AN GAOḊAL.
331
"A nation which allows her language to go to ruin, is
parting with the best half of her intellectual independence,
and testifies to her willingness to cease to exist." — ARCH¬
BISHOP TRENCH.
"The Green Isle contained for more centuries than one,
more learning than could have been collected from the rest
of Europe ... It is not thus rash to say that the Irish
possess contemporary histories of their country, written in
the language of the people, from the fifth century. No
nation of modern Europe is able to make a similar
boast." — SPALDING'S ENGLISH LITERATURE, APPLETON & Co.,
NEW YORK.
Who are the Scotch? A tribe of Irish Scots who crossed
over in the 6th century, overcame the natives, and gave
their name to the country. — J. CORNWELL, PH.D., F. R. S.'s
Scotch History.
The Saxons Ruled in England from the 5th century and
were so rude that they had no written language until the
14th, when the Franco-Normans formulated the English. —
SPALDING.
A monthly Journal devoted to the Cultivation
and Preservation of the Irish Language and
the autonomy of the Irish Nation.
Published at 247 Kosciusko st., Brooklyn, N. Y
M. J. LOGAN, - - - Editor and Proprietor
Terms of Subscription — $1 a year to students, 60
cents to the public, in advance ; $1. in arrears.
Terms of Advertising — 20 cents a line, Agate.
Entered at the Brooklyn P. O. as 2nd-class matter
Thirteenth Year of Publication.
VOL 10, No. 4. NOVEMBER. 1893.
Remember that the First Irish Book is given free
of charge to every new subscriber.
Subscribers will please remember that subscrip¬
tions are due in advance.
With this issue, THE GAEL enters on its thirteenth
year. When it was ushered into life, in November
1882, How many believed it would have lived so
long? How many of those Irishmen who make
considerable noise about their Irishism have contri¬
buted a red cent to its support, — the "Sentiments"
column tell. But we are losing our space on such
people — they are not entitied to be called Irishmen,
for, as the Historian Brother Michael O'Clery said,
"He is no man that would not support his mother"
Irishmen connot offer as an excuse for this unfilial
treatment of their mother that they were not sat¬
isfied with the way in which the Gael had been con¬
ducted, for the fact stares them in the face that they
permitted other mother journals to starve. But the
Gael is alive and kicking, thanks to Irishmen!
THE Irish LANGUAGE
Plain Truths Told by Father
Keegan, of St. Louis, Mo.
(From THE TUAM NEWS.)
In the Irish and American, and sometimes, in
French and Scottish journals I read of a reviving
interest in the literature of the Irish and other
Celtic peoples. About the beginning of the pre¬
sent century there was another spurt of interest
taken in Gaelic owing to the successes of James
McPherson's clever forgery, when O'Flanagan,
Halladay, Vallancey, and MacElligot did some
good and some indifferent work for our native lit¬
erature. Midway between that time and the pre¬
sent the labors and enthusiasm of O'Donovan and
O'Curry roused another gleam of hope in the
hearts of the lovers of the language and ideals of
the saints and sages of Erin. Notwithstanding
these passing moments of brightness and warmth
for the cause of the old Celtic civilization, all that
time the language and manner of ancient Christian
Ireland were steadily and quickly fading away.
The people were full fain to have their old and be¬
loved language, history and traditions restored,
to their rightful place of honor, but their leaders
and masters, lay and clerical, kept straightforward
killing off by their neglect and active hostility, the
speech and tradition of a people whose tongue of
freedom was Irish, and who, under the influence
of that language of freedom might again strive to
be free. The great mass of the Irish people were
most helpless. The English Protestant govern¬
ment forced English school-books and language
on them, which, even when they did not teach the
Protestant faith openly were full of the leaven,
spirit and odor of England and Protestantism.
After the penal laws had done their worst, schol¬
arship was almost destroyed among the the laity
of Ireland and after a few years of excommuni¬
cation by Anglicizing bishops and the closing of
Irish schools, burning of Irish books and denun¬
ciation and expulsion of Irish teachers by priests
in those districts where they insolently dared to
teach the ancient language, literature, history and
Catholic traditions of St. Patrick, Columcille, Cor¬
mac of Cashel, and Brian Borumha, the doom of
Gaelic was pretty well assured. The education of
the mass of the people was totally neglected
after the killing off of the Irish schools, until
Archbishop Whately laid the foundation of the
government scheme of "National education" so
called. Thus the training of the great body of the
Irish nation passed into the hands of foes to coun¬
try and faith. Colleges were erected for the chil¬
dren of wealthy Catholics, but these Colleges were
if anything, more anti-Irish in their teaching and
spirit than Whately's "National Schools."
Among the Romans of old, those models for
mankind of political and moral greatness, the
grand motive for noble and virtuous conduct was
patria, one's country. So has it been and shall e¬
ver be one of the greatest motives of human virtue,
this love of country and ambition for the honor,
prosperity and greatness of one's native land. But
this motive, so potent among other people to rouse
their youths to high and glorious thoughts and
deeds, has no part in the training or formation of
character of Irish youths for the last hundred
years.
Never did Spanish inquisitor more carefully
guard the faithful from the polluting stain of her¬
esy than the Catholic "high educators" of Ireland
for the last century guarded the youths committed
to their care from all knowledge of, and pride in,
the language, history and traditions of the free
and civilized native Irish race. So the most un¬
fortunate young men were educated as a folk who
had no country. They were kept in ignorance, as
far as colleges could keep them, of their natural
country, Ireland : and no college, be it ever so En¬
glish, could make them regard England as their
Country.
So they grew up without a country to love or la¬
bor for, without the motive of patriotism, that se-
