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Show xA PLEA FOR OVOCA. There Is no more beautiful country in the world than Ireland, and the Vale of Ovoca lies at the heart of Its loveliest region, yet in this charming country poverty and sufferings such as the American Imagination can hardly grasp are widespread and have been prevalent for years At this moment mo-ment there are thousands of men and women in tho region sufforing for lack of proper food, warmth and shelter. shel-ter. All Ireland is noor, but these people are the poorest Yet their history would not have come to light on this page but for tho arrival of a great rarity that Ovoca has sent to America tho Protestant priest of tho parish, iho for more than a quarter of a century has freely given his heart, his labor and his money to feeding, clothing and hqlplng the people, peo-ple, Protestants and Catholios alike He asks for contributions, great or small. Hl9 address is: Rev. J M Robinson. M A , the Rectory. Vale of Ovoca, Wooden Bridge, County Wick-low, Wick-low, Ireland The land has been bled white and all the government aid thus far given has been tardily and unsklllfully applied. ap-plied. Among the ery poorest In the kingdom are the Inhabitants of 0oca, long famous and misspelled as Avoca In Tom Moore's delightful poom on the "Meeting of the Waters " The failure of the copper mining Industry years ago took away the mainstaj of the people Two thousand men were ein-polyod ein-polyod in the mines, now only twenty-five twenty-five remain The stoppage of the wages which were the support of life and comfort in the community has caused abject poverty The young and strong who had enough money saved emigrated to America The rest have tried to live on the land and found barely a living often less than a living and would have died but for outside help. Rev Mr Robinson has begged for these people in Ireland and In England, and with the money thus raised has given employment to the needy, so that they could earn enough to keep them alive and warm Nothing Noth-ing has been done in tho bestowment of his bounty that could break down tho self-respect of the Tociplent. William Inglls In Harper's Weekly. |
