The Roman Catholic clergy are doing a great deal to suppress disorder
and promote temperance by prohibiting the use of liquor at wakes.
Cardinal Logue and the several archbishops and bishops are determined to
abolish the disgraceful orgies that have been so common on such
occasions, and have forbidden priests to officiate at funerals or even
to say masses for the souls of the dead where liquor is offered to the
neighbors and mourners who sit up with the corpse. Some of the bishops
require the remains to be brought to the church on the day before the
funeral. As a consequence, the scandalous custom of holding a carousal
the night before the funeral is almost entirely obsolete except in the
slums of the large cities and in remote rural districts. As a rule
throughout Ireland, where friends now gather to "sit up" with the corpse
as a token of respect and sorrow, they are furnished with no stronger
refreshments than tea. The teapot is placed upon the stove or upon the
peat fire and the mourners help themselves as they desire; but if a
bottle of liquor is passed around it is done with the greatest caution
for fear the priest will hear of it.
Like the colored people of the United States, the peasants of Ireland
are possessed with an ambition to have "a fine funeral." Among the poor
this form of extravagance has been the cause of a great deal of distress
and privation, and formerly poor families often deprived themselves of
food to supply liquor that was consumed at the wake. This hospitable
custom, however, is rapidly passing away.
The Irish Association for the Prevention of Intemperance is composed of
delegates from nearly all of the many temperance societies in Ireland,
both Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland, Nonconformist, and Independent.
There are many mutual benefit societies among workingmen which
affiliate, and various associations of women and children. For the
purpose of co-operation and economy and to avoid friction and
duplication of labor, this central organization has been formed, and
consists of one representative from every contributing society. The
general council meets three times a year, has a complete organization,
sends lecturers into the field, issues literature, makes investigations,
and has committees to look after legislation that concerns the liquor
traffic.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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