The Washington times., 1913-10-05
WOMAN CAN SPEAK
EIGHT LANGUAGES
Madame Kreuter, Of the Russian
Embassy, Can Talk With
Nearly AIf Europe.

The average woman who successful!
negotiates the average table-dotty
French, has learned the true, innel
meaning OF r. s. v. p, and can wear &
deckletay gown, or say good-by in any
thing but plain English. feels that she
has risen to superior linguai heights.
And In truth 1t is no small feat te
hurI handful of disjointed syllables al
n impressionable head waiter and have
the whole edible program from Bronx
% benedictine appear later in its proper
order
OF course, we stay-at-homes. who stray
not far from the puriieus OF the. Poto'
mac, get along very nicely, thank you
Vfth our transplanted Southern dialect
straight from a Kansas cornheid. sun
our Hoosier 5argon, from Virgtn-yuh
sub, and our breezy Moo fawkese re-
layed through Tlinoy.
What boots II we have q Capitol ~
our midsty To say nothing of the
Diplomatic Corps and foreign embassies
Naturally we are glad to welcome then
% our pretty fair city. Also. naturally
fhey are welcome to go on corpsing JUS
as they wish in the privacy OF nome
bu, when they wish to know how to gel
s u street transfer. drink on sunday
or IL there are any good shows IN town
he quickest route to said Information
. via English-as-she-is-spoke.
Woman Accomplished Linguist.
Nevertheless, when We. go cruising in
20 foreign seaports and hold frantic SEES
sions with the vestpocket dictionaries.
we beGin to deplore our lack of ac-
.uaintance with the parts Of speech or
continental tongues.
There's a Washington woman. how
ever, who may well be the envy OF
every tourist who ever conned q Bae-
she is Madame Victoria Won Kreuter.
now connected with the Russian EN-
she only speals Polish. 4 Russian,
Italian. French. German Swedish.
Spanish and English with all their
Thai means that Madame Won Kreu-
ter can converse with any inhabitant
Of Europe except Greeks and Turks.
Size was in the service Of the War
Department for fiye years. and In Au-
gust. 1sO3. at the instance Of Secretary
Of State John Hay. she accompanied
London.
'sThe study of languages is most fasci-
mating to me-" she says, for Ian
guage gives one q keen insight into the
character of a people-their tempera-
ment and their method Of thinking and
reasoning.
English q Business Language.
.For example. the French language
Syould indicate to one that the people OF
france were Iight-hearted. quick. tenn
Deramental and Of sunny disposition.
Spanish at once gives the Idea Of
courtesy and dignity. There Is a state
rowed from the people who use It,"
And English?" she was asked.
"a business language. It 10 the
tongue of commercial people"
The madame has bsen invited to Join
q number of Esperanto clubs. She hss
Eeves that It win never be a successs
1T is an artificial language" she
declares. IF q universal language il
yer found It will be one which Is de-
eloped by some people to whom it is
,e polite and diplomatic tongue: Eng.
sh. the business or commercial me-
dunn of communication, and German or
Latin the scientific language.
Mrs. Won Kreuter 'tjust loves" Latin,
which she believes to be the best Of
all languages, though inadequate today
because there are so many new ex-
pressions. for which the Romans had
no need.
Must Think In Language.
zone has not mastered a language
until one can think it It." she further
asserts. when I speak Engiish
think in that tongue. and when con-
verse in German or Polish my mind Ii
thinking the same way. To think in
one tongue and then translate II ard
speak in another is evidence that the
lessons have not been mastered.
Mrs. Won Kreuter. who has done much
interpreting and translating for the
American Federation Of Labor. and for