Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-05-18
THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE.

It VIII He the English-The Question Al
ready Settled. Says u German Authority.
From the Philadelphia Public Ledger and Daily
Transcript.
The Germans not only look upon their Ian
guage an integral and essential part Of the
national life. but the more cultivated classes
revere it with an almost idolatrous veneration
Notwithstanding the difficulties presented by
its indistinct and Grabbed type, its intricate
and half illegible script. its arbitrary genders
its highly artificial infectional system, and its
illogical syntax, its study is extolled not only
as a means Of mental culture and discipline but
as an impulse to originality OF thought and OK
preston. These facts render all the more note
worthy the leading article in the April number,
just issued, of Prof. Hans Delbruck's ''Preus-
siche Jahrbucher, perhaps the mos, prominent
OF German literary reviews. 1t is from the pen
of DIR. A. Schroer. professor of philology at the
University of Freiburg. and its subject Is the
Importance OF introducing into the schools the
study of a universal language (Weltsprache).
The writer begins by coademniug all at
temDts. however scientific, to construct an
artificial language. like Volapuk No language
which possesses neither literature. historical
development nor linguistic relations can ever
serve as a medium of general communication,
for the reason that no one will take the trouble
to acquire it. merely as u tool of trade, until
it becomes universal; therefore it never can
become universal. Such attempts, however.
are not only Idle and aimiess because they can
never obtain the general consent OF mankind,
but they are useless. for. saws Prof. Schroer,
there exists already universal language, i. O.,
a language which. by its spread over the whole
earth, and by the ease with which it may be
learned. has already gained such a long step in
advance that neither natural artificial
means can deprive 1t of its assured position as
the future medium of international intercourse.
And this language is the English
1t is interesting tC find this fact acknowl-
edged and promulgated by one Of the foremost
Of German periodicals. During the present
century the Engish-speakng population Of the
world has increased fivefold-from possibly
Is. 900 900 at its commencement to at least
125. coo, 000 at its close No other language has
ever been SO rapidly developed. No fact in
civil history is more significant than this. In
all quarters of the world the English language
Is the conquering tongue. The wide spread of
the English colonial system, the marvellous
growth of the United States and the facility
with which it aLsorbs every foreign element
bear witness to this great fact. Therefore
Prof. Schroer advocates making the study OF
the English obligatory. not necessarily to the
exclusion of Latin and Greek. but ut least in
conjunction with them. This says he, lis
not question of taste or of rivalry between
the 'moderns' and the 'ancients. 1t is simply
a historical necessity"
Prof Schroer is careful to warn his readers
not to set their aim too high for to learn to
speak and write fluently and correctly Ian
Ruage which holds SO high place in the scale
OF culture and refinement as the English is
''monstrousIy difficult" but for the average
man this IL not necessary. for even the average
Englshman has but limited command Of his
mother tongue, and the daily intercourse Of
life requires but a small and easily acquired
vocabulary. This is true of every language,
but the absence Of puzzling genders and in
Elections and syntactical form renders the En-
giish easy, in comparison with others. The
English" concludes Prof. Schroer, sis the
world speech, and will, to all appearance, be-
come more and more SO every year"