The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1856-06-28
Original.
DID MAN INVENT SPEECH I?

Ch th0 aVAhOiity vi iiOIg Nilu 40 auhl'Ocu
by DR.. Hoyt, stated that man was created
thinking and speaking. Mr.. Hoyt answers
that Gods conversations with man are not
real but eRigmatieal Then what is to be
thought of Gods conversation with Moses in
the burning bush with the whole people on
Mount Sinai with Christ and the people on
the Jordan; and with Christ and the three
Apostles on Mount Thabor?
Are they enigmatical? Adam called the ami
mails Z" whatsoever Adam called any living
being, the same is It's name" Is this also
enigmatcal? Adams conversation after the
creation of Eve; Gains conversation with
Abel &c Are they all to be called enigmati
cal? If so, where does the enigma cease,
and real speech commence? Would it not
be just as good, for the removal of other diff
/ fculties, to call the whole scripture one great
enigma without any reality? The Doctors
sincere religious convictions, know, recoil
/ from such a monstrous conclusion But then
he must also, I fear, in good logic renounoe
to the premises.
We are further told that man, in his state
of holiness, communicated mentally,
In that state, man, probably had no vocal
organ. Perhaps he received it only when, in
punishment of his disobedience, " the physical
structure (?) of his body was altered !"
Ofif he had any, its probable
use was TO make wo'O! ! goV or produce
some other audible sound, merely to attract
each others attention and then mental com
n,nicotion began. In what it con
sisted how human thought was therein rep
resented, the Doctor does not tell US, no more
than the Bible tells US what the spoken Ian
guage of Adam and Eve was"
This, of course, is mere speculation, and
may appear ssurrilous. But then, on what
ground does the Doctor assume that God,
who made Adam and Eve, not angels but
human beings, composed Of soul and body, did
not give them, even in their state Of holiness
human lang, age, instead of making them
communicate mentally, like angels and pure
spirits Common sense and the obvious
> meaning Of Holy Writ are, l think in favor
Of the former mode Of conversation, and the
Doctor has mere hypothetical assumption
in support of mental communication,
Man has been cursed in soul and boly, We
admit But this curse did not elTc;. his
speech for he is represented as speaking a
well after as before his fail Mans liability
to disease and death, to the Irregular motions
. of coucupisence and natural shame, does not
u require, as far as we can see, any alteration
of the physical structure of his body. Sach
alteration, had it taken place, did no. neces.
j. sarily imply any alteration in the organ o.
e speech, and if i. did, was mans speech an
ar,cuated language, or was it a mere u2V.
i ,co0 As according to Mr. Hoyt':
0 remark, the Scripture does 10. tell what thi.
SPOKEN language was, We are at liberty to take
: the word speech in its obvious meaning, l. e.
! ar.icula,ed, vocal language, till he will pro
0 duoe some positive proof to the ontrary.
DR.. Hoyt continues: (ILc italics are ny
= own
l. ain regard to children b.ilg born withou
= speech, my opponent almits foi it is a pal
pabIe fact But do they learn a wriHen Ian
j. guaee oraily And were they left without
instruction they neusr would spe1k for there
are somr instances where the speech has beer
u lost, in persons who have long been separated
J from human society. Why does not the nut
n talk? He has all the organs of speech as per
o fectly formed as the greatest linguist in tLc
world"
Fa5 est al ho,te doceyi US may tiEe les
u son eren from an o7Tonent for my part
n cheerfuIly thank Mr.. Hoyt for the above, anc
/ embody 1t literally in my defence, as an in
d conte8taJlo proof against him. In my forme
n communication, said that man did not in
1t vent speech, for the simple reason, that j. wa
t, a practical impossiJ2Hy for him. Dr.. Hoy,
20 far fiom refuing or nvaliiaing my argu
'r ment, has corroborated it by the abov,
9i quotation, much better than could hav'
y done. As a written specimen is necessary L
n learn a written language or wriliog, SO al
r oral specimen is necessary to learn spokeI
n language Or speaking. Without such speci
5, men man would neper speak or lose tie speeci
= already acquired. Wha, is here said Of chi.
N dren and mankind in general, mus. be said o
1t Adam or any Of his immediate pos.erily. Go
re must have been their teacher and oral speci
d men or he must have given them, directly
the full use and knowledge of language, a.
e it was the case with the deaf and dumb Q
tie Gospel. ....
High sounding considerations on ancien
languages, their nagnifcence and grandeur
. and the sad tale of their destruction and fna
end, have no bearing on the question atissue
u 1t matters nothing whether, between the Ian
u IL 4 I /