The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1881-03-11
WORDS.


wide speculation.
History leaves us entirely in the dark;
though if we are to accept the Bible ac
count of the creation of man, without for
moment considering the laws of nature,
we must believe that Adam was born
with language in his mouth. But this
cannot be what was intended to be un-
derstood, by the inspired writer. The
Bible does not profess to be complete
account of the creation, and it is only
within comparatively recent times that
geology and other sciences have proven
to us that, although the sacred writings
are wholly consistent, they give us the
merest outline of the creation. II is, then,
only by speculation that we can attempt
to solve the mystery. The reasonngs
employed by learned men in their re
searches on this subject are governed by
the laws OF common sense, applied by n
logical process, to the laws of nature;
though many of them have succeed
ed in being so painfully logical as to
lose sight of common sense. Opinions
appear to be divided as to whether spo
ken language is divine or human inst
tuition. Those who think it of human
origin believe with the ancient philoso-
pliers and poets, that men were original
ly "dumb and low herd;' that they
were rude and savage, had no knowl-
edge of the arts, and communicated with
each other only in the imperfect manner
OF beasts Cicero says: The time
was when men, like beasts, wandered ev-
erywhere through the fields; and support
ed life by eating the food of beasts. "
Many other ancient writers agree in this
opinion, and hold that it was only after
a long and gradual improvement that
men came to their present enlightened
state.
Rousseau arepresents men as originally
without language, and as totally igro-
rant of the ties of society. He does not,
however, seek 10 explain how language
arose, being disheartened at the very out
set by the difficulty of deciding whether
language was more necessary for the in
| stitution OF society, or society for the in
vention Of language. Maupertius,
however, overcomcs the difficulty, by
advancing the absurd theory that ''lan.
guage was formed by a session of learn
ed societies assembled for that purpose.
| Mr.. Darwin, who holds that the com
ical little brute that wears q cap end 6
long tail, and usually accompanies {
hand organ, is but an undeveloped man
in speaking of the rigin of articulatt
language, says: 81 cannot doubt thai
language owes its gin to the imitation
and modification, aided by signs ant
gestures, of various natural sounds, tn,
voices of other animals, and mans owl
instructive cries. When we treat O
sexual selection, we shall see that prim
eval man, or rather some early progeni
tor of man, probably used his voic
largely, as does one of the glbbon-ape
at the present day, in producing true mu
steal cadences, that is in singing; W
may conclude from wide spread analo
| gy that this would have been special
exerted during the courtship of the sex
es, serving to express various emotion
as love, jealousy, triumph, and serving
as challenge to their rivals The inn
tation by articulate sounds of musicG
cries might have given rise to words eA
pressive OF various complex emotion,
As bearing on the subject of imitation
| the strong tendency in our nearest allie.
the monkeys, in microcephalous idiots
and in the barbarous races of MANKIND
to initiate whatever they hear, deserve
notice. AS monkeys certainly unde
stand much that is said to them by MAJ
and as in state of nature they utt,
signal cries of danger to their fellows,
does not appear altogether incredib
that some unusually wise ape-like an
NAL should have thought of initiating
beast of prey, so as to indicate to his fl
low-monkeys the nature of the expecte
danger. And this would have been
first step in the formation of a language
But such theories are too weak for OF
, acceptance. Language is, undoubtedly
divine institution, invented by God, ar
by Him made known to man. 1t w
the result of direct revelation from {
high. God endowed man with the po,
: ers of speech, and a knowledge of the
se,and having provided all the elemen
He left the development of language
man. Just as mind was given
q him which he is required to cultivate al
= fit for the performance of its duties by
. long course of training, SO the nere el
!, ments were impaired, out of which
' had to form by successive improvement
:, n perfect means of communication. T.
! history of many languages shows gra
= ual progress from imperfect beginnin
to finished state, and this is strong
eXemplitied in our own tongue. If Y,
$ will turn back to the writings of t
); thirteenth century, you may be surpris
n to find that though you are reading VIII
q has since become the English languas
q you are as little able to comprehend
/. as though it were Sancrit. All languag
T. are constantly undergoing changes, ne
words being introduced, and old ones
> coming obsolete. 1t is not at all stran
then, that in the first great antediluyi
language, similar changes took pla,
And the fact that such changes occlrr
does not prove that at that time all m
n were monkeys.
II Our language is complex one. Sta
n ing back with the Celtic tongue,it und
n | "N'' w" ip"o NlidHStS, lHc lNOIlldil
!, premacy, the Saxon conquest, and {
!. Norman invasion, each producing tn
q results, and it was not until the fo,
n teenth century that the English Ii
o. Suage became distinct tongue, a
! from that time to the present it has be
d constantly improved and enriched IN
" it has become the noblest tongue spok
q on the face of the earth.
VI So much for the origin of languae
II Living as we do in purely practical pc
IL cd, when all the superstitions and myt
of the dark and middle ages have pass
away, and been. almost forgotten,
d cannot but have our attention arrest
, by the history that is contained in ma
IS words i'll constant use The very nan
/ of the days of the week, the months
l. the year, are full of interesting tai
e Sunday and Monday take us back to t
earliest history of Scandinavian and /
. landic customs, when those days W,
II dedicated to the worship of the sun n