AN GAODHAL.
21
The Gael.
BROOKLYN, N. Y., DECEMBER, 1881.
M. J. LOGAN, EDITOR
NOLAN BROS., PUBLISHERS
TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION. — Sixty Cents a Year,
or Five Cents a single copy.
Money Orders and all Communications to
be addressed to the Editor, at No. 814 Pacific
Street, Brooklyn, N. Y.
Terms of Advertising. — 10 cents a line. 25c.
per cent. discount to yearly advertisers.
THE GAEL'S SUCCESS.
We are proud to be able to announce to the
lovers of the Irish Language Movement that
present indications point to the complete suc¬
cess of THE GAEL. We are being in daily re¬
ceipt of substantial encouragement from not
only all parts of this country, but from the old
country also. Hence we are led to believe
that the seeming apathy of the Irish people
to preserve their language is not real, and that
the only thing necessary to attain the end is
a thorough organization, and an assurance to
those ignorant of the existence of a cultured
Gaelic literature that they had been
deceived. From our own experience in or-
ganizing Gaelic classes we would suggest
this mode both in cities and rural districts:
Let two or three who can speak Irish and who
can read English get a few copies of the First
Book, published by the Dublin Society for ten
cents, or a copy of THE GAEL. Let them come
together and go over the first lesson, etc. Af¬
ter a week they can master the First book.
Let them then continue their own studies and
at the same time induce others who have no
knowledge of the language to commence its
study. After having induced half a dozen
thus, organize into a society. Any one who
speaks Irish can learn to read and write it tol-
erable well in six months. We believe if all
who speak the language in this country acted
as above indicated the circulation of THE GAEL
would reach one hundred thousand before five
years.
We exhort every one who sees THE GAEL to
try to get his neighbors to take it. The cost is
so small — five cents a month, or a little over a
cent a week — that no one will miss it, and at
the same time in a year or two, he will have a
nice Gaelic library. Then send sixty cents in
postage stamps or otherwise to this office, and
THE GAEL will be sent to you every month for
a year.
LAND AND LANGUAGE.
This heading should be the battle cry of the
Irish people. The land and language go hand
in hand ; they are the connecting links which
bind a people together, and, without a fusion
of both, the cry of nationality is only a sham.
It could not be expected that a people who
suffered their language to perish would have
energy enough to wrest their independence
from England, and without force it will never
be attained. Let then, the Irish in this coun-
try organize a military force, say, 100,000
strong, which could be easily done, and watch
that opportunity which is sure to come. Let
it be a condition of membership in this or-
ganization that each member shall study the
language, then true men will come forward
and prepare to do battle for the freedom of
their country. For it would be hard to ex-
pect that the man who is too lazy or indolent
to study the national language would endure
the greater hardships of the battle field. Then,
we are told, “of what use is the language."
We say, if it be of no use, why do the conquer-
ors of nations suppress the language of the
conquered? We answer, because no nation is
conquered while it retains its language. We
place these matters for the consideration of
those of our truly patriotic countrymen.
THE LATE ARCHBISHOP McHALE.
It is with sincere sorrow and regret that we
have to record the death of his grace, the il-
lustrious John of Tuam — the father and the
preservator of the movement which has given
birth to this Journal. In the death of Dr.
McHale, the Irish people have lost the great¬
est champion that ever spoke, or wrote or
labored in their welfare. The present encour-
aging status of the language of Erin is due to
his indomitable exertions in its perservation.
When old age made it plain that a coadjutor
in the diocese was a necessity, we had hopes
that the learned and patriotic Canon Bourke
would be exalted to that position; we were dis-
appointed. We felt assured that if the Rev.
U. J. Canon Bourke were raised to the episco-
pal chair of Tuam, the Irish language would
not suffer by the change. But Providence
ordered otherwise, and we bow with resigna-
tion to its dictates. We now appeal to all who
revered and loved the illustrious old man to
demonstrate their reverence and love for him
by preserving and perpetuating that which
was near and dear to his heart, and for the
conservation of which he had labored for the
last seventy years — the language of his native
land. We appeal to his successor to follow in
his footsteps. We feel some warmth in this
matter, being reared under the care of the il-
lustrious dead. Requiescat in pace.
Don’t forget the 18th.
