English Past and Present

but it would be as easy almost to alter the career of a planet as for man to alter these.

By the time that a people begin to meditate upon their language, to be aware by a conscious reflective act either of its merits or deficiencies, by far the greater and more important part of its work is done; it is fixed in respect of its structure in immutable forms; the region in which any alteration or modification, addition to it, or
substraction

from it, deliberately devised and carried out, may be possible, is very limited indeed.

The Past explains the Present

Thus when ‘jaw’ was spelt ‘chaw’, no ne could miss its connexions with the verb ‘to chew

Thus, when ‘grocer’ was spelt ‘grosser’, it was comparatively easy to see that he first had his name, because he sold his wares not by retail, but in the gross.

But so far from the spelling servilely following the pronunciation, I should be bold to affirm that if ninety-nine out of every hundred persons in England chose to call Europe ‘Urup’, this would be a vulgarism still, against which the written word ought to maintain its protest, not sinking down to their level, but rather seeking to elevate them to its own

We all probably are aware that there is a vulgar pronunciation of the word ‘Europe’, as though it were ‘Eurup’

The process of this it is often very curious to observe;

It is that at certain earlier periods of a nation’s life its genius is synthetic, and at later becomes analytic.

To keep this in mind will throw much light on one peculiarity of the Quakers, and give a certain dignity to it, as once maintained, which at present it is very far from possessing.