The Cross and the Shamrock

came under the cognizance of Mrs. Doherty, he next drove rapidly to the poorhouse, where, as we have already stated, the pious officials had arranged the details so as to

spectable connections, who were able and willing to provide for them. He didn't "know nothin' about that; but he knowed papers were signed, (as he was directed falsely to assert,) and that sartain the children could not now be claimed by any persons except their parents. They were now under the care of guardians." After repeated visits, continued for weeks and months, to the same establishment, Father O'Shane could gain no more satisfactory knowledge of the

y, let not our readers conclude that such a case, and many such cases, happened not in times gone by. Then the Irish Catholic population of the state was not much more than what th

oever would attempt to re?nact the kidnapping of Van Stingey, and many other officials of his class, in their days of petty power, would be sure to be compelled to retire forever from public life, and pass into the gloom and infamy of his depraved private circle. There were many exposures and wailings of the

change intended to be brought about was to be left to time, conversation, and the influence of common school education to accomplish. His education, in Ireland, was principally religious and classical, rather than commercial; and he was just now acquiring, in his present trying noviceship, what was precisely wanting to his previous course. He and his brothers, who lived in the next farmer's house, together with Bridget, his sister, who was under the same roof with himself, obstinately refused to attend the Sunday school, the meeting house, or to join in the prayer with which school was daily opened. Hence they were more than once publicly prayed for by the fanatical Presbyterian minister, the Rev. Mr. Gulmore, at whose church the Prying family attended. There was a sufficiency of prayers now "put up," in Mr. Gulmore's opinion, to begin the work of more practical conversion. Accordingly, a "big dinne

could not any longer allow the light to remain under a bushel. It should shine, an

more, after having first served the la

r, thank you

on, frowning. "Why so? That'

t be expected to be very polite, or to know the usag

gifts of God when offered y

good for me to use these gifts

the good things of our glorious

aul; "and I guess eating tu

n and a female member of the family. This "raised his da

nnerly still, Paul

I tell you, child, you are i

re that it is counted very insulting to Catholics to offer them meat on Fridays, as if they were apostates who would sell their souls

, Paul, I thought you were now thoroughly weaned from such notions, from

to come to these parts, only confirms me in my atta

ess into that of affected kindness; "I love you in my soul, and that is why I want to teach you to know Jesus, and to cau

rist foolish. The Scriptures tell us that we may lawfully and meritoriously abstain from many good and useful gifts of God-as Samson abstained from wine; St. John the Baptist from flesh and the luxury of app

exclaimed the parson, "you are

ssertions do n

er," interrupted old Mrs. Prying. "He is for y

efore; but I can't hear my religion run down and mis

wn Jesuit net. Paul, you know the Bible, you think; where in t

rday, the Sabbath? where are you ordered to build churches? where do you find authority for

rder these things expressly;

ildren the use of flesh on Friday; and 'he that does not hear

t is evidently wrong; and it must be wrong t

e forbidden the Jews the use of mea

You cannot find any such p

y days from the use of all the good gifts of God in the shape of food. The Israelites fasted from flesh in the desert, and w

when he saw himself refuted by this young boy. "Don't we read from the

of it would cause a man to sin, and thus defile him. And as the apple in the garden defiled Eve, not by its nature, but by rea

Paul, in all these things. It is

o obey his parents in w

N

ohibitory law. A few years ago it was no harm to fish for pickerel in the lakes and brooks of this county; but some of the people petitioned the legislature, and got a law passed forbidding the fishing for such fish for twenty years; and now, whoever is detected in violating the law is fined or imprisoned. So it was no sin to eat meat on Friday; but the ch

dangerous viper in a family," said the pa

er. Ha! ha! ha! I am really glad you silenced his gab, for he is 'tarnally blabbing about his religion; though

ot angry," said

he is mad, the darned fool," said uncle Jaco

e, retired for the evening to the latter's bed room, where Paul was acc