The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1905-12-09
He Says a Language Which Lives in the
Hearts and Memories of People
Cannot Be Called Dead.
The Gaelic Language Now Being Studied By
More Than 100000 Children in
Over 5000 Schools.

):or takes quiet survey Of the man
who has been described by one of his
friends as the most human and the
most lovable Of beings.
He has the dark blue eyes of his
nation wisely set in breadth of
brow, black hair and mustache which
takes no note of the current fashion.
But 1t Is the intense vivacity and earn
est zeal you remember pest and long
est. The magnetism Of a man who
believes In his mission so thoroughly
that when you come to scoff you re-
main. If not to pray. at least to listen.
question starts a flood Of Gaelic
eloquencc and the speaker springs from
his easy chair to ramble about the
room. The question relates to the
practicality of reviving a dead Ian
guagc. From the business standpoint
of an American, who boasts himself of
belonging to go-ahead people who
have no yesterdays, it would seem ro-
mantle and visionary
DR.. Hyde, with his nervous fingers
in his pockets and his shoulders slight
ly bumped forward, permits himself
first Of all the pleasing "Reminiscences
that takes cognizance of the romantic
element.
MY home is in the bog country,
Connaught, in West Ireland. 1 trav-
eled direct to Dublin on my way to
take the steamer at Queenstown and
was amazed at the reception received.
There were fifty or sixty thousand peo-
pie there to receive me, addresses were
made, was congratulated on my work
in the most soul-stirring way, and
there was n universal vote Of God
speed passed by the corporations and
the city trades, the Lord Mayor sus-
pending regular procedures for the oc-
casion."
DIR. Hyde explains that the corpora
| tions correspond with our city fathers,
and that in the Dublin council fifteen
or sixteen opposing parties are rep
resented.
1.-THE same reception awaited me at
Cork. The Gaelic movement has spread
so rapidly in the teeth Of such great
! opposition that the enthusiasm startled
me. 1t is as If all the little ripples of
awakened interest had at length gath
| cred into great wave and swept
| across the land.
Il commenced to speak of this move.
ment Of congratulation as a sentiment
al one. 1 will correct that, and state,
instead, that while sentiment may have
inspired it, the roots go far deeper into
| what you Americans would term the
practical and progressive elements. It
is on those grounds that 1 hope to in
tcrest my audiences here.
"a language which lives in the hearts
and memories Of people cannot be
called dead, even though for three gen.
erationc it has been practically for
bidden, cut off from public affairs and
educational curriculums. If you study
the Irish face and head today you will
realize that they are made for the use
Of this and no other language"
DR.. Hyde illustrates by a recitation
which brings into play strange muscles
and cords.
When the Gaelic League was estab-
lished in 1893 it found the Irish nation
really degenerating into West British
province. The number Of schools to-
day in which the Irish language is
taught is more than 5000 and the
number of children studying is over
100000. 1t has prevailed upon the
Board Of intermediate Education to
place Irish in certain cases upon an
equal footing with other modern lam
guages. The government is, Of course;
blocking the way. It has paid what
is called result fees for various sub
jects, Irish included. Four years ago
the result fees in this branch only
amounted to a few hundred pounds.
The sum now pair is e12O00, the con-
sequence being that it has announced
that 1t will pay no more result fees
for the teaching Of the Irish language"
Asked If this will dampen the ardor