The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-02-13
~THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE"

To the Editor OF The Washington Times:
your editorial 81 yesterday on the
project to 6evelop universal language
is fraught with interest because It sug-
gests a line of valuable progress IL
is out of the usual run OF editorials
In a secular paper, whose purpose. one
would Judge from the practice OF the
day, is TO confine attention almost who'll
ly to matters Of a commercial or politi-
cal nature.
With your permission. Mr.. Editor.
desire TO record few reflections on
the general subject OF Language.
J. Being thoroughly and radically
American in my ideas, I attach great
Importance to the English language and
it's literature. With improvements in
it's structure, Il can be made, In the
course of time. to possess the elements
OF a universal language. Being largely
free from infections. II is well a6aptt9
to oral mastery. The foreigner soon
acquires n fair mastery OF II. and ex-
periences little difficulty in making him
self easily understood. BY simplifying
its photography so as to get rid of
silent and useless letters. and by placing
some proper restraint upon the ten
dency to the use OF slang, IL can be
made the vehicle for the expression Of
every form Of thought or emotion.
2. The Latin language has had it's
day. II can never become universal
/ do not mean TO condemn the study
OF the classic languages within proper
limits Far from Ii. l am emphatic
in the belief. however, that all quibbling
and contention over the pronunciation
OF the ancient languages is a useless
expenditure OF time and energy We do
not know how Cicero pronounced his
Latin. nor need we care. We have
his thought. and ought to be able TO
translate IT into good English. II the
graphophones had been in existence In
the DAYS OF Demosthenes or Cicero, we
might have some conception OF their
pronunciation; but how much wiser
should We be-
One-half OF the time IN our schools Is
spent in an effott 20 foist upon Ameri-
can youth an imaginary pronunciation
that is irrational I'm its character ard
un-American in its tendency.
Let the Latin and the Greek Ian
guages be taught with view TO build
ing up the English. and let the pro
nunciatfo correspond TO the best mod
els found among our educated people
The spending ,of FIVE to eight years In
the bIQ1y OF Those ldiAk udbNo ~ tAAN
average person is a sheer waste of
time and energy.
John Locke was opposed TO the long
continued study of the dead languages.
He says: Whatever stir there is made
about getting OF Latin. as the great and
difficult business. his mother may teach
# 10 him herself. II she will spend two
or three hours a day with him."
Queen Elizabeth under the guidance
of Roger Ascham. acquired I'm year
or two such a knowledge Of both Latin
and Greek as made her one of the
scholarly women of her times
John Milton. a model classical schol-
ar. is a competent witness. Hear his
testimony: 1--WE do aniss to spend seven
or eight years merely in scraping to-
gether so much miserable Latin and
Greek as might be learned otherwise
easily and delightfully."- In one year"
So far as a knowledge OF Latin and
Greek can be utilized in science, mathe-
mates. literature. and the mastery Of
the English, let them be taught but
this can be done effectually in one or
two years at most. Whenever this limit
is transcribed by the great average OF
our people, the waste is prodigally Grim
inal. Time is too short. and its duties
too exacting. to be thus wasted
J. FRAISE RICHARD.
Washington. ID. c., Feb. 9. 1904