New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-07
THE LANGUAGE OF ASSENT.
Curious UNCERTAINTY ABOUT THE
ORIGIN OF THE WORD AYE

THE HOUSE OF LORDS FORMULA OF CoN' N'i
AND NOT coNTENT'-A QUEER CHURCH
CUSTOM.
From The London Globe.
There are endless ways of saying NO ana
assent can be expressed in e0uaiy VaIi.u ""''
Mr.. Kipling's neolithc poet informs US ina,
There are nine and sixty ways OF constructing
And every Single one of them is right!
TIE same may be said of the language OF as
sent. 1t has ample vocabu airy. Ihese y p ,.t
negative affirmative, for instance fe D
Harte's stage-driver says at the conclusion oi
his wondrous story of the coach that tra'eneu
down the Geiger Grade on three MneeS On one.
two and finally for 300 yards or more on one
who swerves from the truth in his taie-No thank
Perhaps don't care II 40: you may e"o i' ~
same, Jm-no sugar!
"I don't mind IL do is quite familiar form
OF assent in some circles-eSpecid"y W 81
offers as the stage-driver gracousiy accepleu
Tho variations in public methods or expressing
ossant orc curious Every one is familiar with
the public meeting formula. In which all VINO
are of a certain opinion are bid to express the
Same in the usual manner. whereupon up go
What the reporter loves to call forest OF
hands" More inspiring is the method sometimes
adopted of inviting those who assent 10 say
aye" This is House OF commons lasni 'e,
Though comparatively few propositions sufii-
GENTLY stir the House to the roar OF agreement
that goes up from an excited public meeting.
The curious thing about aye is that no one
knows whence the word came. Ut. murray says
that az an affirmative exclamation 1t appeared
suddenly about 1915, and was exceedingly COM
mon about 1000. but its origin is unknown. vi
course 1t is easy to guess. and the piausipie
ayIgppstiOn has been made that III Is the Saiie
as the adyerb "ay" which means ever. always
But curously enough. at first it was always
written Theoretically. IA spelling never round
with the meaning of "ay." ever: so the problem
remains open Drayton, in his string of sonnets
called Idea" 05e4) writes: Nothing out NO
and l. and I and No" The word. wherever IL
may have come from, was early adopted by the
House of Commons Andrew Marvel, in one OF
his letters referring to Parliamentary proceed
ings in 1869 writes: The ayes proved l3S and
the noes 129' and it was in use long before that
date.
THE LORDS QUAINT FORMULA.
The House of Lords fashion of expressing as
sent and the reverse-"Content' and Not Con-
TENTS equally old, but grown quainter ~
styIe. II Is of course. founded on the older
eliiptical use Of Content as an exclamation OF
agreement which Is now obsolete in ordinary
speech. In the first part OF Henry vi the
King calls upon the contentious serving-meh-
some with their heads already broken-to cease
from disturbing the peace and join In friendship
as their superiors had done. Content ex.
claims one "Tll to the surgeons The earliest
nllusion to the House Of Lords practice which
has been found is dated 1921. in an account
printed by the Camden Society OF the Peers
the charge shall. be sent to the Lord Chancellor
say-Content Such wyll have his -Lordshp
como neither to heare the charge. saye,N",
Content" Another variation. the ''placet' and
ia reverse OF ecclesiastical councils and Of
university governing bodies, lie. OF course SIM
ply the Latin equivalent. 1T pieases' OF Con-
tent"
Perhaps the most singular of English forms OF
expressing agreement or approbation-long since
obsolete-was the practice once in vogue even
among church congregations OF making hum
ming noise when anything was said which the
audience particularly liked or agreed with heart
lily. In contemporary account or the trial OF
the regcides in 1860 It is often stated that the
people humid" evidently In approval or what
was being said Once later. when Bishop Burnet
preached before the House Of Commons. part OF
his congregation. we are told. hummed. so
loudly and so long that he sat down to enjoy it,
and rubbed his face with his handkerchief. An
other preacher OF that era. however DR.. Sprat.
Bishop of Rochester when loud hum arose
from the congregation stretched out his hand
and cried: Peace. peace. I pray you peace"
Macauay tells us that when William III. five
days after his proclamation. went down to the
House Of Lords. and from his seat on the throne
addressed the Commons assembled at the bar.
the speech was received by the crowd of MEM
bers OF the lower House with the deep hum by
which our ancestors wont to indicate APP
probation"
ORIGIN OF HEAR! HEAR
II was about this time. according to the same
writer. that another curious mode of expressing
assent or agreement began to be commonly
used-that is, the interjected Heart hear"
which in the House OF Commons of the present
day may mean. according to the intonation,
agreement or derision, admiration or indigna-
ton. but In ordinary use elsewhere Is generally
restricted to an indication Of agreement. Ma
caulay says that the phrase Hear him. was
first used to silence irregular noises and recall
attention to the speaker. but gradually became
what Hear. hear" is now The form Hear
him." lasted for very long time pOetical
Art Of Poitlcks' of 1871 gives the sensible ad-
vice
IT, when you speak. you'd hear a Needle fall.
And make the frequent hear-hims rend the wall,