IRISH CONVERSATION.
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sin,—Among the contents of the Spectator for January 5th are included a short account of Eliezer ben Yehudah, and an article entitled " Irish Conversation," on two Irish school books. Doubtless the revival of dead languages is useless for practical purposes, yet Eliezer ben Yehudah, who accom- plished the stupendous task of popularizing Hebrew, is extolled, and his achievement noted by the Spectator as " one of the most extraordinary in human history." Five pages later, in the same issue, a scornful comment is passed upon the efforts of those who are now trying to achieve a like result with Irish, and are animated by the same belief in the value of a national tongue. Prejudices such as these are unworthy of the Spectator.
Before -lightly dismissing the vexed question of Irish, it would have been well if the writer of the article in question had made a -more exhaustive study of the aims and methods of Irish teachers. The writer of the article also mentions " this imaginative alteration of familiar names to strange combinations of syllables " Baile Ath Cliath (Town of the Hurdle Ford) was the name of Dublin some fifteen hundred years ago ; Dun Laoghaire (Fort of King. Leary) took the name of Kingstown only in 1821, as a • compliment to George IV. when he landed there. These are the two examples mentioned in the article. With my thanks to the Spectator for many pleasant hours through a number of years, I remain, faithfully yours,
LUBA KAFTANNIKOFF.
10 Royal Terrace E., Dun Laoghaire.
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