The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-03-05

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fants. 10 be reared 20 mature years WIN
ont tho idea or conception having ever
been presented 90 their minds of mora
responsibility, what are the intellectual
facts?
No such colony ~ creatures. at first
iuscnsatc. and gradually emerging into
susceptibility. could ever acquire the use
Of language as "a medium of communi-
eating ideas. The Swabian emperor,
Frederic H., tried g.. James ~, OF
Scotland. tried it. and in this instance,
rs I'm the problem now proposed a dumb
man. or mute. had charge Of the children
IN the case Of The experiment by Fred
eric IT. the little u-nfOrtunates are said
20 have peri@hcd for want of lullabics.
None. OF these cruel experiments have
ever IN tho remotest dcgreo elucidated
the problem of the primitive speech Of
mankind.
Why is this? Manifestly for tho rca-
son that these theorists are all wrong
Language is characteristic Of man, and
distinguishes him from the brute. He
has by nature the faculties, the capa-
bnities OF speech; the power of commu-
n~icating his ideas by articulate sounds
This no lower creature has.
THE INITIATIVE ART.
or all absurd propositions. this Of Mr..
Alternately takes the lead. If one should
propose 20 ma the original speech OF
mankind ~ placing am infant on a re-
mote rock. like PrOmetheus. We could
partially understand him. But when you
come TO %coIOnizing infants the theory
degenerates into ~sbsurdity, for the rea-
son that then the theory Oh 81 convention
comes IN. where the school of Adam
smith insists that primitive men came
together and agreed upon d vocabulary.
Take the case which Mr.. Alternately pro-
poses. He says that while his colony is
not 10 hear any vOcable sound they
will see animals IN endless %menageries.
Well. 81 language is an initiative art, viii
not these infants start out on their quest
of e. medium of communication by re-
peating the ciaculatory sounds Of their
dumb companions?
The ultimate fact In the problem OF
human speech is hat man IS by nature
endowed with the faculty Of communicat-
ing ideas by articulate sounds; but that
10 is an Initiative faculty. And 50 chill
dreu learn 20 speak by Initiating the
speech of their parents. This animals
cannot do. And therein is the ineradica-
Die distinction which all the DarWinian-
lem. everything else Is speculation.
The child is born with the God-given
faculty of speech, but IN its development
il is an initiative art. An American baby
taken in fits first months 10 France VIII
speak French. A French baby carried
90 Berlin will learn 10 speak German.
The power of speech is organic. and pc
culiar TO man. The particular speech is
Initiative. and a matter of habit and
education. This is the whole Of the prob
lcm%.everything else is speculation.
There are two extreme schools OF theor-
lists on the problem Of human speech.
one maintains that It is a direct gift
from God. The other Insists that q is
q continuance or convention Of mankind.
Both ara wrong, and both are right The
capabNity Of speech IS innate; but the
arbitrary symbols or signs Of speech are
of human contrivance. or human habit.
Neither Mr.. Abernethy nor anybody
else viii ever solve the problem on which
this visionary has set out. He says he
has a million Of dollars at his back. the
donation of a dreamer as wild rs him
self. II he had a hundred millions Il
would be The same thing-h dismal fall
urc.