THE
HESPERIAN STUDENT.
Qui non Proflcit, Deficit.
VOL. VIII.
JANUARY, 1870.
NO. 1
THE POET'S GRAVIS.
II Y IIAYAIID TAYLOH.
'Twns in n sunny forest nook,
With flowers and moss o'crgrown;
Where naught was hcnril but the bees' low
hum,'
Or tlio wlltl wind's liquid tono
They lnld the gentle bard to rest,
When life's wild dream was o'er,
When tlw lyre ho woke with magic power
Gave forth Its notes no more.
The elm's long houghs droop o'er the turf,
Like mourners weeping by,
And there, In Spring, tho violet llrst
Looks up with mild blue eye;
And when the forests In the garb
Of summer proudly wave,
A thousand low, sweet melodies
Float mournful 'round his grave.
A holy calm breathes o'er tho spot,
The trees dork shadows fling,
Save when through twining boughs
gloams
Tho wild bird's flushing wing.
There, when the sunset's glow decays,
Bright forms with sunny hair
Ulido slowly through tho forest aisles,
Thon fude in twilight air
quick
THE OMQIN OF LANGUAGE.
The origin o( Language Science has not
yet discovered. Various theories more or
less plausible liave been propounded by
eminent philologists, but none bus as yet
met with general acceptance. The qucs.
tion, how did speech originate, still al
lures and baflles the student nf language.
Unsatislactory, however, as is any answer
yet given, when viewed in the light of
actual demonstration, it will, neverthe
less, be conceded by all who have given
attention to the subject, that many valua
bio data have been furnished for a better
and clearer understanding of the problem.
There are two methods by which prim,
itive man may have come into the posses
sion of speech. Language may have
been supernaturally communicated, and
was thus directly a divine gift; or it was a
purely human product, oblained by the
natural outplay of the human faculties.
The first theory has, among recent writ
ers, few supporters. There is no warrant,
it is said, for supposing that speech origi
nated in this way. It is not in accord
ance witli analogy, nor is it in harmony
with tho principles of the divine govern
ment that man should be supernaturally
provided with what ho is himself capable
of producing. Science, by which we
N