AN GAODHAL.
769
the eye in my head. And I have a
neighbor, Mary (Peter) Burke, who is
able to read it as well as I, nearly.
The money is scarce with us and,
for that reason, we cannot buy many
books. My uncle gave me The Imita¬
tion of Christ the other day, and with¬
out exaggeration, it is an excellent
book; I can read every word of it
readily. The people round-about here
speak Irish always, and there is an I¬
rish School four miles from us; but I
never went there because it is too far
from us. There is no delay on any one
who has books to learn to read his own
language. — Why would there?
On account of all you have done for
me, and you are doing for our native
language, I pray that you may have
long life, and a great deal of prosper¬
ity on you to steer the GAEL.
I am, thankfully and respectfully,
Your humble servant
Honora Walsh.
Is there an Irishman living to-day who would
begrudge to pay sixty cents a year to enable those
two little children of their unfortunate country to
read and write the once proscribed language of
that country? It is children like these that will
be the salvation of the Irish language, and we
hope that every person who sees the foregoing
letter will send the GAEL or a copy of the Easy
Irish Lessons to some neighboring child at home
where the language is spoken. There is where
the soil is ready to receive the seed and, as the lit¬
tle one said, where the price of that seed is scarce.
What are our New York Gaels doing ? Ah. gen¬
tlemen scatter Gaelic literature that will take root
and fructify and do not be wasting the people's
time in reading over your section this and your
section that. Start your Gaelic journal, publish
your easy Irish lessons in it and scatter it broadcast
through the country, where some, at least, will
stick and take root. Then you will be doing
something in behalf of your language. Do not
say that you cannot do it because the people would
not believe you, if you have the will. You are
far stronger in resources than the Brooklyn S. who
are for the last six years scattering it in all
directions with such satisfactory results as those
recorded above.
WANTED — In every city and town in the United
States and Canada, active men to canvass for the
GAEL. Very liberal terms. (Write for terms.)
Canvassing among Irishmen for the first and
only monthly journal published in their National
Language should be an agreeable occupation ; for,
if properly approached, there are not many Irish¬
men (none deserving the name,) who would not
willingly contribute a dollar a year towards the
preservation of their language, apart from the
possession of an educational journal in that lan¬
guage.
CARA FÍOR.
(From the New York Sheanchus.)
Is iomadh seod 'san domhan atá
Áluinn, luachmhar, aoibhinn, breágh;
Acht ní'l 'san g-cruinne seod cho daor,
Cho luachmhar, díl, le caraid fíor.
Is maith an nídh mór-saidhbhreas óir,
Is maith na neithe maoin a's stór,
Acht b'fheárr liom féin 'ná sparán lán,
Aon chara dílis, fíor, amháin.
Óir ins an t-saoghal ní'l saidhbhreas buan,
'Gus ritheann maoin mar aimsir uainn;
Imthigheann meas na n-daoineadh leo, —
Acht maireann cáirdeas fíor go deo.
Tá cáirde breugach, 'gus a n-grádh,
Le fághail againn go réidh gach lá,
Cho fad a's támaoid, láidir, slán,
Cho fad a's tá ar b-pócaidhe lán.
Acht 'nuair atámaoid bocht, gan pighinn,
Gan talamh, teach, gan stór, gan maoin,
De'n iomád bhí cho dhílis tráth,
Ní'l duine 'nois le fáilte rádh.
Is blasta, binn, atá gach beul
'Nuair tá ar spéir gan gruaim no neul,
Acht 'nuair a thiteann oidhch' ar m-bhróin,
Is searbh, searbh, caint an domhain.
Acht ní mar sin le caraid fíor,
A mhairfeas seasmhach, buan, go fíor ;
Ní'l againn fios a ghean' 'sa ghrádh',
Go d-tigeann buaidhreadh, brón a's crádh
I sonas ní'l sé le 'n ar d-taobh,
Le briathraibh blasda, milse, caomh';
I n-donas tá se linn go buan
Le foclaibh dóchais, láidir, ciuin.
A Dhia ghlórmhair! Rígh na rígh'!
Ó, Athair Neamha 'sna talmhan faoi!
Gabh uaim gach súbha ins an domhan,
Acht fág fíor chara liom am' bhrón.
'Gus 'nuair a táim i b-piantaibh báis,
A's m' anam dul dhuit féin air ais,
I g-cluais do pháisde shuaraigh, fhain,
Bídheadh paidir carad fíor amháin.
Donahoe's Magazine for January is full of very
interesting matter not the least of which is an arti¬
cle by D. B. Cashman, entitled “Who Found Am¬
erica.'
