SOME NAMES OF PLANTS 219 



In this case no doubt the general want of a popular 

 name was only a part of the reason for one being 

 quickly found, for to many people " Chrysanthemum " 

 means only the garden varieties of C. sinense, and an 

 easy English name became necessary in order to 

 avoid confusion. 



But language is like the horse in the proverb, 

 you may lead it to the water but you cannot make it 

 drink. A word that is really wanted may be invented ; 

 it may be graceful and suitable and placed temptingly 

 before the public eye ; it may be taken up or it may 

 be left — there is no saying. 



The strangest thing of all is the way some per- 

 fectly good, strong, much-wanted words drop out of 

 use, such as the old English " Sperage " for Asparagus. 

 Here is a fine old plant-name with its honourable 

 pedigree written on its face, recalling on the way the 

 ancient use of the feather-brush-like sprays of the 

 wild plant in the old Roman churches of Southern 

 Europe for " asperging " the congregation. And for 

 some unknown reason this good old word goes out 

 of use, in order to revert to the much more cumber- 

 some Latin. 



In our common speech many an example may be 

 found of the same capricious waywardness, that shows 

 itself in neglecting the good word or in perverting it 

 from its true meaning, and putting in its place some 

 other word which is weaker and in all ways worse. 

 In some cases a whole swarm of poor substitutes only 



