Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-12-15

erous response was received from this
 town.
 Father Slocum said that the money
 which put the Irish people in a po-
 sition to elect and maintain nearly
 d hundred members of parliament in
 the British house of commons until
 they wrung concessions from the gov
 ernment, men of modest means who
 couldn't devote their time to such
 work. without compensation, was sent out from the rectory of the Immacu- late Conception parish. Thousands of dollars were forwarded from that
 little building, he said, by the treas urer of the Irish national land league. The late Lawrence Walsh, man to
 whom more than all others, Parnell looked to hold up his hands in the great struggle then going on in Ire land. He believed Father Walsh went to an early grave because of the arduous labors he engaged in for the sake of Ireland. The mention of the names of Parnell and Father Walsh provoked prolonged cheers.
 The chairman then reviewed the part men of the Protestant faith have taken in Irish affairs for the past hun- dred years. the Fitzgeralds, the Elm nets. the Tones. the men who stood side by side with O'Connell. very large number of the men of IS, later Parnell and now the president of the Gaelic league. All these men had but one idea in mind. to right wrongs. and the fact that the great majority of the sufferers were of the Catholic faith, did not deter them from making a fight in the interest of justice and equality to all regardless of creed. He paid a glowing compliment to pr Hyde and warmly eulogized the work in which he is engaged.
 When Dr Hyde came forward the audience gave him welcome that be- fitted a Geraldine. and it was quite evident that he appreciated it. After a short talk in his native tongue he turned towards Father Slocum, and first assuring him and then the aud- fence that he didn't intend to talk Irish all night, he commenced in Eng fish and for an hour and half he held the attention of his hearers dur. ing which he went over the story of Ireland fin his own peculiar way and by the time he got through It is doubt ful if there was one in the audiencs whom he had not converted to his way of thinking. He argued for the reviv- al of the ancient language on the ground that nothing else could main tain the Individuality of the Irish people and held that at the time the Gaelic league was organized Ireland was fast ceasing to exist as a distinct country and if something was not done fl soon would have become one of the shires of England. The people had become ashamed. not only of their language. but were discarding their names. the sports and the pastimes of their fathers and had given away to English amusemenfg. He talked of the men who fought with Sarxfieid at Limerick and won laurel5 at Landen and FOntenoy, and wanted t0 know what had become of the names of the women who loved those then and call cd out a list of familiar. Irish names Of women which he claimed is not fast being relegated to the grave of oblivion. The other day he talked with a woman who remarked. God forbid that I should pat a handicap on my girl by christening her Brid- get He contended that the woman had put a handicap on her giri hy teaehing her to be ashamed of the name borne by the patron saint 0f Ire land. St Bridget. the Mary of Erin
 The same thing was true with refer enee fo the language. Many who know ft feel ashamed tO use II. but the Gael ie league Is fast putting an end to that and already in many of the conn ty towns of Ireland a Person can tof get "a cleFkShip unless De can sp- ak Gaelic This was not 70 In the past. If you coud tzlk Irfsh as well as Owen Roe 0'NeiIl and write it ss sc eurstfiy as Heating. it was of no tree to y0u. Nothing that erer came across the water in the shzpe of news plea~- d him ss vel as fbe uessaEe telling bow fhe sfpuinsble stace Irishmnn had f-een zfsolished in America Aftsr reading this ke rpHela1ed thai they