AN GAOḊAL.
927
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.
Ninth 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 ; $1 in arrear
Terms of Advertising — 10 cents a line, Agate.
VOL 7, No. 8. MARCH. 1890.
By directing the eye to the above
heading the mission of THE GAEL is
prominently brought to view. It is a
noble mission and we expect to see it
fully realized in our time. That An
Gaoḋal has largely contributed to the
realization of the first term of its mis¬
sion, namely, the preservation of the
language, is fully domonstrated by the
fact that there is more Irish printed
and published and read and written by
Irishmen to-day than there has been
at any one time during the last three
centuries. A large per centage of the
Irish people are realizing the fact that
without a knowledge of the National
Language they are only half Irish and
are taking energetic steps to set them¬
selves aright before the public. It is
a matter of much surprise to us that
those Irishmen who can speak the lan¬
guage and read and write English do
not make some effort to read and write
their own language, a thing which they
could accomplish with ordinary appli¬
cation in six or twelve months. The
fact that they do not do so is strong e¬
vidence of the evil effects of their West
Britain associations.
The second part of THE GAEL's mis¬
sion, i.e the autonomy of the Irish Na¬
tion, does not seem to make the same
onward progress as the first. But pos¬
sibly the genuine, enlightened, nation¬
al spirit forced into the Irish people by
the movement to preserve their lang¬
uage has opened their eyes to the con¬
temptible figure which they have cut
before the nations of the earth for cen¬
turies in supplying England with mil¬
lions of dollars early by purchasing
her goods and thus furnishing her with
the means to keep them in slavery —
a direct exemplification of the Dog
which licked the hand that smote it.
The Boycott League has been organ¬
ized in Brooklyn and we hope it will
be extended so that it will embrace e¬
very Irishman and woman all over the
world. Of course, it is a penal offence
under the Salisbury regime in Ireland
but that should be an incentive to Ir¬
ishmen beyond his control to push it
to the fullest extent.
The following preamble and resolu¬
tions, which have been adopted by the
League, fully explain its scope. —
"Whereas, The various abortive attempts to free
Ireland by means of an armed warfare which have
been made for the last three centuries have con¬
vinced sensible, patriotic Irishmen, in view of the
increasing numerical strength of England and the
steady decrease in the population of Ireland, that
some other mode must be adopted to compass that
long-wished-for end. Two other effective modes
of warfare remain yet to be tried — one destructive;
the other, peaceable. While conceding that all op¬
pressed people are justified in having recourse to
the most drastic measures to expel the invaders of
their homes, yet we believe that, in this enlight¬
ened age, all peaceable means should be exhausted
before having recourse to that destructive system
by which alone the weak has any chance against
the strong in a bloody encounter. England's pow¬
er and strength today lie in her manufactures. Cir¬
cumscribe the output for these and her power is
gone. — The accomplishment of this is our peacea¬
ble mode of warfare ; be it, therefore,
Resolved, That, to circumscribe the output of
English manufactures of all kinds, and thus fight
England through her pocket, we, of Iris birth or
lineage all over the world, and following the pat¬
riotic example of the Portuguese, boycott all such
English goods and products and all persons who
deal in them.
Resolved, That a branch of the Boycott League
be established in every city and town where Irish
men reside, and that every Irishman who buys En¬
glish goods and products is a supporter of the Bri¬
tish Government and an enemy to Irish Home
Rule.
Resolved, That the expenses of the Boycott
League be defrayed by voluntary donations."
The League has no connection with
