I A CHAPTER IN DARWINISM 59 



sion that this or that language, as compared with its 

 earlier condition, exhibits evidence of such degenera- 

 tion, must be matter of taste and open to discussion. 

 For instance, the English of Johnson may be regarded 

 as degenerate when compared with that of Shake- 

 speare. There is less probability of a difference of 

 opinion as to the degeneracy of modern Greek as 

 compared with " classical " Greek ; or of some of the 

 modern languages of Hindustan as compared with 

 Sanskrit, and I am informed that the same kind of 

 degeneration is exhibited by modern Irish as compared 

 with old Irish. Degeneration, in the proper sense of 

 the word, so far as it applies to language, would seem 

 to mean simply a decay or diversion of literary taste 

 and of literary production in the race to which such 

 language may be appropriate. 



