National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-05-07
THE CLASSICAL SOCIETY
Enduises in - Me.apE,OricaI Discussion
The Genesis Of Language.

The usual select assembly filed Miss
Ransom's studio last evening to listen to an inter
ss;ing paper by John Able, esq, of New Hamp-
shire Faded Metaphors" While many,
doubtless, on bearing this theme announced, might
have been disposed TO regard it as rather selti-
mental one for a classical society the treatment of
it fully redeemed it from this imputation. The
essay attempted first 10 trace out the
. UNITY OF NATURE,
as seen in material and spiritual things in man.
kind and in individuals, thus showing their
harmonies and correspondence under every ap-
parent contradiction and disguise. If this unity
exists in man and nature then we shall find
it in detail i'll the contrivances of nature,
and i'll all those arts and means whereby
man expresses himself. and especially in
language by which he has left clear history of
himself. But it becomes obscured because of
language being merely symbol of his life, changed
from age TO age and among different races. 1t is
necessary therefore, 10 follow closely the origin,
growth, and changes of words and in this study
we find the steps by which they ascend from
physical Specifications to representation and fig
ulatiOn, become worn down into commonplace
again, and in short suffer all sorts of fortune like
persons. The remainder of the essay was given
to illustrations Of these few principles
President Shellabarger in Introducing the discus
siOn referred to the fact that i'll the matter of lit
eraTy style or artistic of language in the
writing of history-for instance, Herodotus and
ucydides-cOntinucd to be the models down to
the time of Gibbon. Since then the majestic style
had been abandoned, and a simpler and more
cyllOfuial style adopted. Professor Gill, being
called on proceeded to treat the
FORMATION OF METAPHORS
and their development into common figures of
speech from the standpoint most congenial to him
that of its analogy TO evolution in natural history
General Alvord abiding TO q statement of Judge
Shel!abager previous meeting relative to Daniel
Wcbstcr's well known and admired description of
England's morning drum beat echoing round
the world" read an extract from LOngfelluw bear
in. on the same General Birney gave some in
teresting illustrations of the etymology of certain
words from a resemblance to the sound of certain
operations. Professor Gatchctt carried out the
same idea as applied to the derivation Of the
numerals Mr.. eLouis Bagger, as u foreigner
raised some questions as TO what seemed to him
anomalus in the photography and orthoepy of the
English language. which the president referred
to Judge Lawrence to answer He began
by referring the inquirer to an article in
the Smithsonian publications, and then spoke
of the introduction of such words as bull
DOING "boycotting" &C., and then gave
q specimen of his own attempts at
woRD-MAKING.
Professor Dc lass spoke of the changes in
proper names as that of Lincoln from Linkhorn)
and others Professor Elliott inquired if the study
of the development of words might not throw
some light on the subject of prehistoric man.
beautiful bouquet from the White House conserva-
tory, which graccd the presidents table, showed
the continued interest of Mrs Garfield in the So
ciety The next meeting will be held a week from
next Wednesday evening, when Mrs. Cary Long
has promised q paper on The Use and Abuse of
the Classical"