The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-05-26

4 o.,
| they could fast long time without much in
| convenience. James Wilson, our neipbbor.
used to say that he could sup as many sowans
| as cow could eat of grass. Robert Morrison's
| family consisted of eight members. One night
| there was pot OF sowans made for the supper
traveller came along and lodged for the night.
He finished the whole pot full John Meeny
was a cotter man of ours. He would some
| times stay at home to cultivate his potato
patch, or make his turf. Although his supper
would be nothing but potatoes and milk, vet he
| would eat enough to do him without another
bite till he came back to our house the second
morning. | heard of one man who used to go
| three days journey on one meal. / also heard
of simpleton who, being sent to the peat.bog
with pail of sowans for six men, hid himself in
thicket by the way, and finished the whole
mess, although they had given him a hearty
meal fpotatOes before he started, lest he should
\ do so. Nobody would eat SO voraeiously mere
ly to satisfy the demands of appetite. Their
food must have been particularly to their taste
The cases mentioned were extraordinary, but
as common thing the people in Ireland have
apower of fasting, without particular inconve
nience, which we know nothing about.
My father told me once that when he came to
America first, he thought nothing of going on
foot to the county-seat, a distance of fifteen
1 Y,
which if he had attempted ten years later he
would have sat down the road. We do not
know how much the use of stimulating food de-
| stroys the native tone and vigOr of the stomach
even when it does not induce dyspepsia. We
are told that our Saviour entertained the multi
| tude that waited on his instruction with barley
bread and small fish, yet it appears that that
was to them rather a rarity than common fare,
for we find that afterwards they followed him,
not because they had seen the miracles, but be-
cause they had eaten of the loaves. These
were the people who had tasted three days.
Davie Hutchinson, cotter of my grandfathers
said he always got fat on black potatoes and
buttermilk. Whenever Billy Mclaughlin had
got enough of liquor in him to make him feel
happy, he used to take some old almanac or a
book, wrong side ap perhaps, and go to reading.
He generally commenced Lee, la, 10, loid.
New lammus, new praties. God be thankit /;
We'll get the wrinkles TUX DOT o. our bellies"
suppose that was among the pleasantest ideas
ever came into his head, except fountains run
ming with whisky
But although they we're free from dyspeptic
disorders, still think they were not so healthy
as if they had enjoyed more nourishing diet
They often complained of heart burn, and of a
disagreeable affection called the water-brash
Both arose from the use of watery food Such
lie
Hence idiots were numerous and there was an
eager appetite for stimulants and narcotics.
Dear as tobacco was, three fourths of the poor
people used it i'll one form or other and chill
dren at a very early age manifested an appetite
for intoxicating liquors.
But whatever might be the condition of the
poor in ordinary times they suffered in dear
summers. In all European c,u itries there is
great tuctuaton IN the grain market. In Ire
land it is remarkably so, for provisions being
dearer in England than in Ireland, and the
country being poor, the merchantable grain is
often shipped away, leaving short supply be-
hind. This makes great scarcity sometimes,
and raises oatmeal to such price that it is
almost impossible for the poor to live. The
common price of meal was three cents pound,
but in sneh seasons~ait rose 10 ten ssd twelve
cents. One man told me that in 1913 he saw
it sixteen. Now, lahoring man could only
earn six pence day and his board and if he
boarded himself he got eight or ten pence go
cents.) At that rate, he might support small
family while he could work. If he got sick, the
supply failed and if be had large family, he
could not earn enough for them to eat If they
could get Egyptian -four or damaged meal at
reduced price, they were glad of it. If not, a
great part of their living was cabbage boiled in
water, without any meat, The rich prairies of
the West had not begun to send the golden
grain across the ocean, and the want was keen
ly felt.
JACK FltZ-SimmOns was a cotter of my grand
fathers. He was little man, but he had a
great heart. He found guinea once, and it
would have made great addition to his slen-
der means. Yet he stuck up notice of it i'm
mediately, found the owner, and returned it to
him. lie prided himself greatly in his chill
dren. de could not afford to send them to
school, but he would have them beside him
with their book in their hand. as he sat on his
loom. His Oldest boy, when but six years of
age, could read chapter in the Bible huently
One dear summer he was weaving in a shop
some distance from his cot. AS he came home
to dinner one day, the oldest met him to tell him
that he would find his dinner tied up to the balks,
that Sammy, boy of three years old, might
not get at it. 1t was only oatmeal porridge,
yet the poor child must not get it. He would
willingly save it from himself to give it to the
chidrel, but then his strength would fail and
if he could not work it would be worse than ALL
tie must fly the shuttle hard to earn the scanty
bite, which did not appease their gnawing hun
ger. Those who in a foreign land afterwards
wore the fine linen, little thought what an ach
ing heart and weary arm once hung over it,
i There was another man, do not remember
his name, who was weaving a web, and they had
pinching, till he would get the web out, He
had just one boy, and when he went to market
with his web on Saturday he left the child and
mother without anything eatable in the house
When he would ask his mother for piece, and
she would tell him to wait till his father came
home with some meal, he would 90 and sit
quietly down, for suffering sometimes teaches
even the young a meekness of spirit which the
pampered never know. He found impossible
to sell his linen for ready money, but was prom
Used his pay on Monday. 1t was the best he
could do, and he was forced to come home
empty handed. When he told that he had
nothing, the child uttered cry which went to
his heart. One af his neighbors had been in
town with him, and, seeing how eager he had
been to sell his web, guessed at his destitute
| circumstances, and sent enough Of meal to do
till he got his money. When such was the con-
dition of the lahoring class, how much worse
would it be with the heggar! At the very time
when there was the least to give, there were
the most to receive, for many poor cotters had
then to take the road. Then the merry buxom
beggar, who led a wandering life from mere
choice, got sober and pale with hunger Then
poor woman would come in, end ia feeble
voice ask, if it was bus drop Of milk. Then, if
you would give basin of cold porridge and
milk to woman with family of children, she
would give a little round to each, while they
would be crying out give me more, give me
more, you gave such q one more than me-"
| Then even the dog and the cat suffered, for the
bones well as the cold victuals had to be
saved for the poor beggars Then, too, would
be sometimes manifested the generous spirit of
| the Irish, when mothers would stint their chill
dren as well as themselves to relieve others.
can only instance one. Mrs. Dougherty
| - l. r.