318 The Botanical Gazette. [July, 
said, this is more important than stability or consistency. 
This is simply the law which governs the persistence of all 
other names. By what divine or other right is botanical dif- 
ferent from other language? We must admit that in the long 
run, where there is no personal or philological reason for keeping 
to a special system, the principles controlling the use of other 
names will control the use of botanical names also. But all 
other names, those of things, places, people, battles, institu- 
tions, are, except to philologists, mere symbols or handles 
Nobody except the philologists ever trouble to enquire 
whether they are appropriate, or historically correct or give 
due honor to their first users or fit a system of orthography or 
grammar. There are principles governing their giving and 
use, it is true, but these are never statutory, they are unwrit- 
ten, unconscious, psychological. Nearly all attempts to legis- 
late on names fail, as witness efforts at orthographical reform 
of English, of grammarians to control certain features of lan- 
guage, of rulers to replace native names of rivers, etc., by 
introduced ones. Regulations unaccompanied by a power 
to enforce them, always fail. In language, names however 
given, after they have once come into use, are upon the prin- 
ciple of least resistance, used still more because they are the 
most intelligible. Men use those most convenient at the mo- 
ment without regard to reasons. Botanical names differ from 
others only in that they are given with more deliberation and 
some attempt at system; I am unable to see any principle in 
their use which will in the long run make them different from 
other names. I believe, therefore, that all efforts to reform 
nomenclature which involve changes of well known and well 
established names, will ultimately fail, for the very good 
reason that the make-up of men’s minds is against the suc- 
cess of such changes. 
Another feature of language which the reformers forget is 
the immense value of authority upon hero-worshiping man- 
kind. It is in all language the use of words by great men 
which makes these words good form; considerations of con- 
sistency and stability are as nothing in comparison. This is 
very illogical and inconsiderate of humanity, but it is true. 
The personal nomenclature system of Dr. Gray is to most 
people made as authoritative by his very use of it, as is the use 
of English words by a recognized master of English. And 
why not? Who is better competent to judge of what consti- 
