The sun., 1908-02-22
TIE PRAISE OF GAELIC.
Mr.. seumas O'sheeI Replies 60 Hls Anglo
Saxon Critic. Mr.. Sullivan.


To THE EDITOR OF THE SUM- had no
idea when I wrote you correcting certain
mistaken statements affecting me which had
appeared In your columns that my note
would be the red rag 90 stir up such furious
bull as your correspondent who signs him
self ]. L. Sullivan CGod forbid it be hts. real
namely II Mr.. Sullivan had not made
direct attack upon me would not dare ven
ture a counter charge against such terrify-
ing enemy. Who would not fear to join
issue with one who is not even sufficiently
familiar with the English language TO know
that mo" 10 an abbreviatlOn Of Mac (which
does not need . harelip to prOnounce): who
does not scrupIe to tell the Irish people. In
his fourth sentence. that they are part and
parcel OF the great Anglo-Saxon race" and
to call them Gaels or Cets q dozen times In
the remainder OF his letter tneither Anglo
Saxon nor "Celt- connotes anything OF
contemporaneOus existence to the educated
man OF today; who unhesitatingly pro-
nounces the Gaelic speaking peasantry OF
, Ireland and Scotland uncivilized and bar
baTouS because they do not use the letter
81 but instead employ -i' with the sound
OF y" ljust as the Romans dIdD: who IL
not oath to be classed with the famous
English baker who thought the French un-
human because, they call bread -pain"2
would fain leave such a TedoubtabiS
champion In undisputed possession Of the
arena. But he makes his charge directly
at me, and-most unexpected and astonsh-
ing phenomenoni he bellows out as he bears
down upon me an appalling volume OF in
formation about the Gaelic language. He
passes over few vhimportant points. He
language spoken by CaucaslAns In western
Europe; that In It are preserved the only
psopes o%s preTCSDD 20
the Christian era: that the libraries OF Europe
contain Gaelic manuscripts suf1icisnt to make
has Sss& % As SS SSy
ax Snd Sy
ars who were fed. clothed, Sheltered and
tsught free Of charge in the schools Of Ireland; M
turS that 10 second only to the Greek and
has during the last century given inspira-
! tton and material TO numerous poets. story
teliers, dramatists, artists and composers;
that in u we're composed during the penal
siihes h OF tnS sEnteen century P0ems h,Sa ,S
most successful efforts ever made by man
kind to produce music by words alone: that
| intelligently to it as spoken and sung by
! true Gae's have declared II 10 be a euphonious
MIR. Sullivan ignores these insignificant
matters and goes directly to his point, which
! is that when the .etter h is inserted in
| be pronounced -O'Heel!" Now II Mr.. Sulli-
! will cause il to read. In Gaelic when a con-
! sonant undergoes the change known as
aspiration. that fact Is evidenced either by
| or by the insertion OF an n after It,"
/ will quite agree with him. I will also con-
cede that when IS is aspirated it is pro-
Rounced like n" But at that point must
! For, you see, he has made the trihing mis-
/ take Of extending his reversed form Of the
| Gaelic grammatical! rule to English orthoR-
/ raphy. suppose | lay myself open TO the
! charge Of having no sense Of humor when I
| spoil theclever punsters little Joke bout W ar
! Ing the name O'Heel"; but in the intel tests OF
| truth must make myself a martyr. would
! tatiOn OF my friend as a humorist, but must
4 insist that O'Sheel is the correct phonetic
| rendering into English letters OF the name
hate to prick another bubble Of Mr.. SuIi-
| vans. but must point out that the authori-
| ties OF Columbia University have not refused
| to spell my name @Seumas OSheel upon the
! roll. for the simple reason that ! have not
/ or this ceremony OF enrolment are not OF
| my performance at all
And on top OF all this. am utterly heart
less u I calf Mr.. Sullvan's attention to the
lumba is Old Irish grammar
! Though never heard OF Mr.. Sullivan before,
I realize now that he is an important critic,
| possessed OF the admirable qualifications OF
erudition. Imagination, humor. and particu-
larly, vigor and daring. His only fault
I seems TO be that he Is sometimes bit care
| less. I regret that u he favOrs US with an
other OF his delightful essays l must deny
| myself under any circumstances. the pleas
| ure OF replying. for am very busy prepar-
| ing three or four lectures to be delivered
about March y, not to mention my preoccu-
| Milton and Bro@ning-who were not Anglo
saKons. Mr.. Sullivan but good Engli!ssnmen' !s
| SEOhAS " ohbhL'