AN GAOḊAL.
867
A monthly Journal devoted to the Cultivation and
Preservation of the Irish Language and the au¬
tonomy of the Irish Nation.
Entered at the Brooklyn P. O. as second class mail
matter.
Eighth Year of Publication.
Published at 814 Pacific st., Brooklyn, N.Y.
M. J. LOGAN, - - - Editor and Proprietor.
Terms of Subscription — Sixty Cents a year, in
advance. $1 in arrear; Five Cents a single copy.
Terms of Advertising — 10 cents a line, Agate.
VOL 7, No. 3. MARCH, 1889.
"BICKERINGS."
The readers of the Gael, the Dub¬
lin Gaelic Journal, the Irish-American
and the Chicago Citizen are often ser¬
ved with a dish of the above sauce to
the great detriment of the Gaelic
movement.
Up to the foundation of the Gael
these bickerings were unknown.
The Gael was started for the pur¬
pose of advertising the movement, and
as an organ in which the students of
the various Gaelic classes could, from
time to time, publish the result of the
exertions. In publishing such matter
it was not considered prudent to check
the enthusiasm of the contributing
students by altering their compositions
or by finding fault with them know¬
ing that, in time, as they progressed in
their studies, they would discover the
faults themselves. Hence, in nearly
every issue contributions from students
were earnestly solicited, believing that
nothing tends to stimulate a student in
his studies so much as the seeing of
his exertions in print. Many students
availed themselves of the invitation.
Now, no one could expect perfection in
compositions such as these delineated
and no lover of the language would dis¬
courage their authors by finding fault
with them. The Gael at that time,
recommended those who desired to see
Irish in grammatical form to consult
the grammars of the various authors,
and the Dublin Gaelic Journal.
This, then, being the mission and
policy of the Gael one would think
that it would be encouraged by all I¬
rishmen in its laudable efforts to spread
a rudimentary knowledge of the lan¬
guage of their unfortunate country.
For a few months after the issuing of
the Gael every thing looked smooth,
calm and inspiring until the demon of
discord, jealous of its promising pros¬
pects, aimed his poisonous arrow at its
heart.
Then the bickerings commenced.
The bickerings commenced when T. O
Russell shot his venomous dart at the
Gael without the slightest provocation,
and would we, its founder, be so very a
slave, as the immortal Emmett said, as
not to strike back? No, and none but
a thrall would expect us to do so. We
have never criticised adversely any
Gaelic writer or Gaelic journal until he
and his drunken jackals attacked us.
And yet people will ask, "Why keep
up this bickering?" While England has
money to employ the LeCarons and the
Pigotts there will be bickerings in all
Irish patriotic societies, and he is
nothing but a fool who would expect
anything else. England and all con¬
quering nations care more for the de¬
struction of the language of the con¬
quered than they would for the de¬
struction of a thousand revolutionary
societies, because a country is never
subdued while its language remains
intact.
To show the rascality of T. O'N.
Russell's conduct towards the Gael we
print the following sentence taken from
a letter of his in the Irish-American of
January '79:
"Ní ġeallaim daoiḃ go g-cuirfiḋ an
teanga Ġaeḋilge airgiod in ḃur sporán"
