ON THE COMPARISON OF ASIATIC LANGUAGES. Dey 
fact that the root DAG, “to cover” or “roof,” is common to 
Aryan, Semitic, and Mongol speech. 
On the question of family life all that can be said is that 
the roots PA and MA for “father” and “mother,” are 
universally used in Asiatic speech, and recognisable also in 
Egyptian. For all other relationships the names are ver 
various, though it is remarkable that the Hebrew Akx*A, 
“brother,” is very like the Mongol Aka, “brother.” This 
latter is connected with the common Mongolic word og for a 
“child” or “boy.” The parental relationship meets us in 
the earliest languages; and such evidence tends at least to 
show that those who contend that marriage is one of the 
oldest of human institutions have more in their favour 
than those who suppose the “clan” to be older than the 
family. 
The words used to denote deity are very various, the 
oldest perhaps being the Egyptian Aas, and the Mongolic Es, 
perhaps like the Aryan Asura, meaning a “living spirit.” 
If Lenormant be right in supposing an Akkadian word Elim, 
for “ Lord” or “exalted person,” to exist, we might compare 
it with the Semitic e/ or elohim, “the mighty one,” from a root 
common to all Asiatic languages. The evidence of language at, 
least tends to show that the early believers did not regard their 
deities as being ghosts, since the word for ghost signifies in 
most cases what is “ feeble,’—a shade or vapour—and not 
that which is strong and undying. In Egypt the “power” 
which was conceived to be the source of all life was hymned 
as early as 1400 B.c., and the name of Jehovah has the 
same significance that is to be remarked in the Aryan or 
Mongolic words for a deity. Many other titles, such as * the 
helper,” the “ life giver,” the “ eternal,” or the “ Lord,” became 
specially used by different races, but the underlying concep- 
tion is the same in all, 
Briefly to sum up the possible results of our enquiry into 
the condition of the primitive Asiatics, we have noted that. 
they appear to have lived in the pastoral condition, having 
perhaps a little corn and enclosures for their flocks. They 
possessed as yet no knowledge of metals, but hewed wood 
with flint instruments. They knew the ass, the ox, and the 
sheep, and possibly the camel and the dog, and were afraid 
of the lion. Their home was a cold or temperate climate, 
such as is best fitted for the development of the human race; 
and their simple arts of weaving, and moulding clay, enabled 
them to construct dwellings, either tents or huts covered 
R 
