The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-06-22
rnn1ANDEn nomEwAnD HOUND.
Moran and Lioh1eld-Do They Have a Common Root ?-why strassburg is Not Particularly Famed as a University City.
 Paris. June 9th, 1897

Common Root ?-Why strassburg is Not
 Particularly Famed as a University City,
 Paris June 5th 1897.
 To the Editor of the Journal and Courier:
 Once more in Paris and homeward bound. Unless duty be imperative, two or three months away is sufrlciency of recuperation and adequate revival.
 Since the last letter valuable paper has appeared in the Narreszeitung of Dunkopfstad by the celebrated philol- ogist, Professor Wasgebensieuns, on the subject of Meran and Lichfeld. The learned docent claims that the two names mean precisely the same thing, and that therefore the two places must originally have been settled by the same race emigrating from prehistor- icscity whose name was the root of both Meran and Lichfield. At the first glance the doctors claim seems prepos- terous, for the names are at present as for as the poles apart, but as he un- folds his argument you are convinced of the mans sincerity, amazed at his learning and persuaded by his ,argu- ment, if not convinced, The word ''Lich," whether with or without the "r," is a very old Anglo-Saxon word and means bright, dear, beloved, fair, beautiful, etc., etc. The modern word Tight" gives but one phase of the orig inal meaning. "Field' is the same as sthe German "feld' The two are de- rived from an early Gothic root which meant any expanse whether of land or of water. The Norwegian "fiord" is one of it's derivatives. Lichfleld, therefore, means a beautiful, beloved, bright glowing expanse, whether of land, of water, or of both
 Acc ording to Wasgebensieuns, Meran means precisely the same thing. s.Mer," the first syllable of the word, Is oue ofvthe very oldest syllables of lan- guage, and means precisely the same thing as slich." In Egyptian hiero- glyphics the syllable "Mer" is repre- scented by singular sign resembling a convid triangle with its sides extended beyond the area of the triangle. This sign always means beloved, cherished, beautiful son of, etc., etc. It is generally in compound with the name of a god; and the compound is applied to a king, to the chief high priest and to other exalted dignities. "Mer-en- -Ra, for instance, Beloved of Ra;" "Mer-en-Ptah,'' Beloved of Ptah," etc., etc. So far the professor is undoubtedly correct in his reasoning. He then goes on to state that "an," the final syllable of Meran, is the same as f'aM'' and "aa;" and that all three mean ansexpanse of land or of water. In fact the three and "Lich" are synonymous. The earliest name flor a river was "aa," or "au," as in the final syllable of the German name for the Danube, Don tau" Then the river "Aa" in Switzer- land is also in point. In old times there was a river "Aa" in England. A town built on it was called Aatown, the an- cient form of Eaton, name which in time came to be applied to persons who had the "aa" or expansive quality. It would be impossible to follow the pro- lessor through all his argument with out giving his argument in full, which would smack of plagiarism. The pro- lessor is evidently genial party and writes in the service of humanity. He would evidently bring people and places toegther which have heretofore been kept apart by ignorance or accident. Let him be invited to Lichfield; amid the antiquities of the Woolcot library he may find valuable and unexpected evidence.
 The traveller who finds himself in Strassburg for the fourth or fifth time dn twice as many years will not regard inspection, but the building will give ;him quite as much pleasure. Indeed it will give him more, if in the meantime his mind has been expanding under the influences of correct teaching of the principles of architecture. At first he may have asked himself why Strass- bourg cathedral gave him more pleas ure than Cologne cathedral. Now he knows Gothic architecture is the one architecture that not only permits, but delights in the juxtaposition of the work of different centuries. It also per- rnits and delights in incompleted work. Why? Because these things make the art appear alive and growing, incom- plete as is the Christian life and charac- ter Cologne is tiresome because it is finished. It was far more interesting when it had but one spire, and when choir and nave were still separated The Greek temple and the Egyptian pyramid must be complete; finished ir every detail and in exact accordance with the original plan. Not so the Gothic church, nor the mansion thai hos heen lived in for centuries and is