Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1880-04-14
THE EAMINEIN IRELAND.
VISITING GTHEsTARyIHG PEOPLE-scENEs
OF AFFECT MISERY AND sloKENINo
sQUALoR--"THANK GOD, AME-
RIGA HAS NOT FORGOTTEN
IRELAND

| OF ABJECT MISERY AND sICkENING
! sQUALoR-"THANK GOD, AME-
RIGA mas NOT FORGOTTEN
IRELAND"
The Rev George Hepworth, one of
the New York Herald Relief Commit
tee, makes the following report of the
condition IN which no found the starv-
ing people of Ireland 1t is a wildly
told story of want and woe:
1t is easy to understand the causes
of the present poverty, The people
have had three bad crops in succession
things have been growing worse and
worse until the almost utter failure OF
crops last year brought them to the
verge Of starvation They have moth.
ing to plant--a want which the British
Government will supply by the loan Of
seed potatoes on very easy terms.
They have nothing to eat want
which you have yourselves so gener.
ously helped to supply by gifts which
am sure you will supplement by other
gifts when you know what is the real
state OF the case In order TO upder.
stand for myself the condition OF af-
fairs, spent few Gays under the
leadership of Colonel King Harman,
covering about thirty square miles on
the first day and over forty on the
second,
visited large number OF small set.
Elements on the west bank of the Shan
non, in the counties of Roscommon
and Sligo. For about ten hours each
day rode and walked. entering alto.
gether about 100 wretcbcd novels,
which this afflicted people delusively
call their homes, and where from morn
ing till night they encounter the dread
monotony of want and misery While
fully prepared to meet more or less
less distress everywhere, knowing
through former visits something Of the
chronic state OF poverty in which the
people live, was not prepared, nor
could anything | have ever before seen
in any degree prepare me, for the
scenes of abject misery and sickening
squalor which | found at every turn.
The people did not know Of my com
ing, and could not prepare for any dra.
matte display Of wretchedness and
want.
| Unawares ! searched every corner
OF scores of houses for any means of
subsistence, and came back at night
with an aching heart. ! had seen what
it would do you all good to see. Even
after hearing it I am sure yon will in.
crease your gifts, generous as they
have been, until this great chasm Of
distress can be bridged over. When
| tell you that | have seen men utterly
break down when | slipped a paltry
shilling into their hands, and women
clutch loaf Of bread as though they
were afraid that something would sud.
denly appear to take it from them, you
can family imagine what | have ex.
perienced in the last few days, The
friend who accompanied me observed
that | felt large lump in my throat
all the time could find no fitting
language in which to express my sor
row and my sympathy.
The first case | remember was that
of an old woman who sat on the muddy
threshold of her hut as we went by,
lifting up her hands as if in supplica.
ton, and crying: Nothing has passed
my lips for twenty.iour hours" |
never knew the value of a loaf of bread
till that moment. When we gave her
half loaf she took it with the eager.
ness of a iamished dog. She trembled
with age and weakness, for she was
over seventy years of age and hunger
had reduced her to the likeness of a
skeleton. There was glare in her
eye that told of famine. She stood in
the middle of the road and thanked
God that Americans bad not forgotten
Ireland. 1t was hours before | could
get away from that haunting, haggard
face.
Nor shall / soon forget the sight
which / saw in another hut The
mother of seven children was holding
the youngest, a girl Of few months,
in frantic embrace, moaning as she
rocked to and fro She looked up with
srartled'gaze us We ontvreu the uoori
which we could only by bending, and
gave allow cry! as though in very ter
ror. After q few minutes she was re-
7 assured, for she thought me an agent
OF the landlord sent to evict her. Then
she told me she had nothing to eat for
many days except poor dole of In.
dian meal which q relief committee
gave her, and for which she was1hank
iul enough. She added that being hall
starved herself'i il was impossible to
supply milk for her babe. She would
be compelled 10 see IL die by inches in
her arms. But for the meal which the
relief committee supplied the family
would have literally had nothing TO
eat. But | cannot recitc all the indi.
vldual instances.
Let me give you a sample Of what !
saw in many scores of huts, and in a
few which are thatched and Of stone,
and stand on the edge Of bog which
affords them peat for fuel They con.
tain three small rooms. One is the
room where the household lives
Through q small hole in its roof the
kitchen smoke is generally forced to
escape. There is almost peat famine
this year on account of the wet wealth.