NAMES. 25 



But this partial uncertainty in the connotation of names can only bo 

 free from mischief when guarded by strict precaution*. One of the 

 chief sources, indeed, of lax habits of thouglit, is the ctistom of using 

 connotative terms without a distinctly ascertained connotation, and with 

 no more precise notion of their meaning than can be loosely collected 

 fi-om observing what objects they arc used to denote. It is m this 

 manner that we all acquire, and inevitably so, our first knowledge of 

 our vernacular language. A child learns the meaning of the words 

 man, or ic/iitc, by hearing them applied to a variety of individual objects, 

 and finding out, by a process of generalization and analysis of which 

 he is but imperfectly conscious, what those ditTcrent objects have in 

 common- In the case of these two. words the process is so easy as' to 

 retjuirc no assistance fi'om culture; the objects called human beings, 

 and the oljjects called white, differing from all others by qualities of 

 a peculiarly definite and obvious character. But in many other cases, 

 objects bear a general resemblance to one another, which leads to their 

 being familiarly classed together under a common name, while, without 

 more analytic habits than the generality of mankind possess, it is not 

 immediately apparent what are the particular attributes, upon the pos- 

 session of which in common by them all, their general resemblance 

 depends. When this is the case, men use the name wdthout any re- 

 cognized connotation, that is, without any precise meaning; they talk, 

 aiid consequently think, vaguely, and remain contented to attach only 

 the same degi'ee of significance to their own words, which a child three 

 years old attaches to the words brother and sister. The child at least 

 is seldom puzzled by the starting up of new indixaduals, on whom ho 

 is ignorant whether or not to confer the title ; because there is usually 

 an authority close at hand competent to solve all doubts. But a similar 

 resource does not exist in the generality of cases; and new objects are 

 continually presenting themselves to men, women, and children, which 

 they are called upon to class proprio motu. They, accordingly, do 

 this on no other princij)lo than that of superficial similarity, giving to 

 each new object the name of that familiar object, the idea of wltich it 

 most readily recalls; or which, on a cursory inspection, it seem* to 

 them most to resemble : as an Unknown substance found in the ground 

 will be called, according to its texture, earth, sand, or a stone. In this 

 manner, names creep on fi'om subject to subject, until all traces of a 

 common meaning sometimes disappear, and the word cofnes to denote 

 a number of things not only independently of any common attribute, 

 but which have actually no attribute in common; or none but what is 

 shared by other things to which the name is capriciously refused.* 

 Even philosophers have aided in this perversion of general language 

 fi-om its purpose ; sometimes because, like the vulgar, they knew no 

 better; and sometimes in deference to that avei'sion to. admit new 



* It would be well if this natural degeneracy of language took place only in the hands of 

 the ignorant vulgar ; but some of the most remarkable instances are to be found in terms 

 of art, and among technically educated persons, such as English lawyers. Felony, for ex- 

 ample, is a law term, with the sound of which all ears are familiar ; but there is no lawyer 

 who would undertake to tell what a fdlony is, otherwise than by enumerating the various 

 kinds of offences which arc so called. Originally the word felony had a meaning ; it deno- 

 ted all offences, the penalty of which included forfeiture of goods ; but subsequent acts of 

 Parliament have declared various offences to be felonies without enjoining that penalty, 

 and have taken away the penalty from others which continue nevertheless to be called falo. 

 nies, insomuch that the acts so called have now no property whatever in common, savo that 

 of being unlawful and punishable. 

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