Alexandria Advertiser And Commercial Intelligencer

ETYMOLOGICAL.

The Jacobin Gazeteers seem of late resolved to go by book, and, therefore, they quote, unmercifully, from their deep reading in the Dictionary, what is Aristocracy, and Democracy, and a Republic.
The learning that is thus poured into their small noddles must, if it be more than a gill, run out, for there is no such thing as making a pint bottle hold a quart. To assist our brother Duane with a drop of learning, as much as he can take at once, we recommend to him, this historical fact, as a curious topic among the antiquities of Clonmell; that the noble and privileged order among the Romans was called patrician. By the strange revolution of time, the term Patrician, after implying office and rank, was assumed by the vanity of the common people as a surname. Instead of the latin appellation Patricius, belonging uniformly to some great man, as Aetius, the Patrician, who commanded the armies of Valentinian the 3d, and who was the great antagonist of Attila, the King of the Huns, it happened, ten to one, that some poor wandering Plebeian, with a pack at his back, was called Patricius. Hence it was, that St. Patricius, or St. Patrick, whose head was cut off in France, swam over to Ireland, carrying his own head, do you see Mr. Duane, in his teeth, and there, as every body knows, he peopled all Ireland with his own heads. He was their famous apostle, and left such a great reputation behind him, that every Irishman ever since is proud of being called the son of St. Patrick. Hence it is, that the name of Patricius, or Patrick, or Paddy, has become so common in Ireland.
As Duane treads so reverently on the ground of etymology, we foresee a difficulty in his learning and logic. Demos does not, he says, mean demon, nor, as it is maliciously pretended, Demonarchy, but good wholesome knock me down Democracy, but, if Patrick means Patrician, that is aristocracy, and a foul spot and blemish in the glory of our imported Patrician Patriots. But they, dear honnys, are not to blame for what these aristocratic book makers have put into print, so long too before they were born, without letting them know almost or quite nothing at all at all about it, and the Naturalization Law, moreover, provides, that the new citizen shall renounce his nobility.
We do not, therefore, think Duane's case will be so very hard for him to make out, if he will but let his Dictionary alone, and stick to the Law that the Patrician Smiley has made to encourage "oppressed humanity" to break jail and take refuge here.
(Palladium.)