The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-12-16

are increasing rapidly III polul VI HulIl-
hers. though the latter language has
had but little influence on western
civilization. This may be owing to the
apathy of the Russians themselves,
who are perhaps the best linguists in
in French, German or English than in
the language of their own country.
This is particularly true of the upper
classes.
All Foreigners Absorbed.
Though the English in their colonies
and offshoots have absorbed millions
of aliens, there is no record of any
body of English speakers, becoming
absorbed by any other race. In the
United States there are millions OF
Germans who have become merged
with the English in a single genera
ton. Even the names are lost. Thus
Schmidt, becomes Smith. Muller be-
comes Miller and the children in many
cases do not understand the fathers
language.
In Florida. California, Texas and
other states, French and Spanish
speaking settlements have. become
Anglicized 1t is otherwise in Canada
There the French speaking population
is increasing faster than the English.
Not that the French element absorbs
the Englih, but rather that it crowds
it out.
In other parts of the world besides
Canada the French language has
shown considerable vitality and power
of resistance but nowhere is it absorbed
so rapidly as other European languages
by the Anglo Saxon. In Egypt the
French language was all powerful in
ten or twelve years ago, but here it
also has lost ground before the Eng
lish, owing to the occupation Of the
country by the British and to the in
crease of British influence in the ad-
mnistration of the Suez canal.
In other parts of the world the
spread of English is scarcely less re-
markable. The republics of the Trans
vaal and the Orange Free State only
twenty years ago We're almost en-
tirely Dutch in their speech, but Eng
lish is now dominant in both coun-
tries. Boer Dutch being relegated to
the country districts, where it is re-
treating year by year before the adj
vance of it's powerful rival, and this
in spite of the determined resistance
of the Beers themselves. This is Ow-
ing to the rush of Adventures and set
tiers consequent on the discovery of
gold and diamonds
But the apathy of the Beers and
their inapttude for business is also a
contributing cause. The men of bust
ness are invariably Europeans, while
the Beers content themselves with
farming, which easily accounts for the
ascendancy of English in the towns
Besides the above, there are various
small states where English is either
the official or dominant language-for
instance, Liberia, the Hawaiian islands
Samoa and some of the other petty
states of the Pacific, where English is
rapidly driving out the native dia-
lect Even in Japan the English lang
uage has been recognized as a semi
official one selected for intercourse
among strangers
One very good reason for the rapid
spread of the English language is the
simplicity of it's grammar, which is
less complicated than that of any
other western nation. It's poverty of
infections, as distinguished from the
German, for instance. is a great point
in it favor; thus, it is much easier for
a German to learn English than for
an Englishman or American to learn
German. On the other hand, the ex-
traordinary Inconsistencies of the
English language in it's spelling are
decided drawback. There is little
doubt that if English were written on
phonetic principles, as Spanish or Ger
man, this would be great boon to the
AnglO-SaxOnS themcaIvoS who .ro,a
years of unnecessary toll learning to