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also to find that . this deduction of modern scientific inquiry 
agrees with and is best explained by the simple account of the 
confusion of tongues at Babel, written in the ancient Jewish 
scriptures . There we are told that the earth was once “ of 
one language and of one speech." And now it is found that 
whence roots and inflections of words in each language are 
traced back and back, we can perceive the common radical 
points from which the various dialects have diverged. Now 
tr is seem settle the question upon its merits! 
Ur lhornton however, put it before us more moderately and 
modestly. Without claiming to have absolutely proved so 
much, he argued that if we find that the traces of common 
resemblance among the roots of the languages of the earth 
are sufficient to show their probable or even possible deriva- 
tion from one common stock, then that that alone ought to 
determine us in favour of the Scriptural account. And why ? 
Because the Bible has other claims upon our consideration. 
VV e must take its whole scope, also the whole evidences in 
i s favour proving it to be the revelation of God to man; and 
then, as regards this comparatively incidental episode narrated 
m the course of its grand history of the world and of man- 
ind, we cannot but receive its teaching with reverence and 
faith, when we find there is nothing in science to show that 
the very letter of the written word as we have it,” as regards 
the origin of human dialects, is “untenable.” 
1 “OJ turn naturally from Dr. Thornton’s valuable paper to 
that of Professor Young On the Language of Gesticulation, 
lead at our first ordinary meeting this session. The Professor 
passed from the. consideration of the highest to the lowest 
mode of human intercourse, from the expression of thought 
by articulate language to its expression by dumb signs and 
gestures As no race of mankind has been discovered who 
t w P / ,an ^ a ^ ® ome Persons might be apt to conclude 
that Professor Young’s paper dealt unnecessarily with a mere 
imaginary condition of things that never had existence upon 
0 ,’ so far as man’s knowledge, and therefore so far as 
man s science, can extend. But we must remember that the 
earned Professor wrote his interesting memoir expressly to 
meet the imaginary speculations of those who, contrary to 
1S now 'edge and science of mankind, are endeavouring 
bemi Z6a i 1 t0 t6aoh the world > that “an has probably 
f *T e ape, and was therefore originally with- 
• L o< ^ ce ? ’ ^ 1S a ^ so actually the fact that for several even- 
g the Present session the Anthropological Society 
has been engaged m gravely discussing a theory of one of its 
