639
AN GAOḊAL.
A GREETING.
With this month of October, THE GAEL enters
on its sixth year and. notwithstanding many seem¬
ingly adverse circumstances, is buoyant and full
of hope.
Five years ago, when the Gael saw the light,
many persons prophesied for it a short career —
some, six months, others, at most, a year. But
they have all been (shall we say, agreeably) disap¬
pointed,
These persons did not fully comprehend the pow¬
er and influence exerted by the sentiments which
gave birth to the Gael and of which it is the per¬
sonification — The Gael is typical of the life-spring
of a nation. Hence its success.
In the last two issues of the Gael we proved be¬
yond the power of contradiction the immense ma¬
terial loss which the Irish element in his country
sustained and are sustaining through the loss of
their language. Can we be contradicted should
we venture to insinuate that the loss of the langu¬
age is equally detrimental to the Irish national
cause.
We implore our countrymen to seriously consid¬
er the article on "$50,000,000" on page 619 (No.
6 of vol. 5) of the Gael and take a lesson there¬
from.
Fellow countrymen, cultivate a spirit of mutual
good-will toward each other. Our fellow citizens
of other nationalities set us a rigid example, and
we, certainly, are not slow to learn if we have only
the pluck to follow and profit by it. If you, coun¬
trymen, bear in mind your ancient lineage, it will
beget in you sentiments which cannot fail to be
of mutual benefit to you. Remember that though
lately persecuted, and, as far as possible, humili¬
ated, that you are not yet annihilated, and that the
most brillant and enlightened statemen, at home
and abroad, accord to you social standing for cen¬
turies before your persecutors emerged from their
piratical ships in the Northern Seas, or their peas¬
ant homes in Normandy. We again appeal to the
Macs and the Os, as we did in the initial number
of the Gael five years' ago, to stand to their full
height and look with scorn and contempt on their
would-be-masters — the fossil growth of a few cen¬
turies !
We may be chafed on our boast of eminent lin¬
eage because of the indifferent conduct of some of
our country people. We admit an indifference of
conduct on their behalf but we offer in extenua¬
tion the fact that a lengthened period of servitude
or imprisonment tends to a state of idiocy and im¬
becility in the human race, and we have the high¬
est medical authority to sustain us. But being
here in this free land, whose air seems to rebel at
the thoughts of slavery, and being invigorated by
its bracing influence, it is only natural that we
should convalesce and regain the wonted vitality
and intelligence of our race. How can we curb
our temper when we see Englishmen of the most
radical tendencies, even Irishmen themselves,
insinuate that we as a people cannot govern oursel¬
ves — we, a people who educated and introduced
civilization into the darkened intellect of Europe,
when our would be governors were wollowing in
the mazes of ignorance and superstition? being
hardly removed from the condition of the brute
creation! In our conduct, we as Irishmen should
never lose sight of these facts, and those of us who
recognize them should endeavor to impress them
on our less discerning and uniformed countrymen.
It is included in the mission of the Gael to keep
these facts before the race, and its readers should
make a corresponding effort to circulate it.
A dollar a year will not be missed by any one;
we, therefore request of every one of our readers to
try and get his neighbors to contribute that small
sum to the propagation of these sentiments — and
these sentiments can never be propagated by ar¬
bitrary or artificial means — the language of the
race benig the natural channel. Let, then, the
workers in the national cause try and get their
countrymen to contribute that one dollar, and
though they may not be able to read the Gaelic
matter in the Gael, they can leave it as an herloom
to the rising generation.
On page 403 of the Gael may be seen our congra¬
tulations on the accession to the ranks of Irish-
Americans of
Connall Ceaṫarnaċ
the infant son of Joseph Cromien, Esq. of New
York City — an Irishman in every sense of the word.
It is again our pleasure and privilege to announce
a further accession to our ranks in the person of
Cormac Mac Airt,
the second son of Mr. Cromien.
Connall Ceaṫarnaċ was a celebrat¬
ed knight of the Craoḃ Ruaḋ or Roy¬
al House of Ulster, and Cormac Mac
Airt, who ruled in Ireland for forty
years in the third century, is one of the most ill¬
ustrious personages in Irish history. During his
reign
Conmac Mac Airt,
established, in addition to those already in exist¬
ence, three universities for science, art and jurispru¬
dence. In selecting these illustrious names for his
sons, Mr. Cromien honors his race by appreciating
the ancient civilization of his forefathers. How
different the conduct of Mr. Cromien in this re¬
spect from the majority of his ignorant countrymen
who would be ashamed to call their children Pat¬
rick, Michael, Bridget, &c. nay, but we have
some bastard lrishmen who would apostrophise
Patrick and Michael, "Pat" and "Mick" by way of
reflecting on those, also illustrious, names. We
give our congratulations to our friend, Cromien.
ceárnaċ
