The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-03-14
DY 1TMorHy U. O,CONNoR.

 growing in intensity as may be judged from the following paragraph in The Irish Nation:
 No man who accepts the historic Irish nation can avoid accepting the Irish language also. A nation built in Ireland out of ti~ present elements and through English. Is an impossi- btlity. We should be merely imtta- tfon English, without strength. with out courage. without. faith. without any real naional life. until such time as our consciousness should become merged in that of England
 The Rev. Dir. Yorko. In the same paper, says: 'The principle of the demand. about which the whole coun- try Is being torn up. is that Irish Is the national language of Ireland. and, therefore. should be obligatory in an Irish national university. just as French would be in a French univer- sity. or German in German univer- sity If for no other reason than ae a hall-mark of Irishism, no. one who cannot pass n matriculation examtna- tion in Irish should be allowed to en- ter the university" z&
 The Sim Fein organ says: Our demand at present Is that. Irish De made an essential subject, but that demand might we'll be expanded, ana the Irish and English languages alone made tho languages essential for ma. triculation."
 The extremists on the great question hold that what the Irish people need is great school of Irish learning. national and democratic to the core. The Irish bishops. In their protest against compulsory Irish, 1t Is held' merely voice the wishes of well-to- do handful of unpatriotic Catholic landlords and professional men who Jnutr tA ssov A~p t11A nar rlntVarattv as Q sort of little aristocratic Oxford for their own hopeful progeny. But democratic Erin. recognising the vital issues involved. Is on the alert, and. day by day. the evidences of approach ing victory are increasing. The Mon aghan County Council Is among the latest to declare In favor of refusing to strike a rate for university scholar ships unless Irish Is compulsory. The number of the county councils 10 adopt this course is now large one, and others will follow. It Is held that if the purse-strings are kept tightly tied certain people will quickly recon slider their attitude.
 To Compel its Teaching.
 Following out their ideas. the lin- gual extremists declare that If Irish Is made obligatory in the university, 1t will be taught in every Catholic college in Ireland. It will Kill the contempt that a certain class or angn- cized, or anglicizing Irishmen anect 10 have for the national tongue; 1t VIII CO., ordinate all Irish education rom national school to university. Ana more important still. it will notily the people of Ireland that the new university is to be democratic and no mere preserve of privilege and prioe. The now bare footed lad on the noun tains of Connaught. Donegal. or Kerry will be made from the start 10 ieel that 1t Is his university no less Atnan that of the son of the proprietor or professional man. From the humplest school the thoughts of the youngest scholar will be turned to the Univer- sity as the gial of his scholastic ampi- tions. where wider horizons Of light and leading will expand before nis young awakened intelligence. foI generations, Scotland has. in great measure been able to realize this idea, and now what Ireland needs Is sim- liar system of, instruction, Catnoilc and national, brought within the easi- est reach of every Irish child. gentle and simple. With the restoration or the Irish tongue the Gael will recover his almost lost intellectual indivldu- ality among the nations of the earth' and oive bIrth to a distinctive lttera- ture. ,srs At A meeting of the shareholders of the Blessington Steam Tramway Company. held on Saturday last at Terenure, Dublin. the following reso- lution was passed:
 That in future no omclal or eti- nloyer be appointed to do duty on the Rlessineton and Poulaphouca line who | had not got a thorough knowledge or the Irish language, and that the pres | ent staff and employees now doing duty | to be granted ten years to make thelh- selves acquainted with this most iIii- portant and useful medium express l ing their thoughts. Furthermore mat | after ten years all printing and ohcial transac ctions on this line be conducted | in Irish. to the entire exclusion or the | barbarous language of the Saxon. The chairman, MT. William Fox. in | seconding the resolution said that they were giving their employees fair | time in which to learn the language. The trustees of the Nationalist Par liamentary fund Bishop O'Donnell, of Raphoe. MT. John Redmond and Mr. John Fitz -Gibbon, have issued more | than usually urgent appeal to the | Irish people For material support for
 the maintenance of pledge-bound and united Irish party In the House of | Commons"
 | Reviewing Porter's Work.
 Reviewing the work of the National ist party during the past twelve months. the trustees declare that the | Nationalist cause has been advanced i in A decided and substantial manner.
 For the first time since 1893 the whole British Liberal party has been pledged afresh to a full measure or Homex Rule, and the subject has been | assured a position of prominence be- | fore the British electorate" The Uni versity question has been settled. an Irish Housing Act has been passed l the government has been persuaded | to produce a land bill which, If amend | ed in certain important particulars | will hasten land purchase. and, finally | the party claims a large share of the credit for the passing of the old age l pension act.
 The manifesto points out that the work of the present session will be l of unusual importance, and 1t ap | beals for subscriptions Large enough to draw the clamor of the enemies of
 the party" The trustees are confident
 that the "secret and insidious infiu-
 ences" which have been exerted to
 "close up the fountain of popular sup
 port" for both the party and the move
 ment will be found to have been em-
 ployed In vain.
 | Al Belfast Mir John Dillon, M P.
 declared that the future of Ireland
 was bright and hopeful, because unity
 had been restored in the national
 ranks. The scenes that had occurred
 at the national convention Tn Dublin 1 were not caused because some of the sneakers were against the sentiment nr Pn-