Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1898-01-18
AN IRISH WELCOME.
DowNPATRICK, COUNTY Down,
IRELAND,

Nov. 80, ~.
(By our Foreign Correspondent
"oI have rosmed In many lands,
And many friends I've met;
Not one fair scene or kindly smiie
4 Can this fond heart forget.
But IN confess that I'm content,
| No more wish 70 roam.
o steer my bark to Erin's Isle,
| For Erin Il my home.
| "If England were my dwelling place
| I'd love her tranquil shore,
And IL Columbia were my home
Her freedom I'd adore.
The pleasant days In both pass
dream OF days TO come.
o steer my bark to Erin's isle,
For Erin is my home"
The old xdxge that 1.-THE third time
never fails" does not hold good regard.
ing trip across the sea, In that IL does
| fall to make the event a commonplace
incident, however much we may try TO
make ourselves believe we don't care any
more about Ii than crossing mud pud-
die or going out into the back lot. We
seek in the growing years, while scienc.
triumphs more and more over the oosta-
cles of Nature, to make ourselves believe
the waterway between these two coasts
is but ferry, the crossing OF which Is
an affair OF no more than passing mo-
ment; but friendships are made and
loves are born along this journey, which
years on shore could not hsve ripened
| and time cannot efface. The swiftesi
pace which steam can force, the greatest
effort ingenuity can invent, utterly falls
to drive out that responsive fellowship
which Is begotten where the skies circle
the vision and the tossing waters tell u
what trifles we are after all.
Courage Is kept up, however, till the
ship sails away, and the voices OF dear
friends on shore are waited across the
wstery expsnse In that beautiful hymn.
God be with you till we meet again,
growing fainter and fainter "a the dis
tsnce widens between, and the last
glimpse Of the white hsndkerchiefs wav-
ing, aud the last white face, have faded.
Then few solitary pscings up and
down the deck TO stile down the rising
sensation" that keeps coming up In the
throst-snd then down stairs TO look for
letters and packages sent TO the ship by
loving, thoughtful friends. whose kind
ness helps to relieve the tedium Of an
other long ocean voyage.
The custom Of seeking TO get place
at the captains table, on shipooard, Il
one much In vogue, as II is supposed To
give prestige to be thus distinguished.
Your correspondents seat had already
been secured, by the powers that mske
newspaper correspondent. but party OF
four who came late were much distress-
ed that one Of their number must be
relegsted To another table for lack Of one
hn n
aulshed; and no greater reward for the
courtesy could have been given than to
be placed instead, at the right hand OF
one Of the pilots Of n far more noble
ship than ever sailed old oceans breast
the ship whose motto IL. "For God and
Home and Every Lsnd'-thc glorious
ship OF Temperance.
IL was our extreme good fortune 10
have on board ak members OF that noble
band of women workers In tn" Msster's
vineyard. the womsn's Christian TEN
perance Union. among them our dis
tinguished table-mste, the worlds sec
retSry OF the above named society, resi-
dent OF Derbvshire. England. When We
consider that this organiz z,tion has
representatives in such remote districts
and countries "a ireland, tasmania,
Siam. Ceylon. Natal. Corea. Audslusis.
and Finland, aud In fact every civilized
and unciviixed country on the globe,
except Paris, France, one can judg"
something OF the great work being done.
At least the journey Ia at an end, and
IN. preparations for the landing Of the
solitary passenger at Queenstown, Ire
land, are being made. The great ship Is
anchored out In the bay, and the little
tender comes slongside, and with MANY
reluctant fsrewells from dear friends on
hoard. the lone traveller Ia borne out into
the darkness, from the light and warmth
and tender care OF those whose affection
and interest seem born Of years OF com
psniouship, instead of the few brief
days that make up an ocean voyage.
Why Is IL that ocean travel develops In
the human heart some latent or dormant
sentiment that nsught else can call forth
Il there some secret influence In the
boundless solitude Of the ocean which
draws people together and knits them by
the memory OF having shared the linger-
ing spanning Of the sea. What else can
account for these friendships made In
seven days aud lasting forever? Two
persons msy live for years 10 the same
hotel, and even dine at the same table,
utterly ignoring each other all the time
unless some chance introduction hap
pens TO bring them together. Many OF
US can speak from experience when we
say we have lived next door to individ-
usls on land, for years, and know them
only as strangers; but on the vast aud
mighty deep, We are all one family
perhaps because we realize that IL dis
sster o'ertake we shall all die together.
When the voices of those left behind,
calling their tender good-byes, as they
lean over the rail, have grown silent In
the distance, and the dim black outline
Of the huge ship IL lost In the darkness,
except the lights that glimmer like
will '-the-wisp in the meadow-then II
Il with sinking heart that the wsnderer
steps out into the darkness alone, home
sick, heartsick, weary and forl0rn.
But scarce had the foot pressed the
boards of the little steamer, than the
captain came on deck, calling out q name
which sounded very familiar, and which
was responded 10 with many misgiving.
and forebodings, for those yellow mis-
sive called kilograms sometimes strike
terror TO the stoutest heart, but fear was
changed to joy when these words were
read, "Welcome, Welcome, Welcome to
Ireland"
Reader, you can form no conception
OF what these words meant, until you
can imagine yourself In a similar position
landing In foreign country, In dark
ness and alone, q stranger in strange
land, knowing not where the head shall
find rest or shelter, or what the morrow
may bring forth, or where the night may
overtake. Even before the foot had
touched the soil OF Erin, these welcom-
ing hearty words Of greeting, had come
over land and water to bring their mes
sage Of kindliness, thoughtfulness, COM
fort and cheer, and never were words
more cherished. How welcome then
was the darkness which could hide from
prying eyes the sight Of emotion which
could not be restrained, and tears that
could not cease to iow-nOt OF sorrow,
but OF joy,-and when the foot at last
pressed the sod of the Emerald Isle,
what wonder that each heart-throb was
one of love for every inch OF the green
turf Of "Auld Ireland!
When you consider that the sender OF
this message was the head OF family
In Dublin whom we had never seen, and
to whose household we only bore letter
Of introduction, you can understand now
admiration and affection for the lrish
character Immediately sprung up IN the