AN GAOḊAL
93
"A nation which allows her language to go to ruin, is
parting with the best half of her intellectual independence.
and testifles to her willingness to cease to exist." — ARCH¬
BISHOP TRENCH.
"The Green Isle contained for more centurles 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.
The
Gael.
A monthly Journal devoted to the Cultivation
and Presrvation 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
Seventeenth Year of Publication.
VOL 12. No. 9 MAY. ﻿1898
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.
We are pleased to announce to
the readers of the GÆL that we
have made arrangements whereby
we shall be enabled to publish the
paper regularly each month in fu¬
ture. This entails considerable ex¬
pense and trouble, and it should
also spur its old-time supporters to
renewed exertions.
Sixteen years ago (1882, shortly
after the Gael’s appearance), only
17 pupils, in all Ireland, graduated
in the Irish Language. There has
been a sensible, gradual, increase
in the number of graduates every
year since, and amounted to 1,385
last year. To whose credit is that
splendid progress to be placed? To
you, Gaels! who kept the flag aloft
and the war-drums abeating by
your support, with your money
and means.
You remember, Gaels, that in or
about ’83-4, the Gaelic spurt in Ire¬
land seemed to have got into “the
pin-feathers,” so much so that the
Gaelic Journal suspended publica¬
tion; you will remember, too, how
your Gael bantered and chafed
and chided them on their want of
patriotism ; and how the Rev. Fr.
(now Prof.) O’Growney came to
the rescue and infused new life
and vigor into the seemingly pros¬
trate Gaelic form, and such life
and action that Ireland is to-day a
very hot-bed of Irishism through
the band of young, patriotic, edu¬
cated Irishmen whom he gathered
about him in the Gaelic cause.
You Gaels, and no mistake about
it, and no room for controversy a¬
bout it, are the medium through
which the present satisfactory sta¬
tus of the Irish Language has been
attained. — Do you regret your ac¬
tions, or the amount of your sup¬
port to the renescence of your lan¬
guage — your Nationality? — we do
not, though the heaviest part of
the labor fell on us. — Is there an
Irishman or an Irish woman alive
to-day, deserving the name, who
would grudge to contribute sixty
cents or a dollar a year to bring a¬
bout such grand rejuvenescence of
Irish Nationality? No; not one!
Of course, we omit to include
that large class of Irishmen and
Irish women to which the Sacred
Writer referred when He declared
"Many are called, but few are cho¬
sen.
But, Gaels, there are large num¬
bers of patriotic Irishmen in Ame¬
rica to day, we are told, who are
not aware of the Gael’s existence !
and who would cheerfully contri¬
bute to the support of the Gaelic
Movement had they known of it;
