Inspect an Irish School. 387 



so remote an undertaking, and misery and 

 poverty will continue to distinguish the pro- 

 perty. 



Poverty most commonly operates, not only 

 $o depress, but to degrade our fellow creature ; 

 for when all his efforts are only sufficient to 

 procure that scanty subsistence which barely 

 prevents his family from starving, all hope of 

 bettering his own condition, or assisting that of 

 his offspring, seems totally lost he becomes 

 wholly indifferent to the concerns of life. 

 Thus we were arguing, when an unlooked-for 

 incident produced a solitary cheering gleam* 

 and gave us reason to rejoice that on the pre- 

 sent occasion we had somewhat miscalculated. 

 In a small cabin, close to the side of the road, 

 we discovered a school, where about thirty 

 children were teaching. The boy, who was 

 occupying the immediate attention of the 

 master^ was hurrying over some verses in the 

 Bible, with a rapidity that outstripped the ear 

 of ordinary attention ; leaving a doubt, whether 

 it was English or Irish on which he was em- 

 ployed ; which being intimated to the master, 

 seemed to give offence. But on our inspecting 

 their performances in writing, I was enabled to 

 make my peace with the good man, by justly 

 complimenting the teacher, and rewarding 

 2 c 2 



