The Sun.
London, England, 1844-11-01 00:00:00

SUBSCRIPTION FOR FATHER MATHEW.

A meeting of the Irish Total Abstinence Association
was held yesterday evening, iu the Arena, Abbey-street.
Mr. MAURICE O'CONNELL, M.P., addressed the meet-

,ng at some length. When (he said) the blessings which
resulted to the country from the labours of this great
and good man became so apparent that they could not be
denied by any one, a meeting of the great ones of the
laad was held for the purpose of erecting an enduring
testimonial to Father Mathew. This project he (Mr.
O'Connell) always considered a presumptuous and ab-
surd one, for Father Mathew's own virtues had already
raised to him a memorial which would endure as long as
ono particle of common sense, or of common gratitude
existed in the hearts of Irishmen. The undertaking,
however, such as it was, caused a great deal of noise at
the time ; but what was new found to be the fact ? It
now turned out that of all those exalted personages who
had sanctioned the proceeding, and talked se; much about
it at the time, not snore than one-twentieth Izirt had
paid their subscriptions.—(Cries of " Hear, hear.") So
much for the aristocracy ! He would answer for it, that
amongst the defaulters there was not to be found a single
Irish peasant, nor a single Irish tradesmen.--(Hear.)
It was the tradesman and the peasant classes of Ireland
who had derived the most benefit from the philanthropic
exertions of their great benefactor ; and now, that he
was unfortunately in pecuniary liabilities, which were
incurred by his devotion to their interests, temporal and
eternal, it behoved them to make some move with a view
to rescue him from his difficulties. It would be a foul
stain upon the Irish people—yea more, and upon human
nature generally—if such a man as Father Mithew were
to be permitted to suffer in his purse, his person, or his
peace of mind, for his glorious exertio is in favour of
humanity at large.--(Hear.) So nothing must at once
be done. Money must be procured, and that, too, in a
large sum, and by the accumulation of many items. The
contributions should be small ; no man's subscription
should exceed one pound, but the smallest offering—
even to a penny--should be accepted. They should go
systematically to work, and if they did success was cer-
tain. If every man in Ireland to whom Father Mathew's
philanthropic exertions bad been the cause of content-
ment and happiness were now to come forward and to
resolve upon giving him the value of one day's work, a
sum would be accumulated which 14 uuld not only extri-
cate him from hie present difficulties, but would make
him independent of all contingencies, and would afford
him the means of gratifying his natural benevolence of
disposition to his heart's content for the rest of his life.
--(Hear, hear, and loud cheers.) The Hon. and Learned
Gentleman concluded, amid loud cheers, by reading the
resolution proposed by Dr. Gray.
The motion was put from the chair and carried una-
nimously.
Mr. MAURICE O'CONNELL moved a resolution to the
following effect:—
" Resoved—That every:individual teelotaller pre,ent
do pledge him or herself to devote one day's wanes, is
his or her contribution to :the fund for the relief of
Father Mathew, and do urge the same upon every tee-
topljer of tua Qr her Acquaintime."--(Lcmd cheers.)