LITHUANIAN LANGUAGE AND LIT ERATURE, The Lithuanian language is more ancient than Greek, Latin, German, Celtic and the Slav tongues. It belongs to the Indo European group and is the nearest idiom to Sanskrit. The resemblance, indeed, is so close that Lithuanian peasants can understand Sans krit sentences pronounced by learned scholars. Hence philologists are generally agreed that Lithuanian is the most ancient of all the living languages. It is not easily possible to compare it with Arabic, the antiquity of which has not been fathomed. A remarkable feature of Lithuanian is also the fact that it has as much likeness to Greek and Latin as to Sanskrit: Lithuanian — Virai traukite jungan; Latin —Viri trahite jugum (°Men drag the yoke)1.
Lithuanian — Dzievs (Dievs) (lave dantis, duos duonos• Greek — Zeus dedoke odontas dosei siton.
(°God has given teeth, he will give The invaluable service of the language to philologists was recognized by Kant (1724 1804), who was born in Prussian Lithuania and acquired a knowledge of it. In his preface to a Lithuanian grammar he wrote: °Lithuania having a royal character, deserves the protec tion of the state. She must be preserved, for her tongue possesses the key which opens all the enigmas not only of philology but also of This statement was scientifically sup ported and confirmed by the great philologist Schleicher in his work on that language, while Reclus, in his monumental ‘Geographie Univer selle,' says: If the value of a nation in the whole of humanity were to be measured by the beauty of its language, the Lithuanians should rank first among the inhabitants of Europe." Lithuania had no writers at the time of her existence as a great state. Traditional songs, poems and legends were chanted by itinerant burtininkas or national bards. About the 16th century they ceased to exist owing to clerical persecution, and their songs died with them they are lost. The bards differed from the minstrels of other countries and races in that they glorified no heroes real or legendary: they sang only dirges for the dead, the so-called raudas. A popular style of lyric singing with musical accompaniment is the aclaina?' mild and tender in spirit, simple and resigned, breathing resignation in grief and devotion to patriarchal customs. There is in them nothing of the slashing, fire-eating bravado that distinguishes most of the ancient ballads of love and war. If the soul of a nation is revealed in its songs, then the Lithuanians deserve to be classified as the most harmless, peaceful race in the world. Even the German poets Goethe and Herder are said to have borrowed inspiration from the Lithuanian “clainos,* of which many thousands exist, adapted to all phases of life excepting war.
During the Reformation religious literature, written by Jesuits, made its appearance in Prussian Lithuania. The oldest book in the
language was a catechism translated from the German and dated 1547. Until the 18th cen tury only translations of the Bible and other devotional works existed in Lithuanian, when the fine national epic poem, 'Metas) (The Four Seasons), by Duonelaitis (1714-80) was published. The three leaders in the national revival were Daukantas, Poszka and Bishop Valanczevskis. The first wrote a number of literary and historical works, among which the most important are 'Lietuvos Istorija) (His tory of Lithuania) and 'Budas Lietuviu Kal nenu it Zemaitiu' (Character of the Lithuanian Highlanders) ; the second produced many poems and translations; and the bishop wrote a history of the introduction of Christianity into Samogitia. During the first half of the 19th century the national literature progressed favorably if slowly when the Russian govern ment intervened in 1864 and ordered the Latin type hitherto used to be replaced by Russian characters. Proscribed in Russian territory, the printing presses were removed to Prussian Lithuania, where books and papers were printed (mainly at Tilsit) and smuggled across the borders to the Lithuanians under the Tsar's rule. Since that time some notable additions have been made to the literature, though it can hardly claim a prominent position as yet. The majority of later writers devoted themselves to poetry—the national favorite. Kudirka wrote 'The Bells of the Fatherland) and the hymn 'Lithuania our Country' (Lietuva tevyne musu). The highest rank in the modern school was reached by the dramatic poet, Vidunas, who wrote a trilogy, 'The Shadows of An cestors,' the force and beauty of which, has been favorably compared with Shakespeare's work. The poet and publicist, Jaksztas, con ducts his own review, Draugija, in the columns of which his original works make their first appearance. Quite a number of women writers have added to the modest total of the budding Lithuanian literature: Rogana, Peleda, Bite Petkevicz, Lazdynu, Zemaite and Szatrijos. The famous Polish novelist, Henryk Sienkie wiecz (d. 1916) was of Lithuanian origin, as also was the patriot Kosciuszko. Political re pression and lack of educational opportunities have hitherto hampered the development of both language and literature in the past. The law of 1905 permitted the introduction, during the first two years, of the Lithuanian .language in schools where the teaching was exclusively Russian. All the higher schools have been abolished and elementary education is not com pulsory. Beyond a few native societies which promote popular lectures, there is no facility whatever for adult education. Two such so cieties were broken up by Russia as recently as 1908. Consult Gabrys', Jerzy, 'Sketch of the Lithuanian Nation' (Paris 1911).