The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1870-12-01
THE STUDY OF OLD ENGLISH.
From the N. Y. Evening Post.

From the N. Y. Evening Post.
The .Anelo.saxon language has given
us the body of our mother tongue; its
syntax, form words, particles, and names
for the most familiar things. Other Ian
Suages but contribute, however largely,
to the details of its vocabulary. Most of
our talk is carried on in words which be-
longed to it long before the name En-
glish language" was thought of. A man
can still make his meaning plain, on
most subjects, without using word that
was not known to Wyckliffe or Chaucer.
But perhaps no sentence of ten words was
ever uttered in our language, made sole
~ out of its classical" elements, unless
it was devised expressly ard laboriously
rs an experiment Any one who tries to
express his thoughts in this way will find
it hard enough to write page in which
the Anglo-Saxon words shall not exceed
in number all Others Indeed, the growth
of English out of the older tongue was
so gradual that many philologists choose
to regard it as the Development of q
single language, and call the Anglo Sax
on itself /" Old English"
Yet, of the time given to the study of
languages by all the +" literally educated"
Ren of our times, but a very small proper
ton goes to the thorough examination of
our mother tongue, tracking il back to
its fountains, and ascertaining the rea
son of its changes. Where there is one
student of Old English there are TWEEN
ty of Greek and one hundred of Latin !;
and, even among our younger scholars,
there are score who delight in Homer
Noht I've Fnp HhnA
make sense of Beowul%s Epic or Egbert's
Laws.
There have been good excuses for this
neglect. The supeIstitlous reverence for
classical names, which has given tone to
all our educational traditions, has made
3 knowledge of the Greek and Latin
tongues, until quite recently more or less
the received test of culture. And even
since the vast extension Of the field of
knowledge in the last century has forced
upon the most conservative scholars the
recognition of other kinds of scholarship,
there has been a deplorabie want Of
books of instruction, in the history and
philology of our own tongue. Grammars.
we will not say, of Greek and Latin, nor
of German, French, Italian or Spanish
only, but actually grammars of Hebrew,
Arabic and Sanscrit, are more common
and generally more accurate than gram
mars of old English and the same is
true Of lexicons, readers, and the other
apparatus of such studies.
Of late years there has been grow
ing interest in the Anglo Saxon language
in two ways: both as the basis of our
own, and as an interesting and instruct
bro oh ,,f ha 70, Of Lar
guages known as the Indo- European In
this last respect it is mainly professional
scholars, especially philoIogists, that give
attention to 1t; but the study of Anglo.
Saxon as the source of English, ought to
find place in liberal education where
ever our own tongue is spoken. If the
etymology of the long words, the learned
and scientific terms, derived from Latin
and Greek, is an important aid in the
proper and critical use of those words,
surely the etymology of the shorter or
simpler words, which make the sub
stance of our speech, Is no less valuable
for similar purpose. And it is still
more important, because it is the tongue
of Saxon Alfred, not that of Demosthenes
or OF Tacitus, on which our own Is sub
stantially founded.
The peculiar interest felt in this study
of late years scarcely needs proof. 1t is
enough to refer to the great popularity
of books which treat the subject, even in
detail, and IN the most desultory manner
There is hardly any other science in
winch isolated facts strung together al
most without connection, and hardly
made suggestive of any principle, vii
find eager readers. But the history Of
the words we speak is fascinating to
every one, md the books or Archb shop
Trench, George p. March, Schele de We're,
and Others, which present such facts
with various degrees of Intelligence, but
without any thorough exposition of phi
biological laws, have been among the
great recent successes of the book trade
This fact would seem of itself to show
that the means of thoroughly studying
our language In its earlier forms will be
welcomed by multitudes OF the younger
men of scholarly tastes, and will be so
improved by them as to extend the scien
tiic knowledge of its history and lis ele
ments IN some proportion to it's impor
tance.
These means, SO long desired. are now
brought within easy reach by the publ
cation through Messrs. Harper 81 Broth-
ers, of Grammar of the Anglo Saxon
Language" of an "Anglo Saxon Read.
err" both by Professor Francis A. March,
of Lafayette College. These books
which are Professor March's first impor.
tant works, are also by far the most com
plete apparatus for the study of Anglo
Saxon which exists in our language. We
cannot attempt here to review the books.
but can only bear general testimony TO
the diligence and fidelity with mhinh