The Evening critic., 1881-10-20


ception of the German guests by Messrs.
Blaine and King, says that there was this
difficulty, that "Blaine and King, who
had been deputized to make the addresses,
did not speak German, while none of the
Won Steubens commanded English with
sufficient fluency to venture even upon
the most formal speech. Hence il was
rather polyglot affair." Mr.. Blaine ex-
pressed the profound pleasure and satisiac.
tion of the Government of the United
States at seeing the descendants Of one of
the most illustrious heroes of the American
revolution on our shores. Col Won Steu-
ben, the spokesman of the party, replied in
a few German words Then Mr.. King
addressed the guests in French, which they
understood, saying that in the name of the
State he begged to welcome them most
heartily"
In view of the above we recommend that
the same Mr. King be placed under glass
and kept carefully for the next Yorktown,
or some other anniversary The fact of
which he seems to be the hero opens up q
singular trait in our national character.
which must strike our visitors with amusing
force. On this side of the pond we call our
selves cultivated If we can draw n big
check, give reception now and then, and
say that Mr.. and Mrs. So and So. of the
ton, are our personal friends Taking
Travelled Americans rs a class, about the
first thing they think of is to announce
and prove their desire to be gullcd, and
about the last thing is to acquire the Ian
guagc of the countries they visit There is
no doubt very much Of the force of habit in
all this, because the money making, break
neck style of our civilization taints nearly
all the social fabric.
Somehow it has become customary in this
country to explain away our national want
Of linguistic cultivation on the ground that
we "have MT time. This is fiction. We
haven't the disposition and the energy.
There is the trouble; and we never shall
have till the cable and increased intercourse
open our eyes to the actual need of more
languages than one. In the days of Henry
VIII. of England, every man in the walks
of diplomacy was expected and required to
speak Latin in addition to his own tongue,
and no diplomat of Europe to-day is recog-
nized unless he can express himself in the
common court language, French.
Except in times of great commotion a
diplomat is an ornament, and ornaments
can be had at cheaper rates than we pay for
the counterfeit presentment." Most of
the diplomats we receive have enough Eng
lish to keep them out of difficulties, while
many Of them have fluent command of
the language We should, at least, with all
our colleges and heavy endowment
funds and stock Of scholars, be able to re-
turn this international courtesy, and drop
the insane notion that because man has
helped to carry a State he is fit to 60
abroad and entertain in the name of his
country.
In the whole history of the State Depart
ment you can count on your fingers the
diplomats we have sent abroad who were at
home in the languages ofcountries to which
they went. Tho most conspicuous in
stances are Franklin and Jefferson to
France, Washington Irving and Lowell to
Spain, Bancroft and White to Berlin, and
that polyglot wonder, Caleb Cushing
who could talk with the ambassador from
anywhere.
But we haven't time to acquire languages
Has Mr.. Morton, our present minister to
France, crowded more work into his life
than franklin? Has old Hannibal Ham.
Inns time been more absorbed by engrossine
duties than Irving's was? The fact is, We
waste more time every year than would be
required to conquer language in short
time, and the Government, in selecting
specimens of our civilization to go abroad
and do the honors, should with few ex.
ceptons, stipulate for some reasonable
acquaintance with the ruling tongue In
that way we should be spared the comic
pantomime of seeing an envoy fire off a
salute in English and hear the potentate re.
turn the salute in something else.