Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1818-11-07

of departed syilables. ::
Fashion is the great enemy OF uniformity. !
She delights 10 wa-upon the very substance !
of our ideas: she changes the ancient boun- !
diaries of speech, and DESTROYS the very |
landmarks of consistency. Unherlhe COLI !,
troll of this enchantress, every thing Is me- |
tamorphosed: vice dweils in the ediEce |,
which virtue once inhabited; whileyirtue, |
marked with inlamy, grovels in that dust
from which vice was raised; the former
princes. lords and burghers OF the domain
, are reduced TO the most degrading servi-
Jude, while some dapper little p!ebeians,
who constituted perhaps byeword nj re.
prosch, are exalted over them, arrayed IN
! new garments, and not untrrquentiy Gilt
tering with stars.
! Ii is plain, then. that each revolving age
Il had almost said each revolving year,
works an imporiant change in our language.
Like the fashion Of cur apparel, II Is conf
nually huciuating, ard we may in lew
years be as difficult to be understood BY
our posterity as are a, present the works oil
old Chaucer or Allan Ramsay. Common
tator will rise upon commentator. and as IS
usually the case, tend TO make That obscure
which at present to US is plain. To obVI-
; ate this, il is necessary that persons com.
petent 10 the undertaking should yearly,
monthly or daily, as circumstances may re-
orire, give accurate definitions land that at
some. length too) Of the important v',rds
then in vogue, the changes they may have
undergone, the senses in which they are
then employed, and the ideas 10 which
they are attached. OF performing this inn
portant task | am totally unable: but as It
may he interesting TO your readers, with
your permission, Messrs. Editors, shall
endeavor to mark, in few instances, the
variation of language, and the remarkable
difference between the manner III which
they were formerly understood, and the
sense which they convey at present. For
instance, let Us take the word
HoHoUR-This word formerly comPrl-
sed within IFS meaning, worth, dignity ana
morality at present II sanctions murder,
swinding and seduction. An honorable
man lin the sense in which the word is at
present under.tcod) will kill his friend,
cheat his neighbor, and destroy the congu!:
2al felicity Of benefactor. In proof OF
this, we need only refer to the daily &C.
counts which we receive, OF what are called
affairs Of hcnor,' TO be fully convinced OF
the propriety OF the above description. In
short, il is at present an almost indefinite
word, to which various signlllcatons are at
tached. In the first place, it is now used as
very convenient word 10 swear by; thus,
upon my honour by my honour, or
upon my sacred honour, are at present
sounds signifying notbng-mere senseess
explosives. which fashion sanctions to exc
out discourse, and give an apparent ener-
gy TO language. Or, as il has been incon-
testbly proved { believe by Hudibras)
that The seat of honour is somewhere near
the extremity OF the body, upon my ho-
nour, and ] give my honour may mean a
reference TO its distinguished residence and
is equivalent TO an expression among the
profane vulgar, OF ask my-honour. =
There is likewise the law of honour by
which those who despise the law OF the
land, and are too independent for the law
OF God, regulate their conduct.
DAMN, DEN, or DAMNATIoS-Soft, easy,
polite words, which mean nothing more or
less than consigning the soul (now consi-
dered as the most worthless part OF the hu-
man system) to eternal misery. The an
GENTS had much the advantage of US in
swearing they had some score more gods
than we. and each OF these volunteered heir
aid in actual service This gave their oaths
most agreeable variety. Beside, each OF
these deities we're famous for some disin-
| guished attribute, or presided over some
| particular occupation or employment =
| Thus curses we're happily parcelled out to
every profession, business or qualification.
| The drunkard swore by Bccchus-the war
ricrs by Jupiter or .Ndrs-al beauties were
| licensed TO swear by Psnus-.HinerUn stood
and statesmen and bountiful deity even
profiered helping hand TO every black
smith. and this sooty minister OF charcoal
was allowed TO vent his spleen and test his
veracity by Vutcan. These were the great
advantages in days OF yore: now, we can
call only on Ole God to damn US; and to.
gether with ourselves, every blackguard
makes use Of the same privilege. Howev-
er, there is one consolition-what we want
in variety, we make up by frequent repeti-
ton. a stock Of oaths which would have
Taste an ancient gentleman full two months
or more, their modern descendants will ire
ouen,y exhaust in less than twenty.iour
! hours. Our fnrefathers were so careful OF
what they possessed, that they would sci.
dom part with an oath, or evend common
damn, unless on some momentous occasion
but we dissipate them on every lrItilng SUBJ
ject, and absolutely in a few days throw, a.
way more oaihs of value, than fashionable
of antiquity would subsist upon Tor twel We
month. fknow shall be thought singular
in attempting to depreciate an universal
practice but my only reason is, the trc-
mendous fear into which am thrown, lest
BY being thus incautious we may txlaust
| the current coin Of Chrslendom, and leave
our children nothing to swear by.
Thus far, Messrs. Editors, at present.