The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-16
A SCIENTIFIC METROPOLIS.


LECTURE By DR.. wEIssE ON PHrLoIoGY AND
THE POSSIBILITIES OF MAKING NEW YORK A
SCIENTIFIC CENTRE.
A lecture on "Philolcgy and the Opportunities
New York Presents for It's Study and Countenanc
was delivered last evening before the Pathological
Society, in the Cooper Institute by John A. Weisse.
NJ D., author of the work recently issued on the
''Origin, Progress and Destiny of the English Lam
guage and Literature. The speaker said that during
the Middle Ages and up to this century philoogy
almost limited to the study of Greek and Latin Only
within the last fifty years this important science
rose to it's legitimate plane which is to trace Ian
guage by analysis and synthess from its present
composite standard to its initials and roots
so US to clear up protohistory ard arrive
at glimpses Of prehistory. As the society
desired him to give account of his recent
work he would do so succinctly as possible, and
add q few remarks concerning the duties OF New
York its educational and commercial advantages and
its various refining and artistic societies. He began
his analysis years ago of the English language, with
intent to show its inferiorty as compared with
Greek, Latin, French and German but found, on in
vestigaon that it contained the cream and essence
of it's predecessors and contemporaries; that its
grammar is simpler than any we have studied and
that its records and literature more successive
and complete than those Of aty other tongue. To
trace its origin he would divide the time from the
arrival of the Jutes Saxons and Angles in Britain
into three distinct periods -Anslo-saxon from
A. D. A49 to 1900, Franco English from 300
to 1000 and English from 1000 to 1879.
The advent Of Christianity among the Anglo-Saxons.
A. d. 5s7, added the first Latin words to the Anglo
Saxon dialect as may be in King Ethelberts
code of laws. Contrary to expectation, he found that
the Anglo-saxons had not only written but a ver-
nacu,ar literature before Italy, France Spain, Ger
many or any other medieval nation.
COMPOSITION OF MODERN ENGLISH.
Fourteen extracts end tables from authors Of the
Anglo Saxon period from 97 to 1900 show ~ per cent
Gotho-Gernanic, all Anglo-SaSon per cent, Greco
Latin including per cent French and traces of Sc
mite which came into Anglo-Saxon through the
Bible. Twenty-Five extracts and tables from
authors of the Franco-Englsh period from
1900 to 1000 yield 81 per cent Gotho-Germanic.
including ~ per cent Anglo-saxon. ~ per cent
Greco Latin, including 43 per cent French, per cent
Celtic and traces of Semitic This perioi comprises
the Chanceran which enriched the English
vocabulary with thousands OF GrccoLa!in words for
the new wants of an expanding literature.
Fifty extracts and tables from standards i'll all
styles Of writing. from Shakespeare to Iennyson.
give IS per cent Latin, including - per cent
French so Gotho-Germanic, incindng % OF Anglo
Saxon, = Celtic and traces of Semitic and Scavonc.
Doubling this rather unexpected result from liera-
turc he the lecturer examined Walkers and Web
ster's dictionaries, and by counting the words of
page in each CT the twenty-sx letters and tracing
and multiplying the averages by the, num-
Der of pages in tue dictionary obtained
10 per cont Greco-Latin. q Gotho-Gernanic, L..
Semitic, and one-haf on per cent Celtic and frac
ton of Sclavonic In ths analysis lie discovered that
Latin words than sacred writings poetry, romance
and domestic subjects. Science ranks between his
tory and poetry as regards Greco-Lttin words. for
Agassiz's Natural History" has AZ per cent of
Greco Latin and Professor TyndaLs Al. From
Aphra Behn to Mrs. Sonorv1ie women have
always used more Anglo-Ssxon than Greco-Latin
words this beinu sttrlbutale the
that receive no classical education
like men, The English language the speaker
thought. gained more prestige in the laying of the
Atlantic cable than by any other previous event,
ton contrivance. After paying compliment to
ton with this enterprise the lecturer went ON to say
that he based the destiny Of the English language
the plain and simple fac. that English rules
three hundred and eighteen millions of people, or
one-quartcr OF the earth's Inhabitants.
MAGNIFICENT FUTURE OF NEW YORK.
CHANGING then ut the great future Of New York,
which is destined to be the capital OF the world lie
considered that no city stood so much N need OF
pathological society, for here there are more
dialects spoken than in any other city
the globe from Irish to Japanese, basque to Russian;
hence it is the most appropriate field for comparative
philology, and should be- the seat OF All act.vc AID
practical organization which should pursue the
studies auspciously begun by Duponceau, Whit
ney lialdcman. Hubert, bancroft aud host OF CO.
workers anxious to phonctize the lIglisl language
TO fit It more and more for its sublime mission
among the progressive and unprogrssivc races OF
the EARTH. When VS. consider the strides the English
language has already made may safely INFER the
time Is not distant when English will rule from
Canada to Patagonia. America needs centre of at
traction and diffusion Ike other countries. We
ought 90 have in this city OF New York Il uni
verty superior any thing yet atten ptod elsewhere,
and connected herewith faculty OF medicine u
scnool of law lentel school. veterinary college,
school OF engineering anu mining garden OK
plants with lectures botany aud agriculture coa-
ncctcd with chemistry and geology; school OF
trades mechanics and nanuiactur,s; academies of
music, drawing, painting and sculpture; museums of
arts aud antiquities, drama comedy and opera OF tho
highest order; polytechnic school, with professor
ships OF comparative IN every department OF
human knowledge and institute OF scientists.
scholars, iterati and artists supervising and con-
trolling the whole Of this vast cdu stional and
filming combination. Such centre would attract
thousands, not only from all parts of the New but
FIELD ron AMERICAN rlIIr.oLoGIsrs.
It had hitherto been claimed that the native dia-
1ects and Languages OF America had nothing in COM
mon with those OF the Old World: but as IL IN now
urged that analogy exists between the Curib ds-
ects Of America and the dialects of Western Africa,
and between the icioms OF Western Ancrica and
Eastern Asia, u bchoovcs American philologsts to
investigate and settle that question: aud there ~ no
spot better suited for such investigation than
New York. An idea prevails that there l. analogy be-
tween some native American tongues and
Hebrew, and that Carthaainian nayigators
reached the Western Hemisphere. which. Is
probable, for the Mexicans informed Cortcz that
they accustomed to look eastward for men like
him. One OF the strongest proofs OF early contact
or intercourse between the Ola World and the New
h. the Mexican god Notpn aud the 6othO-Gcriiaic
Wotin tOdiul also the American tribe country AMI
river Iowa, the Egyptian LBato the jewish Jcho-
vah aud the Greco-Latin Jovis. Should philoiogy.
othnology and archaeology prove resemblance be-
tween the Carib and African IL would confirm
his opinion that after the geologic upheayal of the
Desert OF sahara there was srFO ttDd intercourse
between Eastern America and Western Africa.
The lecturer closed his address by saying :-ln the
Nfw York HERALD of January ~ printed a
scientific dissertation j. Norman bockyer's
spcctrOscopic observations concerning the solar
composition ami action. In this able article tho
writer, while commenting Iearncdly ON the astron-
ul.t