Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1843-09-02
Father Mathew.

| lAntl-I>laVery Convention NccHthIt 'U'H
the report of the Express the following account
Of one of the glories and blessings OF the age
met n man who knew Father Mathew in
Cork, and who was temperate man and an
abolionst. He told me that Father Mathew
was a pastor of Catholic church in Cork. lie
appears to be good man. There was man
named William Martin residing in his neigh
borhood, who got him 10 read some Of the tenn
perance papers, and subsequently to take the
temperance pledge. He then commenced
preaching temperance and getting the members
Of his flock to take the pledge-which increas-
ed to other individuals and in a short time it
required all his time to administer the pledge |
He went to Limerick, a short distance from |
Cork for the purpose of administering the |
pledge, expecting to find about 800 people there, |
instead of which 10000 had collected, all
anxious to have the pledge administered to
them. Father Mathew was ovcrpowered with
the excess of his happy emotions. He said it
was the Lords doing, and there was no greater
proof oft than his having selected such an
humble individual as himself for the task. His
Bishop went TO him soon afterwards and re-
monstrated at his departing from the legitimate
course of his religious duties. lie said, don't
you know that the publicans in the country do
more to sustain our religion than any other.
"Yes," wns the reply ofFaher Mathew, 81 do
and know also that your brother is one of the
largest distlers in the country" Father
Mathew, aware that he would be the object OF
clerical censnre, and perhaps removal, wrote to
the Pope at Rome, and got commission sent
back to him as Vicar A Apostolic, which took him
out Of the hands ofthc Bishops in Great Britain
and ireland. The Pope said to him. "you look
to me and will look to you," so that we have
TO commend the Pope for one good thing at any
rate. Father Mathew now travels free whcr-
ever he chooses togo, us no one thinks Of charg-
ing him anything. lie has been charged with
parsmony in taking a shilling each for medals,
but he is not amenablc to the censure, as the
; amount is not more than the cost. lie is in
dependent as To pccuniary circumstances, as he
, enjoys G90O a year which he inherited from
? his father and which for single man, as from
his situation he necessarily is, furnishes an a.
= humdance for his support.
e | saw Father Mathew at Liverpool, and a
] little party was made up for him to dine will
! us. Dinner was waiting, but he would not
e come, because he said if he did, twelve hun
5 dred persons would goaway without taking the
I pledge We went mp to the Catholic Chape
'f and saw a number of men and boys crying on
= and selling Father Mathews's Temperate,
9 Sermon of the the last Sunday. On coming t
p where Father Mathew was, we found him ud
5 ministerng the pledge to sixty and hundre
Il persons at a time. His mode of doing so wa
10 make them kncel down and repeat tn
a to him as from the United States. He too
4, hold of both my hands, and said he was alWay
r glad to see any one from the United States, an
l. asked me as to Mr.. Dclcvan and others. |
c 1918 gave the first pledge in favor of Ten
ID perancc, bu, thought on this occasion might
A. well renew it, and applied to Father Matho
lc to that effect. He said he would administer
O. to me alone, and did so, at the same time givin
E. me his medal
The hair of Father Mathew is a little gre
VI He told me that he was about ii'1y-tuur years
IL age. He wears long suriout, which CON,
about half way between his knees and ankle
ne and od-fashionCd boots over his pantaloou
'lt He shakes hands with so many that his han'
y, and face usually show the effects of it. He
OK no way particular, kissing the faces of the Ii
or tie children which the mothers hold up TO hin
o. whether clean or dirty. He administers Il
ch pledge To large number at once. lie the
ot gives them what he calls the sign OF the eros
which is little dab on the forehead, and It
bis incredible how fas, he gets through with thci
nd completing probably thirty in a minute
asst request, | then addressed the peoPe-told the
in my maternal ancestors belonged to lrcan
in. IIurrah for Ireland, was the loud applause.
of then told them that il Father Mathew came
the New York, fifty thousand lrishmen would o
a. sembe with him in the Park to take the pledg
ly lIurrah for New York was the reply. a
IuI thus they continued greeting in good'hum'
osy ed manner what advanced.
-. WoMrN-It has been shrcwdly remarked
,uI some one, that there are four orders of won
,e,s the peacocks, with whom dress is ALT
in. magpicS, with whom chatter is all-the tar