ry migh t
be se en th e glimmer of summ e r ligh tn in g .
A t le ngth , loud and clear above th e wh ispe ring organ m e lody,
cam e th e clanging of midn igh t be lls. Th e startled playe r sh r ank
and cower ed, like a man struck by an un expected blow. To him
th e disco rd was as an acute bodily pain . A n o th er in stan t an d his
fe e t sough t th e pedals, h is huge rs pr essed th e keys o f th e great,”
an d th e buildin g thrill ed,with th e thun der o f ro l ling harmoni e s.
Th e sudde n sil en ce th at fo llowed was alm ost an agony to th e o ld
pr ie st , wh o was kn e e lin g in prayer in th e r emo te corn e r of a side
ch ape l ; but almost before h e h ad r e alised th e cessation of th e
music—h igh , clear , pie rcing , m e lodious, but, oh ! so we ird, cam e
what th e fath er th ought could'be n o thing le ss th an th e music of
a hum an vo ice .
A nd at midnight th e re was a cry made Beh o ld th e br ide
groom com e th , go ye out to m e e t Him ,
”flitted thro ugh th e prie st
’
s
m in d as h e paused in his prayer to liste n . Plain tive an d slow,
sad but impressive ly be autiful , th e m e lody re ach ed his e ar , th e
organ appear in g to fo ll ow th e vo ice in an un de rton e of accompam
m e n t, swe e t an d subdued to ve ry pain fuln e ss.
Fath e r L itch enberg arose : to wh om could such a vo ice be lon gHigh in th e tr ibun e darkn ess hung like a cloud th e figur e o f th e
o rganist was to tally obscur ed . No thing was visible to th e aged
eye s th at sought th e source of this won de rful m e lody. Half in
vo lun tarily h e lo oked towards th e high altar , to th e bie r that laybe for e it for an in stan t h e expe cted to se e th e figur e of th e dead
stan din g in th e shadow of th e ro od. But th e lampligh t glitte red
ste adily on th e un ruflled pull , an d th e prie st smiled as h e chided
h imse lf fo r so foo lish a th ough t.
Sudden ly th e vo ice ce ased. Th e soft accompan im en t still
flowed ou, rhythmic and be autiful ; th en like a vo ice from th e
forgotte n dead th e o ld me lody re cur r ed . Now, h owever , it could
n ot be m istak e n . Th e playe r was usin g a stop for wh ich th e o ld
organ was e ver m ore fam ed th an for its sowhumane .
Fath er L itch enbe rg sat down upon a chair in th e n ave . Th e r e
was n o myst e ry afte r all , except that of th e str ange ye arn in g
afte r we kn ow n ot wh at, an d th e awful impr e ssion we kn ow n ot
wh en ce ,”
produced by exquisite music.
604 The Ir ish Mon thly.
It was very so othi ng n ow,th ought th e prie st, indeed h e feared
that itmigh t prove to be of to o lullin g a char acte r for th e prayerful
watch h e had propo sed to him se lf. Ce rtainly h e was more fatigued
than h e h ad th ought. Th e air of th e church h ad be come stifling ,
and th e in ce n se h e h ad bur nt for th e cen sing of th e body hun gabout th e place in a thi ck cloud. Y et h e must go back to his
place at th e prie-di eu. But th e good man
’s labours of th e preced
ing day h ad be e n gre ate r th an be imagin ed. A n xious as h e was
to spen d a gre at part of th e n igh t in devo tion , tir ed n ature in siste d
upon sle ep. Befor e th e fath e r could rouse him se lf sufficien tly to
pursue h is h olywork h e had fall en in to a de ep slumbe r .
A s th e nigh t advan ced th e ligh tn in g appe ar ed to br igh te n . A
mumed moan of thun de r reach ed th e e ars of th e o rganist, and h e
almo st prayed that th e storm might gath e r and break . Dear to
him as wer e th e ton e s of th e organ , h e loved th e sple ndour and
maje sty of He aven’s own music. He to ld h im se lf th at if th e
thun de r came n e are r h e would leave th e in strumen t . To play at
such a tim e would h ave se emed to h im a sa cr ilege , his music a
discord in th e e ars of th e ange ls .
Still h e r emain ed at th e key-board, runn ing his huge rs ove r
th e ch oir -manual , and again came th e h alf-in ton ed wo rds
phrases from th e Chur ch’s psalms, praise s, pe tition s, an d
invocation s.
Ben edicite , lux e t ten ebrae , Domin o ben edicite , fulgura e t
nube s, Domin o .
”
With th e se wor ds th e organ ist sprang to his fe et. Th e sto rm
had broken ove r th e church in gr eat magnificen ce . Makin g th e
sign of th e cross th e musician fe ll upon h is kn e e s. He avy pe als ofthun der sh ook th e tribun e , an d th e very organ pipe s appe ared to
thr ill an d to emit a h alf stifled soun d as th e awful crash broke
upon th e un n atural quie t of that morn ing h our .
He rr G rafmann ro se from hi s kn e e s. Th at th iswas n o passin gsto rm was n ow evide n t. He was fain t and diz zywith th e h e at of th e
high gall e ry ; sure ly, h e thought, it will be le ss stifling be low.
Th en , slowly and cautiously, h e de scended th e winding steps
slowly and cautiously h e made his way down th e broad, high n ave .
He would kn e e l wh ere , a few h ours ago , h e h ad rece ived his G od :
ther e h e could pray peace fully and without di straction . He
remembered th at at h is Commun ion he had placed himself at th e
extreme e nd of th e scre en , un de r th e shadow o f Our Lady’s shrin e
606 Th e Ir ish Mon th ly.
it could h ardly be tha t th e boy sh ould di e without h is h e ar ing o f
it.
He rr G rat'
man n h ad r isen to his fe e t, and was trying to mak e
out th e probable siz e o f th e co ffin . Th e darkn ess was still ve ry
h eavy, and on ly an occasion al flash o f lightn ing made any objectvisible . Stre tching out h is arms un til th ey touch ed th e extr emitie s
of th e co ffin , h e decided that it was too big to con tain th e body o f
a young boy.
Y e t Car l was tall for his age , th e o rgan ist said to him se lf,
an d I kn ow n o o th e r pe rson that was sick . Still in a n e ighbour
h ood like tbis—ah it is fo o lish
But h e could n o longer pray. Reso lum stre tch in g out h is
h and, h e clutch ed th e pull . If only h e coul d ge t a ligh t : th er e
must h e a n ame on th e co ffin lid.
A l ready th e pall was half removed , wh e n sudden ly a more
th an usually vivid flash o f ligh tn in g se emed alm ost to strike th e
ooffin -
plate , playin g and scin tillating upon th e n ame and ag e o f
th e de ad.
Merciful G od !
The cry ran g through th e church—a cry of agony an d de spa ir ,
succe eded by a loud crash . He rr G r afmaun had falle n h eavily,
overturning on e of th e gr eat ca ndlesticks by th e bier .
Q Q Q 0
That cry o f agony, toge th e r with th e crash of m etal , had roused
Fr . Litch enbe rg from a slumbe r wh ich had be e n too de ep to be
disturbed by th e storm . A s yet, however , h e scarce ly re alised
what h ad happen ed. Hasten ing to the sacristy, h e obtain ed a
light . Wh en h e re turn ed, th e organ ist lay still clutch ing the
pall , and with h is h e ad resting on th e sanctuary step. But h e
was co n scious .
A h ! my fath e r—do you kn ow He could only gasp, and
speak in a broken whispe r . Th e priest placed a soft cushion unde r
his h ead, at th e same time bidding him be silen t.
Oh , my Fath er te ll m e all you kn ow.
”
But th e prie st saw th at a little stre am of blood was issuingfrom an ope n wound in th e man
’
s fo reh e ad.
L ie very quietly, my son ,
’
said Fath e r Litch enbe rg . Y ou
have hurt your h ead, an d re tir in g to th e sacristy h e brought back
a lin en bandage . But it was in vain th at h e urged th é injure dman n ot to spe ak . He rr G r afmann
’s ince ssan t cry was
The Orgamlste Vig il. 607
Te ll me , te ll me quick ,my Fath e r , all youkn ow of her .
It was little en ough th e o ld priest had to te ll , but as h e
staunch ed th e ble eding wound, and busied himse lf to make th e
musician comfortable , b e all un co n sciously h ealed a woun d of th e
heart, th e existen ce of which h e had n eve r suspe cted.
Th e woman h ad be en an actress o r singer , Fath e r
L itch e nbe rg did n o t kn ow wh ich—had be en se iz ed with a sudden
ill n ess at h e r h ote l lodg ings—had sen t for a priest , made a ge n e ral
confession of h er wh ole life , had linger ed fo r a few hours, and died
afte r rece ivin g th e last rite s o f th e Church . Th e prie st did n ot
eve n remember h e r n am e .
Oh th e mercy of G od ! th e go odn e ss of th e go od G od
Th e organ ist h ad r isen to his fe e t .
Nay, my fath er , Ium we ll ; I am stron g n ow.
Fath e r L itch enbe rg could n ot re strain him . He had taken a
candle in h is hand and was dragging th e wondering prie st to th e
side of th e coffin .
Se e ! my fath er ; read ! h e excldimed , holding th e ligh t
above th e cofin -
plate .
A s th e pr iest re ad th e inscriptio n , th e truth suddenly h ash ed
upon him .
Sh e was your
My daugh te r , said th e organ ist, breaking into a flo od of
happy te ars.
Sho rtly afterwards Herr G r afman n was left alon e with th e
body of h is child. Fath e r L itoh enbe rg had tried hard to persuade
h im to spen d th e rema in de r of th e n igh t in th e pre sbyte ry, but in
vain . A ccordingly the fath e r left th e church with th e in te n tion
of gettin g medical assistance ; first, h owever , h e would ask on e o f
his fe llow-
priests to take his place n ear th e organ ist in orde r to
to be at hand if th e latte r required h is h elp.
Th e thunde r an d lightn ing h ad n ow ce ased, but h eavysh owers fe ll n o isily on th e church roo f.
Wh e n th e organ ist found h imse lf alon e , h e arose from th e
ch air upon which h e had be e n sitting , an d again kn e lt on th e
san ctuary step. Heavy grief flooded h is soul , and yet a grief
ligh ten ed in expr essibly by those few words o f th e fath e r . Fo r
m o re than twen ty years h e had mourn ed his daugh te r , his onlych ild, dead to him , as h e feared sh e was de ad to grace . But
608 The Ir ich Mon th ly.
actually to di e—ao n ear to him—in th e same city, almost in th e
same n e ighbourho od, and h e n o t to kn ow ; truly it was a bitte r
sorrow. Y e t wh at could h e have don e fo r h e r h e asked himse lf .
Had n ot th e merciful Provide n ce of G od arranged fo r th e be st
Had n ot his daily praye r be e n fully an swer ed No t fully, pe r
h aps ; but what was worth a th ough t beyo nd th e magnificen t fact
th at his child h ad di ed in th e bosom o f G od’s Church , died afte r
humble con fe ssion ,with th e sacrame n ts of th e Church , with eve ry
sign ,so th e priest h ad assur ed him , of a true an d real co n
trition . This was th e o n e th ought h e clung to , a th ought ful l
of joyful h 0pe , and dwe lling upon it h e found but little r oom in h is
h eart fo r so rrow.
It was n ow,h oweve r , that He rr G rafman n began to be conscious
of a terrible beatin g and throbbing in his h ead, of a faintn ess an d
diz z in ess that made h im rise from his kn e e ling po sition , and sta gge r
to th e n earest seat . A fter a fewmome nts of rest, h e set himse lf to
pray ; but h e could n e ith er fix his th oughts n or remain wh er e h e
had se ated himse lf. .How h e wish ed th at h e could ge t back to
h is o rgan , if on ly for a few minutes. Only to touch its keys, h eth ough t, would h e lp him .
G r opin g his way down th e n ave , h e avily and un ste adily, th e
o rgan ist r e ach ed th e steps of th e tr ibun e just as th e prie st se n t byFr . L itoh e nbe rg en te red th e church . But th e fath e r m ade n o sign
o f h is pre se n ce , and Herr G rafmann began to climb th e stairs. A
slow asce n t, inde ed, for his temples thr obbed fearfully, a he avywe i h t se em ed to be upon his h ead, and it was only by clutchin gth e i and-rail that h e could ke ep himse lf fr om fallin g . Y e t afte r
an almo st h e ro ic struggle h e gain ed th e lan ding an d stagge red to
th e k eybo ard .
Nun c dimittis se rvum tuum, Domin e , came slowly an d
fe ebly from th e o rgan-loft , but wh en th e sing er h ad reach ed th e
G 1oria th e key ch anged to a plain tive min or .
Th e suffe ring man h ad begun th e chan t o fth e De P rqfumitls.In th e darkn e ss be low a do or ope n ed and shut . Fr . L itch enberg
h ad r e tur n ed fr om h is e rrand o f mercy ; in an o ther mom en t th edocto r would be at the church .
Si i'
m'
quita tes obse re arer is, .Dom i’
ne ; Domine , qm’
s sustinebit I
Qm'
a apud te p ropitz’
a tio est
Both th e fathe rs started forward at th e sam e momen t. Th em in or h ad broken off sudde n ly. Th ere came a lo ng, long sigh
nu in articulate raye r , and th en—th e sound o f a fall i ng body.
Wh en Fa e r L itch e nberg and h is compan ion gain ed th e
tr ibun e , He rr G r afmann was de ad.
DAV ID BEA RNE .
6 1 0 The Ir ish Month ly.
in th e middle of th e fifh en th cen tury popular imagin atio n
in troduced divers personage s in to th e cortege , and e ach trade s’
guild had its particular richly-robed represe n tative .
In 1 786 Jo seph II.,th e Sacristan Kin g , to th e gre at in dign a
tion of th e pe ople , put a stop to th e proce ssion . Th en th e
revo lution ary spir its of 89 also troubled th emse lves about th e se
re ligious mumm eries, and on th e 28th A ugust, 1 794, G oliath an d
his wife , Madame Victo ire , were publicly burn ed . In 1 801 th e
its ye arly route .
Of th e or iginal cortége th ere on ly r emain th e figur es o f
G o liath an d Madame Victo ire , Samson , th e two-h eadedeagle—th e
arms of A th—and th e typical char iot of th e town . The feast is
in augurate d by a strange ceremony called G oliath’sWedding .
”
Ou th e Saturday before th e kermesse th e cle rgy, faithful to th e
o ld custom , chan t solemn Vespers at about th re e o’clock, and
probably, for th e on ly time in th e year , th e bourgmestre or mayo r
an d th e town coun cil assist at th e devotions in th e parish church o f
St. Julian . G o liath and Madame Victo ire are station ed outside
th e porch til l th e con clusio n of Vespe rs, wh en th ey are officially
un ited by th e civil auth orities. Th e n th e be lls r in g ch e e rily, an d
th e wh o le town make s me rry, everyon e , e ven th e poorest, e atin g
th eir tarts for gofiter .
”
Th e n ext day, Sunday, th e kermesse or fair is in full swing ,
a nd th e hug e figures which have be en sto red away during th e
n ight in an o ld courtyard, are n ow paraded twice through th e
town , th e str e e ts be ing thronged by an immense crowd gath ered
from all parts of Be lgium to witn ess th e n ove l sight.
A t th e h ead of th e cavalcade com es th e two-h e aded eagle ,
repre se n tin g th e arms of A th . A tiny boy, clad in Louis XV .
co stum e , is se ated on th e back of th e monstrous bird, which is
bo rn e by a man hidden under a baske t frame—th e mode in wh icha ll th ese e n ormous figure s are carried. Several beauti fulldgroups or guilds are in the procession , and th ese ar e preceded at
in tervals by ban ds (n ot too musical) and a few carabin eers who
h t e salute s at e very halt.
Some of th e large ch ariots represen tin g agriculture , etc., are
very handsome ly decorated. On th e car of th e win e provinces are
seated win e goddesses, each draped in th e provincial co lours.
A bove th em is a young g irl flutte ring th e flag of Be lgium .
1 7m Kem ie ese at A th . 61 1
A n oth er car is gre e ted with loud applause , as it con tains th ose
great men wh o claimed A th as th e ir birth -place Justus L ipsius,th e ren own ed professor ; Henn epin , th e m ission ary, wh o discovered
th e'
sources of th e Mississippi ; Défaoq, De Traz éguies, e tc . , e tc.
A fin e colle ction of m en , chosen for th e ir sta tur e and h andsome
faces, and wh ose picturesque old-world dress makes th em vary
Th e old chieftain of Caesar’
s time , Ambiorix, with fierce visage
and long sword frigh tens small childre n on his unco nscious route . .
On e of th e fin est cars is th e fish ermen’s. It be ars a splendid
sixte en th cen tury barque , equipped by the brave sailors of the
De ndre , th e small river on wh ich A th is situated.
Th en Samson , th e great giant of th e Bible , go es past, clad in
th e uniform of a gr en adi er—eviden tly anachr on isms do n ot
frighte n th e good A th o is. It is but right th at Samson sh ould
be foll owed by th e sh eph erd .
David, who is repre se n ted bya youn g boy, guiding a few white -woo ll ed sh e ep and fle ecy lambs.
A nd, last o f all, comes G o liath (or G ougias) , dan cing opposite his
spouse , Madame Victo ir e . It is a woundrously absurd sight to
witne ss th ese two gigan tic dolls , with th e ir immovable waxen
faces and stifi figur e s, going aroun d grave ly in time to th e music.
A lth ough th e poor beare rs are changed e ve ry five minutes, th eyappe ar to fe e l th e fatigue excessive . It seems very r idiculous
th at th ousands of pe ople sh ould ga th er from a ll parts to se e this
motley sh ow,wh er e huge dolls are th e attr action in ste ad of men ,
at th e Lord Mayor’s sh ow,
an d ye t it is th e unique quain tn essof th e wh ole thing which draws on e to look at it . Th e h e ight of
th e se puppets can be imagin ed, wh en ,re aching out o f th e fourth
story window of a large building , we could just touch th eirsh oulders.
In spite of th e childish grotesquen ess ot’
th e sight, I could we ll
en joy witn e ssing it aga in , and join ing in the gaiety and busy n oiseof th e Kermesse at A th .
M. STENSON .
TO A BEE FOUND DEAD IN A FLOWER .
CARELESS o f sun se t and th e n igh t-wind
’s stir ,
Th ough round th e e fast th e gath e rin g sh adows cre ep,Still dr ink est th ou con te ntmen t a t th e de epFoun tain of flowe rs, 0 h o n eyed wande re r
Nay, n ever mo re , as in th e days tha t wer e ,Th e flowers fo r th e e th eir kisse s th ey shall ke ep ;Embalm ed with th in e own swe e tn ess th ou dost sle epIn this pale , summ e r
-soe n ted sepulch re .
Duty and ple asure we re made o n e in th e e
Fo r de ath ’s appr oval ; and th e passe r
-byFinds h e re 000 1 comfo rt in life
’s n oo n -day h ea t ;
Fo r ao , my soul , fulfil ling lik e th e be e
My G o d-appo in te d labour , haply I
May som e day fall on dea th'
and find it swe e t .
Jom! Frrz r am ox, O.M.I.
NOTES ON NEW BOOKS.
1 . Th e pr e sen t occupan t of th e Chair of Ecclesiastical Histo ryth e gr e at ecclesiastical Co ll ege of Mayn oo th , th e R ev. Th omas
G ilmar tin,h as co nfe rr ed a bo on upon th e stude n ts of that co ll ege ,
and upon ma ny o th e rs; by pr epar in g a Manual o f Church Histo ry(Dublin M . H. G ill So n ) . Th e first vo lume , which wil l, we h ope
at n o lon g in te rval, be fo llowed by a se co nd, brin gs th e h istory of th e
Ch urch to th e pon tifica te o f G r e go ry VII. Th e matte rs discussed ar e
arran ged with gr e at clea rn e ss an d o rde r , di splayin g th r ough out th e
e n tir e work th e practical exper ien ce o f th e auth or , wh o h as gr e a tlyassisted th e r eade r by th e full co n te n ts and index, and by th e brie f
h e adin gs o f th e paragr aphs wh ich run along th e mar gins, and which ,
as th e Pr o fesso r remarks in his pr e face , will be found most useful to
stude n ts , especia lly wh en pr epar ing for exam in ations . Th e styl e is
ca lm ,lucid, and un afiected. We trust th at th e publish ers will tak e
car e to brin g this exce llen t Manual of Church Hi sto ry un der th e
n o tice o f th e vast body o f Amer ican cle rgy, fo r wh ose r equiremen ts itis admirably adapted .
6 1 4 The Irish Mon th ly.
Ser enus G r e asy, se ems to h ave as much r igh t to be n amed with th e
bo ok as Fath e r A ugust in e Bak e r . Th e spe llin g is comple te ly
mode rn ised, and th e edito r h as tak en great pains to mak e th is tr e a tis e
n o t on ly an in te re stin g but a useful addi tion to librarie s of asce tic
th e o logy.
5. Th e cleve r cr itic wh o r eviews bo oks in Mr . Labouoh er e’s famous
journ a l , M k,write s to his suppo sed co rr espo nden t a ew we eks ago
If you h ave but odd h alf h ours to spa r e , you cann o t do b e tte r , I
th ink , th an tak e up a vo lum e of Th e Idl e Hour Se rie s" o f sh o r t
sto rie s, e specia lly if th at vo lum e sh ould be Miss Ro sa Mul h o llan d’s
Haun ted Organ ist of th e Hur ly Bur ly, and o th e r Sto r ie s (Lo ndo nHutch inson Cc . Th e o th e r sto r ies a r e all ma rk ed with th e
en quisite grace , de licacy, and r efin eme n t you have le arn e d to look fo r
in Miss Mulh o lland’s wo rk .
”
5. We ough t lon g ago to h ave give n a h e arty we lcome to A
Ruin ed Race , o r th e Last MacManus of Drumr o o sk ,
” by Heste rSig e rso n (Lo ndo n : Ward and Down ey) . Th e n am e wh ich Dr .
G e o rg e Sige rso n wa s, as far as we kn ow, th e fir st to distin guish
part icularly, h as late ly be e n brough t in to n o tice in con n ecti o n with
som e lite rary wo rk of much pr omi se by two youth ful sist e rs, Do ra
an d He ste r Sige rson . Th e ide n tity o f n ame m ay cause some con fusion ,
fo r it is th e m o th e r of Miss He ste r Sig e rson wh o h as chr o n icled th e
fa te o f th e las t MacManus of Drumro o sk . Mrs. Sig erson di splays
an in tima te kn owledg e o f Ir ish scen e s, Ir ish idioms, and Ir ish h e a r ts .
A t th e sam e time , th e same complain t may be made as we our se lves
h ave made with r e fe r e nce to Ch ar les Ei ch h am and o th e r Ir ish sto ry
te lle rs. With a ll th e ir love fo r Ire land, th ey do n o t se em to na to
give to th e ir r e ade rs a suflicien tly br igh t and amiable idea o f o ur
de ar coun try , and our de ar pe ople . Th ey exagge rate . and, th e re fo r e ,
deform A s a m atter of fact, we ar e ve ry lik e o th e r pe ople , o nly
nice r . A Ruin ed Race ,”th o ugh as m e lan ch o ly as its n ame , exh ibits
ple n ty o f h umour , an d still mo r e o f fe e lin g and imagin ation .
7 . Some o f th e n ew publica tions o f th e Cath o lic Truth Soci etyde se rve to be n o ticed much m o r e fully th an is n ow po ssible . We
spok e o f on e o f th em las t m on th—Judge O’Hagan
’s Childr e n ’
s
Ballad Rosa ry.
” We ar e g lad to h e ar th at it is alr eady wide lycirculated . Fath e r Be rtran d Wilbe rfo rce , 0 .P te lls ve ry we l l th e
be autiful sto ry o f th e gr eat sain t of h is Orde r, St. Vin cen t Fe rr e r .
Mr . C. T . G atty’s exce l le n t pape r o n Chr istian Ar t, r e ad at th e la te
co nfe re n ce o f th e Cath o lic Truth Socie ty a t Birmingh am , is an o th e r o f
th ese pe n ny tr acts . It is brillian t in th ough t and style , and mak es us
h ope fo r much fr om Mr . G atty, wh o is, we bel ieve , a r ece n t co nve rt
Notes on New Books. 61 5
and a r e la tive of the auth oress of Parable s fr om Natur e . Th e
Bish op o f Salford’s impr essive address on En gland
’s Con ve rsion by
th e Powe r of Pr aye r appe ar s in th e same se ries at th e sam e price ,
fo r wh ich also you can h ave tog e th er Can o n Murn ane o n th e
Tempe rance Moveme n t, and th e R ev. Edmo nd No lan o n Th rift .
Lastly, th e Cath o lic Truth Soci e ty give s n a Th e Cath o lic Ch urch and
th e Bibl e an d four o f Fath e r Ri ch ard Clark e’s penny m editation
bo oks, th ese n ew o n e s be in g on th e public life o f Our Lord.
8 . On e o f th e excellen t devi ce s of th is inde fatigable Socie ty justr e fe rred to is to group to ge th e r a ce rtain number o f its penny bo oks
in to a we ll bound vo lum e fo r a sh il ling . This it h as don e fo r some of
Fath e r John G era rd’
s brigh t and o rigin al essays on th e th e o lo gy of
n a tural h i sto ry, and also for some of Cardin al Newman ’s con tr ove rsial
l e cture s. To th e latter vo lum e (wh ich , h owaver , costs two shi llings)is pr efixed th e Re v. Dr . William Barry
’s admirable sk e tch of th e
Cardin al’
s life , wh ich is also publish ed separate ly fo r a penny.
An o th e r shillin g vo lume con ta ins a comple te se t of th e addr esses at
th e Birmin gh am Confe r ence me n tion ed be fo r e .
9 . Fath e r William Am h e rst, S.I ., h as give n n a a curious and
in te r estin g littl e bo ok in his R eview o f th e Life of Valen tin e Rian t
(Londo n : Burns and Oate s) . Val en tin e Ryan in Ir e land is a man’s
n ame , but in Fre nch Vale n tin e Bi an t is a femin in e n ame—th a t o f a
Fr e nchwoman wh o died ve ry youn g in th e So cie ty o f Mar ie
Réparatrice about te n ye ars ago . Lady He rber t of L es publish ed a
tr an slation of th e Fr e nch accoun t o f h e r sh ort ca r e e r ; and it is to this
work th at Fath er Amh e rst ca lls atten tion by his summary of facts
and his o rigin a l and edifying reflections .
1 0 . A r e any of our r e aders in tere sted'
1 n Pearso n’s Tide Tables
and Nautical A lman ack for 1 89 1 It se ems go od value for six
pence . We n am e it, as it h as be e n sen t to n a, th ough it com es oddly
amo ng such bo oks as Miss Dr ew’s tran slation of th e Ch o ruses o f th e
Ober -Ammergau Passion -Play (Londo n : Burns and Oates) ; Bish opEgg er
’s Le tter to a Young Man (Ben z iger : NewYo rk ) ; an exce llen t
twopen ny book of Maxims and Praye rs o f St. Th omas A quinas
(London : Burns and Oate s) and a beautiful little manual o f devo tion
and r eparation to th e Ho ly Face o f Our R ede em e r , publish ed by th eBen z igers unde r th e title of Th e Crown of Th o rns.”
1 1 . G randfath er and G randson is a tale o f th e pe rse cutions
under Que en Eliz abe th , translated from th e G e rman of Fa th e r Joseph
Spillman , S.J., by a Nun o f th e Carme lita Conven t at Wells in
Some rse tsh ir e , and o rde rs are to be sen t th e re fo r th e book which
d ispen ses with a publish er’s se rvice s. A fil th edition h as appe ared of
The Ir ish Monthly.
Mr . C . F . B . A lln att’s admirable tr e atise Wh ich is th e True
Church?o r a Few Pla in R e aso ns for Jo in ing th e Ca th o lic
Commun ion (London : Burns a nd Oate s) . Th e fuln ess, aptn ess,
and o rigin ality of h is quo tatio ns an d te stimon ies dr awn fr om all
qua r te rs h ave give n th is auth o r a very h i gh position among co n
tempo rary con tr ove r sialists. Mr . J C. Bodley of Ballio l Co ll eg e ,Oxfo rd, publish ed in The Nineteen th Century and 1 710 Edinburgh
Review two ve ry able and eloque n t articl e s o n th e pr esen t position o f
th e Roman Cath o lic Church in th e Un ited Sta tes. Th ese have be en
r epr in ted in a pamph let in th e co un try to which th ey r e fe r (Baltimor e :Joh n Murphy and Cc . ) with th e omissio n of an ofien sive paragraph
wh ich th e Edito r o f The Edinburgh Review th ough t fit to i o ist upon h is
con tributo r with out his kn owledg e and in opposition to h is opinio ns .
Th ese are ve ry in te r e stin g and valua ble pape rs, se t o ff by a pe cul iarly
grace ful an d an imated style .
1 2 . By far th e dain ti e st product of th e Irish pr ess for many a dayis Littl e G ems fr om Th omas a Kempis se lected and ar range d fo r
eve ry day ih !
th e yea r , by Sar a O’Br i e n (Dublin i M. H. G i ll and
So n ) . Th e se l ection is made with gr e at taste and judgmen t ; and th epr in tin g an d bindin g h e lp to mak e th e bo ok itse lf a little g em . Wh ena n ew editio n is r equir ed , th e mo n th s ough t to be n amed at th e top of
th e righ t-h and page s, so th at, ope n in g anywh e r e , we may at on ce
kn ow wh er e we ar e . Many a vacan t momen t wi ll be fill ed up
pleasan tly and profitably by th o se wh o carry th is exquisite tome le t
about with th em always.
1 3 . We h ave r e ad with gr e at in te re st th e two h t at numbe rs of th e
n ewe st sixpe nn y magaz in e , The Paternoster Ravine (1 1 Cleme n t’s In n
,
Stran d, London ) . With th e Marquis of Ripo n wr iting about India ,
an d M . Bar th elemi St. Hilair e about a Fr en ch co lon ial que stion , with
Mr . Lan e Fox o n th e Primro se Le ague , andMr .John O ’Connor , M.P .,
o n New Tipperary, we at o n ce g e t an idea of th e width and im
par tiali ty o f th e po licy on which The Patemm ter is to b e co nducted.
Th e po e tical con tr ibutor to No . 1 is A ubr ey de Ve re , to No . 2 G e o rg e
Me redith . Clyde Fitch ,’
a n am e th at we h ave n eve r se en befo re , is
sign ed to an exquisite ly pictur esque and path e tic li ttl e Fr ench ske tch ,
called Th e King’s Thr o n e .
”
6 1 8 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
A nd with out a th ough t as to h e r te ar -stain ed face an d tumble d
h a ir , Sylvia rush ed from h e r ro om , an d en te r in g th e libraryflung h e r
arms r oun d h e r grandfa th e r’s n e ck
, and th e r e , pr e ssed close to is
h e art, sh e sobbed out th e wh o l e sad sto ry.
“ I do n o t be lieve o n e wo rd of th is," h e cr ied in dign an tly, wh e n
sh e h ad fin ish ed , n o t fo r an in stan t . It is n on se n se , a. gro ss l i e
in ven ted .
But , grandpapa , you fo rge t wh o te lls th e sto r v—Do r a .
He paled sligh tly .
True , de ar e st . Do ra is to o go od, to o swe e t, to o— But, m v
love , I can n o t, I will n o t be li ev e it.
A las ! sh e said mournfully, it is n o t e n ough to say th a t w e
do n o t be li eve it . Eith e r it is true o r fa lse . But to pr ove on e o r th e
o th e r we must mak e in quirie s, fin d out eve rythin g we can,an d h ave i t
se ttl edfin al ly at o n ce .
”
Y ou ar e r igh t, da r lin g . It must n o t be said th a t we we r e afra id
to face th e truth . A sto ry lik e th is is sure to g e t n o ised abr oad ,
so o n e r o r late r . So at th e ve ry fir st we must stamp it as false .
”
“ Y e s, but h ow, gran dpapa
Y ou sh al l se e , pe t .
" He r an g th e be ll . An d n ow do n o t we e p
any m o r e , swe e t Sylvia . We sh all so on le arn with out doubt. th at th is
sto ry is an absurd fabr ica tion .
”
Th e fo o tman appear ed at th e do o r .
Se nd A n n e Dan e h e r e,a t o n ce ,
”sa id Sir Eustace .
A h ! you ar e go ing to que stion h e r ,”cried Sylvia . But A nn e
is un satisfacto ry, gran dpapa . Sh e
If you pl e a se , Sir Eustace ,”
said th e se rvan t comin g in to th e
r oom again ,A n n e Dan e is n o t in th e h ouse .
”
No t in th e h ouse
No , Sir Eusta ce .
”
Have you lo ok ed in h e r r o om, Joh n?ask ed Sylvia .
must be th e r e .
”
“ No , Miss, sh e is n o t .
Sh e cann o t be far cried his young m istr ess impa ti e ntly ,
I saw h er in Miss Ne il’s r oom about an h our and h alf ago .
Y e s, Miss. But sh e we n t away sin ce th en .
”
Sylvia spran g to h e r fe e t .
Wen t, away Do you m e an to say th at sh e h as left Summe r
lands?Y e s,Miss A th e rsto n e . A bout an h our ago on e of th e h ousem aids
me t h er go in g down th e back - sta irs wi th a carpe t-bag in h er hand .
Sh e was surpr ise d, as sh e kn ew A nn e h ad o n ly just arrived . 80 sh e
ask ed h e r wh e r e sh e was go ing . Sh e se emed an gry, and would n o t
A Str iking Con trast.°
6 1 9
an swe r a t first, but passed on . Th e n sh e suddenly turn ed back an d
said, I am go in g fo r a lo n g h o liday. Miss Sylvia do e s n o t wan t meat pr e sen t , so I am go in g fo r a h o liday.
’A nd sh e we n t o n in a gr ea t
h ur ry .
”
Th a t will do , Joh n , you may go .
Sir Eustace spok e calmly. Th e r e was n o t a tr emor in hi s vo ice .
But h e was ve ry pa l e . A nd as th e servan t withdr ew h e sank back in
his ch a ir , with a de ep groan .
A gr e at te rr o r h ad e n te r ed h is mi n d. Th is woman’s h igh t look ed
lik e guilt, and th e h o rr ible th ough t th at thi s m igh t afte r all be true
fo rced itse lf upon him ,n o twith standing hi s arden t lo nging to be li eve
th e co n trary .
G r an dpapa , cr ied Sylvia , in a to n e o f an guish . Oh , mydarlin g , I se e you thi nk as I do . A nn e h as 'run away; be cause
because sh e dar ed n o t face th e truth . Dora’s sto ry is true , and I em
n o t your granddaug h te r , n o t Sylvia A th e rston e afte r al l .”
Sir Eustace to ok h er in hi s arms, and pr essin g h er to his h e art,kissed h e r lon g an d pa ssion ate ly.
Y ou ar e my ch ild, my daugh te r , my dar lin g , h e cried.
No thin g'
can ch a n g e our love , Sylvia , afte r th e se lon g ye ar s. A n d
eve n sh ould th ey pr o ve th at you ar e n o t my son’s daugh te r , wha t
matte r Y ou will o n ly be min e all th e mor e . Th e ch ild of my o ld
ag e , my own swe e t Sylvia .
”
No th in g could chan g e our love . Oh , n o ,”
sh e answe r ed ,
clin g in g to him . But I sh oul d th en h ave n o r igh t to th at n ame , n o
r igh t to ca ll you gran dpapa . In your h ouse , wh e r e I h ave r e ign ed
as mistr e ss, I sh ould h ave n o righ t to r emain . If Do ra is your grand
daugh ter , sh e must tak e my place .
My dar ling , such a ch an g e must n eve r be al lowe d, h e cr ie d
fie rce ly. Y ou ar e my granddaugh te r , I will h ave n o o th e r . I
abso lute ly r efuse to be li eve th is sto ry. Le t th e se girls prove it if
th ey can .
Justice must be do n e , grandpapa . I could n ot be happy o r
en joy my life of luxury as m istr ess of your h ouse un l ess I fe lt
pe rfectly cer tain th at I h ad a righ t to do ao .
”
Y ou have th at righ t. I give it to you. No on e sh all tak e it
fr om you wh ilst I live . It is n o t like ly th at I em go in g to depo se
you, my be autiful da rl in g , for th e sak e of a pal e-faced, fair -h air ed
gir l , wh o ch ooses to spr in g up with out any pr o of an d say th at sh e is
my son’s daugh te r . Oh , n o , Sylvia , th e thing is impossible .
”
I wish it we r e , de ar . But wh en o n e come s to think of it, th e r e
is str o n g e vidence in favour of th is sto ry. Do you r em embe r, gran d
papa , h ow my fath e r always spok e of h is wife as fair?Howah e
620 The I rish Mon th ly.
m en tion ed freque n tly th e mi n iatur e th at h is ch ild wo re roun d h e r
n eck , an d h ow h e m ourn ed tha t it h ad be en lo st th e n igh t th e Cimbr ia.
was lo st
Y e s. but wh at ha s thi s go t to do with th is sto ry?Much . Do ra is fair and round h e r n eck sh e wears th e
miniatur e o f a be autiful fa 1 r woman , h e r mo th e r . Th e r esembla n ce
betwe e n Do ra and th e po rtra it is stri k ing .
”
But Mr s. Ne il m ay h ave be e n fa ir . Be cause my so n’
s wi fe was
fair it do es n ot fo ll ow th at th e po rt ra it o f any go lde n-h air ed woma n
sh ould be th ough t to be h e r lik e n e ss. Th at Do ra sh ould we ar a
mi n iatur e o f h e r m o th e r , given to h e r by h e r fath e r , is a co in cide nce ,
and o n e th a t h as given Madge appar e n tly a str o n g , a rath e r startlin g
pro o f: But, of course , you h ad to ld th em about th e o n e lo st from
your n eck on th at m ise rable n igh t?A n d so , pe r h aps, suggested th e
wh o le sto ry.
”
Y es. I h ave ofte n ta lk ed abo ut it to Do ra , and examin ed h e rs
It is love ly, and was do n e in Englan d b e fo r e h e r mo th e r’s marr iag e ,
I thi nk . But in de ed, grandpapa, th at did n o t mak e th e girls in ven t
thi s sto ry, I em sur e .
”
It is h ard to say—ve ry h ard.
I cann ot be li eve th em capable o f do ing anyth in g so crueL
m e r e ly to to rm en t and an n oy us. We h ave always be e n kin d to
th em . Y ou h ave be e n extr ao rdin ar ily g en e rous, an d th ey bo th lov e
you de ar ly. Do ra h as be e n my de ar e st fr ie nd, and I can n o t th ink
th at sh e would turn r ound ma lici ously a nd de str oy my pe ace . Sh e
be li eve s th is sto ry to be'
true , I em po sitive , wh e th e r it is o r n o t. A n d
you must r em embe r th at sh e did n o t te ll it to m e o r to you, but
be li e vin g h e rse lf a lo n e with A n n e Dan e , sh e ch arg ed h e r with
dece ivin g you and b e trayin g h e r trust .
”
Y ou argue we ll . de a r e st . On e would th ink yo u wish ed to prov e
th em r igh t.”
G od kn ows I don’
t,
”sh e cr ied wi th str e amin g eyes. It would
be , inde ed, a ,
te r rible discove ry to find th at I was o n ly po o r Doro thy
Ne il . I, wh o was so pro ud o f my posi tio n , my n ame, to become a
n obody, a dependen t. Oh , gran dpapa , g randpapa , I could n o t b ea r
it7?
No r I, my love . Such a discovery wo uld ki ll me .
A fter this th ey bo th r e lapsed in to sile n ce . Th e ir h e ar ts we r e to o
full fo r wo rds . Sylvia sat o n th e flo o r , h e r h ead upon h e r grand
fa th e r’
s kn e e , we epin g bitte r ly. His h and was la id car essingly on th e
brigh t, ch e stnut h a ir , and h is eyes we re fixed upon th e sorrowin g gir lwi th lo ok o f in te n se sympathy and afiection .
Th e do o r ope n e d, and a fo o tman e n te r e d.
622 The Ir ish Month ly.
W e ll,
” h e said , lock in g up, h ave you n o th ing to say, child
A r e you n o t appa led a t th e th ough t of your fath e r’s disappo in tme n t
G ra n dpapa ,
”sh e an swe r ed grave ly, if your son is my fath e r ,
th e r e will be n o disappo in tm e n t. A nd if h e is proved to be Dor a’s , it
can make littl e difie r e n ce to h im .
Sylvia His vo ice was full o f r epr o ach .
W e ll, de ar , wh at I say is true . To yo u
—to m e,th e truth o f
th is sto ry is impo rtan t. But to G e o rg e A th e rsto n e it will make n o
di ffe r e n ce , o n e way o r th e o th e r . Seven te e n ye ars ago h e par te d fr o m
h i s ch ild, an in fan t, scarce ly able to lisp th e wo rd fath e r . Th at baby
h as grown up away from h im , car ed fo r by o th e rs, loved by o th e r s .
Th en wh at is sh e to h im but a n am e Wh at can i t m atte r wh e th e r
sh e be dark o r fa ir , wh e th e r Do r a o r I b e ar th at n ame Wh ich ev e ris pr e se n ted to him h e will tak e to h is h e art, and love as h i
augh te r .
Y ou spe ak bitte rly, Sylvia . Sur e ly my son must fe e l m o r e
affe cti o n th an you se em to th ink fo r hi s own child
I did n o t wish to spe ak bitte r ly, grandpapa . But o n ly to mak e
you se e th in gs in th e ir pr ope r l igh t,”sh e sa id ge n tly. Wh e n do e s
h e com e h om e
Th e day afte r to -mo rr ow. He arr ive d in Lo n don th is mo rn in g .
just in tim e to find us gon e . He will trave l down h er e o n
Wedn e sday.
”
Ve rywe ll . We sh all be r e ady to r ece ive h im and we lcom e him .
A n d n ow, gran dpapa , I h ave made up my m in d as to wh at is t o
h appe n . My fath e r, your son
,sh a ll decide my fate . He sh a l l
de clar e wh ich is h is ch i ld, Do r a o r I.
”
But my darlin g , th ink . He h as n o t se en you fo r seve n te e n
ye a rs, n o t eve n your ph o tograph . A ll we r e lo st—stran g e ly lost . 8 0
h ow can h e decide
Easily. If th e m in iatur e th at Do ra we ars is th e po r tr a it o f h i
wife , h e wil l r e cogn iz e it . If it is n o t, our doubts sh all be se t a t r e st
fo r e ve r . Fo r Do ra h as always to ld m e it was th e lik en ess of h e r
m o th e r .
”
Your plan se ems to m e a little wild, a littl e vague , de are st .
Howeve r , I suppo se I must subm it to your will . But, r emembe r ,
wh a te ve r tur n s up, you ar e always Sylvia , my b e st be loved child .
No thin g but de a th sha ll separate us two , n o t e ve n mar r iage , my
pr e tty pe t .”
No , gran dpapa , sh e said sm ilin g an d blush in g , n o t e ve n
mar r iage . Paul will be th e be st an d m o st devo ted o f sons .
“ G od ble ss you, dar lin g , a nd n ow l e ave m e al on e . I h ave som e
wo rk to do ,th a t m ay k e ep me fa r in to th e n igh t.
A Str iking Contrast . 623
But your dinn e r , grandpapa Wo n’t you com e to dinn er
No , de ar e st ; I h ave n o appe tite . No r h ave you, I fa ncy ; din n e r
would be a farce . Tak e some th in g ligh t and go to b ed.
”
Ve ry we ll, grandpapa . G o od n igh t.” He dr ew h e r h e ad upo n
h is br east an d h e ld it th e r e for som e m in utes.
G o od-n igh t , my dar lin g , an d do n o t fr et . Wh a teve r h appe ns, ourlove is stro ng . So lon g as we h ave o n e an o th e r , th e r e st o f th e wo r ld
is o f but small val ue,in my eye s.
”
A nd th en with a loving k iss h e le t h e r go .
SIR EUSTA CE IS FORCED TO BELIEVE .
Wh e n Madg e arr ived at Summ e r lan ds th e n ext e ve n in g , sh e was
surprised to le arn th at, n o twith standi n g all th e pr ecautio ns th a t h ad
be e n tak e n by h e r and Dora , th e true story of th e sh ipwre ck h ad
le ak ed out . Th e n ews h lled h e r with j oy. Th e dr e am of h e r life
was n ow certain to be r ealised. Fo r ye ars sh e h ad h ope d an d plann ed
for th e r e sto ration o f h e r adopted siste r to h e r prope r position in th e
wo rld . But la te ly this se emed impo ssibl e . Th e r e we r e so many str on g
r ea sons for k e epin g th e true sta te o f affair s a secr e t . Th e gir l’s own
action s and wish e s had made it n ecesssary to do ao . Wh en 1 0with out in te ndin g it, sh e h e rse lf had r e veal ed all ; an d th e burden of
provin g h e r r igh t to th e n ame of A th e rsto n e was tak en ofi Madge’s
sh oulde rs.
To Do ra th e th ough t of becom in g th e rich Miss A th e rston e gave
little pleasur e . Sh e could n o t fr e e h e rse lf fr om a se n se o f guilt, in
ha ving sto len in to Summ e rlan ds as a fr ie nd, an d m eanly disturbed th e
pe ace and h appin e ss o f h e r kind ben e facto r .
Sir Eustace sh e h ad n o t se e n sin ce th e te rrible r e ve la tion h ad be en
made kn own to h im, an d sh e coul d n o t but fe e l th at th r ough it sh e
h ad lost h is affe ction for eve r . Thi s pa in ed h e r de eply, fo r sh e loved
th e o ld man , and h ad h oped to becom e h is granddaugh te r in r e al ity as
we ll as in name .
Sylvia proved h e rse lf a marve l o f go odn ess. Sh e came to se e Do ra
fr equen tly, tempted h e r to e at by se ndin g e ve ry dain ty sh e could
th ink o f, talk ed br igh tly of th e m ark ed improvem en t in th e girl’s
h e alth , and th e go od th e air of Summ e rlands was like ly to do h er .
But to th e unh appy sce n e of th e evening befor e sh e n eve r alluded.
Sh e was kin d as ever , taking an affection ate in te r est in h e r gue st, and
providing in eve ry way for h e r comfo rt . But, n everth el ess, th er e was
624 The Ir ish Month ly.
a difie rence , an indescribable some th ing in h er mann e r , th at gr i eve d
po o r se nsitive Dora an d,
caused h e r gr ea t so rrow.
Madge did h e r best to co nso le h e r , te lling h er th a t it was but
n atura l. Sylvi a was on ly human , and co uld n ot h e lp fe e lin g such a
th r eaten ed ch ang e in h e r life in te nse ly.
But Do ra r efused to be comfo rted, and Madge so on found i t
impo ssibl e to rouse h e r dro opin g spir its.
Late th at even in g Sir Eustace sen t fo r Madge , an d th ey rema in e d
close ted toge th er for some tim 9 .
Dur ing th is in te rview Do ra was restless and excite d. Sh e could
n o t lie sti ll upon h e r sofa , but paced hurriedly up an d down h e r
ro om .
We ll,”
sh e cried bre athl essly as Madge r e turn ed, doe s h e
h ate n a 1‘ Do e s h e de te st my n ame 7“ No , dear ,
”sa id Madg e so o th in gly, an d dr awing th e gir l down
upon th e couch beside h e r . He is sad—pain ed . But h e is to o
n oble to h ate you for wh at you cann o t h e lp.
Do es h e be lieve us, th en
No . He r e fuses to be lie ve my sto ry—says I was dr iven mad by
th e te rr o r of tbeg hipwr eck , and imagin ed th at you wer e Sylvia and
Sylvia you .
”
Such n onse nse But wh at doe s h e think o f A nn e Dane’s
fligh t
Th at h as sh ak en h is fai th a little , I can se e . But h e will n o t
ackn owledg e it. He says sh e was ofiended by Sylvia’s mann e r an d
so on .
"
Th e n wh at is to be don e We cann o t stay h e r e n ow, sa id
Do ra sadly.
“ A n d we can n o longer live upo n Sir Eustace A th e r
sto n e’s boun ty. We must r e turn to our pove rty,
Madge .
”
I thi nk n o t,dar ling .
”
Do r a lo o ked a t h e r in amaz em en t. Madge spoke so br igh tly:
h er face wo r e such an expr ession of h appy con te n t, th at th e gir l was
filled with wonde r .
I do n o t un derstand you,”sh e said with some irritation .
used to h ave spir it, a fe e ling of pride . But n ow
Madg e laugh ed so ftly, and kissed th e poutin g lips.
My dar lin g , you must n o t be cro ss with your po o r Madge . A n d
do n o t blam e h e r till you kn ow all . We , at least you, sha ll n o t go
back to pove rty, but to a life of comfo rt and luxury with your
fath er .
”
My fath e r Oh , Madge
Y es, dar ling , with your fath e r . Sir Eustace doe s n o t be lieve our
sto ry, do es n o t.wish to be li eve it, po o r o ld man . But h e ha s
626 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
I um glad th ey h ave n o t com e ye t . Oh , Madg e , I fe e l so
frigh te n ed, so
My pe t, you must be courag e ous, sa id Madg e , as sh e made h e r
sit down in a large arm-ch a ir . Th e r e is n o thi ng to alarm yo u. It
will al l go cti ve ry quie tly.
”
I h ope ao . I h ope ao .
” A n d Do ra lay back with a sigh .
Pr ese n tly th e do o r opened, and Sir Eustace came in with Sylvia
leanin g o n his a rm . Sh e was dr e ssed in pur e whi te , 9. bun ch o f
vio le ts a t h e r br e ast . Sh e lo ok ed very b e autiful , tal l, e rect an d
sta te ly, and as Do ra lo ok ed at h e r sh e fe l t h e r h e ar t sink low within
h e r
Wh o ,”sh e th ough t, could lo ok at na two and n o t ch o o se h er
So , pe rh aps, afte r all th is m e e tin g may be’
a fa ilur e fo r m e , and
Sylvia will be left as sh e 1 8 . I co uld almost h ope so—o nly Sir
Eustace .
”
He turn ed as sh e call ed him , and lo ok e d at h e r inqui rin gly. Do ra
started ; sh e was sh ocked at th e chan ge in him . He was pal e an dwo rn ; his eye s we r e sun k in hi s h e ad, an d h is mouth Was se t in stem ,
h arsh lin e s.
Fo rgive m e , fal ter ed Do ra , oh , say you forgive m e .
Sylvia sto oped and kissed h er ; th en lo oking up appe aling ly at
Sir Eustace .
Fo rgi ve h e r , grandpapa ,”sh e wh ispe r ed. Speak to h er kindly.
It is n o t h e r fault.
My de ar , o f course . I un de rstan d pe rfectly, h e r eplied .
h ave n o th in g to fo rgive .
”A rid h e turn ed away abruptly.
Do ra sigh ed h e avi ly, and grasped Madg e’s h an d tigh tly with in
h e r own . He r e was a fri end wh o would n e ve r de se r t h e r , n o m atte r
wh at h er fa te m ight be . Madge pr essed h e r lips upon th e littl e thin
hug er s, an d said m a low vo ice , Courage .
”
Sylvia lo o k ed at th em sadly, and fo llowed Sir Eustace to th e o the rside of th e r o om .
A n unple asan t silence fe ll upon th em all , brok en only by th e
tickin g o f th e clock upon th e man te lpiece . Sir Eustace h ad expe cted
h i s son to a r r ive a t h alf-past four , but it was n owfive , and h e h ad n 0 t
ye t appea r ed. Th e o ld man gr ew impa tien t. Th is waiting was
.terrible . Would h e n eve r come
But, sudde n ly, th e sound o f carriage wh e e ls was h e ard in th e
avenue . Sylvia gr ew pal e as marble , and le an ed h e avily against th e
bo ok -case . Do ra looked at h e r lon g ingly, and fell back tr emblin g
in h e r chair .
Th is o rde al will soon be at an en d, my swe e t Sylvia , wh ispe r ed
Sir Eustace , with quive ring lips. In a few mome n ts you will be in
your fa th e r’s arms.
”
A Str iki ng Con tract. 627
A n d h e tr ied to walk ste adi ly fo rward as h e h e ard th e h a ll -do o r
open in g to admi t hi s so n . But h is anxi e ty was to o gr e a t , h is fe e lin gto o in te nse ; and, cove r in g hi s face with h is h an ds, h e san k h e lple ss
o n th e so fa .
Madg e al on e was co o l an d se lf-possessed . Sh e sto o d by Do ra’
s
side , a lo ok of tri umph an t h appin e ss in h e r eye s, h e r ch e eks glowin gwith th e flush of ce r tain victo ry.
Th e soun d of h ur ryin g fe e t ; th e ope n ing an d shuttin g o f do o rs ;a ch e erful vo ice , loud, cle ar , and r ingin g , fa lls on th e ir e ars, an d
G e o rg e A th e rston e , lo okin g much ag ed sin ce we last saw h im , an d
som ewh at br on z ed fr om h i s lo n g se a -journ ey, e n ters th e library and
grasped h is fath e r by th e h and.
Th ank G od,I em h ome safe a t last , h e cri e s , h e ar tily. It is
a life tim e since we par te d, fath e r . I em glad to se e you o n ce m o r e
an d my daugh te r?Sha ll I kn ow h er , I wonde r , th e li ttle on e th at Ih ave de se rted so lo n gHe lo oks anxiously r ound th e r o om . He passe s, with o ut r e co g
ultion , be autiful Sylvia , with h e r r ich ch e stn ut h a ir , and da rk lustr ous
eye s, glan ces at Madg e , and g ive s a sligh t sta rt . Sh e puz z les h im ;
r emin ds h im o f som e on e . But it is n o t h e r h e se eks. A t la st h e
se e s Do ra, wh i te an d fragi le , lo oking up a t h im with a ye ar n ing ,
ple adin g expr e ssion , and, in an in stan t, h e is by h e r side .
My swe e t ch ild ! My po o r de se r te d ba ir n ,h e sobs, takin g h e r
in h is arms and kissin g h e r o ve r an d o ve r aga in . Oh , my Sylvia , h ow
lik e your m o th e r you ar e ; h ow like my de ar , de ar wife
Y e s,”sa id th e gir l, so ftly
“so Madg e a lways to ld m e . A n d ,
se e , I h ave n eve r parted fr om th is ; I h ave a lways kept it, fa th e r .
A n d,dr awing out th e m in iatur e o f h e r de ad mo th e r , sh e h e ld it
towards him .
My darlin g ! h e kissed h e r again , an d ga z ed at h e r fo ndly.
I am g lad you h ave it still,fo r i t is lik e h e r— an d you. But I
th ough t it was lo st—lost in th at te rrible wr eckNo
,n o , it was always r ound my n ec
Th en I must h ave mi sun de rsto od my fath e r’s le tte rs, h e said,
lo ck in g puz z led, fo r I th ough t h e to ld m e—h owe ve r , th a t do e s n o tm a tte r n ow. A n d you,
”
givin g h is h an d to Madg e , ar e my de ar
o ld fri en d’s e lde st daugh te rJMadg e A n d th is
, glan cin g with ad
m ir atio n at Sylvia , is, I em sur e,th e be autiful baby, Do ra We ll ,
my dear , I um m o r e g lad th an I can say to fin d th a t you we r e n o t
dr own e d, as was at fir st suppo sed. Th an k G od you to o e scaped th at
fe arful de ath .
” Th en h e tur n ed again to h is ch ild and examin ed h e r
clo se ly, cr itically. He touch ed th e g o lden h air , lin ge r ed admir in gly
o n th e de ep, path e tic b lue eye s, th e swe e t te nde r mouth an d alabaste r
628 The Ir ish Month ly.
ch e ek . But as h is ga z e wande red ove r h er figur e , and h e be ga n to
r ealise tha t sh e was we ak and a n invalid, h e utter ed a fai n t cry, an d
look ed r epro achfully at h is fath ar .
Y ou to ld me sh e was ta ll an d str o ng ,” h e cried in a loud ton e o f
k e e n disappo in tm en t. Y ou de scr ibed h e r as we ll as you migh t
h ave de scr ibed Do rothy Ne il th e r e . Y ou n eve r h in ted tha t sh e wa s
small and fragi le , a poo r de licate little crea ture . Why did you n o t
pr epar e me fo r such a tr ouble Why did you dece ive m e so
te rr ibly?My dar ling is be autiful . But , alas ! qui te difie r e n t fromth e splendid girl you led m e to suppo se . What was your mo tive ,fath e r Why h ave you so crue l ly dece ived m e?
Sir Eustace sta r ed at his so n , blankly. Th e n , open in g h is lips and
wavin g h is h and , h e murmur ed, Sylvia .
But his vo ice was in audible ; and G e o rge kn ew n o t wh at h e me an t .
G eo rge ,” h e whispe red h o arse ly, I
Th en h e stagger ed forward, utte red a de ep groan , an d fell h e avily
to th e ground .
G r andpapa , grandpapa , cr ied Sylvia , flinging h e rse lf on h e r
kn e es by‘
h is side .
“ Oh , my po o r tende r-h e a rted darling , this crue l
sh ock h as kill ed you.
But G e o rg e A th erston e th rust h er away, . an d with th e h e lp o f th e
se rvan ts carr ied his fath e r up th e sta irs, and lai d h im on th e bed in
his own ro om.
Had I kn own my return , afte r all th ese yea rs, would h ave cause d
you such a sh ock , I would h ave stayed away fo r ever ,”h e murmur ed ,
as h e ben t ten der ly over th e unconscious m an . But I n eve r th ough t
such a thi ng po ssible—n eve r .
”
Th en pr essing a lovin g kiss upon th e marble brow, h e sto le away,le avin g Sir Eustace to th e docto rs.
CHAPTER XXVII.
SY LVIA G IVES WA Y TO DESPAIR .
Sir Eustace A th e rsto n e n eve r spok e aga in .
His h eart h ad be en se r iously afiected fo r som e time , said th e gr eat
physician , wh o h ad be e n his m edica l atte ndan t fo r years. Th e joy a t
se e ing hi s so n again had doubtle ss b e en to o much fo r h im, and so h e
Th e wh o le h ouseh o ld was plunged in de ep grief by this sudde n
de ath . Fo r Sir Eustace was belo ved by all . He had always be en a
kin d maste r , no t o n ly just, but unusually ge n erous, to all th ose wh ose rved h im .
30 The Ir ish Month ly.
Po or Sylvia ! fo r so we sh all still ca ll h e r , a lth ough h e n ow
kn ows sh e h as n o r igh t to th e n ame,turn ed away fr om th e side o f
him wh o h ad be e n fa th e r, gran dfath e r , and fri e nd ; shut out from
th e sigh t of him sh e loved . So we l l h e r h e ar t was li ke to burst with
anguish . On th a t dr e adful e ve n in g wh e n h e had fall e n de ad a t h e r
fe e t , sh e h ad fe lt wildwith gr ief at th e th o ugh t th a t h e was gon e ; th a t
n eve r m o r e sh ould sh e h e ar hi s vo ice , o r r ece ive h is car esse s. From
th at h our h e r m ind h ad be e n abso rbed in th e,o n e unh appy truth
th at h e wa s de ad, passe d away fo r e ve r .
But n ow,as G e o rg e A th e rsto n e co ldly bade h e r l e ave h e r place by
h e r b e loved de ad, callin g h e r by th at n am e th at was h e n cefo r th to b e
h e r own ,sh e r em emb e r e d sudde n ly a ll th e m isfo r tun e s th at h ad com e
upo n h e r .
He is go n e ,”
sh e wa iled, pacin g up and down h e r r oom in
fr an tic de spa ir . G on e with out a wo rd, l e avin g m e a paupe r .
depe nde n t upo n G e o rg e A th e r sto n e o r Madg e . Oh , I can n o t bea r th eth o ugh t, I can n o t be ar th e th ough t . Th is h ouse th at was to h ave be e n
my own ,th o se g rounds , th a t park , a ll g on e , and I, th e o n ce co ur te d a n d
admir ed h e ir e ss, am n ow po o r , h e lpless Do r o thy Ne il . But n o th in g
will in duce m e to be a burden o n anyo n e . I must lo ok fo r wo rk . g o
out as a go ve r n e ss , do anyth ing r a th er th an live in a sta te of depe n
de n ce . Oh , my po o r Paul , h ad you be e n in a be tte r po sitio n , h ad
you wo rk ed dur in g all th o se ye ars waste d in fo l ly and idle n e ss , you
m igh t h ave h e lped m e n ow. But,alas ! th at is impo ssible . A
pe n n ile ss wife would be but a clog upo n you, pr e ve n t yo u ge tting o u .
A s th e r ich Miss A th e rsto n e , I was n o t all owed to mar ry you ; as
Do ro thy N e il , with out a pe n ny of h e r own , I must r efuse to
do so . Oh , gr an dpapa , gran dpapa ,why did you le ave m e Fr om
your h an ds I’d h ave tak e n a nythin g . I
’d h ave be en your ch ild, yo ur
compan ion . But n ow th is place , th e se wall s stifle m e . I must goout , an d in th e fr e sh a ir , away from th e sigh t of thi s dear , de ar h om e ,
I may th ink mo r e calmly, mak e up my m in d to som e th in g .
It was a pleasan t day for a wa lk . Th e r e was th e softn ess o f
spr in g in th e fr esh , swe e t a ir , and as Sylvia passed down th e ave nue
sh e saw sn owdr ops an d cro cuse s lifting th e ir de lica te blossoms above
th e rich br own m oss th at gr ew so luxur ian tly un de r th e fin e o ld
be e ch tr e e s. Primr o se s an d vio le ts we r e blo omin g in a ll th e h edg e
rows. Th e wo ods h ad a sl e nde r ti ng e o f gre e n fr om th e ir da intysproutin g leave s , an d th e far off fie lds, ful l of th e fast growin g cr ops,lo ok ed fr esh an d brillian t un de r th e de ep blue sky.
A ll so pe aceful , so b e autiful ,”murmur e d th e gi rl sadly, an d
ye t, h e , th e maste r of a ll,is go n e
—n eve r to r e tur n . Th e beauty, th e
unch an gin g pe ace se ems crue l, and fil ls m e with pain .
A Str ikmg Con trast. 63 1
A n d sh e hur rie d a lo n g , a nxious to sh ut out from h e r sigh t, if
se ible , all th e va r ied ch arms o f th e love ly landscape .
A t last sh e cam e on a wide . wild commo n , an d h e r e th e view
suited h e r pr e sen t m o od to pe rfe ctio n .
'
Th e h e ath e r , wh ich sh e h ad
se e n in th e autumn r ich in de ep purpl e h ue s, was n ow brown , with out
le af o r flowe r . Th e brack e n , th e n so gr e en an d soft, lay with e r e d a nd
dry upo n th e ground , lo ok ing as th ough it co uld n eve r raise its h e ad
aga in in life an d h appin e ss to h e ave n .
It is lik e my h e art ,”sh e th ough t , crush ed a nd de ad. o n ly it
may r evive with th e summ e r sun , th e so ft sprin g r a in s. My h e ar t.ala s, n eve r , n eve r can ,
”and sh e sh ive r ed as a co ld b last o f wind cam e
swe epin g acro ss th e m o o r lan d .
Sh e drew h e r clo ak mor e clo se ly r ound h e r , and wan de r ed in
am o n gst th e with e r e d h e a th e r an d dry brack e n . Sh e fe lt utte rlydre ary an d fo rsak e n
,an d we n t o n a im le ssly,
h e edle ss o f time o r
dista n ce . Th e br igh tn e ss of th e day passed ofi ; th e sky b ecam e a
le ade n g r ey, th e wind sh a rp and e aste rly.
A s Sylvia cr o ssed th e h e ath , and came out again upon th e ro ad ,
sh e sto od fo r a m omen t in doubt . Sh e h ad com e a lo ng way fr om
Summ e r lands , and was n o t sur e which turn to tak e . Sh e g lan ced
anxiously about to se e if th e r e was anyo n e n ea r wh o could di r ect h e r ,but n o t a cr e a tur e was visible . A gr ey m ist h ad com e down and h id
th e distan ce , and sh e kn ew n o t wh at to do .
Sudden ]y fo o tsteps we r e h e ard appro ach in g , and a yo ung m an
cam e towards h e r alo n g th e ro ad . He was walk in g br iskly, hi s h e ad
th r own we ll back , steppin g out tr iumph an tlyto Me n de lssoh n’sWedding
Ma rch , whi ch h e humm ed to h imse lf in a rich , cl e ar bariton e .
Sylvia’s h ear t gave a gr e a t plun ge , an d sh e fe lt h e rse lf tr emblin g
fr om h e ad to fo o t .
Is it po ssible—can it be Paul
He lo oked r ound ; h e was bewilde r ed, aston ish ed. It was Sylvia’s
vo ice ; and ye t , h e was many mile s from Summ e r lands. Howcould sh e be th e r e Th e so n g died upo n h i s lips ; h e turn e d
wo n de r ingly towards th e comm on .
How com e you to be h e r e , Paul Why ar e you n o t in Lo ndonsh e ask ed.
A n d, as th e slim figure cam e forward th rough th e mist, h e kn ew
th a t h is e ars h ad n o t dece ived h im , and th at it was r e ally Sylvia wh o
h ad spoken .
Because—oh , my de ar e st—my time o f pro batio n is ove r ; I h ave
earn ed th e righ t to te ll you h ow de arly I love you.
”
A nd , catch in g h e r h an d, h e h e ld it tigh tly claspe d within h is own .
Thank G od,”murmur ed Sylvia , I am n o t with out a .
‘
fr iend.
Th e r e is still some on e to love me in this sad, sad wo rld.
”
632 1 713 Irish Mon th ly.
He g az ed at h e r in surprise and alarm .
Sylvia ,
” h e said, r epro achfully, you sh ould n o t spe ak thus
you, th e ador ed, th e idolised. Oh , my love , if it we r e n ot fo r
my stro n g be lief in your affection and truth , I woul d n o t dar e to offe r
you my poo r h e art , my h ome , so unworthy of you. But yo u look i ll,
dear e st—wha t is wro ng Why ar e you so far from Summ erlands
Do e s Sir Eustace kn ow”
He is gon e , Paul . My de ar , kind grandfa th e r is gon e .
G on e dead?Y es, de ad. He fe ll sudde nly at my fe e t, and n e ver spok e
again .
”
G ood G od ! h ow te rr ible .
Paul raise d h is h at r e ve rently, and drew Sylvia’s h and wi thin h is
arm
Terr ible inde ed Th e girl shive red. So n o won de r I am i ll
a nd weary.
No won de r , de ar e st. But come h om e n ow.
I h ave n o h om e .
”
Sylvia Has th is death turn ed your brain Till we ma rry.
wh ich , th ank G od, .n eed n o t be long n ow, th e h ouse wh ich was your
grandfa th e r’s must b e your h om e . Sin ce your fath e r has n o t ye t
r e turn ed
I h ave n o fath e r , n o grandfa th er , n o h om e ,”sh e cried, passio n
a te ly. I um a paupe r , a n o body. A ll th e se years I ha ve bee n an
impo stor , de ce iving you, th e wo r ld, e ve ryon e . Oh , Paul , why was Ibo rn
My own lo ve , h e said , so o th in gly, yo u wer e bo rn fo r much
g o od—to pe rfe ct my life , an d m ak e m e h appy, an d—and
, perh aps ,
g r eat . Your love h as en couraged m e, Sylvia , fir ed my ambitio n , filled
m e with go od and n oble th ough ts . Th a t, a lon e , is some th ing to live
fo r . But I do n o t unde rsta nd you ; some th ing stran ge must h ave
h appen ed to mak e you se em so wild—so distracted.
”
Som e th in g . Oh . Paul , woul d th at I could wak e and fin d it a ll adr e am—a h o rr ible n igh tmar e . But liste n .
”
A nd, sink in g down upon th e h e ath e r , sh e pour ed fo rth th e wh o l e
sad sto ry fr om beg inn in g to end .
We ll , my dar lin g ,” h e sa id wh en sh e h ad finish ed
,I um so rry
fo r your sak e , de eply gr ieved th at you sh ould have such a disappo in t
m e n t as th is must be ; but, afte r all , wh at do es it ma tte r Y o u loved
Sir Eustace , a nd spen t many h appy ye ars in hi s company ; h e loved
you de ar ly, devo tedly, and you h ave a r igh t to mour n for h im n ow
th at h e is de ad. But th is discovery, thi s se cret o f your bir th , is n o t
worth a sigh . Mr . Ne il was a man o f go od family ; h e was upr igh t
an d h on est, th ough unfortun ate in h is afiairs. His wife was a lady.
634 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
fath e r , Sir Eustace , gave h is conse n t to our un io n som e tim e before h is
de ath . He brough t m e up, e ducated me , and I loved him ve ry
sin ce re ly.
”
A r e you Paul Vyn e r
Y e s. Your fath e r ’s adopted so n .
I am glad to se e you. He m e n tion ed you fr equen tly in hi sle tte rs. I h ope you will stay h e r e to
-n igh t . It is on ly r igh t th at you
sh ould assist a t my fath e r’
s fun e ral to -mo rrow.
Only o righ t, ce rta in ly. Th e last act o f love I can pay my
be n e factor . An d n owmay I se e him o n ce mo r e upo n earth
Y es . Sh e wh o loved him so we ll , and m ourn s h im so truly, will
le ad you to h is side .
”
Sylvia bowed. a nd passing o n in to th e h ouse , led Paul up th e
broad stai rcase to th e dead man’s ro om .
CHAPTER XXVIII .
WEDD ING BILLS.
But Sylvia h ad n o t be en l eft th e paupe r sh e supposed. Sir
Eustace h ad loved h is dar lin g far too we ll to l e ave h er depende n t
upon any human be ing . Summ erlan ds and a large sum o f mon ey in
th e funds h ad be e n le ft to h is gr an ddaugh ter in a wil l made many
years be fo re . But o n h e ar ing Madg e’s sto ry o f th e wreck, an d
huding that An n e Dan e h ad tak e n fligh t, an awful doub t en tered h i s
mind ; and h e r em embe r ed th at if h e di ed sudden ly, as hi s docto r h ad
fr equen tly warn ed h im h e migh t do , and this gir l we re proved n o t to
be his son’s ch ild, sh e would be thr own pen n iless upon th e world. He
did n o t and woul d n o t be lieve th at such a th in g wer e po ssible . But
h e r eso lved to ensur e th e prope rty to h er , n o matte r wh a t sh ould
h appen . So on th at sad e ve n in g , afte r di smissing th e girl to r est, h e
appe nded a codici l to h is will sta tin g th at it was to be h e rs wh e th e r
sh e was Sylvia A th e rston e o r Do ro thy Ne il . Th is wa s dulywitn essed
an d . signed, and Sylvia r emain ed mistr ess of Summe r lands.
Th is gr e at pro o f of h is watchful lo ve r en ewed th e g ir l’s grief,
and for mon ths sh e was in co nso lable .
But as tim e and th e summe r sun r esto r ed th e with er ed h eath er ,
and raised th e dro oping bracke n o n th e moo r , so it was with Sylvia’s
For a year sh e wor e h eavy mourn in g for h e r be loved dead. and
th en as th e ro ses blo om ed an d th e birds sang joyous roul ades throughth e sh ady wo ods at Summe rlands, sh e at last liste n ed to Paul
’s
e arn e st en treaties an d consented to become h is wife .
For a long time after Sir Eustace A th erston a’s death Dora was
A Str iking Con trast. 635
ve ry ill. But Madge’s te nde r car e and wa tch ful n ursin g saved h e r
o n ce mo r e , and sh e cam e sl owly back to life
A s so on as sh e was we ll en ough to tr ave l , h er fath e r wish e d t o
h urry h e r away with him to Lo ndo n .
But sh e implo r ed him to l e ave h e r at Summe r lands .
I am so h appy h e r e , fath e r . Pray le t m e stay wh e r e I um ;
Lo ndon would stifle me .
”
But thi s is n o t your h ome . Y ou h ave n o r igh t to live with a
A strang e r ! Sylvia a strange r ! Oh , fa th e r , h ow can you say
such a thin gSylvia , it is absurd to call h e r so . Y ou a r e Sylvia , sh e is Dora .
”
I kn ow,
”sh e a nswe r ed, laughi ng . But it is impossible to
ch an g e our n am e s n ow. I could n eve r cal l h e r anyth in g but Sylvia ,
n o m atte r h owmuch I tr ied .
”
But I r e ally thi nk you an d Madge sh ould come to Lo n do n , h e
urged. Wh e th e r sh e is Sylvia o r Dora, you h ave n o righ t to
tr espass to o lon g o n h e r h o spita lity.
Madg e will n o t com e . Sylvia is h e r siste r . We , a las ar e
n o th in g to h e r .
Madge n o t com e , h e cr ied in con ste rn ation . Why, you would
be lost with out h e r .
”
Y e s ; an d fo r th at r e ason I must stay wh e r e I am . Madge ,
Sylvia , and I wan t e ach o th e r badly. Y ou like to se e th e wo r ld ,
fa th er—so go , and le ave us in our se clusion .
”
But you must se e th e wo r ld, to o , dear , and Madg e .
Th e gir l blush ed br igh tly, an d smil ed as sh e an swe r ed“ I sh all se e th e wo rld so on , fath er , wh e n I am a little str onge r ,
with A shfiel
A h , of course ; but tha t is one r e ason why you sh ould com e to
London . Wh e n you ar e bur ied h e r e , th a t poo r fe llow n eve rs se e s you .
Pardon m e,
”sh e said laughi n g ; th a t po or fe ll ow, as you ca ll
h im , h as se en m e fr eque n tly, an d h e is comi n g down n ext we ek with
his mo th e r to stay fo r a fo rtni gh t .
”
In de ed and Paul Vyn e r
Paul is comin g to o . He has n ot be e n h e r e since Ch ristmas.
A nd this is March . Well, it se ems to me you wil l all be ve ryh appy and comfo rtable . N0 on e ,
”sighi n g , wan ts m e , I
’m afraid .
Oh , fath e r we all wan t you. Sylvia lik es you to be h e r e ; and
Madge
Do e s sh e care h e asked quickly. Do you think Madg e
cares
I um sure sh e do es. Y ou wer e always a h er o in h e r eyes, eve r
since th at day wh en you left me on board th e Cimbria .
”
636 Tbe Ir ish Mon th ly.
Dea r , faithful Madge . Wh at a h eart th at g i rl has. How sh e
work ed and sufie red fo r you,
Y e s . I love Madge ve ry dearly.
Sir G e o rg e A th ersto n ewalk ed to th e win dow, and lo oked out . Th en ,
turn in g roun d, h e said abruptly
G o od-bye , my ch ild. I will run up to London to -n igh t , and
com e back h e r e in a we ek with A shfie ld and Paul Vyn e r .
Dora clapped h er h ands.
Th at will be ch arming . We’
ll all be h appy th e n . Th a t’s just
wh at Sylvia woul d lik e you to do . A n d do you kn ow, we all h ope
tha t we may co ax h er to say wh e n sh e will marry Paul . A shfie ld is
growin g impatie n t, and our marr iag e depe nds on Sylvia . We must
be married o n th e same day.
”
But you ar e n ot strong e n ough .
By Jun e I migh t be ,”
sh e said , smi ling and blush ing ,
Sylvia woul d o n ly say ye s.
”
An d Sylvia did say Y e s.
80 , o n e glo rious day in Jun e , th e two girls wer e m a rr ied in th e
beautiful o ld church at Summ e r lands. Sir G e o rge A th e rsto n e gav e
th em bo th away ; an d it would be diflicul t to say which o f th e br ide s
h e admi r ed m o st.
Th ey ar e bo th ch arming in th e ir own way,
” h e sa id to th e
Dowag e r Lady A shfie ld, and th ey ce rtain ly mak e a pr etty
co n trast .
”
Y es ; but I h ave li ttle doubt upo n th e sub ject, an swer ed tha t
astute lady. I always adm ir ed go lde n h air , an d th er e is som ethin gal toge th er winn in g in your daugh te r
’s swe e t blue eyes.
”
Mrs . Vyn e r woul d h ave made a mo re str ik ing pe e r e ss, h owe ve r ,
h e said smi lin g . My ch ild is, as you say, win n in g , but n o t com
mandin g .
”
No ; but sh e is Sir Eustace A th e rsto n e’s granddaugh te r tha t is
r e comm enda tion en o ugh for m e . I h ad r eso lved our familie s sh ould
be un ited ye ar s ago , so you may fancy h ow ple ased I um to -day.
Q C Q Q Q 'l
Six mon th s late r Lo rd Ashfie ld and his bride passed th rough
London , o n th e ir way to h is place in Co rnwa ll .
Do ra , for sh e was always Do ra to h e r husband , was in radian t
h e al th and spir its. Happin ess , ch ange o f a ir and scen e , had wo rked
won ders, and sh e n ow looked th e pe rfection of youth and beauty.
My de ar .”
sh e said to Lo rd A shfie ld, th e morn ing afte r th e ir
arrival, I h ope you will n ot object to leaving me al on e fo r an h our
o r so you can go to your club o r r em a in in your smoking-ro om .
But—but Madg e is comi n g, and I wan t to h ave h e r all to myse lf.
”
“ I am j ealous of Madge . I r e ally am , littl e wife .
The Ir ish Month ly.
Do es Sylvia kn ow
Oh , ye s. We we r e married from h er h ouse .
Fr om Summ erlands 1?No ; fr om h e r pretty house in town . Vyn e r did th e fath e r , and
gave Madge away.
”
We ll , I am so glad to se e you marr ied. I h ave h oped you
would do so eve r since—we ll , sin ce I kn ew you, papa . Has any
o th e r strange thing h appe n ed dur in g my abse n ce
An n e Dan e is de ad . A nd befo r e h e r dea th sh e wr o te a full co n
fassion of th e deception sh e h ad practised on my po o r fath er . Sh e
de eply r egr e tted it and be gg ed forgiven ess.
”
Poo r cr e atur e ,”said Dora . I fo rgave h er lo ng ago .
Do ra , may I com e in?ask ed Lo rd Ashfie ld a t th e do o r .
Y ou and Madge h ave be en an age toge th er .
”
Y es. Y ou may come in ,
”sh e answe r ed ga ily. A nd n ow,
n o t
a wo rd,”sh e whi spe r ed to h e r fath er . Le t me te ll him about your
ma rr iage .
”
But to h er surprise h er husband walk ed straigh t up to Madge .
and callin g h e r Lady A th e rston e , co n gratulated h e r most h ea rtily.
Now, A shfie ld, wh o to ld you ask ed Do ra indign an tly.
He r e ar e th e culpr its,” h e r eplied. Sco ld th em ,
n ot m e .
A n d thr owin g ope n th e do o r , h e call ed o ut laugh in g ly, Come ih .
Mr . and Mr s. Vyn e r , an d r ece ive a seve r e punishm en t fo r re vealingth is wonde rful se cr e t .
”
A n d in an oth e r instan t Sylvia , lookin g radian tlybeautiful , en te r ed
th e r oom leanin g o n h e r husban d’s arm .
This is th e h appie st momen t of my life , sh e said wi th shinin geyes, as sh e glan ced from Madge and Do ra to th e th re e sta lwar t
husban ds. We h ave all don e exactly what I h oped we sh ould do ,
and I am most blissfully con ten t .
”
Y e s. de ar , and so am I,
”criedMa dge , th ough I co nfe ss I n ever
dar ed h ope fo r th e h appy fate that is n ow min e . G od has be en very
go od to m e .
A nd to m e , said Dor a softly. But do you kn ow, Sylvia ,”sh e
added roguish ly, alth ough you a re talle r, and, pe rh aps, just a little
h andsom e r, you are n o t o n e atom straigh te r o r str on ge r lookin g than
I um . We are n ot th e strikin g con trast we used to be .
”
No , de ar est , except in th e co lour o f our h a ir and eyes. We are
both we ll a nd h appy. So , thank G od, th e re is n o lo nge r th e te rrible
con tr ast in our lives th at th er e used to be in th e days n ow h appily
gon e by fo r eve r
THE END .
TO THE CHILDREN.
DEAB ' h ow so o n you routed
My fe ars for th e h e r e afte r ,A s roun d my tre e you sh outed
With gh o st-‘
expe llin g la ugh te r ,
Th at th rill ed th e le ave s with pleasur e .
’Twas Hope
’s k in d age of plen ty
Sh e kn ew n o stin ted m easur e
Wh en I was o n e -an d-twe n ty.
Y ou my ambition h umbled
To tr acking crabs by bubbles,
A s o’e r th e rocks we stumbled,
Fo rg e ttin g a ll my trouble s.
Th at ch i ldish play sh ould blind m e !
Like an o’e rwh e lmi n g oce an
My sorr ow ro se beh ind m e
Wh o h e eded n o t its mo tio n .
Wh en n ext you gath e r ed roun d me,
Ke e n airs th e bran ch e s quiver ed :
A la s !my fate h ad foun d me
My tr e e a bo lt h ad shive r ed.
Th e gre at wo rld’s soul less graces,
Vain ar ts ! could I abide th em
To sun ny h earts and face s
I turn ed, my youth beside th em .
De ar , dear wh at h appy fo llyMade me an ew a baby !
Wh at broodin g m e lan ch o ly
Was kill ed with laugh te r , maybe !
To you my soul was gra teful ,
Wh o taugh t m e in such fash ion
To k e ep my m emory fa ith ful,
A n d sti ll my stubbo rn passion .
Y ou had such h umour , we e things !
A rid my strang e ways in cr eased it.
Y ou mind th e day, from te a - things
Of brok en delft we fe asted
640 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
In th e h e n -h ouse deserte d
We warr ed n o t on r e ligious,
Nor par ty-can t asse rted,
Th at day among th e pige ons .
A h , van ish ed ye ars ! Coul d roving’Mid strang e an d glor ious place s
Tur n our poo r h e ar ts fr om lovingTh e de ar un ch angin g faces
Coul d h e , wh o sur e ly ample
Must fin d th e wor ld’s bro ad hi ghway,Tur n fr om a dom e to tr ample
A vi o le t in a by-way
Ah , ch ildr e n de ar , it warms m e
To fin d you gr own n o co lder
Th e wh ile your buddin g ch arms m e ,
Your h e art gr ows n eve r o lde r .
To m e—wh il e ye ars will br in g youFrank fr iends
,and love in plen ty
You’ll still be—as I sin g you
A nd I—as On e -and-Twe n ty !
G . N P.
AN AUSTRAL IAN ’
S NOTES A T WIESBADEN .
BRIGHT, be auti ful garden , warm with sunshin e , gay with
dowers, and sh e lter ed by n oble avenues of be ech and
ch estnut. A long , many-se ated co lonn ade thr onged with re ve lle rs,
champagn e , but sippin g or gulpin g with what courage th ey may
th e h ealing wate rs of th e Kochbrun n en Spa as it come s up hissin g
se en from e arly mom to dewy e ve during th e Cur season at
th e sle epy guests from th e n e ighbour ing hote ls, and th en sham e
on th e r ecreant wh o fails to put in an appearance at the Trink
halle . The on ly valid excuse which can be offe red for absence
from th is morn ing muster 1 s to plead a bath engagemen t—h ealth
A rrived at th e Trinkh alle , maids as kindly, if n ot as lovely, as
642 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
L ife h ath so many pathways my fe e t have n ever traced, that I
am n ot prepared to main tain th at in some far fa ir land un kn own
to m e,th e re do e s n ot exist a pleasure ground more be autiful than
th e Curbaus-park in Wie sbaden ; but, such as it is, it was a
reve lation to m e . Th e morning sun rising out of th e blue
Medite rran e an , th e pale m o on ligh ting up a sn ow-capped A lps,
magn ifice nt sigh ts as th ey be , do n o t make a pictur e so restful an d
ple asin g to my eye s as th e wo nderful tre es of th is park. A ve n ue s
of ch e stnuts in full bloom , coppe r be e ch e s with le ave s of burnish ed
bron z e , state ly o ld o aks wi th wide -spreadin g bran ch e s, be side s th e
small pre ttin e sse s o f go lde n laburnum , hawth o rn , and lilac, make
up an e arth ly par adi se ; n or is h armony wan ting to complete th e
charm . A full ch o ir of blackbirds and thrush es sing lauds and
even in g hymn .
Th e population of Wiesbaden , n ative and fore ign , ful lyappre ciate this beautiful park , and spend many h ours a day in its
shady depth s. Th e Cur Directo r , wh e th e r in th e in te re st o f th e
childr en o r th e ir se niors I kn ow n ot, but certain ly for som e go od
reason, as eve ryth ing is pe rfectly man aged for public conven ie nce ,
h as set apart specia l be n ch e s, marked kinde rbank, for th e use o f
little pe ople an d th e ir attenda nts. A n En glish nurse wi th h e r
charge s, kn owing n othin g of this rul e , sat h e rse lf down on e dayn ear m e
,and so I was witn e ss of an amusin g little pan tomime .
On e o f th e car etake rs approach ed, cap in hand (all oficials , eve nun de r -garde n er s, wear a sem i-military un iform) , an d made th e
youn g woman a polite bow. He explain ed at some length th e bylaw under whi ch sh e was offendin g , but, of cour se , she did n o t
unde rstand a single word of what h e was saying . A t last, failingto make h er compreh end, h e to ok h er hand and led h e r in th e
dire ction of a kin de rbank . Sh e—half te rrified, half flatter ed at
such atten tion from a fore ign e r with a military cap—made n o
r esistan ce , and it was n ot till sh e was seated in a group of twe n tynurse s a nd four times as many childr en that sh e grasped the
situation . Th e cap was again po lite ly raised, and th e garden e r
withdr ew. Ap ropos of nurse s, it is th e fashio n in this part of th e
world to carry youn g babie s on a pill ow. A n orn am e n ta l pillow
slip, tucked an d embro idered lik e a christenin g robe , is dr awn
h alf-way ove r pillow, baby, an d a ll , except, of course , th e ch ild’s
h e ad, which pe eps out on th e top of th e pillow in a quain t little
A n A ustra lian’s N ates at W esbaden . 643
cap. Th is mode of carrying a baby has its advan tag e s, as th ere is
n o risk of str ain ing its back or tiny n eck, but it is rath er
cumbe rsome , and would n ot, I imagin e , hnd favour with colon ial
nurse s. A n oth er n ote I mad e in th e children’s quarter was that
all th e little lads wore th e ir upper and lowe r garmen ts of con trast
ing co lours—white jaoket , blue legs ; grey jacke t, red legs ; bufi
jacket, brown legs, and so ou ; th e e ffe ct, I th ought, was n ovel
and picture sque . I do n o t kn ow if it has foun d its way to
A ustralia , or , like th e pillowed babie s, is a pure ly local fash io n
G erman moth ers h ave n ot th e advan tage of Mr . du Maur ie r ’s
teaching in dr e ssing th e ir little girls. Th e black stockinged, sh ort
skirte d, long-h aired, altogeth e r fascin ating Efi e s and Edith s,
wh ose portraits we are so familiar with in Lo ndon Punch , are
eviden tly n ot th e models th ey adopt, th ough th ey are th e be st o f
fash ion -books to En glish-spe akin g moth ers all over th e world.
A ll th e little fraule ins with th e smalle st pre tenti on to e legan ce
wear white stockings (usually e laborate ly kn itte d on e s) an d as
th ey are as a rul e sturdy, large- limbed ch ildren ,
th e effect is n ot
pretty. A n d even wh en th efraule im have outgrown th e ir childish
plumpn ess, length en ed th e ir skirts, and turn ed up th e ir massive
plaits of fair h air , th ey are gen erally too square and substan tial to
sati sfy our ideal of gir lish grace . I h ave n ot seen many pre tty
faces among th e G erman wom en . Inde ed, as I h eard remarked at
an afte rn oo n con cert of th e Cursaa l, Fausts are ple n tiful en ough
at this Teuto nic gath ering , but wh ere , oh wh e re , are th e
Marguer ite s But if th e gir ls lack th e willowy lith en ess of
English girls, and th e o lder women have little of th e grace and
vivacity of th e ir G allic n eighbours, th e men are un doubtedly fin e ,
soldier ly-lookin g fe llows, much more er e ct and we ll poised than
th e aver age Englishman , and more martial in th e ir bearing than
th e unde rsiz ed Fren chmen ,wh o go th rough alm ost th e same
marshal (ii th e un in itiate d can judge o f th e rank by th e un iform)throng th e parks and garden s. Many of th ese warri ors are
disfigur ed by de ep sabre cuts on brow and ch e ek—records, I sh ould
imagin e , of th e ir wild studen t days rath er than h on ourabl e scar s
rece ived on th e field of battle . Oi course , wh en th e se gen tlemen
pass each oth e r on th e promen ade , th ey exchange military salute s
— this on e understands even if one’
s previous train ing in social
Observan ce s of th at character sh ould h ave be e n confin ed to what
644 Th e Ir ish Month ly.
may be learn ed in Co llins-stre e t—but wh e n ‘
civilians take off th e ir
ha ts to e ach oth er with th e ce remony and po li ten e ss wh ich at h om e
on e is on ly accustomed to se e men pay to womenkin d, on e realise s
our brusque mann e rs and abrupt movemen ts, are still looked upo n
a s semi -barbar ians. But a more pleasin g eviden ce of th e r ever en ce
and cour tesy inh ere n t in th ese ge n tle -mann ered Nassauers is th e
ven eration in which th ey ho ld th e n ame s n ot on ly of th e gre at and
gifted of th e ir own race , but even those of al ien lands. On e
h oste lry—n ot th e on e from which I write (its tablets are yet to be
emblazon ed) but Zum Biron ,close at hand—has a marble table t
o n each side of th e main en tr ance , on on e of which is inscri be d
Th omas Campbel l re sided in this h ote l in A ugust, 1 841
and on the oth er G oeth e wohn te in dessem Hausa in Sommsr ,
1 8 1 4 and
This qui et town o f Wie sbade n , so far removed from th e
pan oply of cour ts, a few days sin ce at th e same tim e sh e lte red
within its pre cincts n o less than thre e Empre sses, and sure ly few
women of any rank in life h ave h ad cause to sh ed more bitte r tears
o r to realise more comple te ly th e vanity of human greatn ess than
th e se exalted ladies. On e of th em , Eugenie , on ce th e m ost
be autiful woman in Eumpe , and th e darlin g of a pe ople wh o more
than any oth er bow be fore th e shr in e of beauty, has on e by on e
lost all th at made th e joy of life—empire , husband, son , all
gon e gon e too h er witch e ry o f form an d feature , for years and
sorrow have don e th e ir crue l work . A nd wh o can measur e th e
an guish with which th e Empress Frederick watch ed th e progress
of th e tr e ach e rous disease wh ich day by day sapped the life of h er
h er o ic husband ; o r , more te rrible than augh t be side , th e agony
with which th e Elu o f A ustr ia must have lo oked on the face
o f h er on ly son , dead by his own h an d A h , n ot th e wate rs o f
Wie sbaden , but of Le th e,on e would ofier , we re it possible , to
th ose sor e ly-tried women .
SUSAN G A VA N Da r n .
646 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
A n d, if h e sl e epWh e n all th e pr each ing
’s o
’
e r
And yonde r go lden doo r'
Un close th for th e sacram en ta l blessing ,Th e Saviour Will approve ,A nd with
'
a special l ove
Will whispe r softly with m o st swe e t caressing .
DAVID a s .
JOHN PIU'
s LEAHY ,
BISHOP o r Daomo as .
IN th e le tter given last mon th Dr . Cullen (n ot ye t Cardinal) thre wupon some o n e e lse th e blam e of havin g brought Dr . Leahyin to th e pe ril of be in g made bishop. Th e guilty party do es n o t
se em to have be en Dr . Cull en’s succe sso r in th e Se e of A rmagh ,
wh ose fun e ral se rmon Dr . Leahy was afterwards to preach—th e
h oly, amiable , and learn ed Dr . Jo seph Dixon .
Drogheda , l 6th May, 1 854 .
M! Du n Fu m Lam ,
I am very so rry to pem eive from your le tter your distress at th e report wh ioh
h as go t abro ad . If I sh ould h ave th e pleasure of me etin g you at any time , I sha ll
le t you kn ow th e wh o le histo ry of th e matte r as far as I em acqua in ted with it. It
will be a co nso la tion to you to kn ow tha t I have rece ived n o omcial accoun twha te ver o f your appo in tme n t . Wh ateve r I said in Drogh eda was based upo n
rumours coming from membe rs of your Order . If any more certain statemen t from
Rom e sh ould reach m e , all I can say is that I sha ll be re ady, in con jun ction wi th
Dr . Culle n , at any stage o f th e afla ir , to submit a full and fair statem en t o f th e
diflicultise wh ich de ter you to th e Sacred Co ng rega tion .
I remain , my dear Fath er Leahy,
as Josura DIXON .
Whate ver opposition th e humble Dominican attempted provedh appily un successful, for in thr e e mon ths he r ece ived th e
fo ll owing le tte r from th e ven erable pre late to whose assistance h e
was summon ed
J01m P ius L eahy, 0 .P. 647
Vio le t Hi ll , Newry, A ugust 29th , 1 854Mr Du n.L o an ,
A bout te n days ago , wh en pre paring for th e an n ual re tr eat o f my cle rgy, I
r ece ived a le tte r from th e Cardin a l Pre fect o f Propaganda , statin g tha t o n accoun t
o f high re commenda tions which His Ho lin e ss h ad r ece ived of your lordsh ip’s
supe r io r me r its an d th e many emin e n t qualities by wh ich you a re distin guish ed ,
His Ho lin e ss h as by h is de cre e co nstituted you Co adjuto r Bish op of this Dio cese o f
Drom o re .
Ou ye ste rday I re ce ived a le tte r from th e Prim ate at all Ire la nd, dated th e
27th in st . statin g th at o n th e pre cedin g day th e briefs fo r your con secratio n h ad
re ach ed him , an d tha t h e h ad sig n ified th e ir rece ipt to your lo rdship ; an d on this
mo rn in g I was h o n oured with your le tt e r , da ted th e 27th inst. expressin g wha t I
most sin ce re ly be lieve to be th e g en uin e fe e lin g o f your go od h e art , your h eavyaffliction tha t such an appo in tm en t h ad fa lle n upon you, and your de ep sen se o f th e
awful r espon sibili ty o f th e episcopal o tfice .
I will n o t, th er efore , con gratula te you on an e ve n t wh ich I am fully awar e
must co nve rt your l ife in to on e o f m o st pa inful car es and so licitude s ; but I can n o tbut fe e l joy within myse lf th at G od ha s be en so me rciful to m e
, a poo r , o ld, infirm ,
and wo rn -out bish op, a s to se nd m e a Co adjuto r full of z ea l and talen t and kn ow
ledg e an d ch ar ity such as your ch aracte r be speaks ; and th e only re g re t I fe e l is,th a t in po in t o f wo rldly com fo rt an d wo rldly m e ans , I fear you will make a bad
exchan g e . But as fo r my part , I will e nde avour to remo ve , as we ll as I can , all
cause s o f complain t .
Your sugge stion of havin g th e ce r emo ny of consecration pe rformed in th e
ch ape l wh e re you have so lo ng min iste re d, an d in pre se n ce o f th e larg e circle o f
your o ld attach e d fri e nds , is so re asonable an d just tha t I can n o t but approve of it.
Th e fe eble and de crepid sta te of my limbs will preve n t m e from havin g th e
g ra tificatio n of assistin g at i t . But a s it is probable you will e ndeavour to have it
pe r fo rm ed by our ve n e rable Primate , that circumstan ce will stamp it as
complim en tary to th e provin ce o f Ulste r .
Hopin g th at I sha ll so o n h ave th e h appin e ss o f se e in g you h e re an d th e ben efitof your assistance ,
I h ave th e h on our to be ,
Most re sfiectful ly and aflectionate ly,
My dear Lo rd ,Your Lo rdsh ip’
s devo ted servant ,
M . Bu n .
Th e Righ t Re v. Dr . Le ahy, &o ., &c.
Fin ally th e day of his con se cration was fixed by th e fo llowing
A rmagh 3rd Septembe r , 1 854 .
Mr Dm Loan ,
I re ce ived a no te from Dr . Cullen by th e same po st which con veyed your
Lo rdsh ip’s. Conside r ing th e views expressed in bo th , I be lieve I must , wi th th e
h e lp o f G od , undertake to conse crate you myse lf. I take it fo r a fixed th ing tha t
R o sary Sunday, please G o d, will be th e day. Excuse haste , and be lieve me to
r emain , my'
dear Lo rd, always wi th sincerest esteem and regard ,
Yours fai thfully,75JOSBPH D ixon .
Righ t Rev. Dr . Leahy, «ya go)
648 The Ir ish Month ly.
Be twe en th e date s of th o se last two lette rs a Mayn ooth stude n t
be longing to Dromore tr ied to be th e first of his diocese to pay h is
re spe cts in pe rson to th e n ew Bish op. He had spen t th e last daysof th e summ er vacation in biddin g go od
-bye to a siste r wh o was
leaving h er convent-h ome n ear th e Old Head o f Kin sale to found
an oth e r n ear th e far distan t G olde n G ates, wh ere sh e has lived
e ve r since th e happy and useful life of a Sister of Me rcy. Th e
Dromore stude n t, passin g through Cork , ve ntured to kn ock at th e
do o r of St . Mary’s Priory, which stands on th e banks o f th e L ee
within th e sound of Shandon Bells ; but his ambition was do omed
to disappo in tmen t—Dr . Leahy was n ot at h ome to rece ive in
person th e h omage which is n ow lovingly ten dered to his m emo ry
by th e same h eart n e arly fo rty years olde r .
A mong Dr . Leahy’s pape rs h ave be en found some le tte rs
addressed to him by th e gr eat English convert wh o is at pre se n t
Newman’s lite rary executo r , wh o kn ows wh at a precious serie s o f
his le tte rs I l ate ly resign ed to his ke eping , would, I am sure , allow
me to m ake use of th e foll owing le tte rs,which were n ot th en in myhands, and which would be o f n o service to th e Cardin a l
’s
biograph e r , except th e last ,which was, of course , on e of many
le ave -takings of Ire land . His correspondence with Dr . Leahybe gan wh e n th ey we re bo th simple priests
Cath o lic Un ive rsity House , Steph en’s G r e en , Dublin ,
Jun e 28th , 1 864.
Mr Dm n Fa . Lam ,
Will you ldn dly all ow me to put down your name as on e of our Un iversityPreach e rs?We sh all n o t as]: mo re of you th an on e sermon a year ; and our ga in
wi ll ve ry far exce ed your trouble .
No t fo rge ttin g th e plan an t g lim pse I had o f you at Co rk last February,
I um , my dea r Fr . Le ahy,
Very truly yours in Xt
The Very Rev. .Dr . Leahy.
Th e fo llowing le tte r is give n partly because it begins with th e
n ame o f th e Rev. John Brennan ofWarrenpoint, whom a few o f
our r eaders remember affectio n ate ly, though he is so long dead that
h is succe ssor , th e gen ial and pious Fath er Eugen e M‘Mullen , has
m eanwh 119 had tim e to fulfil a long and z ealous pastorate and to
di e some ye ars ago ,—himse lf succeeded by th e Rev. He nry
650 The Im h Month ly.
preach ers. Th ere fore , will you le t me propose to you to preach for us th e ordina ry
Sunday Se rmon , e ith e r on Jun e 1 , 3rd after Pen te co st, or Jun e 1 sth , 6th afte r
Pen te cost , .o r 29th , St. Pe te r and St. Paul 1’
Excuse me for tr oubling you, and be lie ve m e to be
J0 1 1 3 H. Nam ,
Of th e Ora to ry .
Th e Righ t Re v. Dr . Leahy.
But, in spite of th e sh ort n otice , our go od Bish op co nse nted to
r e lie ve Dr . Newman in his embarrassmen t, as we se e from th e
fo llowing le tte r6 Harcourt -stre e t,
‘
A pr il 1 8 , 1 856 .
Mr Dm L o an ,
Th e on ly drawback on th e gr eat de ligh t with wh ich I re ad your k in d le tte r 6:
ye ste rday evenin g was th e fear I had e ncroach ed upon your go odn e ss ; but th i s
fe e lin g , as youmay un de rstand, did but in crease my g ratitude to you.
I am very sorry in any way to h ave in con ven ienced you. A ll I kn ow is tha t
your L ordsh ip is g o in g to do a r ea l se rvice to th e Un ive rsity.
It seems to m e as if it would h ave bee n obse rved an d commen te d on if we h ad
n o t had a Bish op to pr each a t our Ope ning , th oug h I kn ow it would have be e n
un re aso nable , be cause th ey h ave plen ty to do , I suspe ct, in th e ir own sph e re s o f
ac tion . I h ave asked a numbe r of th em before n ow to assist n a wi th th e ir prese n ce
i n th e Un iversi ty pulpit, and (except Dr . Mo ria rty) th e ir duti es have n o t all owedth em .
It is a fur th er kindn ess in you tha t you have a llowed me to be so un cer emon ious
a s to ask your pre sence h e r e at so sh o rt a n o tice .
A s to th e subject o f th e se rm on , 1 know we ll th at wh ateve r comes fr om your
L o rdsh ip will be listen ed to wi th de ep atten tion and reve re n ce , and will do go od .
A n d I assur e you, if you pr each simply o n th e A sce n sion , an d on ly a llude in a few
wo rds to th e occasio n of your be ing th e re , it will be quite enough . Y ou are h eld in
to o much afie ctio na te vene ration h e re for us to require mo re th an to see you and
A s you are so kin d as to com e at th e ope nin g , I will n o t ask -fo r your
a ssistance at any o th e r tim e .
I um , my dear Lo rd,Your most sincere se rvan t in Xt,
Jom t H. NEWMAN ,
Of th e Ora tory.
Th e Righ t Rev . Dr . Leahy.
Just o n e year later Dr . Newman wr ite s to an n oun ce his
r e sign ation of th e po st of Re ctor . He speaks already of hi s
con side rable age , an d of his de sire to e stablish his Con gregation o f
th e Orato ry secur e ly at Birmi ngham . That was thi rty-thre e
years ago ; an d ye t it is on ly wh il e th e se pages ar e be in g se n t to
th e prin te r , in th e first we ek of November , 1 890,sthat Cardina l
Newman’s first succe ssor as Supe rior of th e Oratory at Edgbaston
John Pius L eahy, 0 .P . 51
h as bee n e lected in the person of Fath e r Ignatius Ryde r , wh ose
n ame (o fte n cut down to th e in itial o f his fir st n ame ) h as h appilybe en familiar to th e r eade rs of this Magaz in e
Dublin , A pr il 2 , 1 857.Mr Dun n L ORD ,
I fe ar you will think it but a poo r r eturn to you for your unvar iable kindness
to me if I wr ite to an n ounce my appro ach in g resigna tio n of th e Rectorship o f th e
I h ave mo re reasons fo r th is step th an it is ea sy to e nume ra te o n paper . Myage is n ow con side rable ; my co n tempo rar ie s are dyin g o r failin g around me ; I
can n o t tell wha t tim e is le ft to m e fo r any wo rk ; and I do n o t like th e pro spe ct o f
be in g take n away with out h avin g g ive n my la st ye ars to my co ng r egatio n a t
Birmin gham . Th ese are som e o f th e co n side ra tio ns wh ich I trust will justify m eyour Lordsh ip’
s eyes fo r th e step I am takin g .
I'
propose to r e sign in Novembe r n e xt, wh en I sha ll h ave g iven more than six
years to th e wo rk of th e Un ive rsity, th ough fo r o nly ha lf o f th em I have had any
This space of time is equal , in pre ciousn ess to myse lf, to twice th e numbe r o f
years to a young er m an .
I sha ll n ow en te rta in a grateful se n se of th e co nfiden ce wi th which you h ave
h on our ed me , an d th e suppo rt you have g ive n m e , and beggin g your L o rdsh ip’s
I am, my dea r L o rd ,
Your faithful and o bedi e n t servan t in I t ,J0 1 1 1 : H Nswxw
Of th e Or ato ry.
The Righ t Rev. the Coadj utor B ish op of D r omor e .
Th e Orato ry, Birm in gh am ,
A pril 1 6 , 1 857.
Mr Du n Loan ,I kn ew pe rfectly well h ow kind an answe r I sh ould g e t from you ; but tha t
n eith e r dimin ish ed my pain in wr iting to you, n or dimin ish e s my g ratitude n ow fo r
wh at you h ave wr itten .
G ladly would I do fo r th e Unive rsity an ythi ng which really was in my
powe r , but I ough t ra th er to re tur n th anks that I h ave be en allowed to do
anythin g fo r it , th an wonde r th atwha t I can do sh ould find its natural limi t .
I am gre atly conso led by your assurance tha t you will n o t fo rg et me in your
go od prayers, an d beggi n g your Lo rdsh ip’
s ble ssin g ,I am , my dea r L o rd ,
Your fa ith ful an d o bedien t ser van t in I t.
Jour: 1 1 . KM ,
Of the Ora to ry.
Th e R igh t RM . Th e Il i sh oy Coadj uto r of D r omor e .
We have allowed this se rie s of le tte rs to carry our little
n arrative beyond th e po int it had re ach ed . Dr . William Maz ie re
Brady, in h is very learn ed work The Episcopa l Succession in
Eng la nd, Scotla nd and Ir e land, 1 400 give s some minute
652 Th e Ir ish Mwatldy
date s con n ected with Dr . Le ahy’
s episcopal con se cration wh ich no
on e e lse could furnish . Th e re ade r wh o may be able to co nsult
thiswo rk iswarn ed that th e re ar e two passages about our Pre late . He
is refe rred to at page 305of th e fir st vo lume , and much mor e fullyat pag e 365 of volume secon d. He was n ominated co adjuto r toDr . Michae l Blak e , Bish op of Dromo re , on th e 27th o f March
,
1 854 ; th e n , afte r all the oppo sition th at h e could make to it, th is
n om in ation was approved by th e Pope (Pius IX .) on th e 2nd o f
July, an d decr e ed on th e 7th . Fin ally, on th e l oth o f July, h e
was officially appo inted Bishop o f A ulon in pa r te’
bus l'
h firle lz'
mn, and
Coadjutor to th e Bish op o f Drom o re , with righ t of succe ssio n ;
but th e Brie f embodying th e se appo in tm en ts was dated th e 1 4th o f
July.
‘
Th e con secration of th e Bish op o f A ulon took place in th e
Cork Chur ch of th e Domin ican Fath e rs, Octobe r l st, 1 854. Th e
corresponden ce alr eady given has info rmed us th at th e con se crating
pre late was Dr . Joseph Dixon , A r chbish op of A rmagh . He was
assisted by Dr . De lany, Bish op of Co rk , and Dr . Kildufi,Bish op
of A rdagh , in th e pre sen ce o f A rchbish op Cullen , afte rwards
Cardin al , an d Dr . M‘G e ttigan ,afte rwards Primate . Th e Bish ops
o f Ro ss and Cloyn e wer e al so pre se n t, with th e Coadjuto r Bish opo f Ke rry, Dr . D avid Mor iarty .
Th e fir st day of Octobe r was ch ose n for th e sacr ed ce r emo ny
because it was in th at year Ro sary Sunday. No m ore appropriate
date coul d have bee n se lected for th is e ve nt in th e.
ho ly man’
s life ;
fo r th e Ro sary was th e devotio n‘
o f h is predilection for th e sak e
both o f its origin and its obje ct. Some years previously Fath e r
Le ahy h ad publish ed a devout tre atise on th e Rosary, fr om wh ich
an extr act is give n in th e Lite rary Classbo ok of th e Ch r istian
Bro th ers. Dr . Maz ier e Brady, in th e wo rk that we h ave r e fe rr ed
to , state s th at our Bish op was th e auth or also of several publish ed
Pastorals and Sermons, som e article s in Magaz in es, an d an article
in The Dublin Review. He se ems to h ave be e n supplied with th e se
a Is n o t Dr . Brady in erro r in sayin g tha t th e consecration to
'
o k place in St.
Mary’s Ca th edra l , Co rk?St . Ma ry
’
s is th e Domi n ican Ch urch o n Pope’s Quay .
We may m en tion h e re out of th e prope r place th a t, accordin g to Dr . Brady, D r .
Leahy’s brie f o f appo in tmen t to th e bish opric o f Dromo re , upo n D r . Blake
's
re sig n atio n six ye ars la te r , was date d February 29, 1 860 but be fore its arr ival th e
fo rm e r bri e f h ad take n efiect , Dr . Blake havin g expired in th e n igh t be twe en th e
7th an d 8th o f March . With such mi nute n ess ar e such even ts reco rded in th e
Rom an a rchi ves.
654 The Ir ish Mon th ly.
accompan ies it. But , wi th regard to th e praises wh ich in your kindn ess you la vish
on me , I h ope , through th e me rcy o f G od, tha t I am n o t vain en ough to imag in e I
accomplish ed since I cam e to th is dioce se , but tha t was m ere ly a co in cide nce o f
tin e . Th e me r it of th o se works be lon gs n o t to me , but to you and to th e warm
h ear ted and re ligious people wh o h e lped you fr om th e ir purse , an d profited byyour
instructi ons . Th e sole credi t which I can justly claim is tha t I en courag ed you in
Y ou h ave men tion ed th e fre quen cy and mann er o f my discourses. I sh all n o t
deny th at I have endeavoured to preach , wi th be comin g assiduity, the sublime an d
savin g truth s of r e ligion , in simple words, in te lligible to all . But th is was o n ly th e
fulfilm en t o f an indispen sabl e duty wh ich I could n o t n eg lect with out in curring th e
an g e r of G od, an d th e re by th e awful pun ishmen t of an excruciatin g e te r n ity. T o
use th e in spir ed lan guage of th e A po stle St. Paul , If I preach th e G ospe l it is n o
glo ry to m e , fo r a n ecessity lie th upon me . For woe is un to m e if I pre ach n o t th e
G ospe l”(1
assure you th at my attendan ce a t th ose me e tin gs, far from subje ctin g m e to an y
wear isom e labour , was , on th e con tr ary, a source of pleasure an d edifica tion . Myoccupatio n th e re was scarce ly e ver more th an to liste n to eviden ces o f wisdom ,
pruden ce , z ed ,le arnin g , and mutua l re spect displayed by th e assembled pre la tes ,
and if , on som e rare occasion ,I imag in ed th at it migh t be useful to ofle r a
sug ge st ion , some o th er Bish op was sur e to rende r my in te rfe ren ce unn ecessary by
urg in g views, similar to min e , in language clea re r an d m o re oon vin cing than I
It is truly grati fyin g to learn th at my dem ean our towards you pe rson a lly h a s
been such as you would desire , and we r e fully en titled to expect . In de ed, itwould
have be en very strange ii , wh en a suitable occasion ofie red, I did n o t sh ow th e
respe ct and afiection I sin cer e ly fe e l towards th ose wh o have be e n ra ised to th e
exa lte d d1 3m ty o f th e Prie sth o o d, an d wh o spen d th e ir lives m labour ing fo r th e
salva ti o n o f m en th e ve ry purpose s for which our Divin e Re de eme r de vo te d
thir ty-th ree yea rs o f His mor tal existen ce , an d poured forth e ve ry drop o f His
h ear t’s blo od in shame and torture on th e cross o f Calvary.
Be loved brethr en , seven ty-se ven years of ag e , an d th e failin g en ergies of min d
and body, warn m e th a t th e tim e is rapidly approachin g wh en Imust render to an
all -se e in g G od a rigo r ous accoun t of my stewardsh ip. It will , th er efore , be adding
imm e asurably to th e favours con fe rred on me ii , by frequen t and ferve n t prayers ,
you obta in fo r me , th rough th e superabun dan t m erits of Ch r ist, and th e in te rcessio n
o f His ever - immacula te Moth e r , and o fHi s A n g e ls and Sain ts, a full remissio n fo r
th e inn um erable deficie ncies of my past life , as also th e powe rful grace swh ich wi ll
e nable m e to act th e part of a g ood an d fa ith ful servan t” dur in g th e sh or t tim e
th at still remain s to me .
A n d I earn estly implore th at, afte r I pass in to e tern ity, you will ch ar itab ly
remembe r m e at th e altar , wh en you will be ofie rin g th e most precious blo od
which wash es away th e sins of th e wo r ld. Tha t G od, wh o se lecte d you to be Hiscoadjuto rs m th e greatest of all Hisworks, may bestow on you th e brillian t re ward
promised to th o se wh o in struct m any un to salvation ,is , an d sh all be , th e arde n t
da ily praye r o f h im wh om you have so kindly and g en e rously addre ssed on th e
twe nty-fifth ann iversary of his co n se crati on .
”
John P ius L eahy, 0 .P. 655
But, though Dr . Leahy devoted himse lf h e art and soul to his
episcopal dutie s, h e was to th e e nd a true Domin ican . On ceh avin g to plead in his pre sen ce for some re ligious purpose in a
rural church of his dioce te , I, with much misgiving , attempted
som eth ing like a complim en t to his Lordship but I could on ly
ven ture to do so , I remember , by linking his n ame with certain
Domin ican name s that were sure , I kn ew, to sound swe etly i n his
e ars. I said th at th e great Order of Friars Preach e rs was de ar tothe clergy and people of Dromore , n ot so much for th e sake of St.
Domin ick himse lf and h is share in th e Rosary ; n or for
Fm A nge lico and all that h e had don e for Chr istian A rt ; n or even
for th e Era A ngelico of Chr istian Science , th e A nge lic Doctor ,
Th omas A quin as , Patron Saint and Prin ce of Th eo logian s ; n or
for Barth olomew de Las Casas, th e h e ro ic champion of th e slaves ;
n or (to com e n eare r to our own time ) for th e sake of th e Friar
Pr each er who had awaken ed Paris and France ; n or even for th e
sake of th e Ir ish Laoordair e wh o had made th e name o f Burke
illustrious for th e second tim e in the ann als of oratory ; fo r n on e of
all th ese , but for th e sake of th e Bish op whom th e Domin ican
Order had given to Dromore , and wh om Dromore would love and
reve re th e more with every ye ar th at h e was spared to h er .
He was spar ed to h er much lon ger than could th e n h ave be en
h oped. Dr . Leahy’s h e alth was n ever robust ; and what is sup
po sed to be th e chief support of bodily h ealth—food—h e always
parto ok o f very sparingly. Some Dromore prie st boasted of
h aving a bishop wh o could preach as e loquent a sermon , pray as
ferven t a praye r , te ll as good a story, and eat as bad a din n e r ; asany pr e late in Chr istendom . A s e arly as February 1 5th , 1 857 ,Dr . Leahy wrote to Mrs. O
’Con n or , th e first Supe rior of the Siste rs
of Me rcy in Newry : I wan t your prayers far more for th e h ealth
of my soul than of my body. I thin k it like ly en ough that I have
n ot long to live , and many warn in gs sh ow me th at I ough t to be
directing all my atte n tion to th e gre at change .
”Y et h e had th e n
mor e th an thirty years still to wait on earth . How so frail a bodywas maintain ed so long on such meagre fare was a myste ry.
A l lusion has just be en made to Dr .Le ahy’s skill as a raeonteur .
He was full of minute and accurate in formation o n a vast number
of subj ects in very difleren t spheres of kn owledge . In th e matte r
o f in teresting an ecdotes, we ll narrated, h e could in his own grave
way riva l two bish ops to whom h e was in many re spects a con trast
656 The Ir ish Month ly.
—Dr . William De lan ey, o f Cork , and Dr . G e orge Butl e r , of
The ven erable o ld man was a few years ago r e lie ved of all th e
re spon sibilitie s of his positio n by th e appo in tmen t o f h is coadjuto r ,Dr . Thomas McG ive rn ,
th e pre se n t Bish 0p of Dromo re . He spe n t
th e r est of h is days in re tirem e n t at h is r e side nce ,Viole t Hill , n e arNewry, pr epar ing fo r th e gr e at ch ange which was in hi s
th oughts mor e than th irty ye ar s befor e . In th e se last ye ars h is
chief earth ly support was th e te nde r filial care o f th e Rev. He n ry
O’
N9 1 11 wh o h ad lived with h im thr ough th e wh ole te rm of his
prie stly life , and i n wh om h e placed th e fulle st an d most affe ction ate
trust . So h e quie tly prayed an d waite d, showin g h is sain tly an d
amiable n atur e to th e last. A n d th e n ,at last
,afte r almo st to o
lo ng a warn in g , th e gr e at ch an ge cam e .
A t th e n ext m e e tin g of th e N ewry Town Comm ission e rs, o n e
of th em (a Pr ote stan t) moved th e adjournment of th e proce edi n g sas a tr ibute of re spect to th e de ce ased Bishop, saying th at h e h ad
kn own Dr . Le ahy for a co n side rable numbe r of ye ars, and h e could
safe ly say th at h e h ad n e ver kn own a m or e Chr istian gen tleman .
His h o ly remain s were laid to re st in that buryin g-
ground wh ich
we have spoke n of som ewh e r e in th e cour se of th is ske tch as lyin gr oun d th e Old Ch ape l .
” May his soul, an d th e souls of all th e
faithful departed, th rough th e m e rcy o f G od, r est in peace an d in
th e sur e hope of a h appy r esurr e ction . Would th at fo r a ll of n a
th at h ope we r e as sur e as it is for John Pius Leahy, of th e Orde rof Pre ach e rs, Bishop of Dr omore .
LITTLE WHITE ROSE.
l TTLE wh ite r o se th a t I loved, I love d,
R aisin ban,Raisin ba n
Fa ir my bud as th e mo r n ing’s dawn .
I kissed my be autiful flowe r to blo om ,
My h e ar t g r ew glad fo r its r ich pe rfume
Little wh ite ro se th at I lo ve d.
A s our type foun de r h as n o t supplied uswith Ce ltic characters,we may explain
th a t th e se wo rds migh t be spe lled ph on e tica lly r oskeen bacon , and th at th e two o th e r
e pith e ts applied to th e Wh i te Ro se rh ym e e ach wi th th e succe edin g 1in e .—
.Ed. I . l l .
658 The Ir ish Month ly.
A nd Captain Harris replied : Y es, fr om th e mon th lymagaz in es.
A nd to th e furth e r que stion , Wh at magaz in e s h e answered
Th e Ir ish Mon th ly and th e Catho lic Wor ld ar e of a very advan ced
Fe n ia n type .
”Th e ch airman th en in te rposed with th e que ry :
A re th ey taken in h ere P Y es, th ey were taken in longbefo r e th e movemen t took its pre sent fo rm .
”
Th ere were thirty-five th ousand chan ces to on e that The If ish
Mon th ly would n eve r come to kn ow th e kind opin ion tha t Captain
Harris thus expre ssed con cerning its political views. Oi th e
th ousands and th ousands of Blue Books th is is th e only on e we
have e ver purch ased ; and th e reve nue ofHer Maje sty’s Station ery
Office would n ot have be e n swo llen by Is. 1 0d.
‘if a Southampton
subs01 i ber had n o t happe n ed to n otice th e above que stion s an d
answers, and if h e had n ot kindly take n th e tr ouble to brin g th em
un der th e n otice of th e Edito r . A s th e Report had be en made to
th e Secre tary of State for th e Home Departmen t, th e Editor fir st
dr ew his atten tion to th e matte r , and was favoured with th e
fo llowin g communi cation
7th July, 1 890 .
With re ference to your le tter o f th e 6th ultimo , I am dire cted by th e Se cre tary
of Sta te to acqua in t you th at h e has made e nquiry in to th e matte r , and de sire s m e
to express his reg ret tha t th e G o vern o r o f He r Majesty’s Con vi ct Prison , Ch ath am ,
sh ould appe ar in th e prin ted repo rt of th e eviden ce taken at th e recen t enquiry at th a tprison to h ave misrepre se n ted th e ch aracte r o f th e Ir ish Mon thly.
”I am to
expla in th at , owing to th e de sire wh ich was fe lt to br ing out th e repo rt with as
little de lay as po ssible , th e usual Oppo rtun ity was n ot g ive n to th e wi tn esses o f
correctin g th e pro o f of th e ir e vidence be fo re publica ti on ; and th e G o verno r says
that hi s answer , N0 . is inco rre ctly r epo rted , and tha t it wa s n ot Th e Ir ish
Mon th ly”but an o th er journ al whi ch was de scr ibed as be ing o f a ve ry advance d
Feni an type .
”
I am Sir
Your obedie n t Se rvan t ,G o nmu n
' Lusm o'mx.
80 Captain Harr is’s an swe r was in correctly reported. I
wonde r h ow it would h ave run if it h ad be en correctly repo rted .
It would be h ard to con je cture what oth er magaz in e was re allyh on our ed with th e G o ve rn or
’s criticism . Th ere is n on e of a
similar n am e o r n atur e . Our Magaz in e , we fe ar , is n o t of such
wor ld-wide fame th at a blun dering reporter would substitute it fo r
anoth e r . A nd we are co nfirm ed in our misgivings about th is
official explan ation by th e fact that th e Home Secretary himself,
To Sister Mary Beh ignue . 659
when question ed late r on the subject in th e House of Common s,
gave a diffe ren t explanatio n on th e same auth ority. Mr . D
Cr illy, M.P.,just before th e ,House broke up for th e . summe r
vacatio n , asked Mr . Matth ews if his‘atten tion h ad be en ca lled to
th e statement of th e G ove rn or of Ch ath am Pr ison , de scribingTHE IR ISH MONTHLY as be ing of a very advan ced Fen ian type ,
alth ough in an existe nce of e ighte en ye ars it h ad n eve r propoundedany political views of e ve n th e milde st kin d. This time th e HomeSecre tary laid th e blame
'
ou'th e pun ctuation , which ought, it
se ems,‘
to h ays confin ed th is charge to th e last of th e two
magaz in es. We ar e n o t sure th at our transatlan tic con temporary
will be con te n t to be thus characte rised ; but our own concern is
to say th at this second explan ation is more lam e th an th e first,
an d tha t it would have bee n more credible and m ore cr editable if
Captain Ve rn on Harri s could have conde scen ded to confe ss his
mistake an d to apologise for it. But h ow could so h igh an official
be expected to plead guil ty to th e crim e o f having passed a rash
judgmen t on THE Im sn MONTHLY
TO SISTER MA RY BENIG NUS.
(Wr itte n for th e Ch ildre n at th e Con ven t , G o lde nbridge , Dublin , fo r th e Fe ast of
Be nignus, November 9th ,
Y N an ny’s str eam , as o n ce St . Patr ick sl ept ,
A fa ir ch ild ga th e r ed, till h is arms we r e wide ,
Th e fr agran t flowe r s, and to th e sle epe r’s side
Ou tipto e ste al in g , wh e r e th e willows k ept
Co o l sh adows, in love’s te n de r ways adept ,
Str ewed o’e r h is bo som all th e m eadow
’s pride
Th e dr e ame r dr e amt th e an g e l of th e tide
Kisse d h im , as onward with th e wave h e swept .
It was th e boy Be nignus. He,fo r us
A n d al l our coun try’s ch ildr e n , o ffe rin g
Th at flowe ry tr ibute to a sa in tly fam e ,
Made us till n ow h is debto rs th e r e fo r e , thus,
To pay th at o lden debt, th e se flowe rs we br in gTo th e e , th e h e ir e ss of hi s g en tle n am e .
JOHN Fi r z r a 'm rcx, O .M . l .
NOTES‘
ON NEW BOOKS.
1 . Wh ispe r ! By Fran ce s Wyn n e (London : Kegan Paul ,
Tr e n ch , Tr iibn er and Co .) is n o t,a s o n e migh t guess fr om its n am e , a
ple asan t ta le in pro se , but a n exce edin gly graceful a nd attr active
co ll e ctio n o f lyr ics. It is a small bo ok , and n on e of th e pieces fil l
m o r e th an a pag e o r two ; and so much th e be tte r . W e ar e so r ry
th a t th e r em ark h as so much th e appe aran ce o f a pun , but we ca n
thin k o f n o o th er epith e t mo r e appropriate fo r Mi ssWyn n e’s muse
than Winsome an d winn ing . With a ll h e r musical ligh tn e ss o f to uch
th e r e is de ep fe el in g in many o f th e se da in ty po ems. Seve ral o f th em
h ave appe ar ed in Longman’e Mayan
'
m, unde r th e auspices of th e
fastidious an d cr itical Mr . A n dr ew Lan g , A t th e Sign o f th e Sh ip.
”
Oth e rs of th em will h ave a famili ar so un d fo r our own r e ade rs . ‘Ve
ar e safe in predicting fo r th e de licious little tome a popular ity tha t
fa lls to th e lo t o f few bo oks of ve rse . We sh all care ful ly tak e n o te
o f th e ve rdict passed by th e Saxo n an d Ame rican critics o n thi s
youn g e st and fr e sh e st of our Ir ish posts .
2 . If thi s Whi spe r h ad n o t r each ed us at th e last mom e n t ,
o ur fir st wo rd o i.
we lcome would h ave be en fo r an o th e r ve ry e legan t
vo lum e o f ve rse which h as h ad to tr ave l much furth er in o rde r to
r e a ch our san ctum . We h ave m o re th an o nce g ive n our m e e d o f
pra ise to th e exce llen t wo rk don e bo th in pro se and ve r se by Mr s .
Blake , o f Bo ston . He r n ewe st title -pag e is Ve rses alo ng th e Way.
By Ma ry .Eliz abe th Blak e , auth o r o f Po ems,’
On th e Win g ,’
Ramblin g Mexico ,’A Summ e r Ho li day in Eur ope ; an d
e ven this Io n g e nume ration e nds with e tc.
” Th e emin en t
publish e rs. Hough ton , Mifflin an d Company, o f Bo sto n and New
Yo rk , h ave brough t out th e vo lume in acco rdan ce wi th th e be st
con tempo rar y can on s o f aesth e tic e le gan ce . It is quite a la rg e bo ok
o f som e 1 70 pag e s. con ta in in g , be side s th e po ems al o n g th e way,
son n e ts an d epigrams, po ems“ in l igh te r mo od, an d po ems about
.chi ldr e n ,with a few transla tion s from Mexican po e ts by whi ch last
we ar e n o t much impr essed, we con fe ss . Mrs. Blake’s br igh t lyr ical
facu]ty com e s be st in to play wh e n sh e draws h e r inspira ti on from h e r
Ir ish h e a r t, o r wh en childh o od is h e r th eme . This n ew vo lume
co n ta in s some o f h e r be st an d m o st a ttractive wo rk . Th e land of h e r
bir th an d th e lan d of h er adoptio n must both fe e l proud o f h e r .
3 . To emph asise th e ir impo r tan ce by con trast, le t us nam e , afte r
th e se two bo oks o f ve rse , th e two large vo lum es which form th e n ew
e ditio n at th e The oloyt'
a Horatio o f Fa th e r Lehmkuhl, SI . Thi s is th e
662 Th e Ir te h’
Mon th ly.
that it will be r ead with ple asur e by many e ve n wh o dislike ve rse .
A ttr active ly bo und and with a specially e ngraved po rtrait, it will be
sen t po st fr e e to subscribe rs for four shi llings.
8 . Miss Ella MacMah o n is far above th e ave rag e of tran sla to r s
from th e Fr e n ch . Sh e do e s n o t belong to th e translator -tr aito r class.
Th e late st additio n to h e r library of pious transla tions, publish ed byBenz ige r , is a fifth se ries o f th ose l ittle counse ls fo r th e san ctifica tio n
and h appin ess o f daily life wh ich h ave gain ed such vogue under th e
n am e o f G o lde n G rain s o r G o lde n”
Sands .
” We sh ould b e
cur ious to se e h ow pag e 1 50 run s in th e o r ig in al . Some Ir ish r eade r s
will be puz z le d h ow E . Z . r e ads lik e e asy,” fo r th ey will n o t be
aware th at th e last le tte r o f th e alph abe t, wh ich we call z ed, is see in
th e Un ited Sta te s. Th e sam e Publish ers, Ben z ig e r Bro th e rs, h av e
issued an o th e r devout little bo ok , On e and Th i r ty Days with
Ble ssed Margar e t Mary,”—n ame 1y, a mo n th
’s meditation s o n th e
virtues of tha t h oly Visitatio n Nun, translated from th e Fre nch by a
Baltim or e Nun of th e same Orde r .
9 . Blacki e and Son s, o f Londo n , G la sgow, Edinbur gh , an d
Dublin ,a re famous cate r e rs fo r yo un g pe ople in se arch of pr e tty
bo oks a t Ch r istmastide . On e of th e pre ttie st o f th e ir n ewe st batch i s
Tom in a Tan g le , an d o th e r Tal es,” by Miss
'
T.Sparrow, wh o h a s
some tim e s di sguised h erse lf a s Darcy Byrn . We le ave to h er youn gr e aders to decide wh e th e r th e sto ry th at is n amed o n th e title -
pag e is
n o t le ft beh in d in i n te r e st by Mo th er’s R ed Ro se o r
“ Dear Pussy,”
o r Wh at Willie fo un d unde r th e Tr e e s.
1 0 . Th e Ca th o lic Hom e Alman ac has re ach ed its e igh th year .
and is publish ed by th e firm we h ave n amed so o ften—Ben z ige rBro th e rs. It co n ta ins sto r ie s an d exce ll e n t biographical sk e tch eswith
pictur e s and por tr a its . But it h as fa lle n in to a cur ious blunder : i t
give s an accoun t o f Dr . McEvilly, A rchbish op o f Tuam , beg inn ing
with th e statem e n t th at h e di ed last January. It was th e A rch
bish op’s mo th e r wh o died th e n . Th e Cath o lic Family A nnua l fo r
1 89 1 (Cath o lic Pub licatio n Socie ty, New Yo rk ) is in its 23rd ye ar . It
con ta ins a vast va ri e ty o f use ful in fo rma tion with i llustra tio ns o f th at
exce ll en ce to which Am e rican e ngrave rs h ave accustomed us. Fin a lly,
coming h om e to our own side o f th e A tlan tic, we h ave r ece ived from
Burn s and Oa te s a n ew se rmon and an o ld le tte r . Th e se rmon is
Th e Obedie n ce of Faith ,”by Dr . Hedl ey, Bish op o f Newpo rt ; an d
th e l e tte r is th e famous o n e addr e ssed by Cardin al Mann ing many
years ago to Dr . Pusey, and e n titl e d Th e Wo rkin g . of th e Ho lySpir it in th e Church o f England .
”Bo th se em to be admirably suited
to co nvince th ose to wh om th ey are specially addr e ssed.
N otes on New Books . 663
1 1 . The Table t, in r e comme nding fo r use in sch o o ls Mr . Justice
O’Hagan
’s Chi ldr e n ’s Ba llad Ro sary,
”mak es th is practica l
sugge stio n :“ A s e ach ba llad occupies a separate le af in th e book , th e
fifte en myste rie s migh t be di str ibuted amon g as many childr en , with
promise o f th e e n tir e bo ok to th o se wh o succe ed in accur ate r e cita l
fr om m emo ry.
” We sh ould add to th is th at th e separation o f le ave s
sh ould tak e place in a pe n ny pape r-cove r ed copy
—ezpers'
men tumflat incorpora e i li—and th a t on e of th e pre tty fourpe nny copie s in blue
bin din g sh ould th e n be g iven a s a pri z e . We can n o t r efra in from
addin g h e r e th e th ough tful cr iticism passed o n Judg e O’Hagan
’
s little
book by a wr ite r in 7 71 9 Mon th fo r Novembe r
On e o f th e privileges o f th ose wh o take part in th e Christia n educa tion o f
little ch ildre n is th e oppo rtun i ty th ey h ave o f sto rin g th e ir ch ildish minds with
re ligious truths th at brin g fo r th g o od frui t in th e ir atter -life . Poems and ballads
afford a specia l m e ans o f te ach in g th em what th ey will n e ver fo rge t ; ve rse s le arn t
in childh o od ofte n remain fresh in th e memory till o ld ag e . A n y simple po e try
th at implan ts re lig ious ideas is th e re fore a boon to our little on e s, an d a versified
Ro sary ough t to be we lcom e to all , prie sts , Ch ri sti an Bro th ers, nun s engag ed in
in struction , sch oo lmistre sses , Sunday sch o o l teach ers, to say no th in g o f fath e rs and
mo th e rs wh o pre fe r h om e teachin g to do in g by proxy th e wo rk th at th ey can do
best of all wh e n circumstan ce s a llow. Mr . Justi ce O ’Hagan is a be n e factor to
ch ildren an d te ach e rs alike by The Ch i ldren’
s Ba llad Rosa ry, la te ly publish ed by th e
Cath ol ic Truth Socie ty. It is a work of art as we ll as o f pie ty. Un l ike most po em s
o f th e sor t , it n eve r flags, and it would be h ard to po in t out weak stan z as. It will
be a train in g in po e tical n arra tive as we ll as in pie ty to th o se wh o use it. Th e
me tr e is var ied in th e differe n t parts of th e Ro sary, and we obse rve that to th e .
So rrowful Myste ries is g iven th e specia l h on our of be ing double-rhymed .
JUD G E O ’ HA G A N .
O’Hagan
’s pe n , little dr e am ing th at it was n o t o nly th e la te st but th e
last—th at h e h ad laid down h is pe n fo r e ve r . We h ad h oped th a t,
after hi s r e tir eme n t from public l ife , h is h e alth would be suffici e n tlyr e stor ed to allow h im to work o n th r ough many ye ars in dive rs ways
fo r th e o bje cts th at we r e de ar to h is h e a rt, eve ryth in g tha t co nce rn edth e welfar e o f h is coun try, th e go od o f souls, and th e glo ry of G od.
But it was n o t to be . G od will ed th at h is death—which coul d n o t
h ave be e n unprovided, sin ce every ye ar of h is pe rfect Ch r istian life
provided fo r it—sh ould com e , if n o t with sudde nn e ss, ye t with out th e
wearin e ss o f wa itin g , and whi le h is mind in its full vigour could
c omplete th e preparation fo r th e gr eat ch an ge . Tho se wh o h ad th e
664 Th e Ir ish Mon th ly.
h appin e ss o f kn owin g him in life , a nd wh o kn ow h ow th e and foun d
h im , can say with th e simple st truth
He taugh t a s h ow to live , and (oh , too highTh e pr ice o f kn owledg e taugh t us h ow to die .
A nd sur e ly it was a g o o d o me n th at, as h is last pr o se was h i s
sympath e tic e ssay in 1 750 Contempor ary Review o n Th omas Davis as a
type o f Ir ish patr io ti sm . so h is last ve rse s we re Th e Childre n’s
Ba ll ad R o sary.
” Th e se we r e th e two strong e st impulse s of h i s
n ature—love o f faith an d fa th e rland, p rofile at putr id . Th is circum
stance h as be e n r ema rk ed bym any alr e ady. Fo r in stance , th e auth o r
o f “ Le sson s from our Lady’s Life says in a priva te n o te It is
n ice to thi nk tha t his last li te ra ry efio rt was in th e ca use o f our Lady.
He becam e lik e to a l ittle ch ild fo r h e r sake , and sh e wil l se cur e fo r
h im th e pr omised r eward.
”
Th e se few gra te ful wo rds, whi ch h ave o n lyb e en bro k e n ofi fr om o ur
bo ok -n o tes a t th e last mom e n t , must n o t a llude to such m e r e ly na tur a l
th ings as th e wo nde rful m en tal gifts and acquir eme n ts o f th e soul so
la te ly depa r ted . It is m o r e fitting to n o te th at in th e exe rcise o f
th em all h e se lected th em e s an d o bj e cts th a t ar e wo r thy o f be ingn amed even in th e imm edia te pr e se n ce o f th e maj e sty of de ath . Thus
hi s marve llous sk ill as a m e tr ical tran slato r was expended o n so so lemn
a lyric as th e Dies Ir ae a nd o n so pur e a n epic as The Song of Roland.
His spir it fe lt at h om e amo n g th e se lo fty th ough ts.
John Mitch e l quo tes som ewh e r e with approval som e o n e’s praye r
Sit am’
ma m a cum Bode llo Th o se wh o kn ew in timate ly this g re a t
Ca th o lic Ir ishman—a pr ivile g e fo r wh ich th ey th ank G od as fo r a
pr ecious grace—wo uld n o t h e sita te to br e ath e with humble e ar n est
n e ss a sim ilar praye r b e side thi s n ew grave in G lasn evin , fe e lin gconfiden t th at n ow in de ed is r e aliz ed th e fan cy of o n e of h is coll e agueswh o used to say th at h e n eve r con ve rsed with Judg e O
’Hagan
with out fe e ling th e impr e ssio n as o f a m an wh o lo ok ed h abi tua lly on
th e face o f G od . Ble ssed ar e th e cl e an of h e a rt, fo r th ey sh a ll se e
G od .
”
Th us, th e n , we clo se th e e igh te e n th vo lum e o f our Maga z in e—ia
wh ich o ur lo st fr ie n d to ok th e k inde st and m ost practica l in te r est from
th e first an d till th e last—by inscr ibing on thi s last page , with th e
de epe st g ra titude , love , an d r e ve re nce , th e n am e o f Jo a n O’Hs om .
Org'
as an ima in r efr iye l mm
Farewe ll ! Wh a te ’ e r th e future br ing sTo us—n o longe r by thy side
’Twill h e lp a s o n t o h igh e r th in gs
To th in k tha t th ou hast lived and die d.