The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1913-10-18

Greek characters. It was the classical
culture of the ninth century that made
possible the scholarship of the Irish
men, John Scotus Erigena, the most
learned man of his day in Europe and
the only scholar in Paris who was able
to translate the Greek writings of the
pseudo-Dionysius.
Geography and history were taught
in Gaelic poetry. There is. extant an
interesting geographic poem in Irish
written by one of the teachers OF the
school of Ross in Northwest Munster
in the tenth century. 1t was intended
to be learned by heart, and the poetry
is probably better than the geography
judged by present day standards.
THE Navigate Brendani.' manu-
script which relates the adventures of
st. Brendan during his seven years
voyage in the Atlantic, is writing
that attracted much attention on the
part of the medieval schools. Manu-
script copies of the work are found in
Paris, Leipsic and the vatican library
dating variously from the ninth to the
thirteenth century.
"Brendan was one of the twelve
apostles of Ireland He founded the
famous Irish schools of Clonfert on the
Shannon about $50. He is said to have
made the seven years voyage in three
vessels carrying 12O men, who set out
to find the beautiful island of the west
ern sea spoken of in old pagan tradi-
tons. 1t has been claimed by some
that he discovered America, but the
claim must be ranked with other i'm
probable geographic legends of pre-
Columbian discoveries of our continent.
1.-THE history of Ireland had been
preserved for the Christian schools by
the bards, who from the earliest days
had sung the name and fame of their
kings or cheiftains. The writings of
the monks added to these records the
lives of the Irish and foreign saints.
COPIES of these works were dispers-
ed throughout Europe by monks who
came from England and the continent
to borrow the priceless parchments or
to make copies for their own monastic
libraries. Nor were the Greek and
Latin authors sighted by the cali
graphers. Beautifully illuminated
manuscripts of these classics were re-
produced sometimes with a commen-
tary in Irish, like that priceless copy of
Horace, which modern research has
discovered in the library of Berne.
1.-The greatest Psychologists and phil
ologists of modern times, like Zuess,
Keller and Reeves. have studied, adj
mired and quoted the Irish manuscripts
that are found in continental and An
glo-Saxon libraries.
"Jubainville states that 1909 Gaelic
manuscripts copied before the year
1900, are found in continental and Brit
ish libraries, not counting those in pri-
vate collections or those destroyed.
The vastness of the destruction may
be surmised from the fact that the
school Of Clonard alone was plundered
and destroyed IL times and burned,
either wholly or in part, IA times.
, "What must have been the destruc.
ton Of valuable documents in this case
alone? Douglas Hyde quotes a. Ger
man authority as estimating that the
literature of Irish production before the
year 1900 would fill 1000 octave VOL
umes, law, medicine and science being
therein comprised.
'Shall we say that these schools had
elective courses? In the sense of snap
courses they had none; but there were
certain men who specialized in some
particular branch. One of these was
Dungal, the astronomer, who ELECTED
the admiration Of Charlemagne in the
early part of the ninth century, by adj
dressing treatise on the solar eclipse
to that famous patron of learning who
had already put our old friends, Glenn
ent and Albinus, in charge of two Of
his seminaries.
MANY of the early saints, like Bish-
op Fortchern, were skilled artificers in
bronze and metal In fact, so much is
to be said of the arts of calligraphy,
carving, metallurgy and architecture.
that complete lecture on the subject
has been arranged for in this series.
1.-THE prime purpose Of the monas.
tic schools was to prepare men for the
priest hood; consequently Holy Scrip
ture and theology were the principal
studies. AS foundation for deeper
study, they had to learn all the psalms
by heart. Reciting these. day by day
in choir, and meditating upon the beau
ties as expounded by the learned faith
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