The Washington times., 1916-02-20
Lexicog rdpher' Right,
English Expert Rules
DR.. c. Alphcnso Smith, Highest Authority on Pre-.
else Word Meaning in. United States Says
People Is Correct

. .
phrase even by cthorwise good writer's
docs not make Il correct. n 80. such
expressions a. sdi1efcfif than would
come 70 be REGARDED as correct. for Il IS
usrg by many gpsakers."
The verdict OF the highest authority
DR.. Smiths Verdict.
"No valid objection can be brought
against the use Of people with pro-
ceding numeral adjective II IL true
that We cannot put these or those or
many or similar wortls before any
other collective noun, but good usage
undoubtedly permits such words before
Ensfish syntsx. but none ssy ,hs i iesss GOOD
Let us glance a moment at he
theory or Tendency illustrated by these
army. naIti Ss a FANNY 'oS crows'
class, company etc. have always
shown a trend from singular 70 plural.
even within the limits OF a single SEN
lowing might be cited. IN which the col
lective starts on as singular. but soon
breaks up into its constituent parts and
becomes plural:
"'For as much as this people refuseth
the waters Of shiloah that 20 softly.
and TeJotce in Resin and Remaliah's
son. usaiah $50.
"a fearful army. led by Caius Mar
cius, associated with Aundius. RACES
overborne their way tcoriolanus T.
10, 49,
s''our club, however. has frequently
caught him tripping. at which time they
never spare him. tAddison. Spectator
Each House shall keep q journal of
us proceedings, and from time 20 time
publish the same, excepting such parts
secrecy. tconstitution OF United
States, Article ]. Section 80
From Singular 70 Plural
"These CHANGES from singular 10
plural. never from plural TO singulsr.
shcw that there IL a popular tendency
in every real collective TO .plurahze
itself as soon as Il gets actively to
work in the sentence. But IL writers
point back to coliectives by MAINS Of
plural words ('reioice.' have they
'theirO. why. should they not occasion
means of plural words7 Why shoul4
| the right-hand dependencies be plural
| and not sometimes at least the left-hand
% moe WIKI IN 0tese g0rd etc., should Ss
found occasionally standing In front OF
/ collectives? Kipling says Those reGi-
ment were devils Such sentence In.
| of course. unRrammatical. but II IL none
L
way the wind is blowing. Every day
we hear these sort those sort these
kind those kind Such expressions are
| condemned and Justly 30, ! think. by
significant as proving. that collectives
| are straining at the leash. Only one
| collective. the word people has vindi-
| Gated its right to do what at least two
collectives have been trying for CEN
. tbs use q a. supported
BY good usage can be proved. I think.
by an appeal to facts. There are about
the Bible. Shakespeare writes without
hesitation many people and these peo-
pie. Steele. In the Taller. says: Other
people. perhaps. who make less 400.
may be. perhaps, as agreeable as peo-
pie who set themselves out more
The absence OF the definite article In
| people. etc, shows plainly that people
working people old people. young
has attained to certain numeral rights
| not accorded to any other collective.
! "As TO the difference between these
people and these persons my own
| feeling il that these persons II more
| courteous. because more personal and
| more Individual. The expression these
| people has not fully freed itself from
certain aggresate imper:onality. II
both expressions. however. because we
need frequently to make just the dis
tinctions that these expressions Imply.
We have at least. / think, no right 10
exclude these people on the score or
grammatica; purity"
Use "Men and Women"
Boiling II down, the controversy
seems to resolve itself into 80 many
men. so many minds" He or sho who
would avoid controversy over the word
people" when persons" Ia meant can
always do as the magazine did after
Mr.. Ryan's jousting match with the
! Lexlcographer and say do as 100000
other men and women do
Then there Is the perfectly good word
''indlviduals' to fall back on. Those
say .einks." 'boobs." 'gazsbos I"
"zobs,' s'skirts." James" or any other
OF a number of substitutes for people. .
Users of these terms might be subjected
10 considerable criticism on the ground
I OF ultra modernism. but the shafts d.
rected at them probably would not be
one bit worse than those hurled at the
friends OF people"
Investigation of the differences be-
tween advocates of people" and pre-
Moments OF persons serves to convince
The searcher after truth that the old
woman VINO kissed her COW wasn't Tar
/ all