Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1886-12-18
Something About Words and Their
Curiosities.
To the Standard.

10 the standard.
Mirabeau said, words are things"
and how important they are, will
readily appear, by considering what
man would be without words! All
the wisdom of the Past, all the facts
of the Present, every fear and hope Of
the Future, every wish, every feeling,
every sentiment and passion which
has ever warmed or chilled the soul,
or which will hereafter soothe or stir
the human heart, all, all have found
andWill ever find their appropriate
expression in words.
So diversified and all-embracing
are the points of contact of words
with the interests of life, that no
other one of the many instrumental
ties of mankind as constantly and
persistently affects the rise, progress
and happiness of the race. 1t is obvi-
Gus that no education can justly be
considered worthy of respect, with
out it imparts at least an extensive
and accurate knowledge of the words
of ones mother tongue, and that to
this point, teachers to whom is en-
trusted the development and instruc-
ton of the youth of the country,
should devote great and assiduous
care. Though it is hoped this
article will interest the general read
er, it is written mainly for the pur-
pose of awakening in the minds Of
your younger readers keener inter-
est in this branch of their studies. AS
a means to this desirable end, illus
trations follow, showing some of the
curiosities Astounding in the words of
our language, and that their more
critical study is full of fascination to
the inquisitive mind.
Let us take an oft-repeated word,
"Tariff." No doubtmost ofyour read
ers haveheard the politicians holding
forth in words of "learned length
and laundering sound" upon what
they called the "tariffquestion, "but
whether or not at the end of the har-
argues any clear idea of the subject
had been gotten is totally different
affair. The truth is, though many
talk fiippantly and write pretentious-
ly enough about the tariff, but few
men in the United States really un.
derstand it.
The tariff is a tax upon imports
Now, how does it happen that this
particular tax is called "Tariff," in.
stead of "Import tax" or External
as contradistihguished from our SIN.
ternal Revenue tax?" The answer
to this question carries us back many
centuries; to time, indeed, long be-
| lOlt SOlullUuS ulSCONtICl AllcllCu
About the year no or 712, $4,000
dusky warriors landed from Africa
upon the tongue of landjutting south
ward afterwards theStraits of Gibral
tar, which connect the Atlantic ocear
with the Mediterranean sea. They
were commanded by a battle-scarreC
Arab named Taric ben Zayad, who
having lost an eye was called in the
country thus invaded Taric ell TuertC
or Taric the one-eyed. That country
was Spain, which was conquered
passed under the rule of the Moors
and by them was held for maay years
During their reign, they erected a
the place where Taric had landed q
fertilization, called in their language
"Tarifa."
Watching from this stronghold al
the vessels going into or coming on
of the Mediterranean, they ISSUED
forth and compelled them to pay ;
fixed tax upon their merchandise
The word "Tariff'' is thence derived
embodies scrap of history, preserv
ing the memory of one of the Moor
ish modes of raising revenue and 0
the place where it was collected. TIL
name of this tax was, therefore, wei
chosen and is appropriate.
Take a more familiar word, "Sassa
fras." Now if the school children
were told they did not know tn
meaning of sassafras, no doubt the.
would open their eyes in indignan
amazement. Yet VENTURE the asser
ton, that neither they, or indeed
very many of "the children of a larg
er growth" are acquainted with tn
"true inwardness" of this word! !
is derived from two Latin words
iStc,G1', a rock, and FRANCO, to break
and means "the rockbreaker.
How did it get this name? Its us
as a medicine dates back very fal
4 4 1900 4 1