XI] 



BRECKNOCKSHIRE 



169 



now making for home rule, along with the other great sub- 

 divisions of the British Islands, is thoroughly justified. 



Our two other indigenous Celtic languages, Gaelic and 

 Irish, or Erse, appear to have a far less vigorous literary 

 existence. I am informed by the Secretary of the National 

 Bible Society of Scotland that about three thousand Bibles 

 and a little more than two thousand Testaments are sold 

 yearly. The number of people who habitually speak Gaelic 

 is, however, less than a quarter of a million, and the language 

 seems to be kept up in a literary sense more by a few 

 educated students and enthusiasts than to supply the needs 

 of the people. 



The Irish language is a form of Gaelic closely allied to 

 that of Scotland, and there are still nearly a million people 

 able to speak it, though only about one-tenth of that number 

 use it exclusively. Owing to the prevalence of the Roman 

 Catholic religion among the peasantry, very few copies of 

 the Irish version of the Bible and Testament are now sold, 

 and although the ancient literature was exceedingly rich and 

 varied, any modern representative of it can hardly be said to 

 exist. The strong vitality of the Welsh language as above 

 sketched is therefore a very interesting feature of our country, 

 and as it is undoubtedly suited to the genius of the people 

 among whom it has survived, there seems to be no valid 

 objection to its perpetuation. The familiar use of two 

 languages does not appear to be in itself any disadvantage, 

 while being able to appreciate and enjoy the literature of 

 both must be a distinct addition to the pure intellectual 

 pleasures of those who use them. 



