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 of Italy. It is  certainly  not  Italian  devotion to the  Madonna,  which  is  as  solid  and  beautiful as  it  is  prominent  in  that  country. But to the  point:  there  is  not  the  shadow  of  such perverted devotion  elsewhere  —  above  all,  in Ireland. There are,  it  is  true,  persons,  great sinners, who,  even  as  such,  have  faith,  and  a hatred  of  their  sinful  ways,  and  are  very conscious of  their  wretched  state;  who  have a sincere  —  weak,  if  you  will, —  desire  to  get right with  God;  and  who,  because  of  the misery in  which  they  are,  will  throw  their whole hearts  at  times  into  a  most  sincere  and earnest prayer,  it  may  be  every  day,  for grace, strength,  mercy,  forgiveness. The Italians have  a  saying  that  no  one  cries  so loudly  and  earnestly  for  help  as  a  person  up to  the  chin  in  water  and  likely  to  be  carried by the  next  wave  beyond  his  depth. So a great  sinner,  because  conscious  of  his  awful danger, will  pray  at  times  more  earnestly than a  saint  who  is  in  no  such  danger. Judgment Day will,  we  may  hope,  reveal  the wonderful effects  of  even  one  form  of  devotion persevered in  through  a  long  life.