The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1908-09-26

J workers. Born in London of Irish pa
rents, and educated at the Spanish
/ University of Salamanca, his whole
training and environment were un-
Irish. His father, gentleman of
wealth and influence in London.
placed him in position where he
had every opportunity to go forward
upon brilliant career. and there he
was acquitting himself creditably,
when chance-or was it some higher
Providence?-placed in his hands a
little volume, "The Four Winds of
Eirinn," the posthumous poems of
Ethna Carbery, verses vibrant with a
passionate love of Ireland, book that
las so appealed to Irish hearts that in
the six years since the death of the
young author, it has gone through 12
editions.
| 1t was as though THE Four Winds
of Eirinn" had waited Francis Power
back to the country and the cause of
his fathers people. Stirred to his in
most soul by the burning words of the
poetess, he threw up position, afflu.
ence, prospects, and cast his. lot with
the workers for Ireland's regeneration.
Having mastered Gaelic. he has taken
up the vocation of a travelling teacher,
journeying from town to town on his
mission of inspiration and enlight.
enment.
In connection with it's department of
instruction the league gave an inter-
osting demonstration of methods of
teaching at Leinster College on the
second morning of the festival, and
prizes were awarded for the best
methods Of teaching suitable for Irish.
A remarkable feature of this competi-
tion was the lesson in Irish given by
Margaret Nealon, child only ten
years of age, who went through the
lesson with the ease and thorough
ness of finished teacher.
So ably did she handle her class
and present the subject, that special
prize was awarded to her by the ad.
Indicators, and at. the request of DR..
Hyde. the president. of the leaghe, re-
peated the lesson that evening at the
prize winners concert in the Rotunda.
before, an audience of some three
thousand people. DR.. Hyde invited
any three members of the audience
who might be Ignorant of Irish, to
come to the platform and be instruct.
ed by. the little teacher.
Two gentlemen and boy accepted
the invitation, and with perfect com.
posure the young pedagogue put them
through a lesson in Irish, employing
the direct or natural method. She
used a hat, box and book, and hav-
ing taught the pronunciation of the
name of each one separately and care
fully drilled her pupils upon it, she
proceeded to use the words in SEN
tences, receiving. each article in turn
from her pupils.
The audience listened spellbound
and more than once burst into hearty
applause. They broke into roar of
laughter when the tiny instructress
administered sound shaking to q
middle-aged gentleman pupil who had
stumbled over phrase and appealed
to his neighbor for help.
Don't you look at that boy" she
commanded, "you look at me-" And
the middle-aged schoolboy, abashed,
did as the little teacher directed.
1t was sometime before the ap-
plause subsided sufficiently. to permit
the other prize winners to come upon
the stage with "rince." song or story,
as the case might be. Another storm
of applause broke out when "An Pa
orach," the ever popular, marched on
the platform playing his war pipes
and wearing the medal which had
just been awarded him as victor in
Ills COul0SJ.
Almost as. enthusiastic did they wax
over the fiddling of the prize violinist,
Tresa nj Ailpin, a small thirteen-year.
old from Limerick, from under whose
bow flowed jigs, hornpipes and reels
in such a liquid stream that not toe
in the audience but tapped in time,
and when company of small "rince"
dancers tripped out behind her one
was minded of that famous piper of
Hamlin town.
To foreigner probably the most in
teresting portion of the program, be-
cause the most novel, was traditional!
or bardic singing, OF which several
very fine examples were rendered.
These ancient tunes. laoidhe they are
termed in Gaelic, have been handed
down in the old bardic families from
the days of the great chieftains whose
l