It cannot be denied that German etymology is held in lower regard and is cultivated with less affection than the French. This fact is not surprising. For how easily can the results of Romance language research be made clear to the educated person who masters Latin as the primary source and German as the most important secondary source of French! And what joy it brings when etymology reveals familiar words in a new light! We owe the scientific achievements of the present century our knowledge of an early period of German language history, which is validated by no other testimony than the language itself. The literary monuments of the ancient Indians, uncovered by the learned world since the end of the previous century, led to the momentous discovery that the Germans have existed for several millennia.