The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-11-14

HILLIP GILBERT IIAMMERTON,
 > in his delightful book "The Intel 4 lectual Life," refers to Louis Err malt, that charming and most intelli- gent traveller" finding that to travel comfortably he needed only 400 words. Having a good memory Ernalt, from time to time, memorized 70 words day in various languages, and was well pro- vided for any exigency. That was a long time ago In our day a man can travel comfortably if he can speak in only one language, provided that one language be English.
 Some years ago an American tourist was delayed at an inn in Switzerland during a dark and stormy night There were 16 people at the supper table, repre- senting six different nationalities. There was but one language that all could speak, and that was English. They could not all speak it with equal facility of course; they had not all the same wealth of vocabulary, nor the same hexi- bility of lingual muscles; the monstrous 'tay-ha" combination, as the Germans call our surd or sonant "th,' was pro- nounced "t or "d' and mistakes of a graver sort were constantly made. But every one present knew enough English to pass the evening in pleasant conversa- tion lover the tea cups,' while the winds howled themselves hoarse through the defiles of the Alps.
 Fifty years ago this could not have been done. The meeting ground for ex- change of thought, in all probability, would have been French. The travelling world then was supposed to know French. But now. one may travel on the continent from Calias in southeasterly course to Brindisi, and from Naples in north easterly course to Bremen, stopping at any place of consequence en route and have actual need of no other language than English. Every word that one ut ters will not. of course, be understood, but sufficient number will be familiar enough to make the whole collocation in- telligible.
 One will find that in the large retail shops, in the hotels, and at railway sta- tions clerks and other employees, and even walters in cafes, at some earlier time had gone to England to learn the popular language, simply to fit them selves to hold such positions as they now fill. It was matter of business with them for 1t meant better wages upon their return to their own land My first order at hotel in Italy, looking to the comfort 10 the luuer Ildu, began III ltdl- ian and ended in French, much to the amusement of the intelligent waiter In Rome I wanted to go to building of importance and, seeing a man approach ing, I asked him in French where I might find it. He looked at me with puzzled expression and then said in my own blessed mother tongue, "Ah, don't speak French" Whereupon, l assured him that I didn't either
 Of course, one will find many persons who know neither our language nor our country, as have done I was in a bar ber's establishment in Vienna. youth about IS came in He knew not a word of English, nor any language other than German. He asked me about the United States. I expatiated on the greatness of lour country, it's wealth and it's possibili- ties for young men. He listened with great interest, but finally shook his head with an "Ach, du lieber Gott; hier bin Ach geboren, und hier verde ich immer {bleiben," "Warum?' I asked him. He said: "I should be afraid to live in a land where there are so many bears and Indians as you have in America" He needed a broader vision and an ac-
 lintance with English. He thought
 t Wall street was full of actual bears
 trough many ages, indeed,N until long
 IT. the ecclesiastical upheaval on the ,inent of Europe, Latin was the dom- 1t language of the worlds scholar a~l Learned men of all nationalities thought and wrote in Latin. Lord Bacon wrote his Novum Organum in Latin, having but little confidence in the future