Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-14
DOMINANT TONGUE
Spread of the English Language Over the
Earth.
Onr-Third the People of the Globe
Finding IL Necessary TO Undcr-
stand and Speak 1t.

The flea of a universal language, is
much older than the invention of Nolapuk.
which. q dozen years ago, had brief pc
riod Of popularity ard then suddenly dis
appeared from SIGHT and hearing, the Eu-
rcrcln periodical devoted to its spread
going into hopeless bankruptcy. A benev-
client person in sydney Smiths day had
devised n common language for the easier
propagation of intelligence, but it did not
find favor. 1t was thought then, as it is
now, by men of foresight that CONNER
cal necessity would eventually insure the
extension of one of the tongues brought
in the world by the builders of Babel.
Mr.. Gladstone has no doubt that a Ian
Euage used by a considerable and growing
part of the race will gradually extend until
it is virtually universal. He believes that
unless there is improbable, almost i'm
possible change in tendency it is reason
atle to think the English will be that
tongue An improved English, perhaps.
but still essentially the language of Shake
speare and Milton. The warrant for this
Is not merely in the qualities of the tongue
itself. its fieXibiity ard the ease with
wren IL Lends itself to amendment with
out any loss of radical strength. II is
chiefly the industrial and commercial en-
erSy. the physical vgor and virilty and
the intellectual largeaess of the English
stock. that give this promise. Both Eng
lish speech and character have already
been improved. The Latin element has
given 10 our speech a distinction and dig
nl:y 1t originally lacked and the Norman
element has saved the English character
from its early dullness.
1t Is easy 10 see what the tendency is
Only eighty years ago. within the time OF
men still living, there Were in all the world
but ''p"s,"s OF people who spoke English.
Today. the people who use the language
as their own number 1s,,ED.oO0. In spite
OF wars. pestilence and famine so COM
mon in the first half, they have doubled
every forty years. This can be said of the
people of TO other tongue. Included among
the EnglisA-speaking race the immi-
grants TO the great republic, whatever
tier mother tongue; for their children in
evltably acquire English. the official Ian
GuaSe of the country. The following state
me mt shows how much more rapidly the
people who use English increase than 9TH
tTs. In Il period of twenty years. the popu-
Iat1on increase in the United States was
t' per cent: in England and Wales 81 per
cent; Germany, II per cent: Russia, 80 per
cent; while in France there was virtually
no cnange- Already ore-fourth of the civil
Izei world Including Russia in Europe) is
English speaking: or if we include the en-
tire native. uncivilZed. ard also immigrant
population of South America. Central
america ana Japan. it is II per cent Of all
The people of Russia proper constitute
~ per cent; Germany, per cent: France
. per cent; tria-HuEgary S per cent
and Italy and Spain about q per cent each
Extent Of English Rule.
Among the conditions favorable to the
spread OF English is the influence of En-
Eiish rule over millions of people of differ
ent tongues. The English-speaking races,
and all those that are embraced in the Brit
lsh empire-the aggregate CT those already
English or directly subject to its influence
constitute nearly one-half of all the world
exclusive only of the Chinese and the I'M
KNOW natives of Africa. Science regards
the aagle-eyed yellow race as an instance
OF arrested development. incapable of COM
plete assimilation with the white races
But disregardinS this opinion of the mod
ern anthropologist and including the Chi
hese. stll the Englsh-speaking race and
those under its rule and influence consti-
tu;e Onc-third of the known population of
the world. Following is an interesting and
instructive statement showing the present
population of each nation and its colonies
Tin which the mother tongue is used) and
also the aggregate number of people who
use the mother tongue and those of other
tongues under their rule and influence:
Nations and Dependencies