The Irish standard., 1920-05-15
g Mother Machree''
Beautiful Tribute 10 the Virtues Of the
Dear Old irish Mother.

Beautiful Tribute 10 the Virtues Of the
Dear Old irish Mother.
Under the title Of the "Iriah Mother"
4 writer in the Northwest Review,
Canada. says:
Sweetest. best and holiest Of all
memories to me, and those which clus-
ter around the dear old Irish mother,
and l have been inspired to write this
short article. small tribute to her
virtues, by the fact that short time
ago was much pained by hearing .
gentleman Of a different nationality
from mine knocking the Irish mothers
reverential greeting to the priest,
Your Reverence" for the beneflt Of
a Protestant listener who enjoyed it
hugely.
oh. how my heart swelled With in.
dignation, and hot tears came to my
eyes as l rememberea the love with
which my own Irish mother spoke the
same greeting, when this, to her, most
welcome Of visitors came to her aoor,
and we. her children. all rushed to
meet him. for whom. following her
example. we had the same reverence
in our hearts 40 On oar. lips.
Alas. too often since have travelled
away from my old home, and my own
people. have l heard Catholics. some
Of them yet young, who should be
still under their parents directions.
finding fault with the priets who are
charged with the care of their souls,
and criticizing the smallest faults and
mistakes OF those. their spiritual
fathers.
Such conduct has always panied me
who had an Irish mother to teach ne
from my earliest years that His
Reverence" was deserving Of the high
est respect.
Memory is thing with which
would not part, for all this earth's
treasures. 1t il only q memory which
is now left to me of her, my best
friend. who strove to guide my early
ways Alright; bht such vivid unper-
ishab!e memory It is. that often as l
lie awake dhring the long hours Of
nights which have spent in strange
land among various nationalities since
the sad day when We laid her body
away in the peaceful sleep of death,
her face seems to come before me so
plainly that lrilngaine she Is really
bending over me. and fancy can see
again the soft color of her cheeks,
the loving light IN her blue eyes, and
the strands Of gray which have been
so beautifully sung Of by one Of our
poets who says: T..
"Sure, love the dear, silver which
shines In your hair,
And your brow that's all furrowed
| with wrinkles of care,
l kiss the dear fingers so .toil-worn
for me,
o God bless you, and God keep you.
Mother MachYee."
And many time in my loneliness
have l longed to be with her, away
from men who seeing only on the sur
face would rather ridicule the stains
of toll on her homely apron than look
into the honest, loving heart which
beats beneath with affection for all
things spiritual, and who perchance
would rather scoff at the recollection
of small things left unnoticed, during
the hurry and hustle of her mornings
work than remember that the God who
sees all things and reads all hearts
has counted the steps taken by this
patient servant, whose time was SO
filled with the wear and toll incident
to the raising and caring for her
usually numerous. family, and that He
whose heart is full of love for all His
creatures, has marked down in His
book Of good deeds at the end of each
day, the weary aches and pains cheer
fully suffered during it's course in the
fulfilment Of her many duties, rather
than take notice, AZ men do, OF the
small omissions made not through
lack of goodwill, but through lack Of
strength and time to, as she herself