430 



NATURE 



[SePTEMISER 22, 1923 



by Prof. Gu^Tttrd, if only by reason of its literary 

 quality and attractive style. But the volume possesses 

 many other merits, since it is by far the best work 

 that has been written on this particular subject. 

 Indeed nothing to com|)iire with it has appeared since 

 the learned and rather ponderous *' Histories " of 

 Profs. Couturat and Leau. Moreover, Prof. Gu^rard 

 takes a wide and dispassionate sweep, con.sidering the 

 respective merits and possibilities of French, English, 

 and Latin, as wtll as those of the " artificial " languages. 

 Very full information is given with regard to the 

 histor)' and structure of all the more important pro- 

 jects, including, besides the so-called " philosophical " 

 languages, Volapiik, Esperanto, Ido, Interlingua, 

 Latino sine Flexione, Idiom Neutral, Panroman, 

 Komanal, etc. 



There are three appendices, giving, respectively, a 

 bibliography of the subject, a fairly complete list of 

 all known auxiliary language schemes, and a critical 

 comparison of Esperanto, Ido, Interlingua,and Romanal. 

 There is also an index. Throughout the whole book 

 the author displays a cool and critical judgment, 

 combined with much wit and an incisive literary style. 

 The result makes very interesting reading. He is a 

 firm believer in the possibility (and actuality) of an 

 artificial auxiliary language for general human inter- 

 course, and drives his point home by cool reasoning 

 devoid of any vestige of emotional fanaticism. His 

 personal predilections are kept well in the background, 

 though he gives good reasons for preferring a language 

 with an Anglo-Latin etymological basis. Like Dr. 

 Cottrell, however, he is in favour of " getting ahead." 

 Several of the existing systems are, in his opinion, 

 good enough for present work-a-day purposes. 



An auxiliary international language is a simple trans- 

 mitting mechanism for the " distribution and exchange" 

 of ideas and information. It is not a romantic revival 

 or a philological trap for the unwary ; but just some- 

 thing of great value and usefulness for hundreds of 

 miUions of plain folk, who have not time to acquire 

 real facility in five or six national languages. It is 

 not intended to, and will not and cannot, replace 

 or injure national languages. It comes as no 

 destroyer of the family or national hearth ; nor is it 

 the siren music of a denationalised intellectualism, 

 or the fierce breathings of an anti-national proletariat. 

 So the plain decent Englishman need have no fear, 

 though he is often a pretty sincere hater of inter- 

 nationalism. The very word is apt to suggest to him 

 the roaring of some hair>' and hydra-headed monster 

 ready to defile the fair green fields of England. Some- 

 times the prejudice takes another form. The present 

 writer once asked a very distinguished Englishman 

 what he thought about the question of an auxiliary 



NO. 2812, VOL. 1 12] 



int> ' ' lu'uagc. The answer was that he had 



stiK, ito, but had given it up because the 



people who spoke it were not the people he wanted 

 to speak to. The onward march of events will sweep 

 away all such fears and prejudices. Even very dis- 

 tinguished Englishmen use aeroplanes and wireless 

 sets, and are to be found in cinema theatres, and 

 dancing to the strains of a gramophone. 



Auxiliary language is not an easy descensus Averm 

 or a difhcult ascent per ardua ad astro. It is not for 

 devil or saint, but for the smooth middle way of life. 

 Nor is it something that exists only in the minds of 

 cranks and idealists, for it is with us here and now, i.s 

 already much used and advancing rapidly. It is not 

 to be expected that old gentlemen in Club arm-chairs 

 will trouble much about it. The important thing is 

 that teachers might test and develop the idea in the 

 schools. Here in the great workshops of early human 

 development there exists a wonderful field for practical 

 work and for very interesting linguistic and psycho- 

 logical researches. There is, indeed, a veritable gold 

 mine here awaiting those who have the insight and 

 energy to discover and develop it. The phoneticians 

 can render valuable aid with their modem analysis 

 and standardisation of the sounds of human six<t h, 

 while mathematicians and philosophers need not 

 despise a subject that has deeply interested Descartes, 

 Leibniz, Couturat, and Peano. F. G. D. 



Mining and Mineral Deposits, 

 (i) Manuel du Prospecteur. Par P. Bresson. (Biblio- 

 th^que professionnelle.) Pp. 452. (?'^'' • ' M 

 Bailli^re et fils, 1923.) 12 francs net. 



(2) Imperial Institute : Monographs on Mineral Re- 

 sources with Special Reference to the British Empire. 

 Copper Ores. By R. Allen. Pp. x + 221. (London : 

 John Murray, 1923.) "js. 6d. net. 



(3) Imperial Institute: Monographs on Mineral Re- 

 sources with Special Reference to the British Empire. 

 Mercury Ores. ByE.Halse. Pp. ix + ioi. (London: 

 John Murray, 1923.) 55. net. 



(4) Nickel : the Mining, Refining and Applications of 

 Nickel. By F. B. Howard White. (Pitman's 

 Common Commodities and Industries.) Pp. x - 1 18. 

 (London : Sir Isaac Pitman and So: ..d.) 

 3^. net. 



(5) Report on the Cupriferous Deposits of Cy/ 



Prof. C. Gilbert Cullis and A. Broughton Edge. 



Pp. 48 + 5 plates. (London: The Oown A; ■ ^r 



the Colonies, 1922.) 20^. 

 (i) A BRIEF glance at the contents of this manual 

 jt~\. suffices to arouse grave doubts as to the 

 author's knowledge of real prosf)ectors. No one who 



