New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-05-22

with no attempt a rhetorical establishment,
though on suitable TOPICS h. gives frequent spec-
mems Of ioreible description.
TIE STUDY OF WORDS. p R.enA.o carvr-rs
TRENCH limo. Pr. 2s. Rs1dsd ..
A series Of lectures, in which several
| pathological nicctes are discussed ia popular
manner. The author is subtle and ingenious, 10
tracing many Of our common words to their ety.
biological origin, though it must be confessed he
often INDUCES in merely fanciful speculation. The
following curious specimen shows his keen scent
in pursuing word to its derivation:
When the alligator, this ugly crocodile Of the nov
world, first by the Spanish dscoverers they
called It, with true insight into It's species "elagsrto,"
which IL belonged In Sir Waiter Raleish's Discors.
~ Of Gudiana the word still retains this is Spanish
form. Sailing up the Orinoco, We saw in il" he says,
divers sor Of strange fishes of marvellous bgness but
for lasartos II exceeded for there thousands Of
these ugly sepents and the people call IT, for the abund
of hem the river Of icSaros In their THE SPANISH
aseTwsrd the word assumed BY supposiog that Ens.h
sailors who brought home the word and had continually
heard but may probably have never seen II written,
blended a. has not unfrequenty happened me spanish
article "el" with the NAME and thus from this absorp
ton of the article acquired the shape ia which We pos
sess 1t now In Ben Jonson, Who writes aigara," We
the word In the process of its transformation.
But here we have an instance of ingenuity gone
wild:
There 10 little word not in uncommon use among
u.s. inquiry into the pedigree of which win lay open
to us an important page in the intellectual history Of the
| world. We may all know what "dunce' u, but we
may be well acquainted with the quarter whence
the word has been derived Certain theologians In the
middle ages were termed schoolmen being % called
because they formed In the closter and cathedral
schools which Charlems gne had founded-men not 10
be lightly spoken Of they often are by those who
! Al oft their rks nd hsy a
their wit who moreover little guess how many OF tho
most familiar words which they employ, msemploy,
tual" "entity" nonenty" "equivoca'iou, all these
with many unknown to classical Latin, but which
now have become almost necessities were 6rst coined
by the schoolmen and passing over from them into the
language of those less interested In their specu.
latons have gradually filtered through the successive
strata of society, sill now they have resche6, some OF
them TO quite the lowest At the revival of learning,
however their works fell out of favor; they were not
written in classical latin the form in which their specu
| laions thrown was often unattractve; II was
mainly In their authority that the Rornish church found
support for many Of ito perile dogmas ON all which &C.
counts, II considered mark Of intellectual pro-
gress and advance have broken with them and alto
gether thrown of their yoke. Some, however, still
chung to these Schoolmen, and to one in particular,
Duns Scots the great teacher of the Franciscan order;
and many times adherent Of the old learning would
seek strengthen his position by an appeal to i great
doctor Familiarity called Duns; while the others would
contemporary rejoin, "Oh you are Dnasman," or
more briefly" "You are Duns'--or This is piece
of dsnsay;" and inasmuch as the new learning was
ever enlsting and more Of the genius and schol
arshp of the age on its side the title became and
more term OF scorn Remember We not says Tyn.
dal show within this thirty years and far less the old
barking ours Ounces disciples, and like draft called
Scosts the children of darkness ragged In every pulpit
against Greek. Latin, and Hebrew :" And thus from
that long extinct conflict between the old and the new
learning, that strife between the medieval and the
modern theology we inherit the words, Ounce and
dunceIy." Let US pause here for moment 70 con-
fess that the lot poor Duns was certainly hard one,
who whatever may have been his merits as teacher
of Christian truth certainly of the keenest and
most subtle witied of men, He, the subtle doctor 6y
prominence for 80 his admirers called him. could
hardly have anticipated, aud as little as any man dc,
served that his sh0ud be turned into by-word
expressive of stupidity and obstinate dulness.
We have numerous other instances showing the
tendency of the author to indulge tempting fancy,
especially on theological topics. Still this little
volume is full of valuable suggestions. The adept
in verbal distinctions, will find in it no little
amusement as well as instruction.
pYNNsHURsT BY DONALD McLEop. II mo. pp ST.
Charles Sciibner.
This is new version of Sterne's Senti-
mental Journey,-like the original defying all Sc
quence of method and indulging in audacous ex-
periments of diction-but unlike that, full OF te-
dious platitudes, and mistakng affectaton and ex-
travagance for fights of genius. Longfellow is also
boldly cOunterfeted, but the result is nothing but
"a Satyr" to Hyperion" The work has the
fatal CLASSY briancy which betrays the hand
of the imtator. With an air Of delicacy
and refinement, it lacks the warm breath OF
nature-its dainty descriptions are as destitute
Of vitality as the puppets of a mlseum--and its
coloring of sickly sentiment soon becomes nsuffer-
c,ru veada no fron m
fe.sion that 'nonsense is part Of Pynnshursts
character is the most genuine thing in the book,
and is fully borne out by all that we learn OF the
hero on further acquaintance.
T THE GREAT HARMONIC" by An
DREW JACKSON DAVIS. Vol iii. This new volume OF
tho Hamonia Philosophy 10 in the form OF popular
lectures. Among the topics Of which 1t treats, are
Psychology Clairvoyance Inspiration, eigous Cniei'
tains, Dreaming The Sabbath, and 60 FORTH We notice
more popular mode of expression and illustration IN
this work than In Mr. Daviss former productions; Il
makes frequent references to the current literature OF
the dsv and has less of the weird mystical character
which 10 repulsve to large class of readers In his
crticsms ON the prevailing theology of New.England'
Mr. Davis shows the entire Independence public
opiuon submitting the most chershed dogmas to bold
examination without the slightest reserve His general
conclusions are too well known from his previous writ
inos IN need further comment at present q. s. Red.
aod. Fowlers & Wellsj
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Of lis practical Information Is probably not inferior TO
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