The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-11-13
An Overworked Word.

An Overworked Word.
A history Of oppression and degradation
is contained in the lines that follow. The
victim is not a person. but word. the noun
thus defined by the Century Dictionary:
"Consecratiou-1. Tho act Of consecrating. or
separating from common to q sacred the act Of
devoting dedicatng person thing to tho service
OF Con by certain rites solemnities: the
Of the priests tho Israeites: the conservation
of the vessels used in the temples; the conservation Of the
elements In the eucharist: the Of church.
80. The act Of comforting upon priest the powers
and authority Of bishops tho into or ceremony Of ele
walton to tho episcopato the act OF giving he sacra
mental character to the cucharsc elements OF bread
and wine: tho act Of placing particle Of the conso-
Grated bread host in tho chalice: the oommixture
"a Devotion dedication from deep feeling
pecially from religious motive: the Of
self to the service Of Coz Of ones energies TO
the search for truth.
~. In Roman history. the ceremony of the apoth.
costs Of an emperor" ..oir " -"
It seems as IL ink cannot flow from pen
held in the heavy hand Of Mr.. GROVER
CLEVELAND without shaping itself into the
letters that form this noun conservation.
or some form Of its correlative verb. It
seems as II the CLOTHS In his massive throat
cannot work for five minutes at time
without producing this particular combine
ton Of vowel and oonsonant sounds.
To exhibit fully the constant and extern.
sive misuse to which Mr.. CLEVELAND has
put the noun conservation and the verb to
consecrate would require columns Of space.
A few illustrations will serve our present
purpose. In his speech accepting the Pres
idential nomination In 1884 CONSERVATION &C.
CURED; it may be said to have come in with
CLEVELAND: .'. $500
"Thsse thoughts lend conservation to our cause"
That is to say. "our cause" q political
and strictly secular cause. has borrowed
"a conservation" from these thoughts:"
these thoughts being the ordinary plati-
tudes of partisan rhetoric. A few months
later. in his first inaugural address:
ION this suspicious occasion may we'll renew our
pledge Of devotion to the Constitution. which, launched
by the founders of tho Republic and consecrated by
their prayers and patriotic devotion has for almost
century borne the hopes and the aspirations OF great
people through prosperity and peace and through
shock of foreign conflicts and the perils Of domestc
strife and vicissitudes."
In this instance the use Of the word is
toierable as referring to the founders Of the
Republic; but In the same address and al
most in the same breath In which Mr..
CLEVELAND consecrates the Constitution
of the Uuited States. he also consecrates
himself:
I'm the exercise Of their power and right Of sefeov.
eminent they have committed to Of their fellow
citizens supreme and sacred trust: and he hero CON
socrates himself to their service"
Tho second speech by Mr.. CLEVELAND &C
cepting Presidential domination. that OF
1888. did not fail to introduce the overworked
word:
but added to my apprehension Of Its sacred character
and the conservation demanded Of him who assumes
Its immense responsibilities"
Likewise the second letter OF acceptance:
There must DO a complete and solemn self-cousecra.
ton by the peoples chosen President OF every faculty
aud endeavor to the service Of conndns and gener-
Gus nation OF frecmen"
To tho Evangelical Alliance he wrote in
December. 1887:
"Your endeavors, oonsecrated BY benevolsncs and
patriotic love. must exert powerful influence In the
enlightenment and improvement Of our psops."
q "a his address at the unwilling Of the GAR
FIELD statue In Washington. that same
year:
1.-THE genius Of national life beekons usefulness
and honor there in every sphere and offers tho highest
prsferment 10 manly ambition sturdy honest effort
chsstsnsd aud consecratsd by patriotic hopes aud as
pirstions."
Here Mr.. CLEVELAND obviously was
thinking OF himself while talking OF GAR
FIELD. A-month later he made the same
word do service in letter TO Mr.. JOHN w.
FRAzIER concerning the Gettysburg re-
union.
thereafter this battlefield will be consscsatsd bye
victory which shall presage the end Of ths bsttsrssss
Of strife"
Recently. We regret to say. the hsS1t has
grown upon Mr.. CLEVELAND. In almost
every speech which he delivers IN public.
and In almost every letter which he writes
with view to publication. he oonsecrates
himself. or somebody. or something. II
was only on Wednesday last that he conse-
Grated Mr.. PARNELL:
lost upon those who take up his work to which he 50
thoroughly consecrated all his enos and aspirations"
1t Is not to be supposed for an instant that
Mr.. CLEvELAND's persistent misuse Of the
word. whose exact force and Significance he
SO strangely misapprehends. Is due to tnten-
tional irreverence. His vocabulary Is some
what limited. and this noun Of twelve letters
has to do frequent service which properly be-
longs TO other words. Hehas probably never