Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1916-06-02

n the seldom visited Island Of
Achill Beg. There was only
one thing for us to do-that was to
shout and shout until someone on the
island heard us and launched a boat
to ferry us across, writes traveller to
the Emerald Isle, in Ireland. We
talked while we waited about the ul-
Htra-nationalism of the friend we were
Going to visit There had been a
project to build causeway from this
peninsula of the mainland to the is
land of his sojourn. Our friend OBJ
jected because he did not want the Is
families he lived amongst to be cor
rupted by an alien culture. We shout
ed again.
Then we saw a stir on the island
and knew that a boat was being
launched. Another wayfarer had
come up and was waiting to cross over
with us. This was a young woman
who thought little of nursing her baby
while she waited. She had taken
the child to some far-away dispensary
upon the peninsula and had received
3 procurement upon it's sickness
Now she heiS 1t and talked to it as
Il 1t was treasure-as il 1t was won
derful she had got the child back SO
Tar. This young woman took our
phrases in Gaelic as good converse
tonal coin. Most native speakers talk
10 learners either scornfully or
patronizingly, but she talked trusting
ly, as II we had the Gaelic like the
flowing sea-" as they say. 1t was evil
IDENTIFY that our friend on the island
had brought no hint of paucity in
Gaelic speech.
He lived with one of the island
families IN the utmost discomfort
Meat the people seldom saw, and they
burnt It when they undertook to cook
1t. They boiled potatoes well enough
But no amount of repetition could get
them to make drinkable tea. Our
friend had room that had no catch
on its door and he was waited upon by
a bnrefooted girl. His mental nour-
ishment seemed as restless as his
physical fare. There were books on
his shelf, but they were dictionaries,
grammars, textbooks, handbooks, ex-
ercises in translation, volumes of
propagandist journals. There was
one thing in the room that promised
some delight-our friends fiddle. We
knew how well he could play the
music Of fishers and shepherds OF Gaze
lie Scotland and Ireland.
A Stronghold OF Gaelic.
He held this remote island as q
lonely post in battle that seemed
long lost-a battle of languages and
civilization. Gaelic might be surren-
dered or sold on the mainland or in
the big islands. but here 25 families
would be drilled to hold and keep it.
Actually he had made this island the
one spot in the British islands where
English is decaying language He
lad found it flourishing here and Gae-
tic weak and ready to give out. He
had restored Gaelic. The young men
md young women who would spend
six months of the year in the fields
IF England and East Scotland spoke
10 English here. We saw him fling
he door open and dart out like a
weasel when he heard an English
,hrase used by someone in the main
pom. But the harvester was speak
! lg of THE Midland Great Western
'ailway" and how could name like
lat be put into Gaelic?
(, He was giving a lecture that night,
) nd we followed him as he went, Ian
I srn in hand, to the schoolhouse. We
assed closed houses before which
sese seemed to sleep standing. We
/ alked amongst ducks that gave one
D ne impression that they were truants
\ ON school-they slipped into pools of
! alter and pushed out. They'll say
I thing about It; they'll say nothing
Il )out It," they told each other In
\ lacking undertcnes. We crossed the
! spping stones and came to the
hoolhouse. Inside we lighted lamps
d waited.
I Have you seen q herd of mountain
MES break down a road? So they
shed In, the island girls who came to
! : friends lecture. No one else
ne. They flung themselves about
! room until they were winded.
I en- they became less disorderly. At
/, having trepanned them between
1 sool desks, our friend began his lee