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Show j Uaemais Uaderiis, I ODD INCIDENTS OK POKBION TKAVCL AND OBbUIiVATION. i London, April 34, 1893 I'or the purposo of illustration there I as little difference between the Irish fair and the Irish market day, as there could be found betw een "a rate drop of the right sort" and "a drop of the rale light tort," which from time Immemorial has been Inseparable from the proper conduct con-duct of either. The actual difference Is this.The Irish falr,hcther held at the little lit-tle village In Donegal or Kerry, or alien ded by thousands, as at Dalhnasloe, Ath-lone.Cotk, Ath-lone.Cotk, llelfast or Dublin Is an affair lorthe display ondsale of animals onl horses, cattle, asses, pigs, sheep, goats, and occasionally poultry. Icrhips eighty Irish towns and cities hold from one to four fairs each) ear. borne are for the sale of one class of animals only, of hogs as at Limerick or Athlone, or cittle, as at Billlnasloe, of horses, as at probably the greatest annual horse fair In the world, that of Dublin, or as at at Cushcndun, lor the exclusive (ale of the noted Cushcndal ponies bred on the heathery mountains of Antrim, overlooking over-looking the weird and stormy Irish Sea But at most of the Irish fain all animals bred in Ireland are exposed for sale, at many others farm products miy be found, while the great butter fairs of Cork would almost give one the notion that half the world s butter Is made In the sunny vales of Ireland a south The market day, on the other hand, is universal and interminable nflalr. Hardly a day passed in my nearly n year's wandering in Ireland when I did not come upon some town or village where the fair or the market was In lull progress The area of Ireland Is aj las square miles less than that of the State of Illinois, yet Ireland boasts of a66 market towns where market days are held from one to three times every week in the year All this is picturesque pictur-esque and Interesting to the traveler, but my observation leads me to believe that there Is vastly too much market of the sort, and vastly too little to market, of any sort. In Ireland The shopkeepers, shopkeep-ers, petty traders, and "shebeen" men like It well enough, for It brings lli people together for trlmm rg at loth ent's of the yardstick, but the tenant system behind It naturally renders this very custom a necessity to the peasantry. The tenant farmer, particularly one with a tiny holding, must hive, because his condition Is never else than precarious, precar-ious, a handy means of ready money. The market harpies discern with unerring uner-ring scent all who are pressed for rent or Interest money, and they Instantly combine com-bine against his need and dependency with matchless cunning and blarney. Thus those most needing fair return for the pitiable trifles they are forced to sell are Invariably plucked at both ends of their need by the constant necessity of providing rent money for the Landlord, and, at the small market towns by the bums who, just ns fortune telling Gipsies, lenrn :!! the closet ghosts ol half a county before they begin operations, opera-tions, knowing that tills one ur that one from this place or tint, dare not return home without money, contrite In send him back "o'er on alsy roal for the lightness that s In hit pocket " Mill another reason makes the Irish mirket day popular, though ihsistrouj to the acquisition of means among the masses of the pcoplr.lf belter opporlunl ly forte urine comfoit and competency were possible The stranger to Ircltnd cm hardly conceive of the barrenrc-sof diversion or incident In the lives of the Irish easanlrv. I ducitlon and books there arc not, save In ftvorcd regions. Something must occupy the hum-in mind aside from the scoutlngs of every-ihy every-ihy toll. The market dt), in lis exchange of countryside greetings, Information, forgivable gosslpings, simple sim-ple excitements and general burly burly, with this primitive lolk stands entirely in the stead of the weekly paper of our own remoter country districts. Indeed it Is far more The telegraph and the railway pene Irate nearly every country of 1 ngland and America. In more than one half of Ireland, there are country folk who have never seen a rillway car. 1'ho market village Is still the ultimate uf their horizon The little holding on tho mountain side or In the valley, the little chapel where they ,ilricr for Sunday Sun-day mass, the little vilhgc where market day brings them alt together, the rustic ilinco or wed ling with iheirrude and boisterous convivialities, the wake which most powerful prltsl or prelate cannot prlvcnt by direst sacerdotal thunderlngs, and finally the tittle grive yard where all must eventually come' provide the farthest metes and bounds of their humble lives One may wish It different, but It is Idle to discuss It all save on the exact ilne of their uneventful lives, and because the warm Irish heart occasionally occasion-ally yearns for something more ' heart-some" heart-some" than It knows in Its scanty cabin surroundings, I do not want the regird of that better conditioned man who would deny every soul environed as these, every hour of diversion and llghtsomcncss that can be got from either fair, wedding or wake, even If the poor souls return to their dreiry homes ' a thriile hearty and soft" for the dav s or night's ' dlvirslon " Whatever trllle the tenant family may have for disposal on market or fair day, the entire lamlly accompanies it. I ho old mountain but of a cart is got out and sparingly greased the night before, the ragged donkey or illy kept horse, Is given an extra portion of food and ailditlonll combings and scraping, that his old bones may gain new luster, and long before day break, from mountain borecn and mist hidden valley cluttering clutter-ing groups begin moving towards the villase. 'The chlldre dear" ore stowed away alongside the pigs, ducks, chickens or vegetables, for the common excitement has kept them awake all night anil now over the stoniest of Irish roads they arc 'stipln rings Around their swale selves," thu youths may be trudging hopefully ntoncslde, but the ' ould woman ' and 'ould man' nre ever found lovingly humped together upon the only scat tho cart alfords, often agteeably exchanging puds from the same comfortable pipe Hut step with me here beside the way near the town, and seethe motley crew constantly augmented In number from cveryb) way lane nn I Intersecting road What a queer, kindly lot they arc! Here nre tho byes idglng nlong in concentric groups, settling questions of neighborhood moment in tremendous but friendly harangue and dispute 1 very manner of cart drawn by every manner of animal, but chlelly by reUllious donkevs, and all piled with ever) manner of Irish produce and humans, clatter and rattle through the misty morning -carts with sheep bleat ing piteousl), with geese craning their necks in viciously hissed Interrogation, with goats and kids lamenting In pathetic alios and trebles, with pigs springing on nil fours from side to tide while snorting violent protests and surprise, sur-prise, and sou will notice as you must all over Irclan I, that the Irish pig boasts a pink In color that vies Willi the most radiant Hush of the rarest sea shell All nlong the way are old men, humped hump-ed and severe, admitting and protesting in rthlcs and politics with other calm old men who argue, n priori. In the blandest and most convincing tones There nre maidens, too, straight as a Croagh Patrick fir, glancing with those entrancing entranc-ing Irish eyes, milling with thole ruby Irish lips, an I kelllug the lads wild with that most delicious ol allrhodomontade, I lie lovable blame) of the musical Irish tongue, while the great pickages of yam they carry without effort would break an American woman's back complete!). com-plete!). Not far from them ever ore the old. old women with braldcen covered baskets on (heir backs These contain a few cones of butter, a brace of fowls, may ben dox-n or so of iggs, or any o her product of the holding or their labor that may ' bring a few pence the day," but old or young, they are knitting away vigorously in line to step and gossip, and all still, old or young, with their shoes slung across their shoulders, or hidden in the naskcts, for they nre saving them until the edge of the village Is reached where n brusli from a whlsp of dewy grass will make Ihcm shine Irom their iate greasing, and their owners will walk proudly Into the I sir with their shapely leet hidden from the gate of men, in brogans Ihat Wud harm an hisullcr, Ur bate n deal table, With muitlierln' power U I lie their owners wor able! It Is catch as catch can at an Irish market or fair. The first upon the ground Is best served as In location At Ihe village matkcl there is no attempt at sislcm or arrangement, and the market place itself is never n covered structure, but simply a large walled enclosure nlong the principal street, with gates like a castic, with walls of inormous height and thickness ns though attacks Irom battering arms were apprehended, and usually it Is surrounded, at least on three sides, by the quaintest structures, village homes, inns, groceries and shops, furnishing as 1 Ictuicsque scenes as the excited groups within the enclosure I rom the market gates thcro extend In every direction temporary avenues by carts ranged side by bide with their t neks to the way.and the constant crow -Is com ng and cowing with the lirite nun' her belonging to e sell a" " engaged In heated arguments over values, make much goodnaturcd squccii g nnu pushing u matter or tie csslly. There are seldom Inner enclo tires Latlle are herded ogainst the w 11 1 ol one point nsscs at another, pits oil foot, kept (.cntly moving In circles by the skllllu use of Ihclr drivers long a li p Kes will be massed nt another point, koajs anil sheep, botli extraordinarily combative by tho enforced ossoe atlon, at all Inn othcri while all manner of lollipop sellers nnd brave voiced market amuse ment purveyors ore hud lied together In any extra space that ma) be found I or the first hour or tno of the mom Ing the sale of the small truik.sucli ns butter, egg, poullryand vegetables pre-cceds pre-cceds merrily nouh but the ollllude or buer nnd seller of whole cartloads of potatoes nnd of nil animal is amusing Indeed Ilceles ol bu)eis for the Dunlin nnd London markits mui ol gigantic stature with red, ptilfy f cc , nnd greatcoats great-coats hanging over top- jots to their heels, each lurrying a whip of tremendous tremen-dous length will saunter in take n liasl) run about the 'ace, r-hritgclng their shoulders as If nothing worth their nllcnllon had been seen, nnd finally nastily depart. Ihe while the Irish yeomen, with folded arms, and nose In air expressive of fine sunn, bid Ihcm all n cheerful defi n e In ludicrous attempts to appear unconscious of their presence These double pretenses may proceed until noon with now an I then n bargain stiuck 011 tho sly, but the entire popu-lacu popu-lacu nt ihe market arc on the alert for the seductive wiles of the buer, and to protect each other vallintly from being carried nwny for fleecing singly to the enticing groggeries near Ihlsmctap horlcat throw ing of tin t in each others' eves Is carried on during the Ilelfast fair dajs on the first Wednesday of each month, with greater finess and contempt between buyer and seller, than I have seen hi any other portion of Ireland This Is particularly Hue between the factors, or II tx buyers from thcnulls and the hard headed peasantry hi charge of their cart loadj uf flax Scores of factors will make their appearance, surround the cuts, handle the silken "stone" bundles as though It were a pity to bring such stud to the attention of men whoie time was valuable, val-uable, and condescendingly clap n counterfoil coun-terfoil prfco and order lor payment on their respective houses In the sellers' hands, as If n disagreeable charily had been performed, whereupon the sellers toss them back disdainfully or light their pipes wllli them In fine scorn I hen tho factors disappear Hut that Is not the last of them. Ono by one or In little groups they return These stubborn people must be somehow saved from their fatal Ignorance Then follow protestation pro-testation and rejoinder, blarney and blackguarding, as silvery and fine as ever human cars overheard. It is of no avail Away they all contain ' Ihe b,cs ' calmly resume their pipes nnd their ' gotthcrlng ' with the old women and young. Tho next aviault by these sleek and rudd Ilelfitt factors, who are undoubtedly the canniest buyers in the world, is on the confidential line. It Is gelling late in the day They come in droves With military precision tho sellers arc herded In squids Palaver, concession, sacrifice and deference (for price plunder anil division are nlrcady un) Icldingly ngrecd upon) effect purchases pur-chases with marvelous rapidity, and In half an hour the entire great market is completely cleared of llax tho sime, old games having been played In pre cis' ly the same manner for tho past hundred years In the average village market along towards noon billing is likely to begin In wlial might seem to a stranger as an alarming not The b g trailers will make aii onslaught upon a wilting subject. sub-ject. Ilravely he appirenlly resists thetr efforts to bully ur deceive him If b) main strength he is liken from among his firiends they will rally and set upon Ihe triders nnd rescue him borne rough tussling may follow, but nobody Is alarmed nt this It is n way they hive of impinging upon formalit). The Ice once broken, buying begins in earnest, and higher and higher rise shrill voices, often aided In pitch nnd Intensity by John llatleycorn, who Is ever the real master of ceremonies here, until one would think murder must follow the excited dickering) Hovers thrash the air with their wnlps, and pour fearful otjurgailons on the pour animals and their owners, while the tatter aided by valiant wives pav back the fierce blackguarding with rich Interest, Ihe ' lucky pennj," which goes with each single beast or group of nnhnals sold Is shrieked over as though it were the value nil the market holds Ilibcl has begun The lesser sellers cruwd around and "rise their voices ' lugubriously lugu-briously I very person has drunk cnuujh to be interested In every person per-son s affairs bales arc now rapidly made, "dinting the bastes ' sold, ur luhblng mud on their haunches to so distinguish them, nnd driving Ihcm Irom the (-rounds ere lies constant commotion, cart loads of pigs are dumped, amid deafening porkers' shrieks, Irom the farmers' earn into carts cf the buicri whose donkevs nre pounded and rushed through the crowds vociferously, an escaping hog diivcs through the forest of legs madly, ollen giving oh' ladies and young enforced en-forced aerial experiences amid shouts of laughter, the hurdy gurdies blare, candy sellers roar, pipers odd to the universal din, the young people crowd the dincing spaces and licit the turf or improvised floors amid whoops nnd yells. the emlro place until the evening comes is n wild conglomerate of com million courtship, laughter, yelling an I tilde but j,ood nalured injo) mcnl, w hlch for unrestrained heirtiness and unqualified unquali-fied decency is something delicious and wonderful to behold Irish literature is full uf the Irish shclclegh and broken heads It Is untrue of these people ns I Inveseen them, for at over 150 fairs and m uket day scenes I have visited, I never yet saw a human being lurmcd save by whtskc) , and Ihat Is Hie "heart some sthroke ' no true born son of I rin ever feared Edgar i Wakkiivn |