The Irish republic. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1867-18??, 1867-11-02

the eXchequer OF the organization OF single dollar.
On the contrary the reading of national books but
strengthens the convictions and the tired spirit
renewed action To be fit for freedom men must know
the history of their country at least They must
commence with the great minds who have traced their
souls in books and follow the footsteps of those who
have paced the dungeons and braved the scaold for
liberty They must read Of the glorious but unsuccess-
full struggles OF fathers for that independence for
which we are now struggling. They will learn from
history the reasons why the attempts made in former
times for Irish independence failed We may be only
repeating history and following in the fatal paths on
which our fathers died. leaving grand record, but
enslayed nation, behind them These, and many more
that will suggest themselves to the humblest
mind capable Of reasoning, must be sufficient for our
advocating the establishment of library attached to
every Circle of the F. b. and every society composed
of true Irshmen, in America.
How many Circles have been organized and re-organ
ized within the last eight years. in the United States
At least twenty-five hundred Out of these twenty-five
hundred there not than four hundred to-day
in working order Where are all the rest +? Echo
answers where Now, if at the formation of every
of these Circles library had been started where ma
ona books and journals would be kept for the use of the
members or citizens at large, would have twenty-five
hundred Circles to-day composed of we'll read and in
tegent men, who would be Irish nationalist from con-
viction and not through excitement or brag AS it is
now the interest attached to Circles must be fed from
headquarters, by organizers letters, etc. The Circles
meet once week, and pay in ten cents and doun to
meet the following week-provided they don't fall to
pieces in the interim The general cry is, "Send
exciting news" Send us a long letter." Send us
an eloquent organizer OR we are gone" In fact the
whole history of the Organization has been one of ex
element. The in the West are raising the deuce"
or, the men in the East are coming up to work
and shall we be- behind?" There are so many thou
sand rifles in Ireland "There are SO many n-cads
in American waters" "The order has gone out to paw
rents in Ireland" "There are SO many hundred
thousand tons of ammunition and so many million stands
of given back to the Fenans by the Government"
All these things food for the hungry Circles and
serve to hold them together from time to time Now,
we hope will be forgiven when we declare that we
are sick Of this.
We say establish libraries and reading rooms and the
Circles will not die of hamilton One hundred books,
and half dozen weekly national journals will do more
towards keeping together than hundred speeches,
ten hundred letters. Circle cannot die while it has
library for a Center There is something unchange-
able in the spirit Of the lustrous dead whose voices
speak to us from books Members will come to read
Thomas Davis or Tom Moore, and who that reads
the Green above the Red, or the Fire Worshipers
will not go home better nationalist and better
We were never so conscious Of utter degradation
until we souoht for Irish books TO beoin Orr Irish
Library" We wrote to every publishing house in the
country that We knew anything Of for catalogues of
IRISH national books In most we received their
catalogues; but alas the Irish national books entered
there were few The catalogues consisted of religious
booksbbles prayer books sacred novels lives of saints
foreign as well Irish-and once in whe-say one to