The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-05-20

to look round and speculate upon the
situation. Here, thought ]. Is my idea
OF the unity and universally OF Ian
gungc-hcrc arc Americans, English,
French, Germans and Spaniards who
cannot understand each other, but who
can all understand tho lecture, and
hence, economically speaking, things
that arc equal to the same thing ought
to bo equal to one another; or, In other
words, there ought to DO one equivalent
language for all these languages, aud
that equivalent should be u modern Ian.
guage and not n dead ono. should like
to have taken tho sense OF the boys on
this point-tlieir consensus OF opinion,
II thcy had one-ns to whether II wasn't
about time In the history OF tho world
to drop tilcir vctnaculars and agree on
n volapuk In tho shape Of English. ]
am speaking Of q medium for every day
life and not OF n church language.
Myold Wheeling friend, tho late John
Bishop, had n plan for, tho rectifica!ion
Of many ills growing out, as he said. OF
tho inability Of tho world to properly
understand itself, the first step In which
wa, a universal language, q thing that
lie contcnded could DO brought about in
tlvo years In all civilized nations by the
adoption OF English school books. OF
course English was his idea OF the Ian.
guage 10 DO adopted, on account Of Its
omnivcrous and aggressive and pro-
grcssive character. US shown In its his
tory during tho last hundred years, in
which time 1t has girdled the earth and
mado the most wonderful progress over
known inlthe history OF speech. There
were only about twenty millions OF En-
glisli speaking people on earth. ut the
outset OF this c%ontury-.in America and
England-whercas.now there are nearly
six times that number, and like
Aaron's rod ~ swallowing upall other
languages with nil accelerated mo-
mentum. Why not then, rs tho boys
in tho street say, "call half q day q full
day and quit" quit TO- at this noon In
the history OF civilization and agree On
English as the universal medium Of In
tercourse? &
ARCHBISHOP IRELAND.
You see that after tho struggle I have
had hero in Europe with tho polyrlots
md tho dialects, I can fully appreciate
my old friend 5 scheme. Tho subject is,
however, such 4 very large ono that l
shall not by any mean regard it rs ex-
hausted in this letter, and may refer to
it again.
Akin to the general topic is the raid
being made here in Rome on Arch
bishop Ireland, of America, on account
OF his position in favor OF English as
against the polyglots OF the Northwest.
l have met tho Archbishop two or
three times over Mt tho American col
lege, and on ono visit took occasion to
call his attention to your commenda-
tory editorial paragraph in regard to
his position on this subject, which, 1
am sure, pleased him very much. lie
is not a politician by any means, but,
confidentially, | may tell you that he is
a decided Republican and an especially
warm Blaine man. He and the accom-
plished rector OF tho American college,
Rev. DR.. O'Connell, formerly Of Vir-
Glnia, arc a stand-off in politics, MS are
tho two assistant ~rectorS, DR.. Rocker, OF
New York, and DR.. Farralley, Of Ten
nessse. A house thus properly bal.
anced, not divided. against itself ought
to stand a good while, and l Judge that
this will be the case with the very hos
pitable American college at Rome.
The Rome correspondent of the Paris
edition OF tho A. y. Herald says that it
is on the cards to make q cardinal OF
the archbishop. That may DO, but 1
judge they do not take much stock in
the rumor over at the college. They
60 very slow in Rome in the making OF
American cardinals. An Italian cardi-
nal they can get up any time on a.day
-or two's notice. Tho Italian cardinals
are supposed to have. what in Chicago
would be called, a corner on tho bust
ness. They run the business, so to
speak, to suit themsclves-that Is to
say, out OF 4 full college OF seventy,
they always contrivc to have n working
majority, say forty to f~orty-five OF the
whole number. AS I remember, the
statistics or statement put forth at the
Baltimore plenary council two or three
years ago, the American catholics claim
to number about nine millions, which
is not one.third OF the population OF
Italy, and yet Italy has, in q full board,
forty or more cardinals to the solitary
ono in America. l sincerely hope they
will make n cardinal ont OF the estima-
BILE Archbishop Ireland, for he is q live
and progressive man, and they need
that kind Of q man among SO many
Italians. A. ". c.