The Irish standard., 1888-06-30

|'HE IRISH STANDAR]
most sardonic fashion, as if in answer 10
your surprise in seeing it in snch an in
appropriate place. Inside the building
the walls are ipcrusted with monumental
tablets in memory Of the forefathers of
the village-one being as old as 1910,
and in a corner, rallied off from the rest
OF the church, is the tomb OF family
named Bayntum, on which full-length
marble figure of recumbent knight is
reposing. On leaving the church ac-
costed an old man who was trimming
the grass edges of the footpaths of the
graveyard, and asked him to direct me
to Superior Cottage. To my extreme
pleasure learned he had known Moore,
and had been acquainted with Mrs.
! Moore, but beyond this could get very
little information.
"Used they come to church here?'' 1
asked.
''Sume toimes," SAID he in his thick,
drawing voice. ''She cume oven, but
| ZEE didn't see i'm at ALL"
"Did he not come to church at all? I
then asked, and the only answer the old
man vouchsafed was giggling laugh
and shake of his head. Mrs. Moore
! (nee Elizabeth Dyke was Protestant,
and the children were brought up IN the
same religion. Che lines of The poet are
! we'll known
From the hereto girl of my soul shall fly
! To seek somewhere else more orthodox kiss?
No. perish the hearts and the laws thAt Try
| Truth, vslour, and love by standard like this.
Over r pathway pointed out to mo by
the old sexton passed through several
| fields and titled gardens to Superior
Cottage. Tt is q quaint, irregular two
storried building, with three rather an
tiquated gables il front, thickly over
grown ON every side with ivy, standing
on somewhat elevated position, about
ten yards i'll from the roadside, and the
privacy OF the grounds with which it is
surrounded obtained oy thick hedge Of
lilacs. cedars, and laburnums: From
the upper windows of the cottage, and
particularly from the room in which the
poet died, very pleasant scene OF
mild pastoral type of beauty is obtained.
In the distance, to the left, chain of
hills, rejoicing IN the name Of Round
about Down, raise their wooded sides.
Nearer still a glimpse Of the Gothic spire
OF Bromham Church can be caught peep
ing over the neighboring elms; then up
to the roadway are urdulating stretch
ings Of woodlands and meadows and
gardens. dotted here and there with q
few farnlhouses, and an air OF rural
peace, contentment, and simplicity is
given to the picture by the operations
of a number OF male and female labsrers
engaged at various agricultural pursuits.
Altogether Superior Cottage is about as
cosy retreat from the turmoil Of towns
az could be imagined-an ideal poets
home it really is-and can well imagine
how strong and deer, and lasting must
have been the attachment OF Moore, with
his domestic tastes, to the place. The
poet went to live there III 1917. He got
the cottage, furnished, at $40 year. but
subsequently the rent, minus the furni-
ture, was fixed at ELS. He added a
wing to it himself, and, procuring root
Of ivy from Tara HILL, trained the plant
to weave garment of leaves around it
in keeping with the other portions of the
building. Along two sides of q kitchen
garden at the back of the cottage the
poet built narrow raised bank, shell
tered by laurel hedges, which he called
tile t'terrace walk" He told Gerald
Griffin during the visit to which have
already referred that he always composed
while walking, and we may assume that
were written as he promenaded on the
terrace. "How dear to me the hour
when daylight dies" he exclaims in one
of his poems; and We are told by Mrs.
Moore that he never missed watching
the setting of the sun IN the west during
the summer months from the terrace
walk. Tho walk still remains, and in
deed things are pretty much the same as
they were when the poet lived, with the
exception that the kitchen garden has
been turned into lawn and portion Of
land has been added to the grounds as a
flower garden. The gardener Of the
present occupant of the cottage--a lady
named Spicer-informed me that not
many people come to see the place. and
that Irish soldiers of regiments stationed
IN navizes were the most freuuent visit |