The New York herald., 1869-02-13
LANGUAGE.

Lecture BIZ thaySsev. DIR. A. e.. THOMPSON.
Trenor's Lyric a g. on sixth avenue near Forty
second street, was well filled last evening with
large audience to welcome Rev. DIR. Alexander X.
Thompson back 10 tie lecturing stage. The lecture
was On language, and for the benefit OF the Sunday
school OF St. Paui's Reformed Dutch church. The
reverend gentleman has read the same lecture be-
fore much larger audience at the Cooper Institute
by whom 1t equally well received. 1t treated OF
the peculiarlties OF language that 1t always aspres
higher, Is capable OF organism. OF sound, OF
comparison, OF remembrance OF emotion.
Unless thought and language be united the latter u
but the mimicry OF parrot and becomes fossil.
IN the history Of LANGUAGE we e. and ten straics M
thought as IN geology the stlatlacation Of focks
gives OF the development or the earh5 surface. The
lecturer then spoke OF the word language as derived
from Lisgua, tongue, and that cur whole linguistic
knowledge converges back 70 Biblical record; for
written language did not commence with that book
there rs still no other record left. lie referred 70
the many anecdotes Of the different nationalisiea.
the Hebrew, the Persian, the Dutch, the Turk.
/ tnat the language OF the frst pair In Eden
has It. that the Devil, in scdncing Eve, must have
spoken French. IL language was out an imitation,
God. lie lie then hnmorousy REFERRED to ssc seversi
theories the bow-wow theory, the poohpoob theory,
the tnterectional theory and ctners and illustrated
them by some amusing examples. lie spoke or the
origin OF tho Diversity OF language as beng found in
the dialects. The relation OF language TO Thought
was next referred tothat poets and prophets stood
as the scntinels OF language-the Nedas and Zendn-
vista Of the Asia were mentioned-the Koran, and
an explanation gwen that the word poet came from
the Greek and meant creator, and tho word prophet
meant forCspeaker, loretecr OF the truth; that
from the learned men OF past ages, from Moses and
Homer, we learn the history OF their times as from
the Assyrian rocks we learn the civiza-
ton of past ages. There IL unconscious history
in the Developments OF language, Max Mueller's re-
searches were referred 10, and the language Of the
Babyloniaas. the Chaldeans and Armenans. The
different application OF certain phrase, was humor-
ousy illustrated as pagan, villain, barbariau that
tho word Madam came IRON the Latin Eea DDnlna;
that Ounce q contraction from dun ScotUs, and
that many OF the original signacations OF words
and phrases now In common use would rake us
smile. The speaker paid hlgh tribute to tire Eng
lisl, Gs the language OF freedom and as coming
nearer than any other TO an universal language.
Again he returned TO thelanguage or Christ and to
the thoughts which he expressed IN his own plain
manner, as from that "wcrdn uates human liberia
tlon. Returning TO the English, CaXtor Chaucer and
Shakespeare we're mentioned - the presorvers OF
though IN written o. printed language. some ancc-
dotes were happily introduced showing the power
OF one single word. But speech has It's limits and
no two descriptions or the thing are ever alike.
DR.. Johnson's Interview with the nshwoman OF Bii-
lin2sgare, 80 well known and attributed 10 many
Others, was reced, ana the way In which language
may be tortured was Illustrated by the following
pArGse:-"Iiie spiritual coynoscence OF psychologi.
Cal irTrfraablity connected win Concutient adenp-
ton or incoiunnent spirituality and etherializcd
adempt,on OF subsidiary concreton,u whcn tho
taken away from around t. The lecturer closed
with eloquent description Of what power Of
speech be In us if our language Ii the ctnbodimont
oi truth charity aud goodness.