The Irish standard., 1906-02-03

All! If we only had an intellectual
headquarters for the Irish race; If We
only had an assured position but for
ten short years; oh. IL we could only
send an organizer into every single
diocese in Ireland-then the Irish ma
ton would be saved beyond any shad-
ow of doubt!
tell you that there is no royal road
to the recovery Of our nationality. It
is difficult, it is an arduous task,
are in earnest and have behind us the
moral support and the good wishes of
America, we must succeed. If we are
only playing at being in earnest-and
that is game Irishmen are very good
at Caughter)-then we shall fail and
the whole world will deride US, and the
historian will take his tablets and write
the words: Finis Hibernia-the end of
Ireland.
The Gaelic League is in earnest. 1t
knows what it is asking and it knows
jot and no title of its demand. The
oftener 1t is knocked down the more
vigorously will it rise up again. 1t will
accept no defeat. We have upon our
side, right, justice, reason, the memory
of the dead (applause), and, though it
may seem Il strange thing to utter it in
this town of roaring commerce, yet /
believe in my heart that the dead are
often more potent than the living.
We have the sympathy of the scho-
lars Of Europe. We have the good will
of all well-wishers of Ireland. and
against us we have only race hatred,
anti-Irish bigotry, and Trinity College,
Dublin daughter and applause), and
the time has gone by when that combi-
nation, from which nothing construc-
tive ever yet emanated-the time has
gone by when they shall win any more
battles in Ireland (applause). 1 earn
estly implore every one of you whether
he be a Nationalist or a Unionist-
whatever his politics may be-for this
is surely no political matter-to do his
best to help the Irish race to develop
upon Irish lines because on Irish lines
alone can the Irish race once more be-
come what it was Of yore-one of the
most original, artistic, literary and
charming peoples in Europe (great ap-
plause).
Resolutions.
With the close of DR.. Hydes address,
A. L. Lennon, from the Committee on
Resolutions, read the following, which
were unanimously adopted:
/ Whereas, DR.. Douglas Hyde, Presi-
dent of the Gaelic League, and a dis
tinguished son of Old Trinity, which
sent forth a Burke, a Grattan, a Gold
smith, a Wolfe Tone, and a Robert
Emmett, has crossed the broad Atlantic
on mission of patriotism to the New
World to enlist the sympathy and CO.
operation of his expatriated country
mer. and their descendants in the noble
cause of saving the ancient language
of Erin from destruction, and
| Whereas, For hundreds of years the
Irish language was spoken and written
by the saints, sages and scholars Of
Ireland, and up to the middle of the
last century was used in conversation
by peer and peasant until the estab-
/ lishment Of 1882 of the so-called sys-
tenn of National education, which was
cunningly devised to Anglicize the
Irish people by destroying their native
speech and imbuing their minds with
English ideas, and
Whereas, The Irish language had be-
come almost extinct until DR.. Hyde
and few kindred spirits arose few
years ago, breathed a new soul into
Erin, and aroused the people from leth-
argy into which they had fallen, until
now the old language is being revived
in lowly cot and lofty hall in every
part of the island with the cordial ap-
probation of eminent Irishmen in every
walk Of life, irrespective of party poll
tics and religious creeds, and,
| Whereas. In no nation in the world
are there found so many old histories,
annals and chronicles as among the
Irish, showing that in periods most
remote they were civilized people, as
is acknowledged by Sir James Mackin-
tosh, the famous Scotch historian, who
says that ireland had its own history
written in its own language in the
sixth century, and no nation of modern
Europe can make a similar boast" and
Whereas, 1t is the duty Of the Irish
people at home and abroad to encour-
age the cultivation of the ancient lam
guage and literature of Erin, and to see
to it that the manuscripts Of the coun-
try, that have escaped the ravages of
time and the vandalism of the Saxon
and the Dane, be brought to the light
Of day and that the labor Of SUCH
scholars as O'Donovan, O'Curry and
TODD be continued in the Twentieth
century, and
Whereas, DR.. Hyde is chiefly respon
sible for the marvellous revolution