AN GAOḊAL.
807
A monthly Journal devoted to the Cultivation and
Preservation of the Irish Language and the au¬
tonomy of the Irish Nation.
Entered at the Brooklyn P. O. as second-class mail
matter.
Seventh Year of Publication.
Published at 814 Pacific st., Brooklyn, N. Y.,
M. J. LOGAN, - - - Editor and Proprietor
Terms of Subscription — Sixty Cents a year, in
advance ; Five Cents a single copy.
Terms of Advertising — 10 cents a line, Agate.
VOL 6, No. 10. MAY, 1888
(Translation of Mr. Russell's poem opposite.)
Now let us, Sons of Erin's isle !
With patriotic bearing,
Assume the martial, rank and file,
For Freedom's strife preparing.
And like the gorgeous Sunburst, dear,
Which Fenian hosts saw, beaming;
Let our Green Flag aloft, appear,
In flaunting splendor, gleaming.
By night we trace our symbol, proud,
Among the stars of beauty —
By day, it is the pillar cloud
That leads our way to duty;
And like that Heaven-sent, standard bright,
Much fame in ancient story ; *
Ours is a sacred flag of light
And pledge of fadeless glory.
Soon, where the sulph'rous smoke of war
In dismal clouds is soaring
And ghastly Death's red-scythed car
Life's purple tide is pouring,
In brillance, like a comet's sheen, —
Defeat to foes, divining,
Shall blaze our flashy banner, green,
Thro' the haze of battle, shining.
O let each Celt, beneath its folds,
Approve himself a hero;
While in each foeman he beholds
A Herod, or a Nero:
Let vengeance fire our very blood —
Our deeds, our wrath, declaring;
And let us fight, till fame has stood,
Triumphantly, for Erin.
May Victory, forever twine
Around our flag, of ages,
And Irish valor, matchless, shine
On time's enduring pages —
May our war-prestige be most grand —
Our cannon, thunder loudest,
And Erin's isle, unshackled, stand
'Mong happy lands, the proudest!
* According to the Scandinavian annals the sa¬
c'ed standard of the Dannebrog fell from Heaven.
The force of circumstances often compels the
GAEL to shape its remarks in such form as would
lead those who do not thoroughly know it to think
that it is bigoted. The GAEL is not bigoted, as
fully set forth in a former issue. It never inquires
what a man's religion is, nor does it care whether
he have any — that is the man's own private affair.
But every one is well aware that when an Irish
Catholic become protestant, he also becomes the
enemy of Irish Nationality, as if he would consid¬
er Catholicity and Irish Nationality to be synony¬
mous terms. It is against the latter phase
that the GAEL levels its remarks.
The Papal Rescript.
The GAEL being characteristically Irish is the rea¬
son, we presume, that so many of its readers have
written to us privately to ascertain our views on
the Papal rescript. As it would take more time
than we can conveniently spare to answer our cor¬
respondents by personal letter, we shall state our
view here, which we beg of them to accept as if
personally addressed. Firstly, think that His
Holiness has been imposed upon, Secondly, we
do not consider the Plan of Campaign or Boycot¬
ting an immoral or a criminal agency, because that
which constitutes either, namely, malice prӕ pense,
is absent. If a man take a farm from which a ten¬
ant is evicted, he knows that the public sense is
against him and, therefore, is the author of the
boycot himself. The landlords so-called have no
valid claim on the land, it being stolen property — It
matters not whether the theft was committed a year
or seven hundred years ago. If a thief steal your
coat and sell it to another party, the party
who buys it, if discovered, loses not only the coat
but the money which he paid the thief for it. That
is the general law of all countries — it is the law of
England. Hence, Boycotting and the Plan of
Campaign are not immoral, and therefore, His
Holiness, we think, made a faux pas and, therefore
is not entitied to obedience in that particular re¬
spect. Again, His Holiness should remember, vox
populi vox Dei: and, in the face of the overwhel¬
mingly large majority of the Home Rule represent¬
atives, no one dare say that the Plan of Campaign
is not directed by the vox populi and, therefore, by
the vox Dei.
Plainly — No Pope in politics.
The Gaelic movement is a success. More Irish
people read and write Irish now than there did
at any time within the last 300 years. Over 2500
of the children in Ireland (including those examin¬
ed as well as those who passed) read and write
it. So that the language is now safe. THE GAEL
has accomplished this; therefore, is there further
argument necessary to induce Irishmen to support
and extend its usefulness ?
The N. Y. Gaelic Society at its recent election
of officers elected T. O. Russell Editor — Of what?
Maiseaḋ, go ḃ-feuċaiġ Dia orainn, sin
é an t-Editorship a ċodail amuiġ!
The members of the Gaelic Society are too pe¬
nurious, too selfish (with a few honorable except¬
ions) to do aught but to collect money. They have
not as much as a quarterly sheet to record their
proceedings, and the pretenseless Brooklyn Soci¬
ety have their monthly Journal through which
thousands are educated in the National Language.
