The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1886-06-15
The Origin of q Famous Phrase.

LILO OIISlu VI - = dhnOuS Af0SCs
The dispatches from Deer Park COM
plicate the pathological question which
has been in controversy for several
months, Who invented the celebrated
phrase ssinnocuous desuetude ?"
Some authorities have attributed It to
Secretary Bsyard Others believe that
Col. Dan Lamont devised the expression.
Mr.. Blaine says that il manifestlp orig.
mated with the Hon. Alvey A. Adee,
Third Assistant Secretary of. State. Ac.
cording to some Of the able journalists
who are spending the honeymoon at
Deer Park, Mr.. Cleveland clsims the in.
veuiion as bis own.
This claim. or admission, Was made
in the frank, free intimacy Of . conver
sation With several of the reporters
whom he had invited up to the cottage
Mrs. Cleveland had been reading aloud
to the reporters some of the congratula.
tory kilograms just received by the bsp.
py pair. In one OF these the phrase
"inocuous desuetude" WAS facetiously
employed by the sende:
"There has been considerable discuss.
ion % to the origin Of that phrase, as.
serted reporter,
"On, II originated with me, respon.
ded the President, knowingly. i re-
marked when / wrote tbs words that
they would probably give rise to consld.
erable amusement throughout the coun-
try, hut the variation that have heen
played upon IL exceeded my expecta-
lions"
Another dispatch gives slightly dit.
ferent version of what the President
said:
"Where did you get the words I'm
nocuour desuetude ?" asked one of the
visitors.
"They we're my own,' the President
answered. Il wrote them without think.
ing how they would sound. On read.
ing over tue letter said 10 my self those
two words will make rome fun, but tht re
are not bad, and ! will let them stand
That is oil there is to 1t. /"
Here Is third account:
"Beforc leaving. one OF the reporters
ask ed: BY the way, Mr.. President. there
has been some discussion as TO who in
vented the expression ";nnocuous de-
sue,ude and where It came fromf'
"Oh,' answered Mr.. Cleveland With a
hearty laugh, Il invent d it. l though
it might amuse somebody"
And still another:
"sIt's my idea.' replied the President,
Il used those words aud thought they
would please the Western tax payers
who are fond of such things.'"
The various versions agree as to the
main point. Mr.. Cleveland asserts bis
undivided claim to the authorship OF The
phrase that has occssioned so much con-
troversy. He says that he invented In
nocuous desuetude. and put it into his
message with deliberately humorous in
tent.
But is Mr.. Clevelapd's recollection &C.
curate2 There is such thing as uncon-
scious assimilation and repetition
Everybody knows how easy it is for q
speaker or writer, without the slightest
intention to plagiarize, to appropriate
and offer as original an idea or form Of
expression w,ich has impressed itself
upon the gray matter of some one of his
ganglia, unaccompan!ed by a memoran.
dunn giving credit to the real author.
In Questions like this internal evil
dence has often more weight than even
so positive claim to the authorship of
innocuous desuetude 90 Mr.. Cleveland
has advanced. Any competent critic
Who is accustomed to subject rhe fea.
tures Of literary style to qualitative an