Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1869-06-23
The Union of Languages,

We have more than once referred to the
tendency towards the adoption ofa common
language. Every year it becomes more
marked. The ease and rapidity of travel
which tend so much to the mingling of diff
ferent nationalities, between whom some in
tercourse must be maintained, either di-
rectly by the acquisition of each others dia-
lect, or through interpreters, is fast making
that language prevail which most largely
represents the worlds activities. Who,
then, are the great travellers of the world
Are not the English, the Scotch, the Ameri-
can, found everywhere? All these speak a
common dialect. America may be claimed
as wholly English as to language. In all
European cities the knowledge of it is nler-
camille and social necessity. The language
of India and Australia is English. The
swarms of men and women from Germany
and other European Kingdoms to America
all learn the English language in year or
more after their arrival Many of these re-
turn to the fatherland and swell the increas
ing number of those who speak the Saxon
idiom. 1t is the most widely spoken Ian
guage on the globe. In compactness, in
scope, in capacity of definite expression. in
expressiveness, it is, with the aid of Latin,
the king of dialects.
Potential among these unifc agencies is
the telegraph, by which the nations are
placed practically together. To use it sue
cessfully, the language employed must be
terse, definite, clear. This is needed by
considerations of time and economy Words
are wanted which express whole definite
idea, which need no adjective or descriptive
accompanying index. For this the Saxon
stands pre-emincnt. No language can so
tersely convey thought, an order, a desire.
as that which, in our conception, is the ba
sis and beauty and power of the English
language.
1t is curious circumstance, illustrative
of what we have just written, that on the
continent, not a few use the English Ian
guage in their messages by telegraph, even
where foreign tongue pre- walls, because of
this ability to condense language, increase
its clarity and diminish its cost in transmits
sion: Language is the manifestation of hu-
man thoughts and feeling by articulate
sounds. In the use of the telegraph that
language which utters most in a single word
must prevail The simple word ''frei" ut
tered by a frightened woman, sets all the
bells of the metropolis in fercest clang as
soon aeuttercd. 1t is words like these that
commerce will use to express its wants
They will be words recognized everywhere
in Pekin, as at Marseilles, in St Peters
burg as at New York. Commerce will forge
language, which the hunt for gold, and the
energy of enterprise, will sooner or later
establish as this ldiom of the world.
OF course it will take time, but mark how
rapidly the Saxon tongue spreads. We be-
lieye that 100 years will not pass away be-
fore traveller will need no other language to
interpret his thoughts in any town open to
commerce In any quarter OF the earth.
Inside of our Western civiation there are
certain marked tendencies the result OF
which cannot fail to be a gain to Christiani-
ty and the world From variety OF causes,
all of which are in active operation, nations
are becoming fewer but larger. The lesser
are gradually being absorbed By the greater.
Language is following similar law, and ev-
idence is not wanting to convince us thte
this tendency is destined to become even
more characteristic of the future than it is
of the present A common nationality and
a common language for all mankind is no
longer an impossible dream. In proportion
as this is realized SO will the conquering
forces of Christianity be multiplied and so
will its success be secured sThe race will
be to the swift and the battle will be to the
strong; and in this great future the Uni
ted States, the second home of the En-
glish tongue, will play conspicuous part
Journal ofthe Telegraph.