The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-05-13

I soul sets small store upon material
/ things save in so far as such are absO-
/ lutely necessary; because the Celt is a
/ dreamer and spiritualist; because his
! temperament is optimistic and enthusi-
/ aStIc. There are poor mountain men
whom know whose ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
1t is scholastic and worldly ignorance
would be guffawed at by scholarly and
/ enlightened men, who, intellectually,
/ are not worthy to unite their shoe
/ latchets, and who, moreover, are, in
heart wealth, to those poor men as beg
CARS to milliOnaireS
/ Be the day black or bright, the work
slavish or light, our people are ever.
ever merry, and have the kindly failte
| and genial joke for the passer. And
/ out of ten such, who are soaked and
! Shivering on a potato ridge in March,
l can count more whose hearts are
! singing than in any ten times ten men
Of ease and attluence in the mansions
| Of New York.
/ At night, in the cottage, the mother
/ spins while the girls sprig or knit.
| weaving is a leading Industry in Done
| gal. and there are thousands of cot
/ tageS that have their hand-lOOms,
whereat the old man works and Sings
/ when the day is over. We get our own
/ weaving material cheaply, so. But the
J greater portion of the cloth woven is
I
/ % cents yard-tO dealens for export.
| Some very handsome and fancy
| cloths are made, the cOl0rs being got
! from heather, and MOSES, and lichens.
/ and leaves, and banks of various trees.
From the shearing Of the wool off the
Sleeps back, on the hills, till the pre-
senting of the finished cloth in the
market, every necessary process is
done within the family The Donegal
| homespuns are, perhaps, the finest in
Ireland.
At Night in the Cottage.
At night the fire lis often the only
light in the cottage. And with the aid
Of fir blocks it makes a light both
effective and cherry. a light that plays
merrily with the glinting def and tins
upon the dresser, and makes the big
shadows leap up the walls and culver
over the cUpples in the roof. For use
| in particular occasions, oil is now COM
ing into general use. but not long
since the old man nightly cut and
seasoned long, slight, dr-spails Tor
casual use. He cut and dressed the
spails as he sat in the corner giving his
"reminiscences or telling a tale TO the
eager group that knitted or carded
wool, or rested from a hard days work,
around the fire. And afterwards, by
the spaiPs aid, he read for them from
the weekly paper the exciting news Of
the week before last. The f1r-spail IS
still in use to some extent-but its one
time contemporaries, the rush-Hght
(made by dipping a peeled rush IN
melted gTease,) and the homemade
resin candle have passed away
The parish beggar is a familiar figure
in the nightly ireside group. With MS
staff and bundles cast behind him, he
mOnOpOlizes the warmest corner of the
hearth. and comforts him like any
princely autOcrat. For every cottage
in Donegal welcomes the poor and the
homeless; they come and they go IN
questioned. When night threatens TO
fall on the beggarman, he bends his
steps for the ''warmest' house con-
venient lifts the latch and walks in,
unbuckles mis- bags and lays them aside
with his staff, in token that he delgnH
to favor the house by supping with the
family and stopping there for the night.
Asking permission to stop Is unknown
and would be looked upon as irony or
insult; for everyone, good and bad in
Donegal recognizes the undenlable right
"of them God has left homeless" to the
shelter of your roof and a seat at your
table. And the beggarman acts the
part Of a despOt who faVOrs, rather
than a guest who is favored. He die
tates to the household and, il necessary,
harangue5 and reprimands If due re-
spect is not paid to his words
If he is one who makes profession OF
a school education. he may occupy a
leisure hour by examining the children
putin them through their facin's-
in spelling and calculating; and then
lecture their father and mother with
ecathing severity for not keeping more
closely at school such discreditable cal
culators. And finally, when he con-
siders it time he orders the household
on their knees whilst he leads them in
the Long Rosary-and when 1t is I'm
isned. dismisseS them to bed, after
which he smokes at his leisure, rakes
the fire when he chooses, ard stretches
him on his own E.hakedOwn (made OF
an arn1ful OF clean Oat-straw) by the
fireaide. at his leisure.
IN every Donegal cottage, on every
night around the year, the mother
Crowded, Of course, there is no tyra1-
meal beggarman to supersede her)
leads the family in the rosary before
retiring to bed, and at the end of the
rosary prays for all dead relatives and
friends: for the boys and girls IN
America. mentioning each by name,
and beseeching God to guard and
guide them amongst the stranger, and
bring them safely home again; and for
all who die in war or at sea, and have
none to pray for them.
Afterwards she rakes the FIRE, THAI