The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1878-07-31

NulCH tue LWO dtC uccu ALdtuCi CGAl y
as being the one equivalent TO th
other. Speaking of Poles and Sla
vonic Silesians, Captain Spencer re
marks Perhaps no instructive trai
OF manners more eharacterizes boil
than their humiliating mode Of &C
knowledging kindness, their ex
preston of gratitude being the ser
vile Upadam do l0g, (l fall at you
feet which is no figure of speech
for they will literally throw them
selves down and kiss your feet fol
+ the trihing donation of few half
pence. Here, then, the attitude o
the conquered man beneath the con
queror is either actually assumed Of
verbally assumed and, when used
the cral representation is a substi
tule for the realization III act. Other
cases show us words and deeds simi-
larly associated; as when a Turkish
eonrtier, accustomed to make humble
obeisanees, addresses the Sultan
-"Centre Of the universe, YOU
slaves head is at your feet;' or as
when q Siamese, whose seryile pros.
trations occur daily, says to his sn-
I peri0r-'Lord, benetactor, at whose
feet | am - to q Prince-'I the sole
Of your foot :" to the King-"I q
dust-grain OF your sacred feet Still
better when a Siamese attendant on
the King says: High and excellent
lord Of me thy slave, | ask to take
the royal commands, and 10 place
them on my brain, on the top OF my
head" We have verbally indicated
that absolutely subject attitude in
which the head is under the Yietor's
foot. Nor are there wanting insian-
ces from from nearer countries show
ing this substitution Of psofsssed for
performed obeisanees Ia Russia.
even in these days of moderated des
potism, petition begins with the
words, "So-and-so strikes his FORE
head" Con the ground y and petit
TONERS are called forehead. strikers. I"
At the Court af France az lac as
1871, it was the custom If some to
say; Il kiss your Grace's bands, 3"
and Of others to say: Il kiss your
lordship's feet. Even e. The pres
ent time in Spain, where orisutal-
ism descending from the pas, still
fingers, We read "When u gel Up
to take leave, if Of lady, you ; ould
say, my lady, place myse-i at
your feet ;" to which she u . ply,
81 kiss your hand, sir" / ON what
hes gone before, such OF gins and
such characters cf forms OF address
might, indeed, be anticipated. Along
with other ways Of propiiiating the
victor, the master, aud the ruler,
will naturally come speeches which,
beginning with confessions Of defeat
by verbal assumption Of its attitude,
will develop into varied phrases
acknowledging the state Of servitudc
The implication, therefore, is that
forms OF address in general, descend
ing as they do from these originals,
will express, clearly or vsgcely own
ership by, or subjeelion TO, the per-
son add sssed OF pTopitiatory
speeches there are some which, in
stead of describing the prostration
entailed by defeat, describe tue re-
sulting state Of being at the mercy of
the person addressed. One cf the
of these occurs among the
eannibel Tupis While, on the one
hand, a warrior shouts 20 his enemy,
May every misfortune come upon
thee, my meat p on the other hand,
the speech required from the captive
Hans Stade, on approaching a dwell
ing, was, 81, your food, have come" :"
A verbal surrender Of life takes other
forms in other places. 1t is asserted
that during ancient times in Russia,
petitions TO the Gar commenced
with the words-"Do not order our
heads to be cut OF, o mighty lord.
fer presuming to address you, but
hear usw And though | do rot get
direct verifcation for this statement,
it receives indirect support from the
sayiug-"Whoso goes to
the Car risks bis head" as als1
from the lines
'slIy soul is Cots
Ny land is mi re
Ny heads the Cars
Ny back is thiner
Then, again, instead Of protesting
to live only by permission of The
superior, actual or pretended, who is
spoken to, W. fnd the speaker pro-
Tossing to be personally q chattel of
his, or to be holding property VI his
or both Africa, Polynesia,
aud Europe furnish examples. when
q stranger .en,ers the house OF
SerFaeolet, (islsnd negrO,) be goes
out and says: 'Whi.e man, my
house. my wife, my children belong
to thee" In the Sandwich Islands,
a chief, asked respecting the owner
ship of house or canoe possessed
by him, replies, at is yours and
mine" In France, ia the fifteenth
century, complimentary speech
made by Able On his knees 10 the
Queen when visiting a monastery
was: ave resign and offer up the
abbey with all that is 10 il, our bodies,
as our goods" And al the present
time in Spain. where politeness re-
gnires that anything admired by a
visitor shall be offered to him. "the
correct place Of dating a letter from
should be, From this your house,
wherever it is; you must not say
from this my house, as you mean 10
place it at the disposition Of your cor
But these modes OF
addressing real or fictitious gaye-
rior, Indirectly asserting s-bjeetion TO
him in body end elects, are seeon-
dary in Importance to the direct as
sertions OF slavery and seryitude,
which, beginning in barbarous days,
have persisted during civilization
down to the present time.-Herbert
Spencer an Fortnigbtly ReUie1r.
when we build, / am going to
have place in the house where we