The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-07-17

nenD, and will always stand UP for his
rights and rescue a woman or child in dis
tress, and that he Is blum and outspoken and
prudent and saving, and sometimes a trif1e
dull. and always English. In the same way,
Uncle Sam is still the American type as he
| existed during the civil war and for fifty
years before 1t. He is anything but beau
tiful type-that Is his niece Columbia's part
but he represents everything else. He
is shrewd, although with a kindly shrewd-
ness which comes from his old habit of aim
ing at philanthropy and the main chance
, together; he Is preternaturally patriotic and
democratic both In dress, speech and sent1-
ment, and he, too Is ever ready to rescue
females in distress, who not unnaturally
cling to him for protection. He Is usually
suspicious of John Bull, but once in gem
GRAFTON sympathizes with him, and to }.
BIS Hands all round" gives him rousing
BLOOD is thicker than water" He talks
United States" and not as is commonly
supposed, the language of Shakespeare and
Milton, but he understands Shakespeare
and Milton, and likes to hear John Bull
quote thehm. He is decidedly egotistic and
fond of fiattery, and though from his ap-
pearance q non-combatant like John Bull
he is ready to arm himself at a moments
notice from head to foot, and defy the
world. He has at the same time, quiz
zcal smile, which shows that he recognizes
a certain want of simplicity In his character.
which he rather enjoys as trait different
from any of Johns. He will outlive us, we
may be sure, and, for ourselves, we could
not wish him changed. Were he to vanish
and be replaced by some new and improved
type, we should feel a certain uneasiness.
In his society we feel the continuity OF our
institutions and the permanence of the quail
tiles that make us what we are and must
be.-The Nation.
THE BATTLE OF THE LANGUAGES
Though we are prone to think of the Span
ish race as degenerate and decadent, and
of the Anglo-Saxon as virile and agrees
sive there Is still an important rivalry pos
sible between them, and one which may
last for ages-the rivalry of tongues. While
English is today the pre-eminent worlds
language, 1t must be remembered that 1t
has become so within very recent decades
Statistics is an institution of the present
century, and the last fifty years have seen
the first serious attention paid to 1t with
the thoroughness due science, so that the
comparative dissemination of the English
and Spanish tongues is not an easy matter
to trace. The eminent statistician Mulhall,
mentions Spanish as being spoken by B.-
1870, 900 people at the beginning of the pres
ent century, while English was accredited
with but 20,52O,00O speakers. French, Rus
sian and German were ahead of both Span
ish and English at that time. 1t must be
noted, however, that Spanish declire, even
at that time, was practically accomplished.
Spain was the creature of France, and
Bonaparte was soon to sit upon her throne.
She still held her American possessions,
but she held them ''for revenue only" and
Miranda. that John the Baptist of Span
ish-American freedom, had already begun
ibis labors. from which revolution was to
spring.
On the other hand, the real spread of the
Anglo-Saxon in the world had barely COM
menced. The United States was still a fee
BILE experiment and by far the greater part
of the North American continent was held
by the Latins and the red men, while Aus
tralia was but a miserable colony of few
hundred convicts. In 1890 English had
leaped to the front with Ill, 100, 900 speakers
by Mulhall, with other authorities giving
1t considerable more. All other tongues
are distanced, German and Russian, being
nearest with about rs, 900, 900. The Spanish
(42, SOC, OOO) has simply maintained it's rela-
tive position among the enlightened lam
guages, and yet it undoubtedly has great
future before it. Mexico, Central America
and South America Except BrazlD are the
potentialities which may even yet make
1t rival the English. Though the Anglo
Saxon finds it difficult to acknowledge the
danger, these countries are the cocoons of
great possibilities. Who shall say that new
forces In the Industrial, political and liter
airy worlds may not develop in the hemi-
sphere which has produced United
States? Who would have believed, CEN