The Irish standard., 1910-07-09
IRISH A REQUIRED STUDY.

IRISH a HEQOlHEO JUDY.
That unrelenting effort knows not
defeat has been we'll illustrated in the
case of the fight which the Gaelic
league has carried on for the estab
lishment of Irish as a required study
of the Irish university. The fight has
at last been won and beginning in 1913
knowledge of Irish will be required
for admission to the university.
The news will be received with joy
by many who have seen the educated
men in Ireland going forth from the
schools without a knowledge of their
own tongue. This was indeed dis
heartening condition for if the cul-
tured classes did not speak Irish how
could the uneducated people be ex-
pected to speak it? The men who have
a university training set the stand
ards and as they lead the multitude
is destined to follow. If Irish was not
spoken by the leaders in culture it
was not the vogue and while this con-
dtion existed there was little hope
for the life of the language.
Irish lore, too, Is so essentially Cath
Ollie that the preservation of the Irish
language is necessary for the preser-
walton of the national religion. With
the decay Of the Irish language the
decay of Catholicity was certain to fol-
low in Ireland.
| But, thanks to the men who fought
to have Irish made required study
| in the schools, this gloomy conjecture
becomes visionary. The cause has
triumphed and Irish will in the future
be taught not only in the university
Irish will be required for admittance
to the university 1t will be the duty
of the schools to provide the elemen-
tary knowledge Of the language. All
| this means much for Ireland 1t is 4
| wholesome draught of elixir which
| will not only prolong but add new en-
ergy to the life of the country. When
the new ruling goes into force maxi
ing Irish a required study of the cur
| be decrease in the number of out
side students attending the university
But the product OF the university will
be men and women attuned to Irish
customs, conversant with Irish litera-
ture and traditions-men and women
who will be In sympathy with all that
is Irish and who will be the forces by
| which Ireland will maintain her iden-
tity among the countries of the world
Latin and Greek are the languages
of culture and no one can claim t.
be educated without some knowledge
of the languages OF Xenophon and
! Horace. Ireland was at one time the
land of scholars. the store house OF
learning. Then why should the Irish
language be extirpated? There is nc
reason why it. should not be preserved
but those who would Anglicize Ire
land knew that the accomplishment oil
their aim was impossible without first
suppressing the language of the coun.
try. But Ireland will not Anglicize
and though it has taken long strug-
gle to prove this the leaders of the
Irish cause were equal to the task.
No people have fought more gallant.
ly and resolutely for their rights thar
the Irish have fought and If there is
any one thing that characterizes thei,
struggle it is the hopefulness of the
people at all times. The Irish have
persisted In hoping for the best when
the worst seemed imminent. Wher
the hours were darkest the recalles-
cence of a fostered hope dispelled the
gloom of despair and reminded then
that energy applied to their cause
would win back the radiance once
more. Fate is beginning to smile more
kindly than ever on ancient Hibernia
and the future is beginning to glow
with encouraging signs. The indus
tries of the country are being rapidly
developed and now the Irish language
has received it's due recognition. VIVA,
is to come next? There is one more