The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1914-08-07

Before flags and religions men knew
friend from foe by the language test.
More than half of the wars of Eu-
rope have been fought by parties mu,
tually unintelligible.
Broadly speaking, all European Ian
guages belong to the Aryan group.
The most important exception is the
Magyar, a dialect of the same lam
guage spoken by Turks and Films
How Divided by Language.
OF the Aryan tongue there are three
great general divisions in Europe-Ro-
nance, Teutonic, Slavic We are in
terested only in the latter two. And
of the Teutonic German is spoken by
SO.00O,0O0. of which 100000 are in
Austria and 100000 in Hungary.
There are 14O.OOO,OOO Slavs in Eu-
rope.
From this it appears that the pres
ent political boundaries are not coter-
minous with linguistic groups.
Right here in this fact We have the
seed OF present and future trouble
and clue to the cause of most of
the wars in eastern Europe through
1000 years
SIav Situation in Europe.
To get before US the full signifi-
canoe Of the fact suggested by the
map let us consider the linguistic COM
plexion of these countries.
Russia is veritable hodgepodge of
tongues, but Of her Slav population
alone we have at least two distinct
elements today bitterly opposed to
each other, with the possibility. If not
the probability, of third, which will
seek recognition.
AS against Russians proper there
are over 100000 Poles, and of the
remaining Slavs there are 100000
Ruthenians, or Little of White Rus
slams, as they are sometimes called
OF the general Polish situation 1 shall
speak later.
In Germany there are over 100000
Slavs. chiefly Polish.
OF Austria's 3O.OOO,O0O population
only about a third Is German. the re-
mainder being Slav, OF which there are
over 100000 Czechs or Bohemians.
100000 Poles. 100000 Ruthenians.
and million and a quarter Slovenes.
Many Tongues In Hungary.
Hungary is even more diversified
in tongue. The Magyar element
10000, OOO) is equaled by the non
Magyar made up roughly OF 100000
Germans, 100000 Slovaks. one-half
a million Ruthenians, 100000 Serbo-
Creates. all of the Slavonic tongue.
and about 100000 Roumanians who
do not speak Slav at all. but Ro-
nance language.
We need not here consider the lin
guistic affinities OF the Balkan states.
1t is enough to say that Servia Is. pure
" Servian and Slav, Bulgaria Is Bull
gar and Slav Though the basis OF
blood of Bulgars Is. like that OF the
Magyar. Asiatic).
The population of Montenegro. about
half a million, are Slavs OF the Ser
Wan branch. Roumanians are OF
mixed origin, but the Roumanian
tongue Is spoken by 12.O00.O0O people.
OF which FIVE and half million are
in Roumania (92 per cent OF it's total
population). the remaining millions
are found in the Duel Monarchy, Ser
via, Bulgaria and Russia.
People Develop Languages.
Millions OF people today speak Pol
ish whose ancestors few generations
ago weren't conscious OF the fact that
they spoke any language ut all. To
day there is n Slavonic literature:
80 years ago no one even thought OF
such n thing The millions OF Bohe'
m.ans had become almost entirely Ger
mans. and never before have they
been 30 thoroughly Slavonic ms today
Bohemian hostility to Germany has
been called passion. II was not ~
very long ago that the language OF
the Hungarian parliament was Latin
Magyar was held NJ only for peasant
talk. Today the bitterness between
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