The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1876-03-08
THE ANTIQUITY OF RY-WORDs.
THE ORIGIN OF SOME POPULAR AND
EXPRESSIVE PHRASES.

!
inc on life's panorama; ologies and
isms, clothed in higll-sounding rheto-
rio and perplexing bonbast, keep the
mind continually on the ga vire, lest
the balloon of transcendentalism
should ascend without them, or the
clue to our labyrinth Of aesthetics be
scarcely found ere another May the
DRY appear. Yet, with all this glitter
Of word and idea, it is curious to note
how the world clings to the coinage
Of minds and days, so long gone by, I
THAT though the ideas are retained !
the phraseoIogy in which they were
first clothed is obsolete, and their or
IGN forgotten.
"PoItroon" is instantly on the lips
when we hear of cowardly act, but
few know that "pollice truncns" was
q name of scorn first applied to the
base Norman who deprived himself
of his thumb that he might not draw
his bow in defense of his country
Who would imagine that imam of
straw" a term we'll known to all
yersed in the technicalities of law,
b. d been traced back to the Athen-
ian Courts, so celebrated for equity
that the Areopagites sat in the open
air lest their sacred persons should
be contaminated by profane and
wicked persons slipping in unawares
to them. TO the uninitiated these
quiet looking men, with straws stuck
in their sandals, seemed only careless
lookers-o and listeners to what they
felt no interest in; but wink or
nod brought them into the vicinity of
o w-giver, and keen listener might
have heard this colloquy: Don't you
remember?' said the advocate. The
party looked at the fee and gave no
sign, but tue fee increased, and the
powers of memory increased with it,.
''To be sure, ! do" "Then come in
to Court and swear it." And straw
shoes went into Court and swore it.
Athens abounded in straw shoes
Young folks would not shun the name
of "bIue stockings" "a q term Of OPP
prnbrium if they had ever read the
history Of the Societie de la Calza,
formed at Venice in 140U, whose
members were distinguished by the
color Of their stockings, blue being
the favori,c color.
Boswell gives a charming account
of c3Hi which existed il the time
OF .Innson. whose most eminent mem
her was Mr.. Sijlii effect, grandson q
the BishGp. whp wore blue @t0ck'n9s
and was So distinguished fox thc bril-
lianfy a,.l wiz ri his conversation
that when aEscat the other men, Der:
would cxcllii.l, We can do no ain!
without blue sto; kings" III thi'
syay iiic Tie OF The cub lecan.e rs
tatdishcl, aud the name d:iftc,, intt
q sobriqucJ for AL who affected liter
allure. The earliest mention of
..b;ne stor1ing7 orcnrs in a Creti
comedy entitled The Banquet o
plutarch." Oar ideas seem to b.
nged With blue, for inst now "tru
blue appears for honorable mention
Its origin has been mneh discussed
One writer claims it for the COnve
nanters, who assumed it in opposi
tion to the scarlet badge of Charlie
II. 1t was worn by the troops O
Lesley, and Montrose in 1854. Th
Covenanters were noted for their re
ligious pedantries and attectation o
strict observance of Hebrew customs
They named their children Zerubba
bel and Habbakuk, called their chap
ell Zion and Ebenezer, aud decorated
their persons with blue ribbons, be
cause the law of Moses commanded
"Speak to the children of Israel, an
tell them to make themselves fringe
+ on the borders of their garment;
putting in them ribbons of blue.
So when a Covenanter was very BRAY
he was true to his color.
Apropos of Round Heads they hav
the credit of "fools-cap paper.
Charles the First, always generou
when the act did not empty his ow
pockets, gave the monopoly of tn
manufacture of paper to a party VIII
stamped their goods with the roys
crest. Cromwell's Parliament mad
many jests on the Kings monogram
and in mockery substituted the fool
cap and bells. The Rump Parli:
ment had its brief day and passe
away, as also did the figures of tn
fool and his bells from the paper, br
sheets the same size of The Pa,