AN GAOḊAL
123
THE GAEL.
When, twelve months ago, we determined that
the Irish people of this country should have a
journal published in their national language as
well as the people of other nationalities, our friends
laughed at what they termed our silliness and
prophesied the GAEL would explode in less than
six months. One of our friends said, “Well Logan,
if you can keep it alive for a year it will be a suc-
cess.” Well our friend with this number gets the
twelfth, so we hope he is now convinced that it is a
success. And he can see that from the fourth
number of the GAEL some slight improvements
were continually perceptible. For this we thank
its subscribers and supporters. What we regret
in connection with the matter is that some more
competent parties did not take it in hand. When
we came to this country we were somewhat sur-
prised to learn that a large number of our co-na-
tionalists would fain deny that they had any knowl-
edge of their national language whatever, with
the supercilious idea that a want of such knowledge
placed them in the category of what is called “the
higher ranks of society. We commenced right
away to counteract this pernicious and unnational
idea and the result was the formation of societies
for teaching the language. A lady of education
said to us some time ago that it was the English
language that was spoken in St. Bridget's time !
It is only six centuries since the O'Conor reigned
King of Connaught. We are sure there was no
English spoken there then. It is only two cen-
turies since O'Neil ruled Tireoein ; there was no
English spoken there then, and we have it on the
authority of Doctor O’Gallagher, who wrote Gall-
laghers Sermons, that in his day there was no En-
glish in the Diocese of Raphoe. How, then, did
the English language make its way into the coun-
try? It did in two ways—Through the English
officials and through those who were obliged
to go to England a part of their time to
earn a living. These were the initiators of the
English language in Ireland. Suppose England
becomes possessed of Eypt, she places her offici-
als there ; these officials will surround themselves
with Eyptian lacquays, who of course will learn
English ; in course of time the country will be-
come impoverished under foreign rule, and the
poorer classes will be obliged to emigrate to earn
a living ; they come to England, we will say, and
there they learn the English language. Apply
this supposed case to Ireland and you have the
origin of the English language there. We chal-
lenge anyone to controvert these deductions. Well
the GAEL is now an established fact, and though
its circulation is small considering the number of
those whose social position it seeks to maintain,
yet it must be borne in mind that it takes a long
time to effect the cure of a chronic disease. At
this writing the GAEL has only twelve hundred
and fifty-seven mail subscribers, we think it ought
to have as many thousands, seeing that it has read-
ers in all quarters of the world. It has them in
Australia, New Zealand, Alaska, France, Germany
England, Scotland Canada, Mexico, and of course,
Ireland and these States. We are sure it would
have ten times as many subscribers if the people
generally believed it would live. We now assure
them that it will whilst we live, and we hope that
when we go there will be lots to take our place—
they are in these cities to-day. So that those who
believe with us that it would be a slur on our
nationality not to have a journal in the national
language, need not apprehend the GAEL's disso-
lution.
And now we renew our appeals, not only to
those who speak the language but to all Irishmen
to support this the only journal in their national
language. Going in the public cars and elsewhere
we frequently hear such expressions as, “There is
a paper printed now in the Irish language, and if
we dont mistake, the actions of the speakers would
indicate that they take some pride in the fact. So
they ought because it shows the world that they
are a distinct people and not the semibarbarous
mongre's which their enemes would fain make
them. Then, we would say, one and all, patron-
ize the GAEL, circulate it among your friends
some one will study the easy lessons contained in
it. And even if you dont study it yourself sixty
cents a year wont “break you." The satisfaction
that there is a journal published in your national
language will be worth that money to you if you
were never to read it. Send then, your subscrip-
tion for the second volume which commences
next month, sixty cents, in one, two, or three
cent postage stamps, or otherwise.
OBITUARY,
On August 22nd, at the age of fifty-five, Charles
J. Kickham, one of the purest patriots that ever
spoke, wrote, or suffered for motherland breathed
his last. We would not presume to write a eulogy
of the patriot dead—a master-hand only can do
justice to that—but we join in common with our
countrymen in expressing our sorrow at the event.
Those who have read “Sally Kavanagh” or “Un-
tenanted Graves” will be able to form an idea of
the sentiments entertained by the dead author.
We believe Charles J. Kickham could not write in
any other strain. May the Lord in the plentitude
of His mercy, grant to you, Charles James Kick-
ham, everlasting happiness in the Kingdom of His
eternal Glory, and the freedom from foreign tyr-
anny of those for whom you have sacrificed all
earthly comfort—Amen.
Ċuirfiḋ muid beaṫa Ṡeáġain Ṁic
Éil san n-Gaoḋal ċo luaḋ as ṫigfeas é
amaċ.
