AN GAODHAL.
751
deed are very puzzling, many unsatisfactory, but
the most puzzling of all are not without their sign¬
ificence, and knowledge may be won from even the
most unsatisfactory. And this is a thing which I
would impress on such of you, as are not content
to take grammar on faith, but would fain unravel
the genealogy of words and trace their laws to
their source — that it is in Old Irish, and in Old
Irish alone, that you will find the key to these mys¬
teries and be satiated at the springs of
knowledge. But you must not study Old Irish as
an isolated language, you must vivify it with the
living breath of the spoken tongue. Modern Gael¬
ic is its direct descendant, and that fortunes of the
son often throw light on the history of the father,
as the history of the father often foreshows the for¬
tunes of the son: When, therefore, you see in
books or hear in conversation anything the raison
d’etre of which does not appear clear to you, al¬
ways refer to such old Irish books as you may have
on hand, for the prototype or parallel of your diffi¬
culty, and believe me you will find in this work
abundance of utility and a pleasure I can hardly
describe. And when you have satisfied yourself do
not rest there. The field of Gaelic is wide indeed
and has long been whitening for the harvest, but
how few are the laborers! Communicate your work
through what channels you may — it is indifferent
in what form it appears as long as there is a man's
work in it. You may help many a fellow worker
baffled perhaps for want of materials or fainting
through sheer lonliness — you will have "builded
what you know not" and your bread "cast upon
the waters" shall return to you a hundred-fold.
(To be continued)
THE GAELIC MOVEMENT.
A Greenhorn, N. Y. wants to know how the
Gaelic movement was founded. Here it is. —
In the Spring of 1872, the Editor of the GAEL,
under the nom de plume Gael, wrote a series of
letters to the Irish World, suggesting the necess¬
ity of preserving the Irish Language in order
to preserve Irish nationality. These letters call¬
ed forth a general sentiment in favor of the i¬
dea. The next question was "How could it be
accomplished." Gael suggested the formation of
classes and societies for teaching it.
In the Fall of that year Gael, being principal
of the school of Our Lady of Victory, organized
a Gaelic class (so as to put his suggestions into
practical form,) and announced the same in the
Irish World.
The ball being thus put in motion, the Boston
Gaels pushed it along by the organization of their
P. C. S.
The Brooklyn and Boston Gaels thus organ¬
ized, struggled on — the want of text books being
a great draw back to them until the Irish-Amer¬
ican commenced to re-produce Bourke's Easy
Lessons.
Three years after the formation of the Brooklyn
and Boston societies — February 1877, Father John
E. Nolan, O. D. C., of Dublin, organized a pro¬
visional committee, at 19 Kildare St., which, in a
short time resolved itself into the S. P. I. L.
That society commenced at once to publish the
series of Irish books. Having now cheap text
books, the Brooklyn society went ahead, and in
May 1878, thirty of its members resided in N. Y.
City. Seeing the large field open in New York,
for Gaelic work, the Brooklyn Society determin¬
ed to organize it, and on the 17th of May it
called a meeting, at 214 Bowery, at which 28
new members were enrolled. Thus the work
went on and in a short time N. Y. City had five
or six Gaelic societies with a membership of five
or six hundred. Newark, Paterson, Elmira, Syra¬
cuse, &c., organized about the same time.
At their picnic in Brighton Park, on Aug. 7th
1879, the Brooklyn and New York societies pre¬
sented a gold watch and chain to the Editor of the
GAEL, with the following inscription on the inside
cover of the watch.
"Presented by the Philo-Celtic Society to M. J.
Logan, Originator of the Irish Language Move¬
ment in America."
The Irish-American of March 9, 1878 says, —
THANKS to the indefatigable exertions of Mr. Log¬
an, of Brooklyn, we have now in our midst, an as¬
sociation called the "Philo-Celtic Association of
Brooklyn," whose members offer, upon certain
evenings of the week, free instruction in the grand
old tongue of the Motherland to all those desir¬
ous of becoming acquainted with its sweet euph¬
onious sounds, its many beauties of construction,
and varied idioms, which, unmistakably, entitle
it to rank among the classic languages of the world.
And on May 18th, says, —
SOMETHING practical, we are glad to see, has
been done by the Brooklyn Philo-Celtic Associa¬
tion towards establishing a class in the Irish lan-
in New York. A meeting of all those interested is
called for Friday evening, 17th instant, at 7.30 p.
m., at 214 Bowery, and we trust the efforts of
the Association will meet with energetic support
and encouragement from the Irish-American resi¬
dents of New York.
When T. O'N Russell came to New York on
his "Lecturing tour," the Gaelic movement was
in a prosperous condition, and societies for teach¬
ing it were springing up in all directions. But in
a very short time he scattered the seeds of enmity,
and the result is that the societies in N. Y. City
dwindled down to two (He did not at all relish
our reference to the Fable of "The Lion and the
Three Bulls," a few months since, because it
touched a sensible chord). Not only did he in¬
jure the Gaelic movement in New York City, but
he injured it in Dublin also. After the first few
issues of the Journal his letters to it assumed
such dictatorial and insulting character that its
management told him plainly that his interfer¬
ence was not acceptable. He, of course, could
not brook the idea of being thus "sat upon" by
the ignorant editor of the Gaelic Journal, and
forthwith, determined on "killing" it. And he did
kill it, as far as N: Y. City is concerned, for we
see by the list of subscribers that only six hail
from N. Y. City.
We often chaffed our N. Y. friends for their
non-support of the Gaelic Journal, and, for the
honor of manliness, we regret the cause.
The Boston Pilot must have been imposed on in
relation to our criticism on T. O'N. Russell in last
GAEL. The Pilot says that out statement that the
Boston Gaels taxed Mr. Russel with being a Brit¬
ish detective "is ridiculously and wickedly un¬
true." The GAEL will not be so uncourteous as the
Pilot, but it reiterates that it is true, (see Irish
World of that date, over the signature of Mr. Sul-
