1888. ] 313 
We may begin by saying that the general subject has visibly increased 
in importance in the minds of the public. A number of new plans to 
achieve the end in view lave been suggested, and modificaticns of those 
existing have been offered. A reference to some of these may not be 
out of place, as proving that the subject in which the Society has in- 
terested itself is not a sterile or insignificant one. 
Two of these works are by American authors, and advocate the adop- 
tion as a universal language of English, more or less modified. One is 
entitled ‘‘ World-English, the Universal Language,’’ by Prof. Alexander 
Melville Bell, author of ‘‘ Visible Speech,” etc. His claim is that Eng- 
lish in its present grammatic form is simple and clear, and in all re- 
spects adapted for general adoption but for its incongruous orthogra- 
phy. This he proposes to remedy by a new phonetic alphabet, which 
he presents and illustrates. It contains forty-two letters, many of 
them new in form, others old in form, but distinguished by diacritical 
marks. The accent on the vowels is represented to the eye, and the 
print is consequently highly complex. : 
The numerous difficulties of English grammar and lexicography are 
of course not in the least abated by the phonetic system of Prof. Bell. 
What these difficulties are has been urged with much earnestness by 
the second writer to whom we refer, Mr. Elias Molee, of Dakota, in 
his work, ‘‘ Plea for an American Language or Germanic English.” 
After setting forth the insuperable obstacles to the general acceptation 
of English, he proposes to remove them by introducing a series of 
modifications into its alphabet, its grammar and its lexicon. Various 
new letters and a quantity of diacritical signs are called in to represent 
the sounds. The inflectional grammatical system is selected, and the 
additions to the yocabulary are chiefly from the Teutonic languages. 
It is obvious, from what we have previously said on the evolution of 
the Aryan tongues, that this form of grammar is a recurrence to obso- 
lescent principles, and the preference awarded to the Teutonic group 
is inconsistent with the broad princip les on which a modern universal 
language should be founded. 
European writers have also not been without their suggestions to- 
wards the same end. One of the most noteworthy, if not for its prac- 
ticability, at least for its scholarly presentation, is the work of Prof. 
Dr. Aug. Boltz, of Darmstadt, entitled Hellenisch die Allgemeine 
Gelehrtensprache der Zukunft, in which the author presents for adop- 
tion a modified form of the classic Greek. This, he thinks, has claims 
superior to any modern language, and advantages beyond any new 
creation in language which could be devised. It is not at all likely 
that he will count many disciples, the Greek alphabet alone being suf- 
ficient to frighten most men of modern times. 
A certain degree of popularity has been obtained by the Spelin of 
Prof. George Bauer, of Agram, in Croatia. It is based upon Volapiik, 
and adopts the same grammatic devices, but with greater simplicity ; 
