, 1877-10-27


they wcrr surrounded by French men, sn'l.wiiat
was marc important, by Frrnr', women, whom
they married; and thus they gradually, but
ransdI9, adopted the inuYuaEc their new hume.
.t.a,,lnr .aeir efforts 70 continue to be Nor
mans in speech A. well A. Ii blood and In tna1-
hers, and notwithstanding their authoritative
position, they 1ere Obliged In the end 70 change
Language. Thcy vero ax,tn tao few 70 rc.ist
the Influence OF tie well !l-foated speech III tho
land and the people which they had conquered.
Tire English language. it Il true, had driven out
cause tic Enrll4l, OF Angtosa1ons, drove out
su:l destroyed tue I'1itt:h people, and suhsti-
did not 40 drive out aud destroy the English,
Ing racc: and The consequence Was, that they
themselves became an Eng'Ish-spcaknp
sturdy strength 10 the English language, ~ in
TIC EnE'ist. rase: n fn,inobfiisy. united Wit,
power Of endurance, and Of conquest over utlcr
ioIsuess., It's the only language which has
difnscd i.telf all over The world. People born
To speak English will not speak any other
accomplishment. OF temporarily. for specific
purpose.
II would seem that our fathers, after they had
achieved our political Independence, would have
50. This, however, they could not do; md
they eaw that It was impossible. They must
continue to speak English u they spoke at all;
but they did t'one 10 accompflsh tic formation
left In any doubt upon this point; the written
evltlencc III whIct, tetnains. Englislrncn some.
times howadays twit Ysukccs with speaking
"Amercan," and the Gf1c Ia resented; but It
scyenty.!ive. years ago. Dunlop, III bis "lils-
tory VI the American Theatre" records The mi
lowing very remarkable and sigmiffcant fact:
In tho, procession On thc occasion
et dne adoption ...oc;,to1 81 the ea1 Go
of which the writer was u4le. called the rlA1o.
logical Society, carried through the streets Of
Ncw York book inscsi6el Federal L<,tpymHgt,'
~ i any G9e y 59qs s Rs nnsSsxs s
lia,npden and Milton. Would be desirable Tor
Uunsop's reflection upon the performance Of
these very philoIogieal young men ts Just; but
possibility. Family-fcuds may ur may not tc
i,audc,t down from aisc to son; The spirit
of liberty may or may not descend
f from generation !,. to generation, 1f
broaden down froln precedent to precedent az
Tcnnyson Gnelv says, or IL may nut; but the
iaoguage must fire until they wf,o speak 1t pass
away OF arc absorbed into another family. 1t Is
condition Ut life, among ti,res living genera
tf0ns; and It ever stretches acroes thosc gcner-
nttons, from grandstc to 0randson,--cacl In
tcnslbly changing Its place mud rising into the
elder. It !s The 0hc tnan'nadc thug that IA
enIuEtng. although change comes With is dura.
tion. II these young men Ind had liltlc ttnge
nf philosophy In their nInls, they wuull have
seen that their c1trnvnEant manifestation ot
patriotism Has rrepostcrons. hut there haTa
been Ihc.l not mitch wiser Since; Ine1l who have
thought TINT political seycrnnee wrought eth.
nlcal change, and tint ons of the consequences
Of an Independent 'sAn,cricau =" Hovrrn.nrnt
ought 10 By, aud would be, an tndepen1-
cnt American literature. An AMcrI-
aid a cannot i eIst until sie fusion Of tass' rass.
here produces new rnre, differing fr0m tllat
which laid tho foundation Of our society, unu
which IL still tho doninant clinical force of tic
country; raeo which shall thEak new thoughts
. S~ ns ornsr i ps.sps as II e. aso ss
u centuries; whether the hitter will ever la,-
pen. ID mUrc than doubtful.
Tic strength of this feeling In favor Of tho
formation of M American tanguagc. crcn 10
late M sevcntS-aTe years ago, Is capable OF fur
'tller exhibition. The pathological young met,
, q whom puSlop wa one, "e1s !iot aloas IL
gunge.'' Noat. WcRsscr. vino gayc Ills name to
dictionary which slnoll,IcI, Il is true, almost
out Of recognition by him as his own II he were
now nltve-has hcro,nd what is called an att-
thoughtful writer os, language md thorough
student OF 1t, has left Interesting evidence
IN tIis point. III his earlier years hu
himself was one Of she advocates Of an Amcr-
tatiohs on tho English Languagc," which, pub
itscl 10 long ago as l7b0, the atc of the nop-
iion ef thp Federal Constitution to celebrate
which the book inscribed Federal Laugua4e +"
now llttle known, but whiel, ,s iull OF Interest,"
both historical and pathological. III tlls btuI;
hp takcs decided staBh In fayor Of ptw Ian
cuogc for tile new uatioi': liz says: :" AS an
have u srhtem q our own ~ language q well NJ
Government. Great Britain, wlioso children W.
are, anl whoeo lanG1laga We speak, SHOULD no
Longer be orr sta.'dara; for tue taste OF her
writer's Is on the decline. But, II were not 20,
she u at too great distance 10 bc our model,
aud to Instruct US u 1t tue principles Of or
Again: = Let inc add that. whatever
prellicct'on tho Aulericapa may have for thslr
i,at,sc Eurot,c1n tol,<ues and particularly tho
British descendants for tho English. yet several
circumstances rcnder future separation Ut tho
American tongue from the English necessary
md unavoidable" II. ~ AEuin: "As q
ing tic Introduction 1t any uniformity will, tl!o
british larEnaEc, evcu wets the plan proposed
perfectly unexreptiouablr." {"Dlssert.,h ILL.,,
j.. l77.) Aud finally: "Custome, habits, aud tan'
Il. America should hsyu her or7. dls.iurt
from all the world. Such Is tho policy OF other
natlons, and such must be our policy before tho
Htntek Can 1e either Independent or respectable,
| II. l7D) Tile ltalc cmphaaIa 10 Wcbstcr's.
| Ttu radical error Ii 81. this is the assumption
| tlat Language Il the result Of nslrlibcsute In.
tention; that distinctive customs, habits, and
] language nre tho irult ., policy, and
| thai they n,ny be formed anu Isnpoacl upon q
pcup1e In pursuance Ut q policy. But cust1uls
anu habits arc TIC fruit oi All tnacns,ble growth,
! mud !augl,age ~ merely = rlstotn mud : haLlt
ll.ura incralieaulu than any other. Wubslcr'a
prediction of future severance between the
languages OF Grcat Britain aud AIacrla IL, as NO
oil know, not nnlr uhtultilsed, but most improb.
! ablc, and almoat impossible Of ful1|lmcnt. liz
| deed the fact IL, that the language uf the two
Countries Is now snure ncnrly idc.ttcdI than 1t
| Was when te DECLARED tho necessity OF srYpr-
unre between them, aud prophcaied is accotn-
plI.hinent.
Tllu difference which existed between tbs Lam
RuaGc Of old England and that Of New En-
! KIal,i, wlcu Webster wrote his "Disserta-
tlons,n WIZ very slight, but It was OF peculiar
nlul Insignificant kind, For It consisted tu tho
fart tint the language OF Now England was, so
~ spcak, more EnEllsl, thau that Ut old Eli
Rlalil itself. The people WIN founded the kcw
England Colonies nut only catnu from Ens!nntl,
hut they were, III tie ,Axss. Of The purcst En-
gl!sh blood nnu speech. " the tniiid8 class.
and coming generally from the Etltal districts.
Au,,rt rtf1A .lA