New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-12-27
THE CURSE OF TONGUES.
Since the Days of BabePs To7rer.
Languages Haze Caused Strife.

guage' Of the builders of the Tower Of Babel
$50 that they might not understand one an
others speech thereby creating so much dis
cord among them that they were compelled 10
abandon their impiOus undertaking, the question
Of tongues has always been a fertile source Of
strife among nations. 1t remains so TO this pres
ent day, and not only in the Old World, but even
on this side of the Atlantic, disputes are con-
stantIy crop ping up on the subject Of languages
While here the trouble has been largely confined
to the Roman Catholic Church the hierarchy Of
which in the United States has periodically re-
fused to countenauce proposals Of any ecclest-
astical and educational character calculated 10
interfere with the Americanization of the imHi-
grants and of their children, in Europe the Ian
guage question has developed nearly every
where into an important political issue There
are few governments abroad with which the
matter does not weigh heavily in the balance
nowhere more so than In the Austro-Huh8iIld
Empire. The latter comprises some sixteen oF
more distinct races. each at daggers drawn win
the others and with language OF It's OWE 'ls
preservation of which il regards as heceS-
sary TO protect it from absorption oy us
neighbors and from disappearance as ma
tionaI entirety. To such an extent is the
question of language identified with thiI u
nationaIism in the dominiOns of Francis Joseph
fight for the one without combating for ths
other The controversy which has recently
brought Hungary and Austria almost 70 blows
the respective premiers hurting insults at one
another from their places in the parhaments at
Vienna and at Pesth. and which has created
more iii feeling between the two motetles OF the
Dual Empire than at any time since the san
culinary Magyar insurrectiOn in 1919, has peeh
entirely question of language the HunsaTlahS
who defray one-half of the expenses of the m
perial army demanding that their Language
should be used in lieu Of German for the com
mands given those troops stationed in the Mag
var kingdom. To this neither the Emperor hOF
the Austrian government would consent. realz-
ing that any concession in the matter Wouid
lead 10 similar pretensiOns on the part OF the
Czechs in Bohemia. OF the Croatians. the SO
walks. the Rumanians in the Transy Ivauia. the
Italians in the southern provinces. the Poles IN
Galicia and so along the whole gamut Each OF
these races entertain the same nationalist aspir-
atoms as the Hungarians; every one OF them IS
as jealous Of it's language. and the quarreis
which have taken place about the latter durlns
the last twoscore years have done more than
anything else TO discredit parliamentary lrSti-
tuttOns in the Dual Empire and to render IeslS-
lative government weIlnigh impossible. nor
Is this strife the subject OF languages in Aus
tria-Hungary confined to the empire 1t afectS
very seriously the foreign relations Of the latter
and the attitude OF the authorities at Innsbruck
in regard to the attempt made there to provide
for instruction in Italian. which is spoken by at
least half the population OF the province, has
excited such indignation throughout Italy as to
lead to the most insulting popular manifesta-
lions against Austria. in Rome and in the other
big cities. demonstrations which have tended TO
ctr OF all hat TWO
powers wellnigh TO the point OF rupture.
Germans. BOhemians. Poles. Ruthenians. Ser
vtans. CrOatians. Rumanians Magyars. Italians
Slovaks. Slovenes etc. though filed with the Ut
most jealousy and hatred toward one another
have. however. one bond OF union namely. ther
loyalty and affection to the ehivaIrous old
monarch who has taken the trouble to learn
all their languages and who is able to speak
to each of his subjects in his own tongue. and
to comprehend what they have to say to him
without the services OF an interpreter. II Is
difficult TO realize the extent to which this has
has done has contributed more TO his popularity
that popularity which holds together the dis
cordant elements OF his pOlygIot empire. Unfor-
tunately. his nephew. the heir apparent. has not
followed his example In this respect He cannot
even speak Hungarian. a fact which the Mag
vars strongly resent. and while the fears Of
dislntegration OF the Dual Empire on the death
OF Francis Joseph are exaggerated yet It cam
not be denied that his demise will impair to