A British poet has presented in poetry the special features of several of the European languages, which we give:—
“Greek’s a harp we love to hear; Latin is a trumpet clear; Spanish like an organ swells; Italian rings its bridal bells; France, with many a frolic mien, Tunes her sprightly violin; Loud the German rolls his drum When Russia’s clashing cymbals come; But British sons may well rejoice, For English is the human voice.”
There are eight languages in the bounds of Christian civilisation that may be accounted powerful, because they are the tongues of vigorous people; they are the English, Russian, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Scandinavian. But of these all are indigenous, except the English, so that they die if transplanted. Look at this country and behold what a cemetery it is for languages. Once the French had strong hold and promised to abide here; but it is now nearly gone, even from the state of Louisiana and Canada, the last places of retreat.
If we take note of the population according to these several languages, we shall see the prophetic future of the English. It is spoken by about ninety millions, Russian seventy-five, German fifty-six, French forty, Spanish thirty-eight, Italian twenty-nine, Portuguese fourteen, and Scandinavian nine. Within the control of the governments of these languages we find England to have rule over 255,000,000 people, who do not as yet speak English, and we find that the other seven have only seventy-five millions outside of themselves. Here is an important difference. If we look at them by territorial limits, leaving out Russia, we find the English language to own 13,382,686 square miles, Germany 449,684, French 571,578, Spanish 4,694,811, Italian 114,466, Portuguese 4,028,311, and Scandinavian 1,308,830. The aggregate number of square miles possessed by these six languages, is 11,167,620, which altogether, you see, own 2,215,066 miles square less than the English. The balance itself is more than Germany, France, and Spain put together. The English language is divided only into two governments, but the other six are divided into twenty-six, all of which governments are bitter one toward the other; each trying to supplant one another, while England and the United States are at peace, and will ever remain so. In one hundred years from now the English language will be spoken by a thousand million people. Thus we need no stretch of fancy to see that what the prophet speaks of in the text will be accomplished in due time.