The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1914-03-14

language. Thus out of the Latin
came the French and the Spanish and
the Italian, and when the center of
gravity in the English government
was shifted from France to England,
then the Norman French disappeared
and the English took its place. Even
in country so intimately connected
with England as are these United
States, in an age of telegraphs and
steamships, our growing nationality
is drawing away the English we speak
from the English spoken in England.
AS matter of fact, as baseball is
the most intensely national thing we
have, the baseball dialect is really a
new language, and no Englishman
could understand newspaper descrip.
ton of baseball game If he was left
to his own unaided efforts to decipher
1t.
When, therefore, you have a nation
like the Irish, with its pure blood, its
isolated territory, its long history, it's
ancient and self developed culture, its
appreciation of the spiritual, its cour-
age and its Joy of life, 1t is to be ex-
pected that its language would be one
in the highest degree proper to the
people and expressive of their nation
al spirit. And so it is the most Irish
of all things is the Irish language.
Therefore, ne matter how hard the
confession may be to US who were
raised under other ideas, and who are
compelled to use the English Ian
guage by our circumstances. the
truth is, that without the Irish Ian
guage there can be no Irish nation.
The day the language dies the nation
perishes, too. They may have Home
Rule, they may have complete indie
pendence. but they will not be the old
Irish nation-the nation of Brigid
and Columcille, of Brian Boru and
Owen Roe. They will be a new ma
ton, like the United States, an Eng
fish colony that has won independ-
ence. Their roots will be in England,
and not in ireland, and their history
will be the history of Englishmen,
who after an unprecedented resist
ance, succeeded in making Ireland an
English shire.
But this is all theory, you may tell
me-what is the verdict of the facts?
Let the history of the past twenty
years answer. When the Gaelic league
was founded the wise and the prudent
smiled on these young enthusiasts for
the parts Of speech. They said what
a pity it was to be wasting time and
money on a project so hopeless and
so useless! There is SO much to be
done to put. butter on the peoples
bread that it is almost criminal to be
blocking the way by the fads and
fancies of unbalanced students. Yet,
as often before, time has COMPOUNDED
the wisdom of the wise and brought
to naught the schemes Of the pru.
dent. There Is an old folk tale com.
mon to all countries Of the sleeping
beauty. Doomed by malignant fairy,
the spell of sleep fell suddenly upon
her and her whole court. The king
slept upon his throne, the counsellors
slept at the counsel board, the senti.
mel slept at the gates, the horses
slept in the stalls, the birds slept
upon the trees, the kitchen maid slept
at the kneading board. A high and
thorny hedge grew round the enchant-
ed castle, and, though many a VEN
turesome knight strove to waken the
sleeping princess, they all fell victims
to the same spell. AT last the right
full prince appeared, and as he touch.
ed the hand of the princess the spell
was broken, and the king awoke on
his throne, and the counsellors sat up
at the council board, and the sentinel
began to march backward and for.
ward at the gates, and horses neighed
in the stalls, and the birds began to
sing in the trees, and the kitchen
maid renewed her toll at the kneading
board, and the princess recognized
the rightful prince and her own true
love.
So 1t seemed to be with ireland.
How many a scheme was tried during
the nineteenth century to waken her
from her lethargy, but in vain! In
spite Of them all, anglicization was
extending its influence, her sons and
daughters were fleeing from her, her
commerce was declining, her industry
decaying, the very soul within her
was diseased, and she was ashamed
of her own self. But the coming Of
the Gaelic league changed the whole
outlook. AS by magic, the tide of an.
glicization begins to recede. The
emigration, If not checked altogether,
is coming down to normal figures, the
eyes Of the Irish are being turned to
Ireland, commerce is improving, in
dustries are springing up, but, above
and beyond all, the spirit of the ma.
ton is renewed. and to be Irish and
to be proud Of being Irish is the ideal
that is restoring the face Of the land.