The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-07-25
HEROIC PHILOLOGY.
BY REV. j. P. MAGICIAN, PHI. D.

SIMILAR myths, legends or stories
have been told by various tribes or
nations which had no racial connec-
ton. Some Of these may be easily
accounted for, whilst others defy the
patient Investigations of the anthro-
pologist. All questions of import
ance require laborious research.
Among these is the origin of language,
which is, at the same time, one of the
most fascinating of subjects. The
heroic method has been applied on
this question, if we are to give due
credit to the records of historians.
The stories related spring up in
widely separated districts and among
diverse nations, and yet occurring at
such intervals that a common origin
may be ascribed to them. The old
est of these stories is ascribed by
Herodotus to Psammitichus, who
reigned over the whole of Egypt from
B. G. 652 to B. C. 59S. He was con-
temporary with the Jewish king,
Josiah and the prophet Isaiah.
1t is possible that the idea of solv-
ing the problem of the origin of Ian
guage may have been started by
actual experiment, yet the very name
of Psammitichus, which has so often
served as figure to dress up tale,
is fatal to the credibility of the story
as narrated by Herodotus. He be-
gins his illustrious career by fulfill
ing the prediction of an oracle by
pouring a libation out of brazen
helmet; he sounds the springs of the
Nile with cord thousands of ia
thoms long, but finds no bottom; he
figures in the Greek version of Gin
derellas slipper, ETC., etc.
This Psammitichus. being DESTROYS
to know what was the primitive Ian
guage of men, took two newly born
children, and, having caused them to
be placed in secluded hut, directed
a shepherd to nourish them with the
milk of goats, which animals were
sent in to them at stated times, and
to be careful himself never to utter
a word in their hearing, the object
being to ascertain what words they
would first utter for themselves. FL
nally, on one occasion, when the
shepherd entered the hut. the chill
dren ran up to him and called out,
Bekos. On being informed of the
circumstance, Psammitichus made
inquiries about the word and found
it was the Phrygian term for bread.
He therefore concluded that the Phi
rygians were the most ancient of men.
Upon the supposition of the truth of
the story, the cry which the children
uttered was bek with the Greek ter
mination as given by Herodotus,
bek-os), which they had learned from
the bleating of the goats.
The same story arises in differ
emit form in the East, and connected
with the great Mogul, Akbar Khan,
mentioned twenty years after his
death by Purchas, and told as fol.
lows by the Jesuit, Father Catrou:
Indeed, it may be said that desire
of knowledge was Akbars ruling pas
sion, and his curiosity induced him
to try very strange experiment. He
wished to ascertain what language
children would speak without teach
ing, as he had heard that Hebrew
was the natural language of those
who had been taught no other. To
settle the question, he had twelve
children at the breast shut up in
castle six leagues from Agra, and
brought up by twelve dumb nurses.
A porter, who was dumb also, was
put in charge and forb d len ON pain
of death to open the castle door.
When the children were twelve years
old (please notice the decided prefer
ence for duodecimals in the story, he
had them brought before him, and col
lected in his palac men skilled in all
languages. A Jew who was at Agra
was to judge whether the children
spoke Hebrew. There was no diff
Guilty in finding Arabs and Chaldeans
in the capital.
On the other hand the Indian phil
osophers asserted that the children
would speak the Sanskrit language,
which takes the place of Latin among
them, and is only in use among the
learned, and is learnt in order to I'M