The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-06-03
man 81 God in Donegal.
Life of the Irish Priest Portrayed by SeumaS MacManus-
Most Important Man in the NeighbOrhOOd

nils, with his altar rock, and his
roof the dome of heaven.
In the case OF this scalan. one Of the
last Of its kind, each person, in wer
ana snowy weather, brought with him
a little bunch Of hay to Law under
knees in the slushy. muddy ground
upon which they kneIt I thing God
always heard the prayers of these. peo-
pie. About five years ago this scaIan
; was superseded by a chapel but by
money sent home for that purpose
in America
After mass the congregation Join the
/ priest IN praying in turn for each per
son SICK IN the parish, and then for
the repose of the souls who died dun
! ing the week, each being specially an
+ nouneed and each getting q special
/ prayer.
Then follows the priests discourse or
/ exhortation, which, in our chapels. has
a profoundly moving effect. The emo
lions OF the Celt are very responsive:
1t is common Sunday experience IL
4 find congregation Of 1000 convulsed
with sobs: and have innumerable
times been thrilled to the soul By a
I chorus of wailings, which, rising and
falling in waves, filed the building.
Approaching Easter, and approaching.
Christmas, the priest begins 'the Sta
tons is, holding a confessional
IN each district Of the parish he an
nounces from the altar on Sunday the
name OF each party in whose house he
( proposes holding a station on each day
Of the week following Every woman
! who is done the honor of having a.
station called" in her house goes 10
/ much expense TO have the house and
/ its surroundings fitted in manner
/ that viii reflect credit on her and force
a word of praise from Father Dan-and
to have the best and most elaborate
breakfast the county can afford,
At the "Station House,
The men and women and children OF
the tOWnland, dressed in their neatest.
are collected at the station house when
Father Dan arrives on his ricketv
/ haunting car at s o'clock in the
morning. The best room in the house
has been prepared for him, and when.
sitting here, he has lghtened many
oppressive burdens by his counsel. he
says mass, administers holy cOmmun-
ion and delivers to the sobbing peni-
tents gentle and touching homily.
After breakfast, to which he sat
down with the heads of the household
and the schoOlmaster, he collects his
stipends, each father of a family OF
that tOWnland coming forward with his
dollar-sOme farmer more comfortably
circumstanced than usual paying vol
unfairly "a dollar and a half or So
This at the Christmas statiOns-fOr the
payment is made but once q year,
Other fees which Father Dan receives
are half n dollar Cor more) at each
christening, and s.. at a marriage Ac-
cOrding to the circumstances of a par
ism, a priest receives from $500 TO $3.50
a year.
F. nerly the priest went to the house
to form the baDtismal and matri-
mOnial services, and remained to share
in the merriment. But now he is en-
Joined to perform both ceremonies in
the chapel
The most trying duty of the priest is
the sick call. He is never sure of a
nights quiet. AT any moment ne ex-
poets a laundering at the door, which
may order him off post haste, in rain.
hail or storm, over half a dozen or
half a score miles Of moor that is not
without it's hazards at high nOOntide-
to visit some creature who IS hunger
ing for his ministratiOns, before bid
ding a final farewell TO care and ache.
But be the night never so bad, and
be the priest already wearied and worn,
and be the way dark, and ugly, and
far, g sigh is generally his most earn
est protest. He arises, dresses hastily,
takes his staff in hand, and his sum
mOner leading the way with torch,
bends him to the mountain path IL
at the wearied end OF the journey he
finds that the nervous old woman. who.
in a scare sent for him at dead OF
night, is already sitting in the chimney
corner and treating herself TO rOus-
ing bowl of tea, he is, perhaps, Tot TO
be too harshly judged if he do not
give earnest of much JOY at her sud
den recovery. And such a case is Tar
from being exceptional
Only a Few Protestants.
EpiscopaIians and Methodists are
only occasionally met with IN our
mountains, living in small communi-
ties. in a valley or on a hillside richer
than the remainder OF the country.
The lands which they occupy were
given to their fCrefathers at time
when the Celts were hunted from their
homes by the hounds of war. Out Of
general sustentatiOn fund their clergy
men are paid an income of about 500
year Into these funds the Methodist
parishioners are expected to pay .
cents every quarter year, each member
of the family; and the head Of each
Episcopalian family to pay yearly
sum of about S4-but when their cir
cumstances are above the average they
pay higher sums. BY means OF these
general funds the larger and richer
congregations III lIeletuu dl alAelu5 ~
aid the smaller. There is no baptismal
fee in either church. The matrimonial
fee is voluntary. Five dollars or more
is usually paid
Formerly the EpiscOpalian clergyman
was a rich aristOcrat, being paid uthes
bv Catholic as well as Protestant. But
the Roman Catholics eventually made
a bold stand against the injustice.
Regular battles were fought by the
poor. unaTmed people against the po-
lice and military forces who came TO
enforce the law, but resulted with little
effect, for the justice OF the cause
triumphed over ali the powers Of the
crown and today the Protestant cler-
gvman in the Irish mountains is no
better off than his Catholic brother.
The minister collected his 1.-THE in
harvest: the priest his stipend at
Christmas. In those days there was a
clever half wit in my parish, who, one
day, meeting the priest and parson,
was stopped by them. and, to afford
them some fun, asked: Now, Ned we
have been disputing whether, If you
had a son, you would make a priest OF
him or a DarsOn-and We want you to
decide"
IF I had a son" said Ned, 'TlI tell
We what I'd have him. I'd have him
parson in harvest, an a priest at
Christmas" SEUMAS MACMANUS.
'These people are ladies and gentle