136
AN GAODHAL.
In the month of August of this year this soci-
ety smmoned to Dublin a Celtic Congress to delib-
erate on the position and prospects of the language.
The Congress elicited much valuable informa-
tion as to the difficulties with which students had
to contend, and as a result, it claimed for the
Irish language a more generous treatment at the
hands of educational bodies.
A resolution was proposed by me, and passed
unanimously, recommending that the Society, un-
der whose auspices the Congress was held, should
found a journal in the lrish language, and there-
by carry out an object which the Society had in
view in 1876. The Congress pledged itself, in the
event of the Society doing so, to support such a
journal by all means in its power?
This recommendation was considered, and it was
determined to inaugurate, as soon as practicable,
a journal to advance the use and study of the
Irish language.
Not long ago, a few members of the Council of
the Society for the Preservation of the Irish Lan-
guage saw fit to secede from that body, and took
steps to form themselves into a Union for the Pres-
ervation and Cultivation of the Irish Language.
Whether this was a service to the cause they
had at heart, I shall not now inquire.
The parent society, in convening the congress,
asked the co-operation of the offspring Union,
but the latter, for reasons known to itself, gave
no reply to the invitation.
To-day, I received a circular, on behalf of the
gentlemen who form the Union, inviting my sup-
port for an Irish language journal, which they
zealously desire to issue. Gifts, annual donations
and subscriptions, are wanted immediately.
It might be permitted to doubt whether, in
face of the recomendation made by Congress to
the society, their action is likely to meet success,
or prove permanently serviceable to the move¬
ment they support.
As the offspring Union has, with all its quali-
ties, never laid claim to modesty, it is often mis-
taken for the parent society.
I therefore beg to state, with your permission,
that the journal for which the Union solicits sup-
port is not the journal to which the Congress pled¬
ged itself, nor are the individuals advocating the
establishment of that journal those to whom Con-
gress wished to entrust with the new undertaking.
The Society for the Preservation of the Irish
Language will, no doubt, give due account of its
intentions ere long, meanwhile I would ask its
friends to remain unpledged for the present. —
Yours faithfully.
Marcus Ward,
Hon. Secretary to Congress,
Strandtown, Belfast. 23rd. September.
The above communications explain themselves.
We would advise our Dublin friends to close their
differences and start only one journal until they
have constituents numerous enough to support
them. Let them not be too sanguine because of
the success of the GAEL. The GAEL appeared in
very humble garments, it was inexpensive; and
under the control of one individual. It was be-
ing increased by the accretions which sympathiz-
ing friends of the cause enabled it to collect; We
issued it in that humble form with the determina-
tion that it should not die whether supported or
not. Are our Dublin friends prepared to do that?
When we did publish it we appealed to the fol-
lowing patriotic Irishmen —
T. W. Cronan, Houston, Texas, D. O'Clough-
essey, Chester, Conn., E. F. Delehanty, Wyoming
Ferry, D. Henry, Chicago, D. Tindall, Ditroit,
Mich, D. Gunny, Detroit. Mich., P. O'Mally, Fall
River Mass., J. Quinn, Dexter, Mich., D. O'Con-
nell, Fall River, Mass., W. G. Ryan. Fairfleld, Conn.
J. Duffy, Guelp, Ontario, Canada, D.B. Dixon, Ionia
Mich., E. Sexton, Leominster, Mass., C.H. Duggan
Milford, Maine, W. O'Leary, Moberly, Mo., P.
Kelly, Madison, Wis., W. J. O'Coffey, Port Hope,
Canada, T. F. Treacy, Poquonock, Conn. P, Foran,
Worcester, Mass;, P. Maguire, Woburn, Mass.;
W. Crowley, Elk Co. Nevada, P. M. Walsh, Scran-
ton, Pa., C. D, Gernon, Holyoke, Mass., M. Gibbs,
Akron, Ohio, J. M. Minogue, Indianapolis. Ind.
J. Hunt, Taunton, Mass., F. J. Mc. Cosker, Mo-
bile Ala. W. Collins; Elmira, N. Y. J. W. Wright,
Cataragus, N. Y., P, O'Driscoll, Woburn, Mass.
J. A. O’Neill, Franklin, La.; M. Enright, Syracuse
N. Y. M. A. Weaver, Oil City, Pa. M. A. Galla-
gher, Rap, Gerardville, Pa.; M.J. Power, Waun-
puck, Conn. ; M. Mac Sweeney, Mobile, Ala. ;
W. McCue, Amsterdam, N. Y. ; D. P. Barry, Ray-
mond, Kansas, and they, with hardly an exception,
responded to our appeal. Not only did they res-
pond in their individual capacity but they have
acted as canvassers in their respective localities,
some sending as many as thirty subscribers, other
patriotic Irishmen whose names do not appear in
the above list — Major Maher, New Haven, P.J.
O'Daly Boston, J. Gibson, Paterson, T. Kelly,
Pitsburg, M. J. Collins, Mil. Home, Ohio, Marcus
T. Ward, Belfast, Hon. Denis Burn of New York.
The New York Society for the Preservation of
the Irish Language. The Brooklyn, Boston, New
York, and Paterson Philo-Celtic societies, &c. ac-
ted a similar part until the little ball which we
set in motion has acquired length, breadth and
respectable proportions. These were the auspices
under which the GAEL was ushered into the
world — It has increased in consequence.
The Irish World severs its connection with the
Land League, we are a member of two clubs, but
we are not going to follow suit, tho.
The English are a brave, honorable people
They hate cruelty to animals : hence the reason
that they bayoneted the wounded and helpless
Egyptians to death!
