382 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters. 



touches of nature which make the whole world and all ages kin, 

 wherever there is knowledge or faith, or hope. What thing is 

 so lasting as words ? 



Within my rememhrance the teachers of language in many 

 colleges were called Professors of Humanity or of the Humani- 

 ties. They are still in Scotland. N'or is anything in the term 

 there thought to be antiquated or peculiar. The idea in this en- 

 titling was that speech is by way of eminence the human char- 

 acteristic, one denied to all the lower world. The worm can 

 weave, the bee can build, but neither can talk. Similar seems 

 to have been the feeling of Homer when, differentiating man 

 from the animals, he styles him ^Ipoij/ (merops) , the articulator, 

 divider of the voice. The word fx€po\f/ is highly exalted in the 

 Homeric vocabulary, being used by the goddess of wisdom to 

 describe the most sagacious class of men. The more I have 

 studied words, their bearings and ties, strong connections, nice 

 dependencies, the more my conviction has deepened that every 

 language is itself a greater miracle than any work of the great- 

 est genius who has ever written in its vocables. 



TWO HUNDRED WORDS WHOSE ETYMOLOGY IS INDICATED. 



Aisle, 379. 

 Altar, 379. 

 Apron, 375. 

 Arbor, 368. 

 Arras, 369. 

 Artery, 374. 

 Awning, 368. 

 Balance, 377. 

 Bible, 381. 

 Bishop, 380. 

 Boer, 371. 

 Boudoir, 369. 

 Bridal, 372. 

 Bride, 373. 

 Buckwheat, 376. 

 Bureau, 370. 

 Butter, 377. 

 Buttery, 377. 

 Card, 381. 

 Carouse, 376. 

 Carpet, 369. 



Cathedral, 379. 

 Cemetery, 380. 

 Cenotaph, 381. 

 Chancel, 379. 

 Chapel, 379. 

 Character, 381. 

 Chart, 381. 

 Cheese, 377. 

 Choir, 379. 

 Chops, 374. 

 Church, 379. 

 Churchyard, 380. 

 Cigar, 369. 

 Clavicle, 373. 

 Clergy, 380. 

 Climax, 368. 

 Cloak, 370. 

 Clock, 370. 

 Coffin, 380. 

 Companion, 377. 

 Comrade, 378. 



Condiment, 376. Elbow, 373. 

 Conjugal, 373. Episcopate, 380. 

 Consort, 373. Epitaph, 381. 



Convent, 380. Espousals, 373. 



Corned beef, 376. Familiar, 367. 



Cousin, 372. 

 Cream, 376. 

 Crucial, 380. 

 Cuspidor, 369. 

 Daughter, 372. 

 Dawn, 378. 

 Deacon, 372. 

 Dessert, 375. 

 Dirge, 380. 

 Dish, 374. 

 Door, 368. 



Family, 367. 

 Father, 372. 

 Finger, 373. 

 Fleur-de-lis, 372. 

 Foster, 372. 

 Funeral, 380. 

 Garret, 367.; 

 Gospel, 372. 

 Hall, 369. 

 Hand, 372. 

 Hand-fast, 373. 



Drawing-room,369. Haunch, 373. 

 Drawn game, 369. Hermit, 380. 

 Dress, 370. Home, 367. 



East, 378. Hose, 871. 



Eaves-dropper,368.Hospice, 378. 



