The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1893-08-19
AN IRISH LIBRARY
The Revival of Irish Literature is
Inaugurated by Sir Charles
Gavan Duffy.

1naugurated by Sir Charles
Gavan Duffy.
GRAND LITERARY MOVEMENT
Young Irishmen Know Little of the
History or Language of
Their Country.
There is no civilized race on the face
OF the globe so ignorant Of it's country's
history as the Irish, says M. J. Murphy
in the Catholic Union and Times. The
Englishman has been taught all the
most important events which have tran
spired within his native boundary since
it's earliest settlement; he has the his
torical novel with which to educate the
masses who cannot be interested in the
ordinary way. and the great plays of
Shakespeare have fulfilled the same
mission in every cline where dramatic
art is loved and respected. The tragic
events of Scotland are vividly portrayed
in the novels of Scott, Porter and others,
while the great minds of France have
found the many dramatic episodes Of
her history fitting material to interest
not only their kindred but the entire
world.
Is it not strange fact that we have no
great his orical novel? The greatest
minds in Ireland have been employed in
glorifyipg the exploits of other nations
heroes while more interesting person
ages in the history Of their own country
were ignored. They went abroad for
copper and saw rot the gold at home.
Is it any wonder then, that the young
Irishman knows nothing of the history
or language of his native country? He
may be an educated man; yes, even q
litterateur, yet his knowledge of Irish
history is very limited and misty. Worse
than all, he is not ashamed to aclpowl-
edge it. However We may look at the
matter, be is really not in fault t,for where
is he to acquire the knowledge? It is
not taught in schools and there are but
few books to which he can have access
which will give him the desired instruc-
tion. The works which have been pub
]iehed heretofore have been intended for
limited circulation, an edition de luxe
usually. the price of which placed it far
beyond the reach of readers of moderate
means. The ancient traditions and po-
ems of historical interest we're too often
in language of which the average young
Irishman knows nothing, and transla-
tions were not to be had.
These were the objects which the Irish
Literary Society set out to overcome and
it has already fred the first gun. A rare
work by Thomas Davis entitled the "Pa-
triot Parliament of 1889, with it's Sta
tutes, Votes and Proceedings" will be
the first volume to be issued. The intro
duction to the work has been written by
that veteran litterateur and uncompro-
missing ~ patriot, Sir Charles Gavsn
Duffy, and it is said that it is master
piece of it's kind.
Recently small but extremely inter-
eetipg pamphlet YVES issued from the
press of T, Fisher Unwin, entitled ''The
Need and Use of Getting Irish L1tera-
ture Into the English Tongue" It is
from the pen of the Rev. Stopford
Brooke and it is intended for forerun-
ner of the new series. 1t is founded on
an address delivered by the author be-
fore the Irish Literary Society, of which
he is prominent member, and contains
many interesting facts about the Gaelic
tsles and traditions.
What q glorious idea is this! The
grand old bardic tales to be rendered in
the tongue of the stranger. The Ian
guage which usurped the place of Il Q
broad, mellow Gaelic is to lend new life
to it and glorify it's eloquence by cloth
ing it in the brightest of modern cos
tunes. Irishmen who have mastered
the tongue Of the copqueror will accept
the task as labor of love and their
translations of the ancient literature will
place it we'll and steadily afloat on the
worldwide ocean Of the English langu-
age, SO that it may be known and loved
wherever the English language goes.
Let US have history and politics by all
means, writes the Rev. Stopford Brooke,
but let US take care also of our oldest
and fairest heritage. A common love for
the beautiful things which distinguish
our nation from other nations, will also
make us love and honor our country
more than common war against those
who oppose our nationality.
And indeed, there is scarcely any
modern literature which has been 50
continuous and so old as ours. It is true
we have no long manuscripts older than
thetenth or eleventh century, but the
materials out Of which the manuscripts