The Tucson citizen., 1901-12-20
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT


Chinese minister was presented to
several Americans one night lately,
and one of them seeking to fiatter him
spoke OF the purity of his English and
asked where he had learned it, in
this country or China? Il learn
ed 1t In China" replied WI.
ut is wonderful said the question
er, how well you use 1t. You use it as
well as | do"
81 use 1t better than you do" re-
piled WI Ting-fang, because you who
| live in this country do not use pure
English"
After a moments hesitation caused
by the Minister'S extreme frankness.
the native-born American said, Il
know We do not. but mean you speak
1t as correctly as II you had learned
1t at Harvard College"
This was met by still greater frank
ness.
Il speak purer English than would
If | had been taught anywhere in this
country" the1 Minister said. in
China, when we learn English, we
learn the pure English. At Harvard
every one has some Yankee dialect"
Is this true? We think it is; al
though If there be a spot on earth
where we would expect to hear pure
English 1t is surely within the classic
every body having a Yankee dialect"
at Harvard, or for that matter In many
other places in the United States,
notably at the University OF Virginia
better English is spoken in this coun-
try thap is known in England, where
each county has dialect of Its own,
which clings to men who have edu-
Gated themselves. In Dublin, the
Irish capital, Ii seems to be conceded
the purest English is heard, spoken
with a most delightful accent. But
we prefer the American English. IL 1t
Is more or less idiomatic, 1t loses no
strength on that account; and though
1t may lack something in classical
purity. 1t is the language Of the future.
Yet Minister WI Is right. We don't
doubt he speaks purer English than he
would If he had been taught 1t in
England, or Ireland or America. We
have often been told by oldtimers VINO
heard MIN speak that Louis Kossutn
had a splendid command Of the Eng
lish tongue And there Is Carl Schurz,
who talks better English than any
other man In New York City. Why
not WI? He learned 1t as the great
Hungarian did; Or the brilliant Ger
man. There Is no reason why WI
should not EXCEL in ii beyond the
magnificent proficiency OF Kossuth
and Schurz That Wu is vain of his
acquired accomplishment goes With
out saying; but IL anyone has sub
stantial reason to be vain We can al
ways overlook and forgive i1is vanity.
1t Is our opinion that in fifty years
from now the purest English will be
spoken In Western America. In this
region lnere ia a commingling of the
different dialects. The harsh Yankee
and the soft Southern speech meet
the meIllfiuous Irish brogue and the
fat English articulation here; and to-
gether they are forming a composite
accent that in time will. be called the
perfect English. American public
men have not done much to purify
or enrich the language. Mr. Jefferson
Davis. spoke the purest English of
any American in public life In his
time. Senator hoar of Massachusetts,
is a perfect master OF correct language.
ormer Senator David Turpie, of
lnuiana. Is custodian of absolutely
pure English and the late Senator
Davis OF Minnesota did much in MIN
self to protect the purity Of English
speech. But, taking 1t all In all, we
are disposed to agree with WI Ting
fang that the man who acquires Eng
lish Is more apt to be a purist than
the man who inherits 1t as his native
speech.
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