AN GAOḊAL
103
"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
other 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 Kociusko 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 matte
Fifteenth Year of Publication.
VOL 11, No. 9. JUNE. 1896.
Remember that the First Irish Book is given free
charge to every new subscriber.
Subscribers will please remember that subscrip¬
tions are due in advance.
Owing to the continued indisposi¬
tion of Father O'Growney, the usual in¬
stallment of his Simple Lessons has
not been received.
The Gaelic Journal gives a very en¬
couraging account of the Gaelic move¬
ment in Ireland.
Hibernians, remember that you can
support a newspaper in the language
of your country for one cent a
year per member. Do you desire the
preservation of your language, and the
etcs which underlie it? Are you wil¬
ling to give one cent a year to further
that end? If you be, then get your
Division to send it. If you don't like
the Gael, then, send it to the Gaelic
Journal.
Western friends, send us the Silver! We can
buy as much paper for a silver or greenback dol¬
lar as we can for a gold one. We do not intend
to spend our money in making a tour of Europe,
and hence, the silver or greenback dollar is good
enough for us.
Another request we would make — let every rea¬
der of the Gael send one new subscriber — just
one — and its circulation will be doubled! How
easy things may be done, yet, how important the
accruing result! Notwithstanding the general a¬
pathy of the Irish people in relation to the pres¬
ervation of their language — the sinister and pow¬
erful influences at work aiming at its destruct¬
ion as the country's vernacular — yet, through the
seemingly insignificant movement initiated here
in Brooklyn 23 years ago (the founder of the
Gael), not less than 100,000 Irishmen are able to
read their language to-day! That grand success
is claimed by the Gael, and is accorded to it by
all whose standing in the Irish community is a
guarantee of their patriotic disinterestedness.
Hence the reason that we urge a steady, deter¬
mined, aggressive onward individual exertions by
Gaels, that they may look back with pride on the
fruits of their labor.
When the Irish language is preach¬
ed from the altars in those localities
in which it is still the vernacular (and
why it is not a blind man can see) the
Gaelic movement will be a success. In
reply to some criticism in THE GAEL
some time ago, the Rev. P. A. Walsh,
(C M) St. Vincent, Cork, in a long
letter, assured us that the revival of
the language rested with the people
themselves. That is certainly a fact
for it is in their power to bring press¬
ure on the bishops and priests to preach
it from the various altars, as the Welsh
clergy did, until the Welsh language
is spoken and read to-day by every
Welshman.
If it be true that the Irish Hierarchy
(as a body) favor the British connect¬
ion rather than Irish autonomy, then,
their conduct towards the Language is
intelligible. But even with the British
connection, they ought to be patriotic
enough (like the Welsh) to preserve
the distinctive National traits, for by
losing them the Irish would naturally
follow in the footsteps of the new re¬
gime into infideity and the slough of
debauchery and pollution which ob-
