AN GAOḊAL.
259
"A nation which allows her language to go to ruin, is
parting with the best half of her intellectual independence,
and testifies to her willingness to cease to exist." — ARCH¬
BISHOP TRENCH.
"The Green Isle contained for more centuries than one,
more learning than could have been collected from the
of Europe ... It is not thus rash to say that the Irish
possess contemporary histories of their country, written in
the language of the people, from the fifth century. No
other nation of modern Europe is able to make a similar
boast" — SPALDING's ENGLISH LITERATURE, APPLETON & Co.,
NEW YORK.
Who are the Scotch? A tribe of Irish Scots who crossed
over in the 6th century, overcame the natives, and gave
their name to the country. — J. CORNWELL, PH.D., F. R. S.'s
Scotch History.
The Saxons Ruled in England from the 5th century and
were so rude that they had no written language until the
14th, when the Franco-Normans formulated the English. —
SPALDING.
A monthly Journal devoted to the Cultivation
and Preservation of the Irish Language and
the autonomy of the Irish Nation.
Published at 814 Pacific st., Brooklyn, N. Y.
M. J. LOGAN, Editor and Proprietor
Terms of Subscription — $1 a year to students, 60
cents to the public, in advance ; $1. in arrears.
Terms of Advertising — 20 cents a line, Agate.
Entered at the Brooklyn P. O. as 2nd-class matter
Twelth Year of Publication.
VOL 9, No. 10. MARCH, 1893.
Remember that the First Irish Book is given free
of charge to every new subscriber.
Subscribers will please remember that subscrip¬
tions are due in advance.
We hope dealers will exert themselves and push
the Gael as well as they can; we keep plenty on
hand to supply orders.
The yearly subscription to the Gael is light but
when it runs to years it is considerable. Hence we
hope the friends of the cause (and they should em¬
brace all Irishmen) should send their subscriptions
annually, remembering that the Gael has no back
but the patriotism of its supporters.
CATHOLICITY in AMERICA.
We hear of late much said of the rapid increase
of Catholicity in the United States. — Not at all —
only the normal increase; but the Gaelic Move¬
ment has so strengthened the backbone in Irish¬
men that they no longer deny their country or
their religion, and the so-called Catholic increase
is proportionate with its operated extent.
There are over 25,000,000 of the Irish element
in the United States (45 per cent of the names in
the Brooklyn City Directory are Irish) 20,000,000
of these ought to be Catholic. — Why are they not
so? We contend that the reason is, — the erro¬
neous idea that the Irish are a low, ignorant, race.
As one-half of them believe that their forefathers
had neither language nor letters their conception is
grounded on good, common sense; for, if their
forefathers did not have these things, they must.
most assurely, be ignorant — just as ignorant as
their enemies represent them (and why not the e¬
nemies believe what they allege when a majority
of the Irish themselves believe it?). But the Gael
as far as it goes, is upsetting this erroneous idea.
It keeps as standing matter the actual social sta¬
tus of the Irish and Saxon — the contrast is high¬
ly favorable to the Irish; and hence the satisfact¬
ory result to which we have already alluded. Co¬
incident with this (as a result) came the Blaine
movement, which raised the Irish-American elem¬
ent in the public estimation — Mr. Blaine himself
being one of them, and acknowledged and treated
as the most eminent statesman of his day — of any
country.
It rests with the hierarchy at home to preserve
the religion of their people abroad, and to do this
they must preserve the evidence of the antiquity
and culture of their race. This they can readily
do without the cost of a cent as the parish priests
are managers of three-fourths of the National, or,
public Schools. If they continue to ignore the in¬
struction of the people in the National language,
they do more to promote the objects of the old
dames of Exeter Hall than all the money in the
British treasury.
These figures — over 25,000,000 of the Irish ele¬
ment in the United States, Catholics, of all nation¬
alities, less than 9,000,000 — stare you in the face,
and prove that there is a screw loose somewhere.
it is not in Catholicity for we challenge the World
to produce a man who believes in Christianity and
renounces Catholicity on conscientious grounds !
The Irish Catholic clergy in America should
also exert to try and force their brethren at home
to do their duty; and, in doing this, we beg to as¬
sure the Rev. and learned editor of the Colorado
Catholic that no shadow of Cahensly lurks in the
distance.
WHY BLAINE did not VISIT IRELAND.
The reason why Blaine did not make his intend¬
ed tour through Ireland when in Europe some years
ago, is stated thus — Fearing that his contact with
his kindred at home would add to the popularity of
the brilliant Irish-American with his countrymen
in the United States, the knownothing-mugwump
element sent Gen. Pk. Collins of Boston to Ireland
for the purpose of organizing a movement to upset
Mr. Blaine's purpose Collins went to Cork and en¬
gaged a lot of roughs and held them in readiness to
proceed to wheresoever Blaine was to speak, hoot
him and create general disorder. The friends of Ire¬
land having advised Mr. Blaine of General Collins's
movements he abandoned his purpose. And the anti
Blaine Irish-American press, like the harlot who pa¬
rades her shame boasted of how General Collins's
presence in Ireland "Had prevented the intended
exhibition by the Plume Knight," taking good care
to conceal the turpitude of the means adopted to
prevent their countryman, one of the recognized
triune statesmen of the world, to fraternize with
and pay his respects to his kindred in his and their
native land. But, fortunately for Ireland and her
children, the Knownothing-mugwump endeavor to
dim the brilliancy of the great Irish-American star,
the direction of whose rays they could not control,
only adds to its electric refulgence. The mugwump
has paid Gen. Collins for doing his dirty work by
giving him a fat (but unrepresentative) office which
is of interest to Patrick Collins only.
