The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1922-04-01

Zeuss had pointed out that the Gaed-
hello Celts had given rhyme to the
poetry of the world, and Windisch,
with his grammar and his series of Old
and Middle Irish texts, with his Ger
man translations, showed the develop
ment of the Short Story in ancient Ire
land fifteen hundred years before a
man of Irish blood (?), Edgar Allen
Poe, had impressed the mark Of his
genius upon this most modern form
of literature so recently perfected in
the United States. ..ls... IA.
Douglas Hyde. son of an Anglican
clergyman of County Sligo, was one
Of the Irishmen upon whom the de-
aationalizing influence of Trinity col.
ege, Dublin, acted as a counterfeit
tant. There he learned German.
Revival at Home.
Eugene O'Growney did not know
that there was an Irish language until
he went to the Catholic college of
Maynooth. This discovery and his fur
Their investigation into the work done
by the German savants gave purpose
to his life work which became the re-
vival of the Irish language, and thus
/ in turn has given to his people never
| to be forgotten by them a name Of an
| otherwise obscure country curate Dr.
Douglas Hyde, an Anglican minister's
son. and Rev. Eugene O'Growney, a
Roman Catholic priest, joined hands
for their fatherland in founding the
Gaelic League, non-sectarian and a
| nOn-religiOus organization whose pur-
pose was the revival of the national
language and the disqualification of
the irish people, and a new era had
dawned in Ireland. German scholars
had come over to Ireland to learn the
Language, and incidentally their pres
ence gave new heart and hope to
the Irish people. DR.. Hyde took Zim-
mer and Kuno Meyer to the Isles Of
Arran to learn the living language
from the people who speak their an
cient speech in its pristine purity.
This stream of German scholars spe-
cializing in Gaelic taught the Irish
that they had cultivated language
land literature locked away in many
thousands of ancient manuscripts that
had come down from glorious past
iof which any people might we'll feel
| proud.
Won Schlegels words, mo language,
no nation" became motto of the
iGaelic League. With the opening Of
the new century came an intensive de-
velopment of the Irish language. Lam
guage classes were formed every.
where. The study of Irish was even
forced into the National" schools,
which were reluctantly compelled to
give credit marks and prizes for pro-
iciency. Societies were formed, CON-
Iposed of members who pledged them
lselves to converse with one another
only in Irish under self-imposed pen.
lalty for every "offense." A great
Iquantity of ancient literature that had
been transmitted orally from genera
ton to generation, as the Homeric
"opens, was rescued and written down
by Douglas Hyde, O'Malley and 9TH
ers. In this way they presery ed, many
fine poems and stories not found In ex-
tant manuscripts.
| Erin Looks Up.
! The revival of ancient customsj eos
TUNES, music and art was the result
lof the racial pride which came with
the language revival. Three Journals
in the Irish language appeared In
lquick succession. The first one was
An Irisleabhar Gaedhilge, or The
Gaelic Journal, purely literary and
Pathological publication, edited by
Prof. John MacNeil. Next appeared
An Claidheamh Soluis, or The Sword
of Light, so named from literary. al
fusion in an ancient wonder-tale. 1T
Twas edited by Padraic Pearce, then
1.-THE most pacific of men, who wrote'lt-
erary articles therein of high critical
lvalue.
All that the Irish have attained has
grown out of their language revival,
which drew its breath of life from the
pathological and literary discoveries
of German savants. The Irish recog-
nize the debt they owe to these, men
of German blood for awakening them
to a new national consciousness, to a
racial pride and self-confdence which
has carried them onward to the vie
tory they have attained after a, fight
that has endured seven hundred and
fifty-two years.