The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1904-10-15
Interest in the National Language and Literature
Will do What the Sword Has
Failed to Do.
The Gaelic League Has Done More to Revive
the National Spirit Than Anything
Ever Attempted.

The revival of the Gaelic language,
n movement that has been slowly pro-
crossing among Irish people all over
the world for the past ten years, is
beginning to attract widespread inter-
est among scholars Of all nations. The
progress made in the past twelve
months, particularly among the Irish
i'll the large cities of America, has
been remarkable. 1t is here in Chi
cago that we get what is probably the
best evidence of it's virility, says the
Chicago Record-Herald.
The renatiOnaliZation of Ireland is
the dream of every Irishman. Even
though he may be assured that the
only future of his country is in the
British union, with probably home
rule, he never entirely loses the faint
hope that exists in some form or other
deep down in him for "Ireland once
more nation"
Political agitation has accomplished
mlch for Trr1,lnd and The various
parties, revolutionary and otherwise,
that have sprung up from time to
time, have all served their purpose
Violence and the highest patriotism
and mar'yrdom have Ieen strangely
mixed, and on that Turbulent sea
snnIvn thn mic
a good vessel has gone to the bottom.
The Land League. the boycott, the
Young Ireland party and all the rest
have been born and had their day and
vanished
a few years ago, however, there
sprung up III Ireland another and n
sancr and more potent force for the
rehabilitation of the land than all Of
these put together. 1t was made up
of brilliant, thinking men and women.
who banded themselves into a Gaelic
League" and pledged their lives to
the work Of interesting the Irish peo-
pie in their ancient nationality. their
ancient language, their old sports
and native dances and music, their
old forgotten handicraft and their
past history.
At first this organization was either
spoken of with contempt or with ridi-
culc-and by Irishmen themselves.
The political agitators, seeing that the
propaganda of the league deliberately
barred all political matters and bound
1t never to mix in politics in any way,
went up and down the land, not ex-
actly denouncing it, but trying to put
1t to death with sarcastic filings. In
this country particularly was the
league treated with Indifference, an
indifference, by the way, that still
exists among a great many Irish pco-
pie in America.
And yet this movement is the one
thing in which lies the possibility of
lreland's again becoming nation
The founders Of the league, looking
about them, saw first the vast wealth
of romance. poetry and literature of
all kinds bound up in imprinted Gaelic
manuscripts in libraries all over Eu-
rope. They saw also over 10000 peo-
pie in Ireland still retaining the native
t0ngue-llalf a million of them in part
and the other 100000 to the total ex-
clusion of any other language
They saw also that what fire and
the sword had failed to do for Fin
land, for Bohemia, for Belgium, for
Denmark and for Roumania, the re-
vival of the national language, music
and ideals was rapidly accomplishing.
So they set to work quietly on their
campaign, and against the opposition
alike of friends and enemies have
already brought about remarkable
and very general interest in the work.
The thinkers are beginning to see
that by this path, and not across the
uncertain entanglements of political
agitation, Ireland must travel if she
is to have any hope Of nationality.
The Gaelic League. while staying
Loyalty by it's principle of noninter-
ference in political matters, is in re-
ality the most fOrceful political move
mcnt that Ireland has ever known.