Dec, 1885.] Elliott society. 107 



Dr. C. B. Colson exliibited a specimen of Slag contaiilfeig unusu- 

 ally large crystals of silicates and imperfectly fused glass. 



President Shepherd of The College of Charleston delivered a brief address 

 upon the nature and aims of Comparative Philology. He traced the historical 

 development of the subject, showing the influence that the discovery of San- 

 skrit exerted in leading to the establishment of unmistakable relations between 

 the ancient dialects of India and the languages of Europe, in other words, to 

 the recognition of the Aryan or Indo-European family of tongues. He then 

 proceeded to illustrate the connection existing between the different languages 

 of the Indo-European family by many examples, showing that an original iden- 

 tity was in a large measure traceable among them. Numerous roots, common 

 to the various languages of the family were cited, and their derivatives were 

 followed in detail. He then gave a concise historical outline of philological de- 

 opment in Germany, dwelling upon the special labors of Grimm, Bopp, Pott, 

 Humboldt, Schlegel, etc. , in the expansion of the science. 



It was shown that comparative philology was in its origin, and in its most 

 complete development, a German science, other nations having, for the most 

 part, appropriated and popularized the researches of German scholars. The 

 origin of speech from monosyllabic roots, the processes of phonetic decay, the 

 fusion of prefixes and suffixes around the roots, were all explained. The im- 

 portance of phonetics in any scientific study of philology, was then indicated. 

 It was shown that the science of phonetics lies at the basis of any rational 

 study of etymology ; that without it etymology is fairly entitled to the famous 

 judgment pronounced upon it by Voltaire, as "a science in which the conso- 

 nants signify very little and the vowels nothing at all ". Prof. Shepherd then 

 commented upon the necessity of elevating Philology to the dignity of a ration- 

 al science in our systems of education. An historical acquaintance with lan- 

 guage is indispensible to the instructor who has some loftier ideal than mere 

 empiricism, in the teaching of even elementary grammar-. 



The lack of philological training in the Southern states was deplored, and 

 an appeal made in behalf of a new dispensation in this regard. The origin and 

 evolution of English was then discussed, and its relation to the processes of 

 comparative philology pointed out. It was demonstrated that many familiar 

 idioms are incapable of explanation except by the application of philological 

 methods. Positive and habitual error is the result that follows from the teach- 

 ing of English, even in our elementary schools, unless the instructor has first 

 acquainted himself with the accepted principles of philological science. In the 

 collegiate instruction, the liability to error is still greater, as the field is more 

 extensive, and the subject increases in difficulty as the student approaches its 

 purely historical phases. The speaker concluded with an earnest appeal in be- 

 half of the philological study of language on the part of teachers in schools of 

 every degree. In the absence of historical and scientific acquaintance with 

 language, empiricism and mechanism is the inevitable sequence. 



