Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1868-06-12
THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE,

The English language is endowed will
higher vitality than any other now spo-
ken upon the globe, and begs, borrows
steals, and assimlates words wherever il
can find them, without any other rule o.
accretion than that the new word shall
either express a new idea or render an old
one moro tersely and completely than be-
fore.
Chaucer introduced many hundreds o.
words from the Norman-French, which not
even his great example was sufficient 10
naturalze; and at a later. day Spcnscr
made gallant but unsuccessful attempt ia
revive from the ancient Anglo-Saxon many
excellent words which never should have
been allowed to perish. Yet, notwi,li-
standing these ilustrous and many other
failures, the language has continued to
grow, expanding, like tree, by its own
inherent vigor, and only resisting additions
that arc clearly unnecessary, or that, if
necessary, are made too lavishly or sud
denly by rash, unpopular, or incompotcn.
teachers.
One great advantage which the English
possesses over every European tongue is
that it is twofold. Like the star in the
great constellation Of Orion, which, seen
by the naked eye, appears single, but
which, observed through tho telescope, is
found to consist of two equally bright
orbs that rsvolve round each other, our
speech may be described as binary. With
in its broad and yearly expanding circum-
ference are contained two separate forms of
cxprcssion-the one simple, homely, strong,
solemn, poe:ica, passionate, and Saxon {;
the other refined, colloquiaI, argumcuta =
tive, and Latin. lie who would without
much trouble perceive the great difference
and yet tue close relationship between the
two, has but to read a chapter of the Old
Testament in the recognized English trans.
laiion of the reign of James l., and COM
pare it with the Same chapter in modern
French. The English version will be
found full of dignity, soIcmnity, and gran
9eur; the French will be found easy, col
loquial, familiar, almost hippant. Yet the
story and the ideas are the same. The
superiority OF the English is wholly due
to the Saxon element Of the language.
The literature Of England is, for this rea-
sob, under such heavy obligations to the
Bible Independently altogether of sucs-
tions of morality and roligion,) that it is
impossible to believe that our poetry could
be, as it is, the noblest body of poetry in
the world, if tho pious divines and ripe
scholars Of King Jamcs's era had taken it
upon themselves to translate the Bible into
the polite language Of the Court, or in any
other than that employed by tue plain
minded common people.
Next to the Bible, and Influenced by it's
literary example, the poets have been tho
great conservators of the English language.
the business of poetry being, above oil
other things, TO appeal, in the first instance
to the heart, and rather to that than to the
fancy or the imagination, the true poets
choose, of necessity, the simplest and most
passionate words for their purpose. The
great poet speaks TO- ell his countrymen
and coan!rywomen, and not merely to
scholars. If he would be understood o
all, lie must use the best and s,rouces,
words, and such rs express most emphat,
ically the most precise shades OF meaning.
1t is the poets who make one word do the
office OF a whole sentence, who crystalize
ideas into the most compact forms, and
who give their countrymen, in one immor
tai line, tue quintesscence Of thought
which ordinary prose writers might spread
over whole pages.
In the present day, in the English por-
tions of the world-Eurcpean, Asiatic
African, Australian, and American-al
educated people use three different kind.
OF English; Bible, or old Saxon English
when :bey 60 to church or read good po-
etry; vernacular, or colloquial English
not altogether free from slang and vulgar
ity, when they talk to one another in th'
ordinary intercourse of life; and literary
English, when they make speeches or ser
nous, and write or read articles, reviews
or books. This threefold division Of thu
language has always existed, though thu
great bulk Of the people, up 10 very recen
times, may have only been familiar with
the first, and its limited range Of nouns
verbs, and adjectives, chiefly composed O
strong, plain monosyllsbles of Anglo. Sax
on and Scandinavian origin and their inn
mediate derivatives -Btaekwood's Maga
zine.
THE SooTcH RoBBERs.-One day. a.
Archbishop Leighton was going from