Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1894-05-03
LET US USE ENGLISH.
a Very Interesting Discussion OvoP
Worlds Pair inscription


a Very Interesting Discussion ovoF .
Worlds Fair inscription
The narrowing influence of nero pcdnn-
try has been illustrated with fresh force In
relation to the Latin inscribed on pedi-
ments and monuments Of the Worlds fair.
Professor Hatfield of tho scholastic insti-
tuition at Evanston published in The Dial
Of this city letter declaring that he had
copied the inscription on the Egyptian
obelisk at jackson park, and that he hoped
the fires reported there had carried tho
obelisk of, 50 that Its illiteracy should not
longer cucumber the earth, or words to
this effect Professor Hatfield reproduced
the offending inscription as he read 1t and
added that If freshman student in one Of
his classes should write suoh jargon he
would send him out of the room for gross
Ignorance. Professor Hatfield thought the
fair commissioners should "have got .hem-
selves edited" before they set up o monu-
ment Of their ignorance to be read by the
nations of the earth"
1t would seem that inasmuch as the fair
was over and tho inscription on the obalisk
had been read by the nations OF the earth
without protest as to Its Latinity Professor
Hatfield might have had patriotism enough
to let the inscription go unrcbukod, but
the desire to advertise the fact that be was
engaged In pedantry doubtless overcame
ell larger and more ideal considerations
1t was noted at the time Of Professor Hat
fields publication that he did not venture
to substitute correct Latin for tho jargon
against which he protested It Is known
even among good readers OF Latin that to
write ID is quite another matter, and the
professors discretion In refraining from
correcting the bad Latin was out Of all
proportion to his rashness In denouncing
its badness But comes along ono Of the
commissioners whom the professor regret
ted had not got himself edited" and he
shows that Professor Hatfield, instead Of
reproducing the obelisk inscription cor
rectly, as he claimed, committed ii errors
In the transcription.
The real question remains, however.
The commissioners who are supposed to be
responsible for the inscription were not
chosen because of their pathological attain
ments, but for reasons totally detached
from soholarship-we may as well be
frank. 1t was doubtless intended as cour-
tesy to the assumed culture Of other por-
tions Of the race that Latin was used on
the architectural supports or incidental
sculpture of the fair. 1t was understood
that counsel had been had with distin-
guished experts in famous institution Of
learning near Boston before the Latin In
scriptions were approved for jackson park,
and it Is candid to add that the entire
geography at jackson park was carefully
examined by moro than one trained scholar
before line was adopted. In fact, in the
English of Professor Hatfield the fair
got itself edited"
Without censuring those literary embel-
lishmentS which were more or less unin-
telligible on account Of distance and some
what irrelevant, nothing, 1t will be admit
ted, was more evident during the fair than
that the use of words not rooted in our
own speech was Intellectual and therefore
injudicious- The fair was for the people.
Its language should have been of the peo-
pie 1t was humiliating, If laughable to
the lagoon" To be sure, the word is
English but its significance is not COM
monty familiar. Some people thought it
an animal. 1t is true that applications
were often made to the guards for "admis-
sion to the lagoon" and for the privilege
of seeing the lagoon fed Lake" would
have been quite as beautiful q word and
would have been universally understood.
Even Boston itself does not lagoon" its
pond, and we do not attempt to lagoon"
the little waters in our parks when not
associated with Worlds fair. There were
other terms equally affected. One Of them
antedates and survives the fair, but Mid
way plaisance" has acquired new char
| acter, a distinct particolored and multi
form robe, and its verbal bravery we shall
! tolerate without hardness Of heart or mind
hereafter.
1t has come to be chief glory Of the
modern age to use English we'll Long as
the polished French held pre-eminence as
the language Of diplomacy, supplantine
Latin in courts as English supplanted Lat
in in our common literature. Intrenchet
as French is still in even the official publ
cation of the German empire, Almanac dt
Gotha - monument to the influence o.
Voltaire; rich as is German and never
mightier than today, for music is bearing
It's sonorous verse to all lands that low
grandiose song-the progress Of Englisl
alone is keeping pace with advancement o
frontiers of civilization. In the far north
in the south Pacific, at tho equator, it 4
becoming the paramount tongue. In Aus
tralia it Is taking the place of old held b,
German. In portions of what were origi
pally Dutch settlements 1t has succeeds
Dutch to large degree. In Russia and II
Germany it Is second only 10 the vernacu
lar, and the next International conferenc
will doubtless adopt it as the most expedi
ent medium.
What legislation cannot do commerc
has done. All artificial efforts to preserv
old or to propagate new vocabularies hav
proved and must continue to be futile
Ancient languages have their own impe1
ishable and reserved place in the love an
learning of mankind. All modern tongues
many of them surviving civil prescription
should be cherished by those to whom the
are cradle speech and studied by all VIII
can English is the language Of destiny
They to whom 1t Is cradle speech can we
afford to study 1t with worship. 1t shoul
be their care to protect 1t against violatio
or intrusions For noble sentiment, prc
found truth, broad wisdom or eloquenc
or tenderness, 1t is needless to wander frol
it into other tongues, be their true sGcent
lost in the dim music of antiquity or b
, their organic forms plastic in the potter
of contemporaneous life.-Chicago Herald
How He Lost Her.
!, George-I have been invited to fiowt