The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-09-03
LET US USE ENGLISH.
A Very Interesting Discussion Over q
Worlds Fair inscription.

Worlds Fair inscription.
Tho narrowing influence of mere pedan-
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 the scholastic insti-
tuition at Evanston published in The Dial
II this city n letter declaring that he had
copied the inscription on the Egyptian
Jbelisk at jackson park, and that he hoped
the fires reported there had carried the
Obelisk off, SO that its illiteracy should not
longer cucumber the earth, or words to
this effect Professor Hatfield reproduced
the offending inscription rs he read 1t and
added that II freshman student In one OF
his classes should write such jargon he
would send him out of the room for gross
ignorance Professor Hatfield thought the
Flair commissioners should "have got them
selves edited" before they set up 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 the inscription ON the obelisk
had been read by the nations Of the earth
without protest as to its Latinity Professor
Hatfield might have had patriotism enough
| to lot the inscription go unrebuked but
| the desire to advertise the fact that he was
engaged In pedantry doubtless overcame
all larger and more ideal considerations.
| II was noted mt tho time of Professor Hat
fields publication that he did not venture
to substitute corrcctl.atin for the jargon
against which he protested. 1t is known
even among good readers of Latin that TO
write 1t is quite another NATTER 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 one 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 schS larship-we may as well be
frank. 1t was doubtless intended as cour-
tesy to the assumed culture of other por-
lions 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-
guishcd 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 tho entire
geography at Jackson park was carefully
examined by more than one trained scholar
before line was adopted. In fact in the
English of Professor Hatfield the fair
got itself edited
Without consuming those literary embel-
lishments which were more or less unin-
telligible on account of distance and some
| -1,.t to Il
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-
Pile. 1t was humiliating, If laughable, to
hear the questions necessarily asked about
the lagoon" To be sure, the word is
English but its significance is not com
monty familiar. Some people thought 1t
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 a word and
would have been universally understood.
Even Boston itself docs not lagoon" its
pond, and we do not attempt 10 lagoon"
the little waters in our parks when not
associated with a Worlds fair. There were
other terms equally affected. One of them
antedates and survives the fair but Mid
way plaisance" has acquired n 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 well. Long as
the polished French held pre-eminence as
the language of diplomacy, supplanting
Latin in courts as English supplanted Lat
In In our common literature. mtrenched
~ French is still in even the official publ
cation OF the German empire, Almanac dc
Gotha - monument to the influence of
Voltaire; rich as is German and never
mightier than today, for music is bearing
Its sonorous verse to all lands that love
grandiose song-the progress of English
alone is keeping pace with advancement OF
frontiers Of civilization. In the far north,
In the south Pacific, at the equator, it is
becoming the paramount tongue. In Aus
tralia 1t is taking the place of old held by
German. In portions Of what were origi-
nally Dutch settlements 1t has succeeded
Dutch to a large degree. In Russia and in
Germany 1t is second only to the vernacu-
lar, and the next international conference
will doubtless adopt it as the most expedi-
| Ciib iiltuluih.
What legislation cannot do commerce
has done. All artificial efforts to preserve
old or to propagate new vocabularies have
proved and must continue to be futile.
Ancient languages have their own imper-
lshable and reserved place in the love and
learning of mankind. All modern tongues,
many of them surviving civil prescription,
should BIO cherished by those to whom they
are cradle speech and studied by all who
can. English is the language Of destiny.
They to whom 1t is cradle speech can well
afford to study 1t with worship. 1t should
be their care to protect 1t against violation
or intrusiDns. For noble sentiment pro-
found truth, broad wisdom or eloquence
or tenderness 1t is needless to wander from
1t into other tongues, be their true accents
lost In the dim music of antiquity or be
their organic forms plastic in the pottery
Of contemporaneous life.-Chicago Herald.