The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-12-07
A Maynooth Professors Work
in the Gaelic.
BUILDING UP AN OLD TONGUE.
Rev. Eugene O'Growney Tells of
Develop the Celtic Language.


remain here for at least six months.
Among leaders of the new intellectual
development in IreIand-the leaders Of
Irish thought of the present day-he is
classed among the foremost. Though still
young man. he has attained 10 consider
able eminence as one of rather limited
literary band. whose objects are the re-
yyal and preservation of the Irish lam
guage and literature, in which direction
his individual research aud persistent en-
deavor have brought about extraordinary
results.
As soon as it was learned by the local
Gaelic society that he had arrived a re-
ception was arranged and lastevening sew
eral Celtic en- thusiasts visited him.
Tn ough absorbed in the preparation OF
studies which constitute part of a long
series of Celtic opular lessons now APP
pearing in til weekly edition of the Free
mans Journal in Dublin, he found time for
pleasant co nversation in the ancient tongue
of Erin, to delight his visitors by review
ing the history of its recent development
and 10 unto Id new beauties of the language
that had been buried away for many GEN.
turtles in musty par chment volumes.
at is a remarka Bile fact" said he, "that
the least has been done by Irishmen for
the Celtic language. The best Celtic die
tionary Is the work of an Italian, and
member of the Italian Senate, at that
Signor Ascoli. This is a Gaeic-Italian
dictionary. The best Celtic grammar is
written by a German in Latin, and the
leading Gaelic magazine is published by
Frenchmen in Paris In Latin, French.
German, italian and other languages, and
Gaelic magazine Is about 10 be started in
Germany. Such an interest is taken in the
language there are Gaelic societies in
Paris, Berlin. Leipsic and many other
French scholars have become infatuated
with Gaelic.
81 have seen q German scholar sit for
hours with boy in Que Of the west coast
islands of Ireland that be might learn
something new of the modern Celtic
language. He would reward the little
fellow with candy and then listen pa
tien,ly to the boys stories about fish, or
peacock. or some domestic animal; or per-
haps some childish prattle about most
common place subjects. The old student
would pull out his big notebook and write
down every word the child told him.
Then he would read it over-to the bows
intense establishment at his power to iut
down conversation ON paper Such
studies are made to get at the general
forms ion of the language. This pro-
lessor IN particular lived on a desolate
island off the coast for three months for
the purpose of studying modern Celtic at
its source.
"Abou 100000 people in Ireland speak
Celtic and $4,000 persons speak no other
language. On one of my visits to the West
Of Ireland l met a priest who had preached
for thirty years in Celiir and never spoke
a word of any other language in public.
N Ampripa | npdnrEfand that
about 100000 persons who can speak Irish.
American phllolOgist9 have given Celtic a
great deal of serious study and accom-
pli>hed even more than their share in the
work.
But unfortunately the Irish language
has been gradually dying out. 1t was pro-
scribed by English law and rapidly disap-
peared except in some parts of Ireland
About he begi ming Of this century an at
tempt was made to preserve 1t and develop
It's literature. so wonderfully rich in ro-
nance and so beautiful But that attempt
was allure. From tins to Time Gaelic
societies undertook to do something in the
same direction, but though other literary
and patriotic movemeD's came, tine irish
language was sighted. Not TIL 1876, when
the Gaelic League was esta bll ST. ed, was
the work Of building up the language
begun.
''Then everything was in chaos. There
Js
OF mpOsltion-stmply chaos, with dead
and modern living tongue on which to
construct them. The pathological study
of Celtic in Germany. France, America
and Italy is a different Thing from the
work of the Gaelic League. We have to
deal with living. modern language.
ITO accomplish this end about year
and a half ago, through the assistance of
Archbishop Walsh of Dublin, we began
10 publish small pamphlets containing
popular lessons In Celtic. These were the
result of personal research among the
people who speak Celtic. and they became
popular at once, so that 5000 pers ons are
now studying them as they continue to
appear. Before these lessons appeared
Irish was learned only from manuscripts
eXtant in Ireland.
Strange the Irish papers give us but
very poor help, only one or two papers
having published the lessons or special
papers. But the Irish newspaper men
write nothing but politics, excepting those
on tie Evening Mail. Tory paper in
Dublin, which has good literary articles.
and some provincial journals. So we had
TO rely on ourselves, and we have been
very successful SO far.
Celtic language is taught in the ma
tioDal schools, the same as French or the
classics. The Christian Brothers teach it
In all their schools, and have done more
for the Irish than can be easily imagined.
III tDCI0 are OUU btuQ0l Us OF
Irish, and in sympathy with the establish
ment OF airs of Celtic in Irish colleges
the Hibernians are con tributing $4,000
to found chair in the Catholic Uniyer-
sity at Washington, ID. c. There are
about $4,000 persons studying Celtic in
Ire and to-day.
"To compile dictionary we have had to
live among the people to learn all e
modern words and their uses, etc. We
hope TO accomplish this before long, and
with comprehensive grammar The study
of Irish will be easy. Then we can give
to the world a literature that has been
dead for many centuries. In the libraries
of Trinity College, Dublin, Cambridge
the British Museum, Louyaine Leipsic.
Paris and in Switzerland, where there
were any number of Irish monasteries.
there are volumes that have rot been
opened since the thirteent tn cen tury. Even
II they had been their contents could not
be understood, for neither grammar nor
dictionary were in existence to guide the
student. The Celtic literature is very
beautiful-full of beautiful thought tina,
has been dead to the world so very long.
The oldest of all romances are there re-
corded IN lhese vellum volumes-written
in the eigh h, ninth and tenth centuries,
and probably were written before from
traditions and legends. No a hillside, or