The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-04

the freSQlN IalQtQ tIDlAi ant hAiA lN~ -'-'
go through the routine necessary on land-
ing. The contrast which, with his umid
air and OPEN genuine unsophistcaled
looks. he presented 10 the New Yorker
OF one and TWO and ten years standing
whom had seen outside the Barge once
struck me forcibly and set me Illuminating.
I come from the one county of Ireland
which perhaps more than any other mas
for generations been sending into exile
its sons and its charlottesville County OF
Donegal Month after month and week
after week for many years l have been
seeing the human stream flow outward
and over the ocean, to the great land OF
our hopes and longings. I remember well
the feeling Of sadness that oppressed me
when. leaving Ireland l stood on the fore
castle of the tender that steamed away
from Derry quay and looked down upon
the thousand boys ana girls who, with their
little bundles and bags, crowded the main
deck Many of them Were openly weep
ing; almost all of them crying in their
hearts as through misty eyes they gazed
yearningly at the heath clad hills which
were sinking away from their vision.
L Sdlu 10 liG Npilii ddG WIN SACyN ~ ~
"What a crying pity it is to see the flower
OF the youth of our country, it's blood and
3ts Drawn. borne away week by week
like this"
at is" he said. yet you go yourself?"
And l could not reply to this.
For our Irish boys and girls 20 leave
their homes now is trial, but fifty years
ago it was in its dire Importance perhaps
only second to death. In the Irish famine
times of 1S46-47-4S, and for half a dozen
years after, my country men and women
swarmed across the Atlantic by hundreds
of thousands. From countless bays on the
west coast in every week in every summer
of those years hundreds of little boats or
100 200 and 800 tons were constantly put
ting out laden down with human cargoeS,
destined to founder about for any space OF
time between seven and seventeen weeks
before they reached America, portions OF
their cargoes still alive and portions OF
them lying at the bottom of the ocean.
No wonder that going to America was
then a great undertaking.
Three weeks before the date of his pro-
posed sailing the intending emigrant start
ed out over the countryside 90 say good
by He must call at every house within
radius of many miles from home. Even
If families to whom he was not known
the hand of every one of them also and
get their God send you safe and prosper
you where you're going" IT, when he
came to sail he had omitted one child
within a wide area ne would leave with
trouble conscience. and his friends would
be ashamed for his neglect.
His more immediate neighbors and his
friends from far and near a week before
his sailing began baking and hardening
oat bread (for it took full week to hard
en- to the extent of necessary, making
their calculations, as they did. for a prob
able four months voyage. AS every one
had to provision himself, a barrel was
provided with a hinged lid and a lock,
and in it We're packed everything eata-
BILE that he should need-oat bread, pota-
toes, bacon, hard-bOiled eggs and butter.
The provisions needed were all, or more
than all, provided as tokens from his
neighbors and friends. The very poorest
and in those days the poorest were poor
indeed-gave from their scanty store or
borrowed from a more fortunate neigh
Dor that they might give, for they could
not bear that one day the departing Conal
might reflect, Every soul of my neigh
bors minded me unless Shan Mors peo-
pie" At my native place the passenger
schooner rode in the center of a group OF
islands in the bay-Donegal bay-awaiting
its cons gnmenf. A certain day was nam
ed for the passengers to be aboard, after
WHICH, as SOOt as the weather WOuil per
NIT all sail would be set for America.
We believe In drowning grief by merri-
ment, so for several nights and days be-
fore the emgrant crossed his fathers
threshold for the last time his friends and
the neighboring folders and pipers came
In and held high revelry by day and by
night. This revelry did not jar upon the
breaking hearted mother nor the downcast
father but in stead, prevented their
broodng too much, as they otherwise
would upon their coming sorrow.
On the morning on which he must board
the boat the passenger. his father and
mother, and all his household his rela-
tives, his friends his neighbors-every one
OF whom was in duty bound TO be there
started for the shore A piper and a fid-
der led the procession, half "A dozen of
his friends carried jugs Of whisky and
glasses to treat every one whom they met
and to treat the company as they went
and some other friends brought up the
rear carrying between them his little lug
gage. All who could not come 10 the CON
Voy appeared at the wayside to say a last
word to Conal and pray last prayer on
him. and when the convoy swept past
they looked after il with tear dinmed
eyes. When the shore was reached other
conveys had already come and still more
were coming. and no matter what the
hurry of the skipper might be-though
generally he knew no hurry-hours were
spent in merrymaking and carousng
here. Finally. after a deal of swearing
and threatening and bulldozing by the
skipper, the emigrants, attended by boat
loads Of their friends, rowed off to climb
aboard the schooner.
When all Were aboard the skipper wait
ing upon wind or weather, or often upon
something of far less importance delayed
a day, a week, three weeks or even act
ually a month before he lifted anchor
During this period Of delay the migrants
friends rowed Off daily to see him and to
carouGe with him. The boats officers
could rot mink of interfering with this,
and as there We're from a hundred TO two
hundred passengers aboard, all receiving
their friends, the state of things upon that
ships deck, liddling, dancing. crying and
carousing, may be conceived Finally.
when the command was given to weigh
anchor all the emgrants friends were
ordered off the Ship They got into their
boats, fastened them 10 the ship and were
towed after it down the bay, the fiddlers
hddliug for all they were worth and ali