AN GAOḊAL.
403
Now that the Gael is nearing its entrance to the
fourth year of publication, buoyant and aggressive
in spirit, and full of hope for the future. Will
you not, Gaelic friends, make some extra exertion
to circulate it among your neighbors. Tell your
fellow-countrymen who claim Ireland as their place
of birth, if they are not willing to sacrifice sixty
cents a year to support a journal in their native
language, and that the first journal published in
it, that they should not be classed as men but as
the second order of the mammalia in animated na¬
ture.
The spirit of Irish freedom was never so aggres¬
sive as it is at the present time.
The language is the essence of that aggressive¬
ness — cultivate the language and literature and
that spirit will grow so intense that the sodomat¬
ic power of England cannot withstand it.
Entering Ridgewood Park the other day, in com¬
pany with President Finn of the P. C. Society, to
visit the Clan-na-Gael picnic grounds, we asked
for an admission ticket in the language of the Gael
but poor Mr. Goodman, the cashier, opened his
eyes, shook his head and said, "I'd give a thous¬
and dollars to have your tongue." Why, friend
Goodman, you have never, to our knowledge tried
to have such a tongue, nor do you aid in the slight¬
est degree to help others to have it. What a shame
for men like you to be ignorant of the language of
your country. We were very much disappointed
at the slimness and want of true patriotism of the
gathering. Not a single iota could be seen to in¬
dicate that it was an Irish picnic as the only lan¬
guage in the programme apart from that of the
slave was "good night", in the French language.
Though disappointed at the English character of
the picnic, we were compensated by meeting and
chatting pleasantly in the language of the Gael
with as fine a specimen of the real Irish gentleman
as we have ever seen. — a police officer from Savan¬
nah, Ga. He stands about six feet six, made in
proportion, handsome almost to effeminacy, an el¬
egant conversationalist in his native language, and
possessed that easy bearing characteristic of the
man of parts.
The Happiest Day in the Life of Napoleon I-
On the occasion of an important victory, Na¬
poleon was receiving in his tent the congratula¬
tions of his generals. One of them said to him.
"Sire, it is the happiest day of your life!"
Napoleon replied, quickly, "No sir."
There was asilence, and each one mentioned
what he thought must have been the Emperor's
happiest day. Montenotte — the 18th Brumaire —
Marengo — his coronation — Austerlitz — the birth
of the King of Rome. Still there was silence.
mingled with amazement. Finally Napoleon, grave
recollected, and much moved, said, "it was the
day of my First Communion."
As he looked about he saw that all were greatly
surprised; but he perceived tears. in the eyes of
one of the bystanders. He approached him and
pressing his hand, said, "you understand me."
This was General Drouot, called the philosoph¬
er of the army," who practised his Christain duties
in the camp with the devotion of a member of the
primitive Church. It was he who related this
to his bishop, wishing that so touching an answer
should not be lost to posterity.
A deep interest attaches to a prophecy attribut¬
ed to St. Malachy, which Mabillon copied from an
ancient MS. of Clairvaux and sent to St. Malachy's
martyred successor, Oliver Plankett. For a week
of centuries that is from the twelfth to the nine¬
teenth, says the MS., Ireland was to be oppressed
by England. ever faithful to her God, her oppres¬
sion is to end in the nineteenth century. Her sev¬
en ages of suffering over, she would be the means
of bringing back to the Faith the nation of her op¬
pressors, who would in the meantime have fallen
from the unity of the Church. Let us hope that
the chastisements which, according to the prophet¬
ic writer, are to precede the return of our country
to the Faith, may have been but conditionally fore¬
told, as of old the destruction of Nineveh, or may
be among those forebodings in which the human
element has mingled with the supernatural. — Lon¬
don Tablet.
At a dinner recently given at the Sisters Hospit¬
al in Helena. Montana, in honor of the Bishop and
visiting clergymen, the Reverend gentlemen in¬
dulged in the pleasantry of addressing him
in toasts in twelve different languages, Rev. Father
Lindesmith in English, Father Dols in Flemish,
Father Cataldo in Italian, Father Barcello in Span¬
ish, Father Fberville in German, Father Trembley
in French. Father Gudi in Latin, Father Imoda in
Blackfoot, Father d'Aste in Flathead, Father Gudi
in Nez Perces, Father Barcello in Crow; to which
the Bishop responded in Chinook. — Ave Maria.
[Was there no Irishman present? Ed. Gael.]
Cromien — We congratulate our
Gaelic friends on the accession to their
ranks of another Cromien, CONNALL
CEAṪARNAĊ, the infant son of Mr.
Joseph Cromien, — an Irishman in ev¬
ery sense of the word.
Conall Ceaṫarnaċ was a celebrated
Knight of the Craoḃ Ruaḋ or Royal
House of Ulster, and in selecting the
name for his son, Mr. Cromien has se¬
lected one of the most illustrious in
Irish History.
So. Boston. Sept. 7, '84.
Dear Sir,
Please send me the May number of the Gael for
this year, which I have failed to receive, although
once before requesting you to send it to me. I
wish to get those numbers I have bound, and of
course would like to have them as complete as pos¬
sible, for in days to come this humble little work¬
er will be highly prized, for even now I would be
willing to give a year's subscription for each of the
first numbers of Vol. I. Thanking you for your
earnest efforts in behalf of the Irish race, and wish¬
ing that you may live long to enjoy the fruit of
your good work, I remain Very truly yours,
J, J. O'Brien.
