Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1899-01-04
REVIVAL OF THE CELT.
Irish Tongue Recognized as the Purest
Aryan-TO BE Widely Taught.

There has been growing during the last few
years remarkable revival in the cultivation
of Irish language and literature and the ra-
pidity with which it is at present spreading
gives hopeful proof of the firm hold which the
ancient language and ancient customs still ex-
ercise over the Celtic people. Nor is this re-
Nuisance confined to Ireland alone; it is
manifest wherever are found, in any numbers
1.-THE sea-divided Gael" It is also becoming
the object of critical and enthusiastic study
by philologists in most lands. In England,
France and Germany there are societies for
the study of Gaelic and its Iong-forgotten' lit
erary treasures, and in the last country alone
all of its great universities have professors
of the old tongue. There is also published
there periodical devoted to the Gaelic Ian
guage and literature, and France has its Re-
vue Celtique In this country there are in all
the chief cities one or more Gaelic clubs or
classes, one of the latest and most enthusiast
tic being in Chicago, which holds its meetings
for instruction and calculation every Sunday.
Early the coming year there is to be held in
the city of Dublin a Pan-Celtic congress, Lord
Castletown being st the head of the commit
tee to make arrangements for the gathering.
Its purpose is announced to be cooperation
for the preservation and development of all the
treasures of Celtic tradition, whether in Ian
guage, literature, music or the fine arts, which
are the common inheritance of the Celtic
people. This congress will be al inspiring
manifestation of Celticsvitality and Celtic rev.
erence for past, of which every Irishmar may
we'll feel proud, and in which those not Celts
can take keen and sympathetic interest
At recent meeting of the committee some
notable responses were received from abroad,
The Highland association telegra phed: 1.-THE
Celts of Albyn rejoice to send most hearty
greeting to those of Erin, and hope that the
hinges of kinship may never rust" The Isle
of Man society wished all success to the Pan
Celtic congress, and the president of the Bre-
ton union wrote: Il salute with all my soul
the nation OF Erin-exquisite flower of our
race. I greet her in my name and the name of
all Bretons. Let her know that we, like her,
remain faithful to the dream of our ances-
tors" The Archdruid of the Bardic Gorsedd
sent message from Wales expressing his sat
isfaction at the growth of Celtic feeling, and
DR.. Heinrich thinner GriefswaId wrote: II
am interested to learn that the Pan-Celtic con-
gress begins to assume tangible shape
The many continental scholars who have
oVuuI0u Ul0 IL 1SL 1dLSudSe' anu WHO are giving
it increasing attention now, all speak of it in
terms of the highest praise for its beauty, re-
source and 1exibility. Old Irish, they say,
ranks next to Sanscrit for the philologist, and
like that ancient tongue and the Greek and
Latin, sit is pure Aryan language and a
highly infected and beautiful one" In speak
ing of it DR.. Douglas Hyde, in his book on
early Gaelic literature, says: THE tones of
that beautiful, unmixed Aryan language which,
with the exception of that glorious Greek,
which has renewed its youth like the
eagle, has left the longest, most luminous and
most consecutive literary track behind it of
any of the vernacuIar tongues of Europe