Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1898-12-24
IRISH NOT A DEAD LANGUAGE,
There Are $4,000 People Who Speak
Gaelic I'm Ireland.

The Rev. Eugene O'Growney of May
nooth, Ireland, is now in New York on
his way to California, where he is going
to stay for SIX months on account of his
health. Father O'Growney's coming to
this country is an event to certain of the
Irish living here. He is one of the
leaders OF the new Gaelic movement in
Ireland, which has for its object the
preservation of the Irish language. He
occupies the chair of Gaelic in May
nooth college. While he is in this coun.
try he intends to see what progress the
Gaelic societies have made.
IL know, said he, the, other day, shat
1t is a common belief in this country
that Irish is a dead language, or con-
hned to the use of a few old men aud
women who live in the secluded dis
tricts. This is erroneous. There are
30, 900 persons in Ireland who speak no
other language, and there are $50, 600
who speak both English and Irish. In
this country / can say there are 2,00O,-
600 persons who can speak the Lam
guage. But the Irish language is grad
ually dying out, and it Is to stop this
that the Gaelic league was organized.
In 1876 the Gaelic league was estab.
lished. Its objects were to furnish
cheap text books, and to bring about
legislation by which Irish would be put
into the schools, on a footing at least
equal to French, and that In districts
where the language was commonly used
the children might be taught it, as they
are English, that both languages should
be upon an equal footing. The first
object has been accomplished.
"As to the schools, Irish is taught in
all the national schools on q par with
Latin and French, in the intermediate
aud collegiate branches. We have not
yet succeeded in introducing it TO any
extent In the primary schools, but we
hope this will come in time. The last
move OF Importance was the establish
ment OF a chair of Celtic at MAMMOTH
college, the chief ecclesiastical ~institu-
ton Of Ireland. 1t was established in
1890 by the bishops of Ireland, and now
every student is required TO study the
language. This was a needed provision,
as many of them when they become
priests will never preach in the English
tongue.
"This movement is quite separate
from the pathological study of the Lam
guage now so popular in Germany and
France. We have to do most with the
living tongue. but, Of course, a second
airy object will be the making known to
the world the richness and beauty Of
Irish literature. The literature extend s
over a period of ten centuries. from the
eighth to the eighteenth, and embraces
history, philosophy, poetry, and, IN ost
of all, romances. Romances and fairy
tales of surprising beauty are found
from the very beginning to the end.
Another thing we have in view is the
collection Of folk lore, In which no race
is so rich as the Irish.
"We are much indebted TO Americans
for the means OF carrying on our work.
Many OF the best Gaelic scholars are
native-born Americans, and the funds
that they have sent to us have enabled
us to carry on our work. One of the
early fruits of u labors that we hope
to show will be an Irish dictionary.
None has yer been made, and some OF
the cotmmonest of spoken words have
never been written. This will be Of
great service to us and to all interested
In the work"