620
AN GAOḊAL.
The Hedge Schools of Ireland, of the Last
And Early Part of the Present Century.
Methinks I see the village school
As formerly it stood
Behind the ditch, above the moor,
And sheltered by the wood.
'Twas built of sods, and roofed above,
With branches often peeled —
And thatched with heath or prickly furze,
Or stubbles from the field.
It had no door, yea, rather had
A door on every side,
That if the wind came from the North,
The South could one provide.
The floor was also covered o'er
With rushes from the fen,
And seats as well of dried peat,
To make it snug within.
The fire when winter chilled the air,
Was midway made to blaze,
And each was sure to have the heat
Then smiling in his face.
The seats were all of various stones,
Arranged in order too,
That if a spark then flew about,
It could no mischief do.
The chimney was a big round hole,
And plastered round with clay,
It served as well to give us light
As take the smoke away.
The master there, kind, simple soul,
Then sat upon a stool,
For chairs were scarce in feudal days,
To keep then one in school.
He felt no loss in such a want,
He sat as tho' a chair —
And taught his class, and heard our tasks,
And made us scholars there,
When winter past, and summer came,
And Nature clad the lea.
He came then forth and taught his class,
Beneath a shady tree.
We strolled about, or stretched along —
Like children of the wood,
Or sought the stream that rippled by,
From yonder neighborhood,
But yet withal we were at hand,
When lesson time was nigh,
For all knew well 'twas mighty hard,
To 'scape his watchful eye —
Such any times are long since fled,
The Master, Wood, and Dell,
And other times take now their place
That can't the past excel.
Such blissful days I cannot forget.
Nor such again can see;
Tho' loud the boast of science, art,
The past is dear to me.
M. BURKE.
One of the nicest articles touching Gaelic lit¬
rature which we have seen in years appeared in
a late issue of The Brooklyn Examiner, taken
from the St. Louis Republican, and treats of the
fight for mastery between Celt and Saxon, with
a possiblity of ultimate success for the former.
Counsellor John C. McGuire of this city who is
summering in Europe, made a telling speech at
the National League meeting in Dublin the other
day.
The July number of the Irish Echo has very in¬
teresting English reading matter. What a pity
that it is not the original sound. Boston friends,
drop the Echo and give us The Irish in letter as
well as in name.
Extradition — The Administration seems to lend his
official aid to the brute Salisbury in inaugurating
his twenty years coercion in Ireland, for Bayard
and Phelps could not undertake to formulate so
unrepublican a proceedings without his sanction.
Our only hope now lies in a republican Senate.
No political candidate being now before the coun¬
try, one may express his opinions freely without
giving political offence. Our free opinion is that
no Irishman will make a mistake by voting at all
times against any candidate endorsed by England,
whether he be a republican or a democrat.
Wanted to know why so many branch treasurers
of the Parnell Parlamentary Fund Assn. send the
money collected direct to Dublin instead of sending
it through the regularly elected and recognized
Treasurer of the Irish National League of America,
the Rev. Dr. O'Reilly? Don't those who ignore
Dr. O'Reilly offer an insult to Parnell to the Rev.
Dr. and to the cause which the people have at heart.
With this number of the Gael is concluded Pro¬
fessor Roehrig's Essay on the Irish Language and,
as a personal favor, we would ask every one of our
readers to peruse the letter part thereof carefully,
and also to bring it under the notice of their
friends and acquaintances. The summing up of
that essay, coming from a foreigner, one of the most
brillant scholars of the day, should inflame the
brow of every Irishman with a glow of pride, and
should cause every Irishman who refuses or neg¬
lects to cultivate a knowledge of his native lan¬
guage or assist at its preservation to bow his head
in shame — for that man is lost to all sense of self-
respect. — This language may appear harsh — it is
no such thing — because the Irishman who neglects
to maintain or assist at the maintenance of the
National respect, commits a crime against both the
nation and the individual citizen.
We hope that subscribers who are in arrears
will pay up.
THE GAELIC ALPHABET.
Irish.
Roman.
Sound.
Irish.
Roman.
Sound.
a
a
aw
m
m
emm
b
b
bay
n
n
enn
c
c
kay
o
o
oh
d
d
dhay
p
p
pay
e
e
ay
r
r
arr
f
f
eff
s
s
ess
g
g
gay
t
t
thay
i
i
ee
u
u
oo
l
l
ell
