ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 83, 4 October 1924, Page 16

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

DIFFICULTIES ENUMERATED BY SIR SQUIRE BANCROFT.

It is not only foreigners-, who have difficulties with tho English language (suggests a correspondent of tho " Manchester Guardian"). Sir Squire Bancroft, irl his second book of "Recollections," relates that once, when they were expecting tho Marquis do - Casa Luiglesia to dinner, they had a, servant .who " beat all records in misplacing the letter H. Flinging tho door open, he announced " the Spanish Ham "— making .a. perceptible pause • before ho added " bussador." I shall never forget the effect produced. Edmund Yaies and Corney Grain, who were of tho party, and talking together .it the moment, bolted into the small drawingroom. . . . My wife had diflicuity in according a proper reception to her guest, who waa, of course, innocent of tho abuse, of his distinction. Bancroft himself was once announced at an hotel in Mentono as " Monsieur lo Baron Kraft."

That tlie British occupation ,of Mesopotamia has resulted in s,n inc-en-ed knowledge of the English tongue tan be doubted .by no one who leads the following " gems " from the summer examination papers of the local st hools, as given recently in tho " Bagdad Times. When asked to write a verse one young Iraqui produced the following version of the British National Anthem :—

God shafe our greatous King, Ling live or no balking, God shaie the King! . > Send him victorious, Happy and gawd to us, Long to rain over us, God shafo the King ! It need hardly be said that the schoolboy m question is believed to belong to that great Bagdad community who proudly claim descent from the Babylonian captives of the tribe of Judah Even more striking is the following aphorism from a. recent schoolboy's essay:—"Tho schoolmasters are the gleaming diamonds in the darkness of slupidness and dullness, but the lawyers are tho moon m th e suushimng of tho learning of tho day. Come with mo to a country which has only lawyers and 'no teachers; wo shall only sco tongues playing in tho mouths of the lawyers, with uo use but riot." A bit mixed, but the general intention ia evidently a desire to bo rude to the lawyers. Nevertheless one suspects that schoolmasters as a class have more direct influence on the writer a personal experience than has the class ho attacks.