The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-03
WAT WAS ADAMS LANGUAGE
.DEIPHIA SCIENTIST WILL
TRY TO DISCOVER

o,.udren and Have Them Cared
Deaf MITES Who Can Meth
nod Nor Write-As the Chill
80, Grow Up, He Hopes They
-, Exnress Their Ideas in the
y.aIIv Original Manner.
From the Chicago Chronicle.
n,e 7. Abernethy of Philadelphia
os - ind out what speech our an
p'SFrs talked. He thinks he can do IL,
h. tells. as follows:
oronose to colonize in some healthy,
...,a,s5 island 100 or 200 children under the
80 Of wears, and by having these chill
-. .arsd for. administered to and guard
-, rnutes who can neither read nor
.4,a r Dropose to rear them, remote from
~. influence of speech, in order to dis
-.,ar what farm of speech these chlldren
- .h.v crow up will acquire. 1t Is my in
t., RI furnish a section of country
,,,bere remote from the sound of the
80, voice with all the luxuries and ad-
,,ntaees of city civilization and comfort
.,a nv the strictest vigilance securely
u,,,r1 the youthful inhabitants of this
..-4h,5,ce of a new language, so that
uhon thew shall have attained their ma
ior,tv they may not have heard human
voice except their own.
crcb isolation. 1 claim, will either dis
cover 10 us the original language OF the
world from the creation of Adam covering
tho reriod of 1000 years intervening be-
tween creation and the building OF Babel
49, falling in this. il must at least give TO
the world a new language.
have interested a man with millions
4 ond have already secured the aid sufflclent
IN support such a peculiar colony Tor
nerod of fifteen years. l am now engaged
in obtaining volunteers for this large ram
n, of infants who must become the
pioneers and incidentally the instructors
Of the world. in this strange undertake
;1y IN the interest of literature. 1 need
an children with whom to start this new
world"
The idea is not of itself original with
me 7 believe that some years ago some
N society set about to undertake a similar
movement but afterward disbanded 1t
either from lack of funds or because one
of these societies for the prevention OF
cruelty to children interfered with the I'M
4 dartaking and compelled its abandonment
4 As there is no reason for such activity
on the part of this benevolent association,
I do not anticipate any interference by
them. and even if it should be given l am
amply prepared to legally demonstrate
nv right to perfect and put into execu-
Il tiOn nv plans for the aScertainment of
4 the language of which the world began
and in which the commands of kingdom
and wooings of lovers and songs of poets
were clothed within the first 1000 years
of our worlds history. For poets and
Il kings and courtships there certainly must
Il have been during this long lapse of what
u seems part of our worlds existence.
4 Language is the most precious posses
sion we have. 1t was bestowed upon us
as the greatest gift of God, and the power
of communicating our thoughts, hopes
fears, plans to those about US by speech
is or ought to be the most appreciated
and cultivated of all our God-giVen talents.
a And as such a precious talent we should
II prize it above the possessions of earth.
Search for Common Language.
The relationship that exists between
81 languages to-day leads me to believe that
these tongues must have had origin from
a common source-and that somewhere in
a the history of the world mankind every
a Where spoke a common language.
In advancing this view, l am purposely
discredlting the story of the Tower of
Babel-which, while 1 believe, yet there
4 are able linguists who deny. 1t seems to
NE the very existence of a diversity of
81 tongues-and the plainly observed elation-
snip traceahle in them al-is proof posi-
n i've of the authenticity of the story.
q what that language which was used be-
n fore the destruction of Babel was is a
& question which has interested and still in
terests the conscientious student of liter
y allure.
we are told in sacred history that "the
"hoIe earth was Of one language and one
speech Genesis XI, y, and that the Lord
VI me universe in order to scatter the re-
& oellious builders of Babel and to thwart
lnel undertaking, COMPOUNDED their Ian
suage IN order that they might not under
stand one another's speech"
nave always taken this to mean that
III the despoiling of the common tongue
no one of the people retained the original
language. That il was the sweetest and
most fruitful language of the world I be-
AeVe, because of its heaven-born origin,
&s 1t was the tongue of the happy pair in
Hueh' with which they held sweet inter-
Vourse with the angelic visitors and even
'd'Aed with God. We have no record OF
any disturbance of the language of Adam
ana Eve after their expulsion from the
garden.
II Is, and has always been. my Opinion
mat language is the creature of neces-
guy ana that as a people advance their
-',9 udse increases and enriches itself
ms IS demonstrated by the remarkable
slo"th our own English language has
,"o"n even within the last ten years. II
posslole for an American to converse
i'" announcer upon a technical matter in
ms presence of men who likewise speak
l"sIiSh' but whose lines of work or pro.
,sSioh are in another field, and vet their
e2NNersatlon will be as unintelligible tc
Nose ABOUT them as if it were conducted
IL creek or Choctaw. Their fullness and
r1llness of language is the outcome OF
tom inns view 1 gather the impression
. 1' colohy Of people isolated from Ian.
7e ana given the free exercise of theiI
s"I'loh sense will trace a language OF
u1f oWn-and am one who believes suct
language must be the original language
our ahtedluvian progenitors.
For some time ! have been loolsino
\ ."ip Tor a section of country where
da secure the natural ADVANTAGES con
''INe 10 health, ana then by such means
NJ 10y ne given me by the immense sum
money az my disposal for the ,arfsc.