Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-12

support in a special paign-beginninG
this St. Patrick's day. With its avowed OBJ
ject that of preserving the Irish Ian
guage, publishing Irish literature, foster
ing Irish music, pastimes and industries.
the Gaelic League is making its appeal
to the sons of Erin in this country to
1T Ireland intellectually. morally and
materially for Il place in the brotherhood
of nations, prea ching love of the Emerald
ISLE first last and all the time.
Two Irishmen, Father Michael O'Flana-
gan and Mr.. Fionan MacCoum, have
come from Dublin as delegates OF the
league 10 visit the Irish cenJers in
America and explain the workings of the
Gaelic movement in the land of the sham
rock. That they do not come entirely
into a strange land is attested by the
fact that there are already flourishing
branches of the Gaelic League in most of
the large cities. For some weeks they
have been active in New York, where
they have established headquarters at
e. Madison avenue. These delegates
Will, with the help of prominent Irish
men in the communities visited, organize
mass meetings and set forth their prop
uganda
First they will attempt to arouse in the
Irish American a personal, active in
terest in his mother tongue Gaelic; and
secondly, to raise by popular subscription
$4,000 with which to carry on the work
OF teaching Gaelic in the schools of Ire
land.
On st. Patrick( day in the 'ould coun-
try approximately $4,000 will be raised
for furtherance of the work of the league.
This is three-fourths of the necessary
amount and America is looked to for the
remainder. To obtain this, say the dele
gates, Ireland asks only one-eighth of a
cent from each of her 10000, 900 sons and
daughters living here. In most instances
the meetings will be followed by concerts
at which Irish dances and songs will be
given. Lectures will also be delivered at
many universities and colleges through
out the land. While no concerted effort
Will be made in this country st. Pat
riCks day proper, the holiday is counted
upon to rekindle the ever-burning flame
of Irish love of Ireland.
To understand clearly just why the
preservation of tongue that, by some,
Is ranked among the dead languages is
OF national moment, ii is necessary to
glance back over the history of Ireland
Long before the dawn of history the irish
language. called by those who speak it
Gaelic, was spoken in Asia Minor CEN
trail and western Europe. Spain and in
Ireland. AS time went on, other peo-
pies crushed the Celts. who either re-
manned in the conquered territories and
forgot their native tongue or fled west
ward until they now remain but a mere
fringe of Celtic speakers in Wales, Brit
tany, the Isle of Man, the Highlands
OF Scotland a-d in Ireland-some 5000, 900
souls in all.
Until the latter part of the seventeenth
century Irish was practically the only
language spoken in three-fourths of Ire
land The eighteenth century marked the
beginning of its decay. In 1851 the Eng
lish system of national education was in
troduced and elementary schools were
opened all over the country. The little
Irish children focked TO them by the
thousands to learn the foreign tongue
(English) and to be soundly logged when
they ventured to speak their own With
the great famine in the forties the tide of