The Cross and the Shamrock: Or, How To Defend The Faith. An Irish-American Catholic Tale Of Real Life, Descriptive Of The Temptations, Sufferings, Trials, And Triumphs Of The Children Of St. Patrick In The Great Republic Of Washington. A Book For The Entertainment And Special Instructions Of The Catholic Male And Female Servants Of The United States.Quigley, Hugh
Religion
The Cross and the Shamrock: Or, How To Defend The Faith. An Irish-American Catholic Tale Of Real Life, Descriptive Of The Temptations, Sufferings, Trials, And Triumphs Of The Children Of St. Patrick In The Great Republic Of Washington. A Book For The Entertainment And Special Instructions Of The Catholic Male And Female Servants Of The United States.
Quigley, Hugh
Catholics -- United States -- Fiction; Irish Americans -- Fiction
Every Friday that the young confessor refused, after the example of holy
Eleazer, "to eat flesh, or go over to the life of the heathens," (2 Mac.
vi. 24.) he was compelled to go without food till the Sunday following.
He was flogged with a "black snake," till the blood flowed in rills,
every time he refused going to meeting. He was compelled to stand out
under rain and storm, scorching sun and chilling frost, during the time
the family spent in prayer. Yes, tied with a thong to the pump by his
little soft, white hands, the juvenile martyr had to bear the merciless
violence of the elements, or consent to share in the blasphemous prayers
of his persecutors! And, O God! worse than all, they robbed him of his
rosary, and of the little bunch of shamrocks which were the only legacy
of his dying mother to him, and which his sister Bridget and he took so
much pains to keep alive in a small glass vase brought from Ireland. The
"_Agnus Dei_" and "_Gospel_" which it is usual with Irish Catholic
children to wear around the neck, were also forcibly stripped off his
person and put into the stove.
All his much-prized memorials were now gone--his beads, or rosary, with
the crucifix attached, to remind him of his Redeemer; his little vase of
shamrocks, to remind him of Ireland and St. Patrick; and his "Gospel of
St. John," and "Agnus Dei," to recall to his mind his dignity and
obligations as a believer in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and his
confidence in the Lamb of God who took away his sins. These constituted
all the riches and treasure of Eugene, and of these he was plundered and
stripped ere he was confined in the old deserted house that stood a few
rods away from the dwelling house, and where soon all the persecutions
he suffered were terminated.
One evening in October, the team of Mr. Gulvert broke loose from the
post to which they were tied while he was at meeting, and, taking
fright, rushed along at full speed on a narrow by-road by the river that
ran through the village, till, coming in contact with the root of a tree
that protruded from the road, the horses and wagon were precipitated
over a fall of some twenty feet into the channel of the river beneath.
As the night was dark, and the road the animals took in their furious
course was not known, it was not till next morning that the fate of the
team was discovered, though not only Gulvert himself, but his hired
help, including his servant girl and wife even, were out all night on
the search for them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account