ENGLISH-SPEAKING WORLD

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 55, 2 September 1924, Page 7

ENGLISH-SPEAKING WORLD

SEASONS FOR UNION.

, -Very great interest was attached to all that Proiessor Adams had to say at the meeting called in his honour by the English-Speaking : Union of Wellington at the Dominion Farmers' Hall yesterday afternoon. ■ • . . : .-... .: :

Sir Chapman presided ' and extended a'"hearty welcome to Profes-' sor Adams; and< alluded to the spread of the sentiments and principles • for which the Union stood, and the good effect > which they would have on the policy idf the world at large. : v \ Professor Adams was able.to tell those present something about the inception of the E.S.U., and said that it was fat: first proposed to call "theysociety- the Anglo-Saxon-Union," but the Americans were not in sympathy with that, as such a large proportion of the popu-lation-there was pot of Anglo-Saxon origin. The effort!, of Uhe -union to gather together people of different lands who spoke the same tongue was an ideal one,1 and likely to "do an immense amount of good. ■ Processor Adams remarked that he knew America well, and loved it, and realised the difficulties they had to'contend with there in the way of language, for .there were parts where English or Americanised English was not spoken at all, but either German, or Spanish.! These people had all been brought together and Americanised, a -tad 'part ■of this fact being that the younger .generation learn-. Ed to speak- and write American, and looked down on their parents who could only speak, their original tongue. -He thought that it.-was a; mistake to try and keep two languages going officially in a country,' and instanced the - difficulties which arose in Canada, where the French Canadians: were partly Scottish folk, and the result was that the French language had .become so broadened in pronunciation that it was almost unrecognisable to the new;-, comers .from France. The speaker said that it was a very quaint thing to look at the rows of red-headed, 'high cheekboned children^ purely Scottish in physique, and hear them reciting their lessons in French. •.'.>.--• : ;.. ■■..•.■•".

-. The American -and English languages were, of course,' fundamentally one, though the American literature was thoroughly its own, and the\ people' were ■not much/affected by English literature, as they did riot read many English books, though the English were great readers of books .written: and- "produced in America. He! • compared the people of the two . countries with the ordinary relatives of people. They cared for each other, and nobody else was > quite the same to: them, .but; they claimed the privileges of relationship in the way of candid- criticism,: which, might be useful, but was,, not at all pleasant. However, the world largely depended on a real friendship'existing 'between America and England, and nations would have to behave as Mong as those two great forces stood loyally together. The League of Nations was'-,started hi the ■' former country, though' difficulties had prevented the .CQjjjitry.- from joinmg in so far, but it must be realised that there was.a fine spirit there, and America was no -inqre..a* nation of dollarworshippers than England was a nation of shop-keepers. Vflie - speaker again alluded to the necessity for some such union as. that of the E.S.TJ., and spoke of the good work already accomplished by its means. ■ It stood for the best_^ means of securing \ and keeping; the peace of the" world. (Applause.) ton- Lobert Stout, in. proposing a vote of thanks to ProfessorI'Adams, 'asserted that there had \ilways . been a strong feeling between New Zealanders and the Old Country. He contended that the outlook for peace between England and America was now strong. He asked Professor Adams to convey to those he met on: the other side of the world the strength of the' feelings of New Zealanders for unity and peace. . The vote of thanks was carried with hearty applause, as also was one to Sir Frederick Chapman for presiding.