The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-07-31

and the government has even appoint
ed special staff of inspectors whose
sole duty 1T will be to watch the prog
ress of the children and see that COM
petent teachers are employed tl4.
The league itself affords instruction
In the ancient language to some 2OO.-
O00 pupils, young and old, and employs
a staff of paid agents to revive interest
in the national tongue in districts
where 1T has fallen into disuSe. They
send suggestions to the headquarters
In Dublin as to the best means of en-
couraging and reviving industries in,
the different localities they visit. They
get In touch with employers of labor in
order to afford facilities for the return
| to their own land of young Irish men
and women who are working abroad.
| They distribute literature at fairs and
| markets in which the aims of the leagu,.
! are set forth and emigration is dis
| couraged. They organize athletic sports,
| concerts and entertainments of va
| r1ous sorts that the life of the peas
antry may be rendered less dreary and
monotonous. without having recourse
| to saloons.
| The Irish language has been spoken
for over 2,000 years, and was a fin
| lshed speech before any of the modern
| European tongues were lisped. 1t has
| an extensive vocabulary of some So
! 600 words. and is especially adapted to
| the formation of new words out OF
| old ones and of 'Irishing' foreign ele-
| ments. The claim is maze for it that
| in linguistical value it ranks next to
| SanScrit. Its manuscript literature,
| now scattered from Arran to Moscow,
] is of immense extent, the portion writ
| ten prior to the sixteenth century
| alone, 1T has been estimated would fill
| 1000 octave volumes. The mass of it
| is of high quality and great variety
including story, song, legend. hymn,
tracts on religion, works on law, medi-
cine, botany, life and manners-afford-
| ing. much of it, the key to the social
! origin of the European races. 1t has
attracted to it's study some of the fore
most Of continental scholars-F'rench.
| German, Danish and Italian. One az
| the most powerful personalities in con-
! nectiOn with the Gaelic revival is DIR.
Kuno Meyer, German savant. Eli
| tirefy at his own expense he goes
| through Ireland delivering lectures on
| the treasures of its ancient literature
and revealing to the Irish themselves
| the value of the heritage which sO
| many of them so lightly priced In
131 Irish was spoken in Ireland by
three millions of people. Their number.
before the formation of the Gaelic
league, had dwindled to $4,000.
1t is no mere sentimental feeling,
love of scholarship. which prompts the
efforts the league is so successfully
making for the revival and cultivation
of Ireland's ancient language. In no
other way, ii is maintained. can Ire
land, as a distinctive nationality. be
preserved.
Practically" says one writer, "the
whole history of our country during
the nineteenth century has been one
of slow but steady growth in Ireland
of English thought, manners, customs.
ideas and ideals. The anglicizing Of
Ireland proceeds apace and will pro-
coed unless she revertS once more 20
the speech which preserved her from
it in the past, and has alone the power
to stem the tide which bids fair to
swamp her."
What the Gaelic league really aims
at is to accomplish by educational
means that which instructions and
political agitations have so Signally
failed to attain-the naturalization Of
Ireland. Its speakers appeal to his
toric examples for proof that a nations
language is intimately associated with
its life and character. Bohemia, Hun
gary Denmark, Belgium Finland. Rou-
mania, Bulgaria and Servia are cited
as instances of national existences that
have BEEN maintained against tremen-
dous odds by the triumph of the ma
tional language over an alien tongue.
'In every case says one common
|
of the national struggle, and the re-
viyal of the ancient language was
marked by the revival of national in
dustries and resulted in material pros
perity"
1t is not proposed that English should
be given up. The purpose of the
league is to make Ireland bi-linguat
nation, using English for commercial
purposes, but making Irish again the
language of the hearth and home, the
field, the farm, the social gathering. the
spirit and intellect of the land.
1.-The success of the movement is un-
doubted" writes prominent member
of the league. cit has awakened the
national conscience to the sin of the
neglect of the old tongue. 1t has
amended the whole popular conception
of nationality. 1t has shifted the CEN
ter of gravity of the nation to its prop
er base 1t has shown in the revival
of the Oireachtas that modern litera.
ture in the Irish tongue is possible and
desirable. 1t has restored a great ma
tional and intellectual element to the
lives of the people. 1t has taught Irish
men to be proud of their past and its
traditions 1t is building up an irish
Ireland" -M1chael Donashue'
Tho NAV They Do Ii