The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-06-30
RECoLLECTIoNs OF IRELAND
CHAPTER TX.
BY SLOW AMIE.

- - II
BY SLOW JAMIE.
CHAPTER TX
Religion-Synod of Ulster, Associate Presby
terians Seceders, and Reformed Pres6y-
teriaas or CdmerOnidn COrenanters.
The revolution of 1858 brought on another
terrible time for Ireland. 1t is said that Peden
come that man might travel forty miles in
Ireland, without seeing a reeking house, or
hearing a cock crow. If he said so, it was no
evidence of a prophetic spirit. To men of less
sagacity than he, the signs of the times were
ominous. In the three kingdoms, misgoyern
ment reached the climax. 1t was worst in Ire
land, and there it produced the bitterest fruits.
The down-trodden Aborigines, taking advan
tage of the CONFUSION in the political world,
arose to revenge some real and many imaginary
wrongs. AS might be expected, they made ht-
tie discrimination between the innocent and
the guilty. All foreigners were TO them in
truders, and oppressors. For three fearful years,
the demon of war revealed unrestrained in the
island, till the plains Of Boyne were left without
cow to Craze in their rich pastures, and the
fields of Ulster, once yellow with grain, were
grown up with brars. Dogs, running wild,
Toasted on the slain, and infested the roads, till
it was dangerous to travel alone.
| The moral desolation was even more lament
able than the physical. The Gospel seed, sown
in many a hopeful field had begun to bloom,
but now it was trodden down as by the camels
of indian Some fell in battle, or famished by
| the wayside. Some, cooped up within the walls
, of Londonderry, contracted the bitter spirit OF
war; so unfriendly to the meeknes' of religion.
And others, serving along with the mercenaries
of William, learned that reckless profanity so
common in the tented field. 1t is asserted by
the Celtic historians aud English writer's do
not deny it, that the troops sent to Ireland by
| William, whether under Schomberg or Gin
KEEL, possessed scarcely virtue, except valor.
Drunkenness, marauding, and offences against
female honor, were of daily occurrence.
The depopulated districts of Ulster were
again filed up by emigrants from Scotland
and England with sprinkling from Holland.
A few of these were sober, religious people, at
tracted thither by what they had heard of the
Green Isle from the travelling preachers, but
the majority Of them were little better than their
predecessors. To all appearance, North Ire
land was set back half century in her spritu
al condition. In reality, it was not so. When
the wheat field has been repeatedly nipped with
n severe frost, it appears i'll spring to be Ell
tirely Dead but, under genial rain and revi
wing sun, it is clothed with living green.
"rhe kindly spring came sotiy on,
| And showers hey an 10 fall;
| John Barley corn got up his head,
| And surprised them all.
The sulty suns of summer came,
And he grew thick and strong Burns
SO it was with the church, according to the
promise, They shall revive as the corn, and
grow as the vine. The scent thereof shall be as
the wine of Lebanon The Synod of Ulster
was now regularly organized. An allowance
out of the public Treasury granted to the
Presbyterian ministers by William, who had
himself been raised a Presbyterian. This was
afterwards increased, and granted yearly, under
| the name of regium dOnum. Ministers, who
had travelled around without any special charge,
were set over particular congregations. These
were increased by the translation of ministers
from Scotland, and the licensing of young men,
till the supply something like met the demand
| And their labOrs met with a success for which
they must have been, in part, indebted to former
efforts. The first visible effect of this reform
was milder department toward the unfortu-
nate Celt, who was now completely subdued,
and was more an object Of compassion than of
| fear. This induced him, sometimes, to examine
and even to embrace the new religion. Such con-
versions were indeed few, compared with what
they might have been. But, considering the
many prejudices which the cupidity of the col
| onist must create In the mind of the Celt, they
were numerous Within my own limited ac-
quaintance, the Murphys, the O'Neills, the
O'Flynns, and the Doughertys, names of I'M
doubted Miesian origin, are numbered in the
scrictest sects of the Presbyterian school. Ro-
man Catholic writer's assert that, since the An
glo-SaxOn came to their shore, the ancient faith
has gained more proselytes than it lost. This
may be strictly true, for anything | know but
when they assert that, in almost every instance,
| those who left their communion were prompted
by worldly motives, would beg leave to dis
sent | have known some, indeed, who left
their church to her honor, but have known
others who were no disgrace to any com
munity.
/ In my grandfather's time, Mr.. Barber was
the pastor of the Presbyterian congregation in
| Rathfriland, in connection with the Synod OF
| Ulster. Without any more piety than was alb
solutey necessary and scarcely as much Ortho-
doxy, he was very popular during a long min
| istry, with both the pious and the careless. He
was TALL psrtly, and commanding in his ap-
pearance, atfable and easy in his manners. He
had pleasant word for ALL and the poor were
to him the same as the rich. He looked up to
none, and none he despised. 1t was customary
then to preach long sermons, but his were ratb-
er short for when one of his elders and he
were drinking healths, the former said, Here's
that YOU may aye be able to max out the thirty
minutes" Part of his congregation were
Armnian, and part Calvinistic. His discOurses,
| being mere exhOrtations, offended neither. 1t
puzzled his members much to know his relig-
| ious sentiments, but towards the close of his
| life it was ascertaned that he was a Unitarian
as we'll as an Arminian. Although, by the
rules of the church, he should not administer
the ordinances of the church to any but mem
bers, vet he said he would baptize Roman
Catholic beggar-womans bastard.
In the early days of his ministry, there was
a great fight between the Roman Catholics and
Professionals | think it was about the year
1890. but | would not be certain about the year
| Mr.. Barber took a stick in his hand and headed
his people in the fight all day. The next day
the fight was renewed. The whole country side
seemed to be collected in the fields, with clubs
and stones, and the crowd was hourly increasing.
! handful of military was pOwerless with such
| a mob Mr.. Barber saw that it was going to be
serious matter. Mounting a horse, he rode
in among the Catholics, inquiring for priest.
Not one of that exasperated crowd would hurt
a hair of his head, when he asked for the cler-
gymai1. The gownsmen talked the matter over,
and soon made peace. They passed between
the two crowds, and the missiles stopped. They
then rode through, first among Catholics, and
next among the Professionals; and, in two
| -, N ,o,.h which MAGISTRATES Sharif, and