Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1860-04-27

you never think of asking him how he
likes "the place." or of hoping that "he
gives satisfaction" To see "humble
servant of the church," too, driving about
in his carriage-Gnd-pair, with II second
humble servant of the church on the box,
in livery, and II third hanging on behind
in the same livery, would sstonish an un-
sophi isticated creature who always attach
cd the same meaning to the same word
Ministry, too, may be taken in more senses
than one; when yon hear that the ministry
are going out, your imagination conjurcs
up no string OF reverend gentlemen taking
healthful walks abroad; nor, on the other
hand, when your friend, the poor widow,
introduces to you, with pUrdCnablc pride,
her clever son from school, and strokes
his head fOndly as she tells you she in
tends him for the ministry, do you for
moment suppose that the boy you Tip is
If man should tell you that he took
bus to your house, you would by no
means confound his proceedings with
those of the policeman whom you iudig-
nantly observed taking what sounds ex-
0ctly the same upon parting with your
cook at the area-gate; in the latter case,
you would probably write the word with
double when you sent your note of COM
plaint to the superintendent. Governor
is quite protean in point of Specification;
ifa respectable elderly gentleman or lady
talk of the gorcrnor, you know he is some
one holding commission from Her
Majesty if it be young and not very
sedatc looking individual who is talking,
it may be taken for granted that paternal
authority is alluded TO; in any other
case, you may be assured that it is
one of the Iheads of those houses, estnb-
lishments, or societies with which this
country abounds. Except at Michaelmns,
it would be difficult to declare with any
certainty what the meaning of goose might
be in any given sentence; without plenty of
context, or a knowledge of the person
using the word, it would be easy to con-
found Il bird with II human being, and eli
Ihcr of those with an instrument peculiar
to tailors. $50 it, old hoss!" is u phrase,
the understanding of which is materially
assisted by knowledge of the els or trans
atlantic origin of the uttrrcr But if we
once get into the region of slang. there
will be no end to the difficulties, and they
are numerous enough in what humorous
patriots call plain English. We have
known the name of n street to have caus-
ed an alteration, and almost n serious
quarrel, between two friends of hasty
temper a. asked B. the name of street
they had just passed; B. answered WyCh
Street. a. endeavorcd to describe it, and
again receiving the same information, be-
gan to make uncomplimcntury remarks
upon BIS faculties; whercupon B. retortcd,
and personal recOntre was imminent,
when the happy idea struck B. of spelling
the word to his irascible friend. Adjcc-
tivcs are, even more than substantives, de-
pendent upon circumstances for apprcci-
alton. When Lucy calls Emma de0r, by
ISLANDERS are either quite Indifferent or ap-
prchend quarrel, according to the tone
of voice; but when Lucy calls All unrelated
Charles dear Tor rice rcrsa), those who
0veTticar -the--appsllStion immediately
commence certain hT4thmeticHf process
popularity known as putting two and two
together, though in this instance it would
be more appropriate to join one and one
together. Let no man who hears himself
called q nice fellow, plume himself upon
his merits until he has fully ascertain
ed the force of the epithet; it may so
happen that little piece of rascality on
his part has Just been discovered. No
one would think of trying the effect OF
soap and water upon n dirty scoundrel,
though the combination might be advisa-
BILE and cffiCaciOuS in the case of dirty
boy Mrs. Puritan's good man will seldom
be found to resemble him whom college
tutor describes rs a good man; or whom
the commercial world, and still less those
whom the patrons of boxing, boating, and
cricketing, pronounce good men; while n
yo0d thing. strange as it may appeHr,ls not
nnfrequently unfit for ears polite. 1t
would astonish many q one to hear the re-
cipicnt of 100000 a year proclaimed
poor scholar; and there are not Il few who
would be equally amazed to discover that
a comedian with four guincas week was
considered rich
Enough has been said to show that the
curious may find food in the study of
common words, and we will conclude with
the history of mistake into which little
boy once fell, in consequence of using
word of which he did not know the mean
ing, and from too readily snpPosing that
his school-tcllows despised the aspirnte.
Everybody knows that Mt certain public
schools, when the names are called over,
each boy is required to show his acqunint
ance with dead languages by shouting in
proof of his bodily presence the Latin
word adsum. Now Master jenkins had
been very we'll brought up, and on that
cventful day which saw him, for the first
time, member of the worshipful Society
of Public Schoolboys, he had parted from
his mamma with solemn promise that
nothing should induce him to tell an nn-
truth. He rrrived at the signof the birch
rod-u hostel kept not by licensed vic
tunller, but Master of Arts-where he
was to put up just as the inmates were
going in to tea. He was invited to the
meal, and accepted the invitation, though
his heart was so full that he neither ate
nor drank. After tea the roll was called,
and young jenkins remarked That every
boy answered Gdsum, or. as it sounded to
him, 'ad some. His name had been pre-
viously entered, and he, in due time, with
the initiative tendency inherent in human
nature, uttered a shrill adsum. But now
his mind misgaye him. He not unnatur-
ally supposed the boys had been ncknowl-
edging that they had partoken of whole