PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 
AT THE OPENING OF THE SESSION 1872-3. 
Ajter stating the general nature and aims of the Plymouth Insti- 
tution, the President read a short paper on the subject of a 
Universal Language, as an introduction to the studies and discus- 
sions of the new session. 
He commenced by remarking upon the relation of language to 
the progress of scientific investigation, its defects as an instrument 
of thought and expression, the barriers to international communi- 
cation existing in the prevalence of different languages; and argued, 
on these several grounds, to the vast importance of having one 
universal tongue, claiming some justification for the notion from 
the general European use of Latin during the middle ages. 
His principal ground of argument, however, was the relation 
which Art, instructed and inspired by Science, has borne through all 
ages of progress to the powers originally conferred by Nature. He 
shewed, particularly in the instance of locomotion, how immeasur- 
ably Nature has been surpassed by Art, and how great in conse- 
quence has been the extension of human knowledge and power. 
He contended that although language has developed itself spon- 
taneously from the national and social constitution of man, yet, by 
the persistent application of science and art on the part of an 
association of learned men, an artificial medium of thought and 
expression might be formed as far superior to any language as yet 
known, as our mode of transition by steam-carriages is superior to 
our natural powers of walking. 
He then proceeded to point out some of the special features by 
which the new language should be marked. These were — A more 
copious and precise expression of ideas and modes of action, a 
combination of the powers of speech now existing separately in 
different languages, the fullest use of sounds, and their careful 
adaptation to different objects, the use of only hard consonants in 
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