The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-08-12
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

I'll go a bit further and state that some expressions which pass current for Amer Iican slang have come down through cen- tlries, and are hoary with age. like many of the jokes we have to listen to at present.
 For example. we say fellow is "a reg ular brick" Many of us make use of it without any thought whatever of who first gave it currency.
 This phrase and the ones "A perfect brick" or You are brick,' is one very frequently s.eard, and if tradition speaks truly. boasts very respectable origin and antiquity, and for fear you are not familiar with the story I will give it.
 
 Plutarch. ir his life of Agesilaus. King of Sparta, srins out this striking tale On a certain occasion an ambassador from Esperus, on a diplomatic mission was shown py the King over his capital fame. knew that only nominally King of Sparta, he was ruler of Greece II was Tn the day or WdHeu Clties, anu the ambassador had looked to see mas sivc walls rearing aloft their embattled towers for defense of the town, but he found nothing of the kind He marveled much at this, and spoke of it to the King. Tt was enough to arouse his curiosity, and he said: Sire. I have visited most of the principal towns, and find no walls for defense. Why is this?7 This gave Asesilaus his cue, and he re- piled; Indeed, Sir Ambassador, thou |canst not have looked carefully. Come with me tomorrow morning and I will show you the walls Of Sparta" Accordingly on the following morning the King led his guest out upon the plain, where his army ing proudly to the serried hosts he said: There thou behoidest the walls of Sparta, ten thousand men, and every man brick"
 This is as the lawyers say on "all fours" with the reply of the eminent Roman matron to Campanian lady, who, on visit to the mother of the Gracchi, displayed her jewels somewhat ostentatously, and wished to see those of Cornelia who turned the conversation until her sons had returned from school | and proudly said, These are my jewels. ' Robers, in his Human Life,' says: Pointing to such. well might -Cornelia say,
 When the rich casket shone in bright array,
 These are my jewels ', l But we need not go back to Greece or Rome to find a story to show forth the l courage and the valor and the worth of a true man, tor while there are a number of stories as 10 the origin of the nick name of Gen. Thomas J. Jackson, one of the heroes of the southern Confectionery, | I prefer the one which seems to be the most authentic, and which is credited to | General Bee of South Carolina, who, to encourage his own men. cried, "Ikook at Jacksons men! They stand like a stone wallt" And today the great com mander is known in history as stone wall'' Jackson.
 l There is, however another version; in I fact there are many anent the word brick" as used in connection with it. According 10 one accounr, the expres- sion arose in the English universities l as a humorous translation of the Greek word used by Aristotle to describe per feet man. It means good fellow in an emphatic sense term of admiration be- slowed on one who on occasion or habit ually shows in a modest way great or un- expected courage, kindness or thought fulness or otker admirable qualities l The thought Is expressed in verse in Barham, Ingoldsby Legends. Brothers of Birchington, as follows:
 fin brief I don't stick to declare Father
 Dick,
 So they called him for short. regular brick;
 A metaphor taken. have not the page ! alright,
 Out of an ethical work by the stagy-
 rite"
 suppose t will be needless to call at tention to the fact that the last line re- fers to Aristotle and his home in Stagyria-
 I referred to the sobriqutt "Stonewall Jackson, but in the New Testament the Master Himself makes a play on the name of one of his most interesting lapostles, when He says, And I say also
 unto thee, that thou art Peter. and upon
 this rock I will build my church.; and
 the gates of nell shall not prevail agains: lit" I'll not go into this great contro-
 versial test which has been a bone of contention for many centuries. but will
 only point out the fact. strange as il
 may seem 70 us. Jesus of Nazareth
 knowing all the weakness and fickleness
 of his impulsive disciple, gives him the
 name of Cephas. which means rock. Il So the next time any one speaks of a
 fact that it's no new thing. but was cur rent in the time of Plutarch, had con. Inection with Aristotle, the father of logic and the most influential of the philoso lphers, and that even the Carpenter oi Nazareth embodied the same idea in re naming Peter. and that one of the south { bravest and best beloved generals wa.
 known as "stonewall"
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