Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1830-12-25
EoR THE WING.
Christians Zee

Christians Ere.
To H,e Editors:-With a squad of my comrades
Messrs Editors have been examining, IN ycster-
days Wing, the grammatical enquiry propounded
with such pressing earncstness by your Louisa cor.
respondent. How you could so slghtlngly toss away
beneath your notice question so gravey put, and
in its nature so grave-aye, and one winch judr
ing by the putter's manner seems to have raised no
small commoon respectable county Of tins great
and unterrified commonwealth. is for you answer
to conscsnces countrv and the said puttsr
We, Of Mr.. -'s Seminary, deemed it worthy of our
most serious consderation-hc rather VIC but The
the other day overheard tn ,he eloquent Mr. the
Judges -, and -, and -, &c &c. &c:
in solemn and earnest debate upon this very question
and from the animation with which they discussed it.
they considered 1t no jokc. at all Sup
posing you also to be by this time inspired with Jus,
respect for il, proceed TO the discussion: maintain.
ing oil that gravity which BELTS subject so mo-
mentous
The phrase, of which the proprcty has been SO
much cunvassed, is this--"Uiihout hardky any mas
hcaton ="
There were ELK ofus All except Tim Fiddefad.
de- thought the expression bad using neatives
to carry negdiiue idea; which our grammar saws il
wrong. But Tim IA positive talking fellow that new
gives up any notion in his hea,D said he d
be hanged if the word hardly, the phrase hardiy
any, was negative He could not deny thai ,oitto1t
negative word.) "IIardy any" said Tim Fid.
dlefadde. means some though not much Now a no
gativc word is one that signifies total d"privaton-
absolute noihingness II is thoroughgcing donier
in vain scolded at him: he would not surrender his
position. So we carried the question TO our precrpt-
VIII, you kno Tor ought 10 know is match for
either Harris. or Horne Tooke, or Lndloy Murray.
He at once declared the passage tn be nor English
''It contains said he, two negatives ,rittout i'm
plying entire negatioD; and hdrdig any, implying
partial, or qusiedncgation; soutc nothingnes.
il IS true, but an approximation oft IT'S NOT essen
al TO negative tha' il signify absolute nothingne,,
tbs enough, il it do so i'll partial manncr. 'Tsa ne.
gaiive it its aim aud tendency be- 10 make ie of its
subject To Try whether hard!y any is negative or
otherwise substitute Sr 4. another phrase ndispuin
bly, SYNONYMOUS with il: for instance. "nIDiost No."
(Which IL CLEARLY negative Sc how this last phrase
reads III tho dispnted sontonco-- cLk1m tL,rosr SO
maslication What mn outrage upon our vcrnacu-
lar tonguo!"
Our worthy master enlarged great great deal fur
Their upon this outrage butas have heard that dues-
tons Of grammar usually tire all hut tho.o viii, weld
the birch fcruln and - rccolcc IN Horace some
where to have snen c"usprr cast on one Who mokes
fuss about trles (rxoinr d. lana raprina3 f,fbear
to- report all that spd AS 90 ihr opr ir, itsolf
however, lci il b. hcpcerward forever al tc.t TIM
expression Dihtou hG,fiy any il unrranmaticaI
JACK SYNTNX /
v $ Tho Court Of Aopcals aud half the l.cgisa-
turo ] am told, have dccidodn Tho Same way