410 M. A. de Candolleo?^ the Advantage 



bition of giving to the world one uniform concise language, 

 supported by an immense literature and spoken in the next 

 centmy by 800 or 1000 millions of civilized men ? To other 

 languages it would be as a vast mirror in which each would 

 become reflected, thanks to newspapers and translations, and all 

 the friends of intellectual culture would have a convenient 

 medium for the interchange of ideas. It would be rendering 

 an immense service to future races ; and at the same time the 

 authors and men of science of English-speaking race would 

 give a strong impulsion to their own ideas. The Americans, 

 above all, are interested in this stability, since their country is 

 to be the most important of those of English tongue. How 

 can they acquire a greater influence over Old England than 

 by speaking her language with exactness ? 



The liberty of action permitted amongst people of English 

 race adds to the danger of a division in the language. Hap- 

 pily, however, certain causes which broke up the Latin lan- 

 guage do not exist for English nations. The Romans con- 

 quered nations the idioms of which were maintained or reap- 

 peared here and there in spite of administrative unity. The 

 Americans and Australians, on the contrary, have before them 

 only savages, who disappear without leaving any trace. The 

 Romans were conquered and dismembered in their turn by the 

 barbarians. Of their ancient civilization no evidence of unity 

 remained, unless it was in the Church, which has itself felt the 

 influence of the universal decline. The Americans and Austra- 

 lians possess many flourishing schools ; they have the lite- 

 rature of England as well as their own. If they choose, they 

 can wield their influence by means of maintaining the unity 

 of the language. Certain circumstances make it possible for 

 them to do so ; thus the teachers and professors mostly come 

 from the States of New England. If these influential men 

 truly comprehend the future destiny of their country, they will 

 use every effort to transmit the language in its purity ; they 

 will follow classic authors and discard local innovations and 

 expressions. In this question of language, real patriotism (or, 

 if you will, the pati'iotism of Americans really ambitious for 

 their country) ought to be to speak the English of Old Eng- 

 land, to imitate the pronunciation of the English, and to fol- 

 low their whimsical orthography until changed by themselves. 

 Should they obtain this of their countrymen, they would 

 render to all nations and to their own an unquestionable benefit 

 for futurity. 



The example of England proves the influence of education 

 upon the unity of a language. It is the habitual contact of 



