AN GAOḊAL.
139
send one dollar, which, I hope, will not be the
last.
Would you refuse a man whose father was born
near Cloughanour, Headford, within a few miles
of your own fairy town, for a drop of water to
wet the top of his tongue ? Any one of common
sense knows that an editor who was born in the
midst of the Good People will not bother that
boatman on the Styre. So the delinquents need
not worry about your threat. The fairies of Cnoc
Maibh will not permit you to mingle with them.
Yours, etc.
Patrick Hanrahan.
The most despicable creature crawl¬
ing on the face of the earth to-day is
the man who despises his native land
There is not a poet that ever composed
a verse who has not sung fondly, lov¬
ingly and pathetically of his "native
land." —
"In all my wandering around this
world of care,
In all my griefs, and God has given
my share,
I still had hopes my latest hours to
[crown.
"Midst these humble bowers to lay
me down !"
Again —
"Where'er roam, whatever realms to
[see,
My heart, untravel'd, fondly turns to
thee."
The path of ground on which a man
may be born does not constitute his na¬
tive land, for an Irishman may happen
to be born in England or in Scotland
yet that mere accident does not make
an Englishman or a Scotsman of him
Language, topography, parentage and
lineage, connection, sports, scenery, re¬
creations, habits and amusements, and
the general acceptance of pre-eminent
domain, comprehend "Native Land."
Now, the man, who refuses to defend
his native land when any of its consti¬
tuent elements has been assailed by its
enemies, despises it. When any of
these constituent elements, say, the
language, has been violently assailed
the man who refuses to raise his hand
to defend it despises it, and is the most
despicable creature on the face of the
earth.
THE GAELIC MOVEMENT
That the Galic movement is prog¬
ressing satisfactorily in Ireland just
now, goes without saying. The first
weekly paper ever printed in the Irish
Language (Fáinne an Lae — The Daw¬
ning of Day) is being published, under
the auspices of the Gaelic League, by
Mr. Brian Doyle at No. 9 Upper Or¬
mond Quay, Dublin, Though the title
and title page are in the Irish lang¬
uage and character, the news of the
week and other general matters are
published in Irish and English. The
price of the paper is one penny a week
Now, with the encouraging prospect
of regaining our rightful position a¬
mong the nations, a matter which the
political horizon would seem to por¬
tend, that paper should have the larg¬
est circulation of any newspaper in the
world, and it shall in the near future
if the Irishmen at the head of the
press do their duty to themselves and
to the people and principles for whom
they ostensibly write. Every Irishman
living has as much interest in the cul¬
tivation of the language of Ireland as
the editor of this paper. He has been
often told by well-meaning friends of
the Irish cause that he should be more
diplomatic — more suave, in his modus
operandi in behalf of Gaelic support —
For what? Is it to flatter ? when our
heart dictates to us that it is every
Irishman’s duty ? God forbid. We
early learned the enobling, though
simple, headine :
Learn to condemn all praise betime,
For Flattery is the nurse of crime.
"If the Gael were the sole literary representa¬
tive of any other people (of equal numbers) of
Europe, it would have a million subscribers. The
Irish seem to care for nothing but politics and
making money, and then try to get into English-
American society," said an old German (Mr J H
Albeck) acquaintance of ours when discussing a
notice which he saw of the coming Gaelic Con¬
vention in the New York Evening News. How
accurately the old man has measured them? How
many more foreigners have taken their measure?
