AN GAOḊAL
55
"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 rest
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 century, overcame the natives, and gave
their name to the country. — J. CORNWELL, PHD., 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 247 Kosciusko st., Brooklyn, N. Y
M. J. LOGAN, - - - Editor and Proprietor
Terms of Subscription — $1 a year to student, 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 matte
Sevnteenth Year of Publication.
VOL 12. No. 5 NOVEMBER 1897
Remember that the First Irish Book is given free
of charge to every new subscriber.
Subscriber will please remember that subscrip¬
tions are due in advance.
SEVENTEENTH YEAR
For the seventeenth time THE
GÆL greets the friends of Irish
autonomy, at home and abroad,
with sentiments of brotherly love
and National affection — to one and
all of whom it begs to return
thanks for their unremitting sup¬
port in the past, and the anticipa¬
tion of its continuance in the fut¬
ure.
There are two considerations
which should impel Irishmen to
give THE GAEL National support. —
First, it is the first permanent pa¬
per ever published in the Irish Na¬
tion's Language, being now enter¬
ing on its SEVENTEENTH year. Se¬
condly, it is a contradiction of the
oft repeated calumny that the Irish
have had no ancient cultivation or
civilization, for the language and
literature of nations are the meas¬
ures by which the sums of their
social standings are judged.
SHAME TO IRISHMEN.
We have read in the last issue
to hand of the TUAM NEWS an in¬
terview by Mr. Kelly of the Tuam
Herald, given in Cardiff, Wales in
the Morning Mail of that city,
in which he draws a parallel bet¬
ween the Welsh and Irish in prac¬
tical patriotism. He says that the
Welsh people, rich and poor, speak
and read and write their language,
though their country runs along
the borders of that of their Eng¬
lish-speaking rulers; that they
take pride in doing so; that they
have prosperous Welsh literature,
weekly and monthly, and that
the people are prosperous and hap¬
py. No more need be said but to
merely ask, What are the Irish?
and the answer which their apath¬
y and indifference in the preserva¬
tion of their Nationality supply, —
A despised, homeless tribe cutting
one another's throats in their
scrambles for the crumbs which
fall from their master's table !
NEXT YEAR'S OIREACHTAS.
We publish this month the pro¬
gramme of competitions for next
year's Oireachtas. It will be seen
that the prizes offered amount to
about four times the value of last
year's. It is expected that several
fresh competitions and prizes will
still be added.
It is hoped that the long notice
thus given will have the effect of
very largely increasing the num¬
ber of competitors. There are ma¬
ny hundreds of capable writers of
