Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-05
ROMANCE AND povERrY.


Sentiment d Now Dead In the Lower
Glasses In Ireland.
The Duchess in 81 Louis Globe-Democras
1t Is with the very poor of Ireland and their
love affairs that would now deal And alas
for the sentiment, where they are concerned.
1t is no longer here. II it ever did exist, 1t ID
now dead. A COW, pig, even feather bed,
has been known to influence the making Of q
match. / know that tradition, old lore, and
Moore's melodies are against me, but I,
who have lived among them for two
and thirty years, say this: Extremes
meet. The kings sons or daughters may not
wed according to their choice; their consorts
must be chosen for them by their royal father
and mother. The Irish farmers sons or daugh-
tiers may not marry until a spouse is found for
them and approved of by their father and
mother. And oh, the endless Details the small
barganings the little, little things that are gone
into piecemeal and that ofttimes make or mar
the marriage
as to be almost unknown among the farming
classes In Ireland. Matches are made and
carried out with scarcely consideration for
the two most nearly concerned. very little or
no intercourse being considered necessary be-
! tween the two young people designed for
bride and bridegroom until the actual day of
marriage. 1t Is not, indeed, at all an I'M
usual thing for the young man and woman
to meet for the first time at the chapel
gate on the morning that is to make them man
and wife. Everything Is arranged by the
parents. Their farm is worth so ruch. there
lore, the eldest son is worth so much. He will
inherit it. The burning question then is TO
discover some one fit to mate with their
son, some one with fortune equal to his.
THIS desirable daughter-in-law once found
l M v,av he
/ considered arranged. The bridegroom.
impressed by the general talk about The brides
fortune, which always takes precedence OF her
looks, falls i'll with the family view Of the Affair."
ana wedding follows mater of course.
Providence. seeing all this, has mercifully
ordained that most Irish girls should be
conely.
The marriage once contaminated the old peo-
! pie give up the reins of governments and retire
INTO the chimney corner, leaving the Young
couple masters of the field. most wise ar
rangenent that generations OF fools in their
line have not sufficed,to wipe out
Marriages thus completed, with all the chill
ing, formulas of Europe; are nevertheless in
rarely, they turn out badly An unfaithful
husband Is so scarce thing that all the coun-
try-side would ring with the mention of him
should he present himself. An unfaithfGl wife
ls almost unknown. Ireland, in spite OF
Der many imperfections in spite of
those unsubduable people WHO annoy so terri
bly, the decent house of commons people who
! III their native land would be fcted by only the
! lowest and vulgarest class. is the most moral
country i'll the world. and. if l may dare say so
! Ill the face OF all the criminality that has I'M
happily of late characterized it, the most ten
| der-hearted.
That / should speak so. let you of all and
every political opinion forgive me. for / an
Irish born, and Ireland love. and this small.
turbulent lovable. wild. beautiful Ireland is
| iot-f
| Where. tneD Is romance? Descending from
the farmers to even lower scale i'll the gamut
of the human drama get to the laborers
Poor souls. who will surely suffer the most now
that the lay has fallen with SO severe Il hand
upon the landlords. For to them-the land
lords--alone they had to look in all their griefs
and woes. God pity them when they come to
learn that the gentry" are a thing of the
past (Which soon will be- and that the farmers
are their only support when cruel famine
presses on them.
Yet even with these. romance is hardly
known. Until very lately the servants in Ire
hand were drawn from the ranks of the laborers.
| good and honest girls without grain of under
standing III the culinary or domestic line, but
VINO were quite capable of being taught.
! Among the others of my household last year
/ was a certain Honora Casey, who, after five
months hard teaching, was a very presentable
housemaid
1t was close on the end of Shrovetide. that
uiOSt Vi all tlnCS Ill an irish village,
when the chances of matrimony ebb and flow
| ike the tide. and when maiden has barely
time to hesitate as to whether she will or will
not. During Shrove one marries cheap. after
Shrove very dear. ''Those intending to marry
| take notice" was not intending to marry,
having gone through the wedding ceremony
many years ago, and was sitting in my drawing
| room one night last year. playing bezique with
the eldest of the children, when Honora opened
the door, and, standing on the threshold, looked
| hard at me.
We'll, Honora?" said I, feeling that some
| thing was due from me to her, seeing how
| moonstruck she appeared.
Il beg your pardon, ma am" said she, Drop
ping an elaborate courtesy, but may / go up
to entrance gate aam, av We plaze?"
| Dear me, it's late, Honora. isn't it?" said I
$50 o'clock, if it's minute-eh, Daisy?' APP
pealing to my little partner at bezique. ''What
can you want at the gate at this hour?"
| .PlaZ, Fam. he's ccme," said She
who's Gomez" asked /.
Himself ma'am. Me mother thinks it's
about time I'd settle-an'-an'-an' she's chosen
a boy for me-" ---,
Good heavens! She's going to be married, "
said l, addressing the innocent Daisy, who nat
urally stared blaDkly back at me.
who is it, Honora?" asked l, as quietly as a
woman can who knows that her best servants
are about to desert her.
- don't know. am" she said.
What's his name?" demanded l. liked the
| gin oiu was ACosouauAy duAlOub dDOut Qer Iu-
ture welfare.
II never heard it. ma am" said she. with a
mild but exasperating manner. Mother knows,
but-but-Tll know soon if yen let me go to
the gate"
sob, go!" said /. 1t seemed too dreadful.
had heard Of marriages arranged like this but
| up to the present moment I had only partly
believed in them. l didn't quite believe still.
l called her back. r~- w.
"And when are you to be married, Honora?'
| asked I--''next year, eh?" - -s
Law, no! Tomorrow, ma'am," said she
with the broad and lovely smile that had en-
| deared her to me.
asked no more questions. In one blow
lost my faith in the romance Of Irish history
and my housemaid.
But if you would know whether Irish mar
riages are happy, as rule, my answer must be
eyes" Among the lower ranks one never
hears of a case of infdelity, and among those
of ones own elass--well, hardly ever!
This, at all events, can affirm, that have a
large, a tremendous number of acquaintance,
and among them all there has been but one case
OF divorce, and were / to lay bare the real facts
of that case to you, think, dear friends, you
would forgive her.
The Farmer of the Future.
| Blackwood's Magazine.
The successful farmer Of the future must be