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Farewell.

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Farewell. Mishtor Iditor,— Urrah, sor, an' here Oi am agin. By what Oi was towld, Biddy wrote yersilf a litter lasht week, but Oi have not had toime as yit to read it. Oi only arrived back this viry day; so now, wid the pen in mi fist, Oi musht thry an' kape the promise Oi made. Begorra, an' it is hot, sor. Nearly a shot as the sanwiches at the dance at the Drill Hall. As Oi understhand, Biddy towld yer honur that the Rev. Anthony Lewis is lav- ing the town of Mountain Ash. Good luck to him, says Oi. The good ship Providence will once more be widout a skipper. Bedad, a foine skipper the rev. gintleman proved himself to be. He was a gintleman first of all, sor, and a skipper after- wards, an' Oi am sorry to say, nixt Sunday he takes his post on the bridge for the lasht toime. All hands on deck, officers an' crew. Thin the skipper will say farewell, an' not good-bye. Shure, Oi think he has done his very best to kape his ship abreast of the times, an' has steered her clear of all obstacles, an' can enter in his log "All's well." Of course, sor, thire is not a skipper on the wide seas can steer his ship suc- cessfully widout the viry best help of his officers an' crew, no matter what his qualifications are, an' there are skippers who have not viry high qualifications, an' have only fist managed to take their tickets, but turn out to be mosht excellent skip- pers. an' are trusted whole hearted- ly by their officers an' crew. Mishtor Lewis is a skipper who is not afraid to spake the honest truth from the bridge an', of course, sornetoimes, the truth hurts. What of that, it is his duty an' the duty of -every Christian minister to give the plain truth, an' tell their crews an' officers too, their duty to thimsilves an' their fellow men. Many a toime this is neglected. Thire may be an officer aboard of whom the skipper is on black books wid. Oi thorough- ly understhand a dry land skipper is different altogether from the skipper on board ship. On sea the skipper chooses his officers an' crew. On land, the officers an' crew choose the skipper, an' woe betide the skipper who does his duty as it should tbe performed, he will surely run foul of one or more of the officers or crew. What happens thin? Oi am sorry to say it is quite true his post as skipper is made so viry unpleas- ant that he is viry often forced to hand in his papers. But this is not the case wid the rev. gintleman Oi am writing about as is laving owing to the poor health of his partner in loife an' has accepted, a craft in Devon, the land of the dumplings. A nice swate counthry, an' Oi hope they will sometoimes rimimber the happy toimes they have spent in the Mount. So in conclusion, Mishtor an' Mrs. Lewis, Oi say "Farewell." An' now, what about the old skip- per 1 He is an old an' trusted ser- vant of the Line, an' took the wheel hundreds of toimes, an' steered his ship through many a storm for a period, so Oi am towld, of nearly 20 years, an' handed her over safe an' sound except perhaps for a leak or two to the prisint skipper who will on Sunday nixt bid you all farewell. What a proud record, but what of the Old Man 1 He has been through the rough of it. an' toime has left its mark. Thire is nothing insinu- ating in the term Old Man. On sea, all skippers are called that; an' it is a. term which is respected by all sea- farers an' many a young man in years would give almost anything to be called the Old Man of the Ship. Shure, an' ye have the old skipper in yer midst all the toime. What an opportunity! Oi rimimber, many years ago, hearing a riverind gintle- man preach a sermon, an' his text was, "Can lost opportunities be re- gained?" It is for the officers an' crew of the s.s. Providence to decide at the prisint toime. An' don't ye think yer would loike to see the old skipper back on the bridge once more, steering his ship which he loved so much ? Shure, an' he did. He has given his best years to the service, are ye goin' to see him drift- ing now in his old age ? Offer his posishion to him once more. Some of the officers an' crew he has, when ye were viry small children, bap- tised some he has married, an' has set you sailing in a craft of yer own in the sea of loife. Some of you have had near an' dear ones com- mitted to the deep by yer dear old skipper. Are ye goin' to turn yer backs on him now." Here is the chance, throw out a line now is the toime to stand by an' lend a hand. Its the duty of those on sea to stand by an' lend a hand whin they see a 'c;aft in distress. Many a good craft has gone to the rocks through some- one not standing by an' lending a hand. Don't let it be said of the old skipper, "Not wanted." Begorra, OI hardly think anyone would be more plased to know that the old skipper is goin' to take over the old ship than the Rev. Anthony Lewis himself. Oi well rimimber whin the old skipper handed his papers in, Oi spoke to one of the crew about it one day and he towld me that he was too old, an' it would be better to have a younger man. Oi don't think he will readily forget what Oi towld him in reply. An Oi am sorry to say he has been very forcibly reminded of it by what has happened in some of our local collieries within the lasht few months. Is it detrimental to a man's capabilities to become old? It may be on the collieries an' in the workshop in these toimes of industrial competition, but to say that of anyone who is trying to steer others safe an' sound on that course, an' for that Port which we are sail- ing for, it is an unworthy remark of any professing Christian. The old skipper proved himself toime after toime worthy of his position, worthy of the implicit trust an' confidence in which he was held by nearly all his officers an' crew for nearly 20 years. Now is the toime to give him another chance to steer his dear old craft to the end of his day, an' let him be able to enter in his log, "All's well. Oi am, sor, Your obadiant servant, PATRICK RAFFERTY.

------Inquest at Cwmaman.

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