AN GAOḊAL.
163
Md. — Father White was going to express his
sentiments in the mother tongue but being out of
practice he gave it up. Practice it, Father. Mr.
McDonough conveys the sentiments of Mr. Knox,
and Mr. Sullivan conveys his own.
Me. — Father O’Sullivan is delighted with the
GAEL and both himself and Father Shalloe join in.
Mo. — Mr. Finneran through the United Irish
man speaks for Messrs. Dolan, Lyon, O'Donohoe
Rooney and Walsh.
Friend Finneran, we are going to reissue the
back numbers.
Mich. — Dr. Scallon conveys the sentiments of
Mr. Cronan, and Messrs. Tendall, White, Hughes,
and Carey convey their own.
N. C. — Brother Philip Cassidy and Mr. Joice
come from North Carolina.
New York — The Hon. Denis Burns and Mr. E.
O’Keefe conveyed so many from New York City,
that to make them out would be an endless job
among others are, Father Brown, Hon. M. J. Breen
Messrs, Barrett. Doyle, Cooney; Kelleher, Church-
ill, Fallon, Hughes, Hannigan, Lucy, Capt. Nor-
ris, McLoughlin, Meeres, M. O’Keefe, J. O’Sulli-
van, T. J. O’Sullivan, O'Brien, O'Connor, Sullivan
Smith, Capt. Spearman, Spellman, Young, D.
Barrett, E. O'Brien, Cavanagh, Fallon, Anglin,
O’Byrne, Barnes, Millan McCrystal, Hack, Misses
Logne, Needham, O’Neill and Messrs. Freely, Dif-
fley, M. O’Connor, &c; &c.
New Zealand — Messrs. Goggin and Lynch.
N. J. — Messrs. Fitzmaurice, Hogan, Nash and
McCormack.
Ohio — Messrs. Donovan, Shields for Messrs. Ro¬
gan, King, Boyle and Furey.
Tenn: — Hally, Watson, Hynes, Tracy and Gib-
lin.
Pa. — P. M. Walsh for Mr: Watson. Mr. Rus¬
sell for Mr. Egan, Gallagher, Scott, Wilson, Lov¬
ern, and Mr. Godwin says that he is able to read
Gaelic tolerably well through the instrumentality
of the GAEL. Wall for McFadden, O’Neill Glenn
Connoly.
R. I. — Mr. Kenefick through the United Irish-
man, sends kindly greeting.
Utah Thr. — We can hardly enumerate all the
names whose sentiments Mr. Delahunty conveys
but here are a few of his last salutation: Rev. Fa¬
ther Cushnahan, Messrs. Moran, Moore, Cahill,
Taggart, Brady, and Mrs. M. Doherty.
Wis. — McCarthe, O’Grady, Hagarty and Lynch.
Wyo. Ter. — Blake, Cassidy, O'Rorke, O'Neill,
and Burke.
Va. — Waters, Scanlon, Wynne, Walsh, and
Murphy.
We hope to be able to record a large number of
our old subscribers in our next number. Nearly
all of the above sent lengthy communications but
owing to our limited space we cannot afford to
produce them.
Ala. — Mr. McCosker has sent so many from
Ala, that we hold them over to next issue.
IRISH SPEAKING PERSONS — The number of persons
in Ireland who speak the Irish Language only is
64.197; a falling off of 39.000 since '72. The
number who speak Irish and English is given at
about 900.000, or an increase of 171.452 within
the same period. Now it is evident that 171.000
did not learn Irish since '71. But at that time the
Irish Language Movement was not in being, and
a large number who spoke the language denied all
knowledge of it because it was not then consider-
ed fashionable. In ’81 the labors of the Philo-
Celtic Movement counteracted this vicious and un-
patriotic idea, as is manifested by the returns just
quoted. By '91 every Irishman will be considered
uneducated who is ignorant of his national lan-
guage, and justly so.
Some Irish persons ignorant of their national
language will say, “my father did not teach it to
me.” Did their fathers and mothers teach them
all the accomplishments which they now possess ?
Priests, lawyers and doctors — educated people
who could learn the language in twelve months —
of Irish birth ignorant of their native language
surprise us most. These gentlemen will quote
Latin, Hebrew, Greek, &c., and some of them will
ask, “Is the Irish a cultivated language and gov¬
erned by grammatical rules.
Now, gentlemen, we ask you for an explanation
of that paradox. You know, gentlemen, that
the language and literature of a nation are the ev-
idence — the only evidence of its civilization ; ig-
norant people may laugh at this fact — You, gen-
tlemen, can not. If you enter heartily into the
movement now on foot for extending a literary
knowledge of your mother tongue, the result will
be the success of the movement, and the social e-
levation of your kindred yet unborn.
By unearthing the learned literature of your
country you will compel respect where you now
get but sneers
We often hear of weak-minded uninformed Irish
men bearing such names as Connell, O'Shaugh-
nessy change them to Cornell and Chauncey so
as to obliterate their identity with an “ignorant
and lowly race.” Show this class of persons that
the “ignorance" is on the other side by producing
the evidence [ asserting facts will not do for, like
the unbelieving Thomas, they must see it , then
there will not be many defections. We would, in
a more particular degree, solicit the attention of
the clergy to the latter consideration. A people
of known social superiority will not care to ally
themselves to those of an inferior grade.
Egypt — The land of the Pharoahs is the most
interesting now in the world, and may prove
as dangerous to its peace. Is the Irish sentinel
on guard and prepared to take advantage of the
confusion which may follow?
