Brinton.] 54b [Nov. 5, 



Action on proposition No. 1113 was postponed until Decem- 

 ber 17th. 



Prof. Cope exhibited some crania of Tahitians and made 

 remarks on human dentition, after which a discussion ensued, 

 participated in by Drs. Horn and J. Cheston Morris. 



The President reported he had received and paid over to 

 the Treasurer the Michaux rentes for July, $133.07. 



On motion, the Society subscribed to the "Journal of 

 Morphology." 



And the Society was adjourned by the President. 



The Conception of Love in some American Languages. 

 By Daniel G. Brinton, M.D. 



{Read before the American Philosophical Society, Nov. o, 1886.) 



" The words which denote love, describing a sentiment at 

 once powerful and delicate, reveal the inmost heart of those who 

 created them. The vital importance attached to this sentiment 

 renders these beautiful words especially adapted to point out 

 the exceeding value of language as a true autobiography of 

 nations." 



This quotation is from an essay by a thoughtful writer, Dr. 

 Carl Abel, in which he has gathered from four languages, the 

 Latin, English, Hebrew and Russian, their expressions for 

 this sweet emotion, and subjected them to a careful analysis.* 

 The perusal of his article has led me to make some similar ex- 

 aminations of American languages; but with this difference in 

 method, that while Dr. Abel takes the languages named in the 

 fullness of their development and does not occupy himself with 

 the genesis of the terms of affection, I shall give more particular 

 attention to their histoi'y and derivation as furnishing illustra- 

 tions of the origin and growth of those altruistic sentiments 

 which are revealed in their strongest expression in the emotions 

 of friendship and love. 



Upon these sentiments are based those acts which unite man 



• Linguistic Essays, by Carl Abel, I'b.D. (Loudon, 1&2). 



