OF THE LENNI LENAPE INDIANS. 249 



■ [CONCLUDING NOTi:.] 



himself thus on this subject: "I do not only speak of those forms, the 

 object of which is to point out the relations of words and the mechanism 

 of which, simple or complicated, ingenious «>r confused, attests the more 

 or loss successful efforts of the trriti rs w h<> first gave lairs to language*". 



This learned author, whose exquisite sense and sound judgment |ea\e 

 no room to suppose that it ever occurred to him that his proposition might 

 be contradicted, appears evidently to have considered it as one of those 

 philological axioms which have been so long and so universally estab- 

 lished that no one even thinks of calling them in question. And so it 

 has appeared to many other European miters, and it seems, in fact, to be 

 an opinion generally received in that part of the world. I must own that 

 to me it seems inconsistent with the facts which. this Grammar exhibits, 

 and which all point to nature and not to art as the source from whence 

 have proceeded the various grammatical forms of the languages of men. 



I have not room to develop here this conclusion, more than I have done 

 incidentally in the preface; I have thought it right, however, to point it 

 out specifically as the principal result which, in my opinion, the publica- 

 tion of this Grammar will produce. It appears to me that after a care- 

 ful reading of the work and a comparison of this language with those of 

 civilized nations, the mind must be necessarily drawn to the following 

 inferences: 



1 That the grammatical forms of a language constitute what may be 

 called its organization. 



2. That this organization is the work of nature, and not of civilization 

 or its arts. 



3. That the arts of civilization may cultivate, and by that means polish 

 a language to a certain extent ; but can no more alter its organization, 

 than the art of the gardener can change that ofanOIWOAOr & potato. 



4. That the contrary opinion is the result of the pride of civilized men ; 

 a passion inherent in our nature, and the gr< atest obstacle thai exists to 

 the investigation of truth. 



In thus expressing my opinion with all the clearm-- ami precision 

 that I am capable of, I do DOl 1>\ am means intend to establish these 

 propositions as axioms; but merely to submit them as fUUtiOM to the 

 investigation of the learned, if the y shall be thought \\orth\ of the atten- 

 tion to w Inch a appears that the Bubject entitles them. Thai new facts, or 

 facts already known m part, but now moreclearlj made apparent, should 

 produce new opinions is what may naturally be expected, and he will lie, 

 I hope, acquitted of presumption, who simply expresses his sentiments 00 

 this new subject, without any other pretension than that of eliciting the 



* Je ne parte pas settlement cle ces formei deatlnMM i marqucr les nppoitl dM moU, •■< l""i 

 le in' ■ mi i • -impte oil compHque', Inglnieux ou embroullle, itteete m eflbrtl plmoo mi 

 hen:''' \ dM eeilMBfU qui onl l< - premier! iooui del loix au langagc. — Rechtrches tw fel /"" 

 §u«s Tartares, Ditcotm PrfUmtaaire, p. xvj. 



VOL. III. — 3 B 



