Father Matthew

Fridme!; Dotiglnsa. :he sclf-éhuqcipo'O'l .layé, ol Morylond, fruin w lióse narrmive w lavo ixrmcrly tjuoirJ. ís now in ht!;.i..i, leciu uig on Sínvery un tl Témperünee. He kiipp rtö l timself bv ihc sale of his .N&iráiH'ri Tfi !- ! owing extrae'! ot' a leici trun, liitu ut the ( ■.itor, i;jves s' cruerininm and pleaMtiy ti i curc of tfm: trin" Iiiiuiitliroii, Failnr .Mnitiitw - rliul '.ve are nrJuceii 10 :v.m_dI ii wiihout uiriiiyiiicut: ' "On the 21st instant, Failier Muthew. he living saviütir of Irelnnd froin the rurse of intemperance, gme splendid soiree, ns a tnKén of liis sympathy and fgard lor friend Buffum and mysclf.rfi'eré vvero two hur:dred and fifty périons present. It was decidedly the stand liappièst companv, I íhiuk, 1 ever j aw nnyvvhore. Kvery one seemed tobe j 'njoying himself in i he fullest manner. t was enough todelight my heart, not ! ally bereft of feeling, to look upon such i company of hnppy fuces. Among them til, I saw no one that seemed to be shock:d or disHirbed al my dark presence. No ne seemed to fecl himself conlaininated y contact with me. 1 thíuk it would be íifiicult to get the sanie number of períons together in nny of our New Língland cities, wilhoul sonie democratie rióse gfówiflg deformed at my approach. lint thcn yon ferióte whilc people in America ure icriter, purer, and better than olker yeo}üe. This accounts j 'or it. Besides, we I are the freesl naiion on ihe glube, as woll da the mosl onlightened, and can 1 fore affura lo insult and outrage the 1 coloreds man with iinputiity. This is oue of the peculiar privjlcgps of oi:r 'peculiar institution." On the morning after the Spiree, Father ilatthew invited us to breakfast with hun at his own house; an honor quite unexpeoted, aud une for which I felt myself unprepared. ! I however accepted his kind invitatiou, and went. 1 found him living in a very humble divelüng, and in an obsure strect. As I approached, he carne out of his house and took me about íhiriy y o rijs frora his door, and with upliftod hands, in a manner altogclher peculiar lo hiinself, and with a laco beaiíiing wilh bcncvolent expression, he exclaimed - "Welcome, wolcome ! my dear sir, to my humble: abodty' at the same time taking me cordially by the hand, conducted mo through n rough, uncarpeted passage to a green door leíding to an uncarpeted stairway, on ascending one fiight. of wliich I found myself abruptly ushered into what appeared to be both drawing and dia ing room. There was no carpot on the iioor, and very little furniture of any kind in the room; an old fashioned side-board, a few chairs, tliree or four pictures hung carelessly around the walls, comprised nearly the whole furnilure of the room. The breakfast table was set when I went In. A largo urn slood in the middle, surroundcd by cups, saucers, platos, knives and forks, spoons. (Sec, all of a very piain order- rather too plain, I though for so great a man. ïlis greatness, however, was notdependant on ontward sliow; nor was ii obscured' from me by-.liis plainness. It showed that !iL could be great without the ordinary at! trnctions witïi whieh men of his rank anc 1 inearis are gcnerall y añxipus tu surrotinü 1 ihemsélvesi Uon entering the room, Fatlier Mntthew introduccd me to Mr. Win. O'Conner, an invited gtiest, a gentleman of property and standing, and though not n icetolallcr, nu ardent admirer of Father xMatthew. As an evidenco , of his devoied ntlachment, honor andteem, Mr. O'Conner hns ëreöteö a spler.did lower ou his own land, abnut fuur miles from Cor!;, in a vcry 'conspicuous place, having a eommanding view of ihe ' harbor of Cork, and a view of iho beautiful hillsfor miles around. The prcser.co of llus gentleman at the break fust afibrded me an excellent opporlunity ofwiinessing Father Mathew'á lajthfulncss ló his friends. 1 fouiul him cntirHy uncompfoniiling. Tiiis géhtTerriáñ comphiined n litileofliisseverity towards iljodistillers of Cork, who liad large auiounts invested indisiiüeries, and who could nol be cxpectèd to give thcir business u; to ihcir ruiu. Tu whicl) Faliier Mathew replied in the natural way, that sucH men had no right to prosper by the ruio of o'.hers. He sii.i he was onco met by a very rich distïlleri who askcd him rathör itnloi ídíjIv iiuw he could so deliberately plol the ruin of so mnny p-od and unóiicnding peo[)l?. who had ifieir all inveitt'd in dfelillériös' ín reply, Fathcr Mathew ihen ióld with good spirit the following excellent anecv'.c: 'A veVv (;tt oldi'ck went out early one morning in pursuit of worm?, and aftcr being out all day, she suceeeded m filüng her erop, and on her return home at niglit, witii her erop fuil of wprins, she had the misfurlunolo bo met by a fo., who at once propósed to tako her life, to satisfy bis hunger. Tho old duck appculed, nrgued, implored, and remonslrated. She said to lii.i fux - You cannot bè so wicked and hard-heartnd us ÍS tuhè the life of n hr.rmless duck, merelv to 3a,tisfy ynur huneer. She exhorted inm against ihc comuiission oí so grcat a sin,ind begged liirii nol lo toatain his soul with unuccnt bluud. When ihe fox could slaod tier cant no longer, he said - 'Out jpon you, madam, with nl your fiso eathers; you are a pretty thing, indeed, olecture me about taking lifo to satisfy ny hunger - is not your erop full of v.oiii.s' Yon des: roy inore Uves in ons lay, to satisfy your hunger, tlmr I do in. a wliole month! Father Mathew has t l'uiid of ancedoici, wbich he tells in tho hnppiesl i.ianuer, hvays to tho point and with most excellent effect. His whole ouj appearcd to ha wrapped up in ihe Temperance en use. The aim of his life appears lo be to spread the blesssings of lt;iiijernnce over the wholo world. To nccomplih this, he spares no pains. His time, strength and money aro all freély given lo iho causo; and hia success in truly wonderful. When he is nt home, his houao is literally surrounded with persons, rnany of whotn have come miles to tako the plcdge. He seldom takes a. meal without being interrupted by sotno ono to Uike the pledge. He was called away twice while I was there, to dismisa a tjumber who had corno to take the pledge - this lie dkl with great delight. Cork contains ono liuncred thousand inháhitants. One half of this number have taken the pledge of Father Malhèw. Tho change already wroughl in the condiiion et the whole peoplo oi Iróland is tilinubt, tlirough his labors, miraculous; and the cause i.s still advancing. Ftvc millious, four hundred and eighty-scvetí0 i thousand, thrdc and ninety-jive soius have reccived the pledgo from hiro - 'anü stilf ihey come.' So entirely charnied by the goodness of this truly good man was I, that I besought him to administer the pledgo to me. He uompÜud wiili promptness, and .gave nio a heautiful silver pledge. I now reokon myseif wilh deiiii'it the fifth of tho last five of Father Mathew'g 5,-137, 495 temporáneo children."