Show fb firl Who in ll I j j se umas Describes s the Damsel of oi the Emerald Isle How She Embroiders EI r J Knits and Spins Irish ish Emigrant Girls Courtship and Marriage Marri The Sprigging Camp amp is a Characteristic Winter Institution 1900 by Seumas MacManus on Ott tide flue r and are 1 atu ar rt Lin home marries Industries in r employ their nimble ieh our sir girI Is done f for r the i ers The Thc re which export the ilie therk t j world Sluice Since Amer Amern rk all over oer a heavy tariff on n n nd Imports import off ff 50 per cent and the r re has hM fallen fallen at least le 33 13 Formerly F a skillful girl who w cent anti and sat st r or r a L living fp task k of ot flax to do d daily over overa and ard d dabove above her household duties and after afler completing her task had for her own benefit all She he spun beyond Those were the days when linen trade flourished fl before the luction ci C free trade ruined the Irish linen indus industry industry Industry try The girls had then their spinning camps and carried their wheels rather their boys carried to the camo camu house nightly In IIi the busy days daB of Ware w the shrine time the girls do their shares shar in the or of the crops being always alwa asked ask dt to perform the tho tasks t that thit are not 1 1 J 4 a at aI L u t I I I I 1 I I IS S I IN THE HARVEST H FIELD F rk all day which means till 10 1 fie c at dt night could earn from 25 20 to toMI MI and 3 fl occasionally even eyen 35 ft tt but is to 20 O 0 cents a day is con coa conid 1 id i d a big biff earning now H ty Iv a small mall percentage of our o r wo we won n f lu sprigging for f r a in ine Inet et e ni conditions only those the who whoA A iv YI m Th land Jauri and no other way of qt r rr r ing and V they keep half u a aPr F Pr nf it laying hens to t help them th m mIt V It t if or aur ur ur girls for tor they all sprig jt it t up In m the Interims between tween S Ti II duties and anI after the days ays IU r The few shillings a awe aw c cy r y arn un k kp eps them th m In Mess dress res a and d fur fp fph h t tr t h hou u hold with tea and arid sugar sUgu kl HI r may ma often otten be M 74 1 at the fair and at mass by g gt p pi u ui t i i i i f and arni alII I turnout c SIM r t M everywhere from vt i Th h miles mile o the 11 lake to tie tot tier t r nI worth orth WOrt at work wk and a tho the thoi i ji w eN to return reta the finished t V The Water portion pf q f the t th em emr emry r ry ts of but butti I ti 1 i linens table tableS S l u hion covers etc e tc are also ht Sprigging Camps Tir the winter sprigging I n s are die in order As night ight falls the h dars la a work ha hll concluded ail ll TRIP M f one hillside or one lit Ht i i o witti them e each ch work w rk an and am HT hr stool gather at the theof of f one on n and after fter night y twit i it th h hu huse uses of or one another in ini fl j i J The KIT girl iTI in whose house the thew thep w p the light In the nf f the tho the form feral ath th ith the light which used tn a n hut Is now NW oil in int nt r Thc boys bo of the t r h hf ramp amp from from house to house c f t around the walls walte 1 l and paso the th for fT themselves and the then thein in n jest and joke and in telling st r re e it hl i fun js J s always great in m the camp arvi aM th the greater gr ter part of it con 1 n m fl witt Witty sc Jr it A As s they rapidly ply their ther t ani 11 in I Iw kl p their eyes ey steadfastly IW Work ork the girls girla can cn cast ceat OVEr shoulders A Roland for every everyn ev n them item by the too boys And Am lId ill the thi bo boy who wio having had Jt to cross weapons with nr H til th wita wit in 15 the feminine 15 I In tr off arond ond best beet The boys hors boysY Y rl IM t is j necessarily p K j gt ts h hm me f effective e little ua l iu bu u th girls gir the noted wits laborious At the hay liay harvest barvest the ih girls do everything ev except mow Many of them are are expert with the hook ho sickle and shear the corn com hint bant for hint tint with ith their father rather and grown brothers In those thOe parts of our country from which the men migrate to win mn the Scotch harvest a great share hare of field fieldwork fieldwork work falls faIla to the women omen And there are re a few parts P of the western county V of Mayo from which wl ch alas alu al s the women wom through force of circumstances circum mus must t take sickles and their little bun bundles bundIes I dIes and tramp oft off to 10 dt do their share shae in the Yorkshire England har harvest harv vest v t And these brave women never n ver dream that they are heroines Among the Black Strangers fAs our onega Donegal D girls grow up ut there ere is IA i doing some more snore for fur forthe forthe the family than n the sprigging needle can be made to tn yield el So Be when whan ian they the therea reah rea IB V or bt f a age re they th tJ i ey y like brothers have a little red bundle bun le tied up for them with which wi an iii their hand they step out from frt the home whose roof rf has them every of ther the r lives previous revio they step out oct from th 1 home hone on a May morning followed by their heir poor mothers God cd d be with von vou m mand and God and Mary watch over vou vau in in Gaic and travel on foot long and lone lane miles mUes of moor and nd mountain to at attend attend attend tend the hiring market k t in or orin orin orin in Derry or in Donegal village and ta J engage with the inevitable Soot h mfr of the L n of Tyronne TJ Ine or of or elsewhere The girls range themselves in rows roS roSin in the hiring market and stand there the day long whilst the big farmers and wives pass pas aIon the lines and view each eh girl sit rut every angle anele to judge jude if She he is Strong enough for the ea work worl their hired girl giri mu must mut t do and they th y question her as to ta her ability to ta make tubs for fen cattle to lift and weighty tubs and pots plots to cook for the j family and to feed the pigs and most important of all what wages she ex peets ts a half ball year According to her size and strength Str ng th she may mn ask aEk anything an from tram JIG 16 to 25 Her intending employer ridicules the Idea of or U a a liht wee vee bit bitof bitof of Pr a cutty like you ou asking o much offers her far lar less than she ebe is 13 worth to 10 her haggles goes off ofT and back and finally employs her after succeeding in bringing down her price Before closing closi the barg bargain im in she ehe in turn inquires 3 bow how mouths are in the tho household how many man cattle how ow many y pigs rss how far a Catholic I L t t l l lj ri j I I J Jk JI r M Mt f s k t t k tD t J Ir IrI I I I j I I ili f C i it ie iI iJ t e I a t ta a 1 L b 1 l J j i 1 GOING TO T AMERICA 1 1 4 g that I has always a ru j the to telL At bout about s imp mp break up M and U the EIra Cr the tools b n convoy the thein 7 r I u t rr r lre as grown wn in irly 80 It ItS jt trying an Occupation P I J A fc Up and LIIS 8 n t S girls can en n make rath 4 at f t 1 or the th it The 1 knitting AJI Ss La rf i i I V j agents PS or of 1 A girl I ff fj c k ill knit t two O b or 11 d of or gloves gove m In it i nw t ho i y far lion 1 it was as a a When eury cYr 1 girl rl had haq her chapel is the place pl an anasi asi as bier ier employer is generally Presbyterian insists on being to attend mass every Sunday Sun or in some rare cases easer every Sunday All AU this arranged d she mounts the car with ith the farmer and his wife stows her bundle in the well of the car is js driven n off to tohei her hei new home And in jn this tl s new ncr home though she alia is all alone amongst a people of a strange faith she ehe is 15 and ind and She has been taught how to tD lean leun upon tipon G s aid and nd in spirit night n gh end and n he joins fter hr r prayers pr with then the prayers n of f th hu poor brI mother who at st home nome is lS pleading pI fervently for or her And the girl knows WS well that ti atthe end of the ary r every night the whole household hotL join the IDO mth ther th r in one for little Mary Fary who is the black blaek i i e the utter that God and the Virgin may watch over guard guide gu and protect pooled her and fetch her herba tack k safe in soul to our hungry hearts Amusements of the Irish Girl Our girls girl amusements cn s are must be be mostly combined with her work But Bat she e enjoys pleasure with ith relaxation from froin duty She attends atte dB a dance dunce or oi other otheT spree ree in the next ne town land and antl enjoys her herself helf elf to her hearts content enjoyment 1 never has a heartache next morning overshadow overshadowing av hadow ing it The dance house e Is always densely den ly packed eo ISO o ev n for purposes of economy the reveler sit one ane upon 33 event th then a limited space 5 Ue Is left vacant v v cat in the center ceP Wr of o the true floor only ft fur f r aC ng often oten only my enough for one on couple at a tipi tinte e to go through the mazes of the reel el oje by to hop hopIn I In in n the jig are the two twe favorite forms of dance On bright and sunny sunny Sundays the boys and girls gather ga her on m some ome beautiful ful ul hill top or in picturesque glen st stin In n couples and in im groups gio ps gaily chat chattering ering terin laughing courting And on the very summit summt of one of our most difficult mountains boys and uld girs within a radius of ten mile come together gether t on the he first Sunday of June Juire in each year y r there the youth of one glen meet those of a distant one they y have not i seen since that day twelvemonth before and not infrequently little romances en ea easue ensue sue Sad to say sa the greater portion of our girls girla have to leave the country in their bud womanhood for fr the states Some of them return w wIth ith money m ney mar marry marry ry 17 and settle down again for life Many never return though although when they ret yi out all are firmly bent on coming coining back in Ii n five years yea But if they have hae not earned a little pile of money muney or mere there they are ar to return 2 1 L r 1 J I n 1 c jia k c 44 s L t 7 d A DONEGAL ROMANCE For those these who wiLo do not It leave Ireland 23 Si 21 4 and 25 are are the marrying ages To Th very many many of Oft them their ir fathers ethe car mm n nafford afford no dowery In ease cases s where it be afforded aff to is considered a n fair fortune Som the fortune Is paid in in kind cattle and furnishing or ora ora ora a piece of land lami lan Often the girl fortunes fortu nes herself by b the industry of her fingers I inventing as she goes goos along in sheep a heifer helfer a cow w wW When W hen a young man goes goen m eS formally to ask a wife he brings s with him a 3 I friend whose hose duty it Is Isto to bargain for forthe forthe the fortune with fth the e father faIther and anti mother m other whilst he be courts the daughter Though a hard enough bargain is driven it is isn not n Jt always done one in the spirit of old Conaghan w who wh ho warned warne his hS sons eons friend when en seeing them off oft to tomake tomake tomake make the match If ff s a very good girl COnal Comai an very respectable an au likely to be welldon n an wise wire why in a spasm of heroic generosity dont brak off the bargain argain b for a dif difference difference difference ference of 30 shillings 6 or rio fco MACMANUS Donegal Ireland |