The Irish standard., 1906-01-20
DOUGLAS HYDE COMING.


Hyde in Minneapolis is assured nc
efforts should be spared to make the
meeting success. The fact that the
initial arrangements for the bringing
Of DR.. Hyde to Minneapolis Is In the
hands of the Ancient Order of Hiber-
mans is an assurance in itself that DR.
Hyde will have a magnificent audience
at the Auditorium on the first OF Feb
ruary. Knowing as we do the spirit
of the Hibernians of Minneapolis, We
have great hopes that the great audi
ences which have listened to the lead
er Of the Gaelic League throughout
the great cities OF the East will be
equalled. If not surpassed, in Minnc-
apolis. 1t Is true that this Is ex-
pecting a great deal from city like
Minneapolis. whose Irish population is
proportionately small Everything else
being equal, Minneapolis ought not to
be expected to respond to movement
Of this kind as enthusiastically as the
cities of New York, Boston and Chica-
go where the Irish population is fifty
per cent or more of the entire popu-
lation.
We have some advantages, however.
which the people in the East did not
have. In the first place. DIR. Hyde is
better known to the Irish Americans
than he was when he first landed in
our country. And, in the second place,
the arrangement for the meeting is in
the hands Of the Hibernians an organ
ization which is actuated by the same
spirit and the same ideals which has
built up the formidable organization
known as the Gaelic League. There is
reason to believe also that many not
Of Irish blood will seize the opportu-
nifty of hearing one of the foremost
scholars of the present generation. In
so far as the Gaelic League endeavors
to create a revival Of the ancient Gaze
lie language 1t appeals to scholars Of
every race and nationality. The study
of the Gaelic language bids fair to be-
come attractive to all students of Ian
guage. Like the study of the Language
of any people 1t furnishes the key for
understanding the civilization of tina.
people. or all known languages 1t
doubtless records more of the unknown
history of the era preceding the Chris
tian Era than any other language.
There are those, of course, who make
little Of the effort to resurrect the
Gaelic. They see in it no practical
good. They argue that it cannot aid
the Irish in commercial way. This
is probably true, yet we should not
neglect the opportunity to become bet
ter educated. to know more of the his
tory Of the world and its people, simp-
ly because that increased knowledge
will not result in increased bank ac-
counts. There are some also who, ir
absolute ignorance of the history OF
| their ancestors. strive to conceal thel.
nationality, and in their Ignorance
wish to appear that which they ars
not. To those also the study of the
Gaelic will bring no interest. Their
again 1T has become popular in some
quarters in the last few years to speal
of the world wide power Of the Anglo.
Saxon and Of the universally of his
language. People who know little o
! what is going on in the world. who's,
reading is confined to the daily paper.
and an occasional magazine article
may indeed be led to the false belle
that the Anglo-Saxon Is the "whol,
thing" and that English is already tn,
worlds language. These people ma!
! feel that Douglas Hyde is at the heat
! of a movement to lead our people
i backward. American scholars ant
/. those who have travelled realize thai
the power and superiority of the An.
glo-Saxon is far from whit is claimed
!