Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-02-05

GlaaIrien -. -aHeh-tA = -A-as
In the volume Of transactions of the British
Pathological Society just published is paper By
Mr Loihar Bncher O1 political terms, in which
the author gives some curious instances Of th'
tines at which particular words and phrases
have come fat0 nae, a1d the manner IN which
their meaning has changed, thus he quotes q
/ special Of Sir Robert Wolpole in 1872 as con
taiaing ths first mention he can find Of he term
! prime minister
4 In England, .hat which we call the admins
sration is spoken Of as the g3EenmeRl-ors
more eommOuly, is simply government, With
/ out ihe article Engiishmen speak Of Lord
I Palmerston's government Lord DsTby's gov
eTnmoat, JUST as we speak Of M1 Lincoln's CT
hdr. Bocaanan's administration, This term Is,
7 however, quite recent. Not many years ago the
phrase was the ministers or the ministry, and in
Cathara's lime ths commoness word vas that
we use, the administration, or more usually
without the article, sdministra ion
During the Eavoluii0Dary war, AID ne believe
for soma tine after yard, Congress was always
spoken Of in ihe plusal. as Congress have, and
IN ths earlier yesTs CT tie war It vas usual 70
say the Congress.
On the uss Of the term public opinion Mr. Ba-
chez gives several curious particulars
My earliest certificates Of existence Of the
c7mpoand public opinion ars. in French tn
New Holojse, 1853 In English the dispatch Of
Lord S.oTmOnt Of January 20, 1871 In FuTgu-
sons history Of the Roman empire 1888 it
occurs three timss; IN his essays on civil s0ei-
ETY. 1907, the same idea IS. fully treated Of but
expressed otherwise Ia the first FIVE instances,
embracing the tims from 1871 to 1896, the def
mite article is invariably sdisd-.he pubic pin
ion This addition would be very unusual now
a-daTsi doubt whether any living writer
would put it SO. In c)asulting various gram
mars have not found any sadsfac,Ory explains
ton OF tbs pfenoaenon IN the growth Of Ian
Rnage. Ny impression is, in this individual
case, that the loss Of the article corresponds with
the rise OF the wGrd ffOm the dry term Of the
historian and the hslEsDsering expression Of the
dipiomaiiss to the name of q pers0nifed power,
q HHRon. And If that be the case, We may, in
thn further loss recently to be observed. Of the
objective public in tbs use Of the simple word
opinion, tracs its further fight to perfect deity
or perfect nothing.
Ha gives an insiaace of tbs abuse Of term
which has its parallel on our side Of the water
at bis day.
Oae may safely sfim beforehand that the
word aristocracy has been part and parcel Of the /
English language from a very early period I
Bat The att0rney-geneTei IN Horne To0lSe's trial
(ll95), in enumerating the new opinion propa-
gated oy the friends Of the accused and the
accused and ths new terms in which they con.
v5yed those opinions says To the rich was
given the name ariStoerscy and in considering
this application Of the term as a new one he is
evidently gate correct.
In Like manner many American journals use
the term Democracy srhen they mean to speak
only Of tie so-caliei Democratic party, as Che
Democracy of this State Democracy ike
ans crscy, is the same Of particular form Of
governments and 1t is 3 uischieVous abuse of
isngusge to apply it to party because it breeds
o confusion Of ideas By which uusbinkiug men
are toe apt 10 grant to the party, wrongly callng
ltseH Democratic, the attributes and principles
OF democracy. As ths Democratic party is
ct present, there IS a very wids difference be-
tween theirs and the democratic principles. By
q singular fate, the Democratic party in this
country is to-day the only upholders of that
sristocrate and gnsi-dem0craic element in our
republic which is striving to tear it to pieces
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