The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1899-06-02
HUMoRs OF GENDER.

European Tongues Drilled Into Unl-
formity Of Structure.
There Is fun which the vulgar do
not suspect In the study Of languages.
European tongues, springing from the
same root, except Basque and Magyar
and Turkish. have been drilled into
uniformity of structure. They give no
notion OF the tricks and com mplications
which savage men devise to express
their simple thoughts. But the read
er must not suppose am more learned
than himself in this science; It's only
in miscellaneous skimming OF books
that few odd little examples have i'm
pressed themselves upon my memory
Observe the detail of gender 1t seems
to US that nature itself has regulated
that matter once for all. In most lan-
treated as masculine OF feminine;
everybody knows that our own forefa-
thers did the same long ago. But, in
any case, male. female and neuter
genders exhaust the possibilities You
cannot have more than three genders.
or less than two, for the sexes must be
distinguished. So it appears TO the
civilized mortal. But an Australian CT
DAILY river contrives to recognize tour,
while an algonquin Of North America
and Dravidian Of India have two, in
deed. but they are not male and fe-
male For the Daily river person IN
sists that plants shall have gender
Of their own; the Algonquin aad the
Dravidian agree that 1t is the dtstirc-
ton of living and dead. not that Of
lex. which should be maintained, The
great Fulah nation also ignores, male,
and female. making one compfehen-
ave gender for human beings and
everything that relates thereto, and
another for all creatures and things
outside. Thus, tame cattle are distin-
guished from wild, and tree planted
with intention from one that springs
naturally. Upon the other hand. those
poor Armenians have not even one
gender to bless themselves with. But
the Australians of the DAILY river
actually put gender into their verbs
Humane persons would not credit such
an outrage upon lower authority than
that of Rev. D. McKillop, in charge Of
the Roman Catholic mission there.
Only to think of learning such Ian
guage gives one a shiver. We do not
hear how many moods go to verb,
but The lenses are vaguely and aw-
fully described as endless; perhaps
the reverend gentleman had not yet
succeeded In counting them. Thirty
five are reckpned in the speech OF the
Rasuto Kafirs-no less do those inter-
es,ing berbarians require for conversa-
ton. But they do not call upon them
to agree with the noun in gender as
well as In ppmber and person. That
is the excluSive demand Of the Mullok-
Mulloks. Cherries and Ponga-Pongas.
among whom Mr.. McKillop and his
brethren spend their days. desperately
wrestling with the parts OF speech.
Another contrivance. not exclusive.
but more highly developed on the Daily
river. apparently. than in any other
land or age. Is the infection Of the ad-
jectfve. Besides singular and plural
they have. as We should expect. --e
dual. land they are very strict about
the use OF It." Ons would say that the
resources Of human speech do not al
low the plural number to be formed
unless by change in the first or the
last syllable of the noun or the inter-
position OF one midway. as in Turkish.
But antipodean Ingenuity is equal to
the task. These black fellows expfess
the plural by a change. not in the
noun. but in the verb. Upon the
whole. there is no such lively example
of the perplexing rule that language
10 more complicated. and more scrupu-
ious 70 interpret the speakers mean
ing. in proportion to the barbarism OF
these who use 1t. There are excep--
lions enough. of course.-Pall Nall
Gazette.
LECTURES.
A course OF lectures on Modern Fic-
L. 3 Al u -