THE Manawatu Times. SATURDAY, JAN. 17, 1880. A WAIL OF WOE.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 108, 17 January 1880, Page 2

THE Manawatu Times.

SATURDAY, JAN. 17, 1880. A WAIL OF WOE.

" Words n re thin;?, nnti ft drop «f ink falling like dew upon a thought, produces thut whicu makes thousands, perhaps millions think."

The news from the Old Country, both by cable and mail, will bring sorrow and sadness to the heart of every settler from one end o£ the colony to the other — Brtn, the weaker sister of the proud Bjmttastia, has sent forth a wail of dis T tress, and desolation and disease has seized her for their prey. 'Famine., us direful as that which decimated the land m 1847, has again breathed upon the unhappy country, and tottering limbs, shrunken cheeks, paljid lips; and despairing eye§ meet the gaze on every side. ' Ruiii aud desolation hover over the land, and hundreds of thousands of human lives tremble m the balance; while the horrors of that dread period when" countless hordes of wretched beings dropped dosVn by the roadside to suffer the pangs of starvation, or crawled to their miserable hovels to die and rot unburied, bids fair to be, re-enacted. To us happily far removed from the scene of the ilread catastrophe, the realisation of the terrible truth is a matter of difficulty.; we who picture to ourselves the Irishman m Ireland as we see -iou^ \n the -colouies— ha»py. reck-

loss, and gay; full of fun, and frolic, and il M ht ;or who draw our ideal of tlie condition of the Irish peasant girl from the industrious, independent daughter of the soil who has made her way to New Zealand or Australia. While her sons and daughters at the Antipodes rovel m the enjoyment of peace and plenty, their less fortunate brethren are under the breath of a terrible visitation, and pleading looks, mournful sighs and outstretched bauds for help come to us across the Pacific. To the eternal honor of the British colonist, be it said, the supplication has never been made m vain, and be his creed or color what it may, whether German or Gallic, Red Man or Russian, a listening ear is always paid to the prayer, and a helping hand held out to "the suppliant. The substantial relief forwarded to the victims of the Indian famine, the I'Yeneh floods, and Bulgarian atrocities, are lasting evidences of the onen-souled liberality of New Zealand colonists, and the present appeal has not come m vain. Scarcely haJ the electric current flashed the sad intelligence to this Britain of (lie South that children and women, aye, and strong men, too — men of our own color and country — we're m need of bread, than the good and true flocked to the front, subscription lists were opened, and name after name appeared which have been regularly stereotyped m the cause of charity. Australia nobly led the van, and by the outgoing mail ,-65000 is to be forwarded to the Lord Mayor of Dublin, with more to follow ; Wellington has not been idle, and through the advocacy of the " Evening Post " help is rolling m. We m Palmerstou are not a large nor an over-wealthy community, and yet we have it m our power if not to per naps save a number of valuable lives,, to alleviate r l ie miseries and lessen the burden which has been placed upon a hapless people. We propose to. get up a monster concert, which shall be worked without any expanse whatever, each one giving their services free ; and we feel convinced that if every township m ih,e colony were to act on the suggestion, some thousands of pounds could be realised for the fund, and instead of the burden pressing upon anyone, a pleasant entertainment would be provided. We would suggest 1 battue entertainment — which would be called "An Evening with the Irish Bards " — should consist purely of the productions of Irish composers, and when it is remembered that the condition would take m MooitE, Loveh, Wall.vcb (the composer of " Miritana"), and Balfk (the author of the "Bohemian Girl") not to speak of the numberless songwriters, it cannot but be admitted that the garden is sufficiently large to permit of a magnificent musical boquet being culled. We may say we mentioned the matter to Mp. W. F. Bakeb, and while highly approving of the originality of the idea, he most heartily volunteered to give his services upon the occasion, and to come any distance to be present at the demonstration. Our experience m Palmerston has been of such a nature that iv suggesting the step, we appeal to the whole community at large, Englishman as well as Irishman, and Scotchman as soon as either. Creed or country make no difference whatever, and while the entertainment will be essentially an hour or two with Irish composers, the aid of all. whether as patrons or performers, will be moat gratefully received.