The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1880-03-05
CRYING for Bread.
THE WALL FROM STARVING IRELAND.

Details of the increasing distress among
the people of Ireland are given in letters re-
Gently received by Archbishop Wood and
some of the priests in Philadelphia rs well
as in appeals made by Irish clergymen to
Americans, through the columns of the
Catioiic Standard, all of which will be pub
lished in the present weeks issue of that
journal. Many thousands of dollars collect
ed in the Catholic churches of this archdio-
cese have been sent to the sufferers, aud the
deeply grateful acknowledgment received
therefor by the Archbishop are accompanied
by information showing the appalling con
dition of the unfortunate island The gem
era character of thes letters is indicated by
| the following extract from one of the
communications.
Here is what is said in an appeal from
| the Rev. Francis Moran, of Ballenrobe,
Mayo county
81 have here around me two hundred and
forty families, Irish in language, Irish in
heart. soul and feeling; two hundred and
forty families who are now almost on the
|
two hundred of them are this very day re-
duced to state of starvation Every Irish
| American knows a. we'll as / can tell that
the potato alone is the Irishman's sole and
only food. When they fail, then, what must
Irshmen live on? On Indian meal. Well
the potato crops have failed here, have been
a complete failure for the last four years;
but this year, of all, they were left undug
as not being worth the labor of turning up
clay for them. 50 potatoes they have none,
and Indian meal they have no money to pro-
cure. They have been living on credit for
Indian meal with the shopkeepers for the
last four years; but this year the shopkeepers
have refused to give them any, and hence
they are starving. No cattle, no corn, IL O
potatoes to eat, no money to buy Indian
meal, no credit, so die they must. May
God help them, poor starving creatures! The
few among them who had few stones o
seed potato to set out in spring are nov
forced to consume even those to ward of
death by starvation for few days longer
in hopes, as they say themselves, that Goo
might put it into the hearts of their friend
in America to send them over some relic
before the last of the small seed potatoe
are out (consumed). Even the odd famil,
who have been and are using these small
blue, waterish, half rotten potatoes it i
narrowing TO human feelings it is hunge
itself to witness how sparingly they partak
= of them. This week, thanks
many deep and heartfelt thanks to kind
! sand thanks to Mr.. Parnell's friends an
e subscribers in your great country of Amer
:, lea. | have been enabled to purchase tw
tons of crushed Indian corn for my poo
:, starving country people. This with an al
lowance of sugar to each, is the only foo
upon which six or seven hundred human be
:, ngs are trying to subsist for the last eleve
days. Many middle. aged men and womer
o many very old people, and hord of yer
- little children who have no milk, were una
. BILE to use the coarse, dry Indian meal stira
, bout without some condiment. So CAV
each an allowance of sugar. with whic
they sweetened cold water and then try t
swallow the Indian meal stirabout after bt
ing dipped in the sugared water. Even th
they are glad to get; for this their gratitud
is unbounded, and is more readily read i
- their cadaverous faces than described
print. To use their own words: "In th
name of God don't let Us die; give US eve
little of this every week; we want no MOI
f. until next August when God might hay
id pity on US and send us the new potatoes
s. For until then, a morsel they can't ge
A money they have none, credit ey hay
II none; and therefore in the name of the s.
IL vior of Us all, ask your aims to save n
poor starving people from imminent an
i horrible DEATH
X From all parts of the famine stricken di
N tricts come letters with the same sad stol
rs Of the presert suffering and Of the mo
,e widespread distress that must follow durir
10 the spring and early summer unless the e
Is forts for relief be redou5led.