New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-02-15

The war in East Asia is preferable TO our
old friend the war cloud In the Balkans in
one respect, namely Of the names # involves.
Turkish names were not particularly bad, nor
Rumanian. but those OF the other lands and
peoples involved were literally unspeakable-
For what mere AnglO-SaXon tongue can do
Justice 10 a name which written displays one
vowel and sixteen c0nSonants, and spoken re-
seulbles nothing SO much as three coughs and
a sneeze? In East Asia there is, OF course,
some incursion Of Russian barhaTlties Of
spcech But so far as Japan, Corca and China
are concerned. all IS pretty easy writing and
speaking Short names. Astounding in melo-
di0us novels and liquid consOnants. make the
local nomenclature a thing Of beauty and a joy.
In 50 far as the names in question are at al
perDIexing. the circumstance is due 10 outside
perversity The variorum editions OF some OF
the simplest and most musical names are little
short Of distracting TO even the most philo-
sophie mind. The seesaw Of "Corea' and
Korea" we can endure, through long habitua-
ton But what shall be said Of the name OF
the capital Of that country? We were brought
ur 10 write 81 Seoul" But some Of our neigh
bors persist in spelling It "Seul." Others aver
that "S0ul7 is the only proper form. Still
others are satisfied with nothing but "Sul-"
And now here comes an estimable authority
with the assurance that. we shall not know sal
walton unless we write Il "Seyool" In such
case, what are We to do? Call It Constant
nople" and 60 on 10 the next word?
Well the next IS Manchuria. What! Oh
well, 'Manchooria," II you please; or MAN
chouria,' 81 you prefer; or "AIantchuria," II
YOU Ike that better; or "Nantchooria" 81 you
insist upon 81. or "Afantchouria," II you won't
be happy until You get H. Al six forms are
IN use. ana for al we know. half dozen more
Then there is NoukGcn. There are those who
regard with pity those who know not 'NIuk-
den" and also those who are prepared 10 maln-
tain "Mookdcn" against al the world Nor
does the AmO0r escape. Some Insist that e
is the Amour willie others with equal con-
fdence proclaim 81 the "Amur.' OF course. too.
there is the Yalu or Yaloo; and also the Sun
Eari. or Soongari; likewise Chefoo, or Chifoo
or Chcfu, or Chifu; not 10 mention Toxic. or
Tokyo, ana Fusan, OF Foo-San, and-but that
way madness lies.
1t IS probably useless to protest against such
vagarics. There IS no positive authority upon
these names, since the Chinese and japanese
originals are not spelled with letters but are
expressed with ideogTaphs. Each man VIII
Insist on interpreting them as he nIeases: and
our elastic language makes II possible 10 ex-
press the same sound with 90" or "ou" or
long 50" Where, however. such possibility
Of diversity exists, with substantial indifer-
enoe among the various forms, II IS n great
pity that uniformity cannot be agreed upon and
stuck 10. When the world had for manv wears
been accustomed 10 write Seoul" and when
that form expressed tie sound Of the native
name rs perfectly as any combination Of Eng
hSh letters could express IT, where was the
good IN inventing "Scul." and "S6ul." end
G-rrF
express the same identical sound with equaI
exactnoss, they do 81 no better than the oil
form did and does; and there is no use I'm
describing an old and familiar thing for new
ard strange one unless something is 10 ha
gained by the change
For our own part we do not mean IN sdon+
any OF these new-fangled forms unless n Sc
demonstrated that something IS n be gained
therehy- and We have no expectation that that
VII be or can be done. Moreover. there IS ono
change which we positively viii rot mako