The Irish standard., 1903-09-19

will come and curr the clamp" And
no man walked out of that church
half so proud as the said Tom the
Thatcher, who thus, for the time, ut
least, became Il parochial digntary.
Very hard and slavish work was
this cutting OF turf on the bleak boz,
but there Was Il recOmpense for it all
When winter came around the clear
turf fire under the great chimney
which towers over every Irish hearth
The days Of sun-worship may be gone.
but the hearth is still the central point
OF the home, and Oh winter nights all
the household and visiting neighbors
crowd around it; the 'bracket'' shins
OF the healthy. bare-legged children
giving visible proof of their devotions
at the tireside. Most of all, the
heartllStonc is the center of attrac-
ton in the winter when ut nightfall
the Jagged floor of the kitchen is new
~ swept. and the stools, long and
H..
are drawn up near the fire to await
the expected neighbors who come "a-
k;'iley." 'Companionship," believe,
is the original meaning of this Irish
word; the same thing was called
''sgoruidheacht" in the south of Ire
land-that is. the "unhitching," as l
I.Sf ~ off No
day is done. The kailey was in olden
days. and indeed still is in most places,
the rural substitute for newspaper,
club and parliament Oftentimes peo-
pie went every night of the year, for
years and years. to the same kailey-
house. usually some small farmers
house, the attractions of which were
often the subject of denunciation by
the rich farmers wives, who did not
wish to sec their sons and husbands
| stroll off from their own comfortable
hearths to hear all the news and COM
ments of the neighborhood at the more
| humble fireside. Some of the habitues
or kaileyers came every night over a
mile to take their accustomed place
under the wide chimney, through
which, those sitting nearest the hob
could, if they but looked upward, see
the stars in the heavens outside-that
is to say. if they could see anything at
all through the crowd of various arti-
cles that usually We're hung up in the
chimney, from tlitches of bacon put
up to dry, to backbone sticks, which
after being Strengthened, oiled and
otherwise prepared. We're placed i'll the
sooty chimney to season and to take
on a good black color. How often we
have heard the phrase, II have wat
| tie in the chimney for him'-an omin-
Gus phrase for "him.' often wonder
| how we all did not die of drafts and
colds in those early days, for the blast
on the backs of those seated round the
hearth and the rush of air up the wide
chimney, must have been tremendous.
Let us pull the "fong." or thong Of
leather, that works the door-latch, and
enter to join the cheerful circle around
the fire. Closing the door, we find our
selves in a sort of hall. cut off from
the kitchen by low cross wall. Our
greeting God save all here!" address
ed to all in the house. is answered by
God save you kindly" While
some of those inside reconnoitre us
through a pane of glass (Which indeed
is often not there at alb set i'll the
cross wall, there is Il general invita-
ton to "Come in an sit down." ''sit
down an make kailey," ''take an air
O. the fire." and the stools are pulled,
| and the tireside circle is enlarged to
make room for the new conner near
the fire. And now, on the hearth. be-
i hold our friend the sod of turf, with
many of his family I mean when the
house belonged. as it usually did, to
people who could afford to burn turf.
The poorest people had to be content
with 'brosna." or fire-wood. painfully
gathered up. and often giving forth
more pungent smoke than comfortable
heat. How little is needed to comfort
the very poor!
In Ireland many an old man or NOM
an over eighty years is glad to crawl
a mile or more to gather brosna for
the fire of that evening, and seeing rs
one often does in the great Western
forests on the Pacific coast, such great
wantOn destruction of timber, one cam
not help thinking how many thou
sands of humble hearths would be
gladdened by small fraction of the
waste on American soil.