The Spirits and grammar.

A grave grammatical error was discovered in The Spirits’ Book by a profound critic, who addressed to us the following note:

“I read on page 384, paragraph 911, n line 23, in your The Spirits’ Book: “There are many persons who say: I will; but the will is only on their lips; they will, yet they are quite content that it should not be so.” Had you said: “They will and are quite content that it should not be so,” do you not believe that the French would have gained by it? I would be led to think that your protecting writing Spirit is a prankster who makes you commit errors of language. Hasten to punish him and, above all, to correct him.” We regret not being able to send our thanks to the author of this observation. But, without doubt, it is out of modesty and to escape the testimony of our gratitude that he forgot to put his name and address, limiting himself to signing: A protecting Spirit of the French language. Considering that this gentleman, it appears, takes the trouble to read our works, we ask the good Spirits the favor of placing our reply before his eyes. It becomes evident that it is within this gentleman’s knowledge that the noun person is feminine and that adjectives and pronouns agree in gender and number with the noun to which they refer. Unfortunately not everything is taught in school, especially in matters of the French language. If such a gentleman, who declares himself the protector of our language, had crossed the limits of the grammar of Lhomond, he would know that one finds in Regnard the following sentence: Although these three persons had interests very different, they were, nonetheless, tormented by the same passion. And this other one, in Vaugelas:

Persons consumed in virtue in all things have a rectitude of spirit and a judicious attention that prevents them from being murmurers.

Hence the rule that is found in the Normal Grammar of Examinations, by Messrs. Levi Alvarès and Rivail, in that of Bonifacio, etc. [Grammaire française … — Google Books.]

“At times we employ, by syllepsis, the pronoun he to replace the noun person, although this latter word is feminine. Such agreement can occur only when, in thought, the word person does not represent exclusively women and, moreover, when the pronoun he is sufficiently distant that the ear is not disagreeably wounded.” With respect to the pronoun no one, which is masculine, the following observation is found: “Nevertheless, when the pronoun no one designates especially a woman, the adjective that refers to it may be put in the feminine; one may say: No one is more beautiful than Rosina (Bonifacio). n The Spirits who dictated the sentence in question are not as ignorant as that gentleman claims. We would even be led to believe that they know a little more than he, although in general they do not take much offense at grammatical correctness, like many of our scholars, who do not excel in spelling. Moral: It is good to know before criticizing. Be that as it may, to calm the scruples of those who do not know much, and who judge the doctrine to be in danger from an error of language, real or imaginary, we have altered the agreement in the fifth edition of The Spirits’ Book, which has just been released, because:

…With good will, to audacious rhymers usage still permits, I believe, the choice between the two.

It is a real pleasure to see the trouble that the adversaries of Spiritism give themselves to attack it with every weapon that falls into their hands. But what is singular is that, despite the quantity of arrows hurled at it, in spite of the stones strewn in its path, notwithstanding the snares they set for it to make it deviate from its objective, no means has yet been found to halt it in its march, and it gains ground in a manner that is desperate for those who think to bring it down with flicks of the finger. After the flicks of the finger, the athletes of the feuilleton tried cudgel-blows, but it did not even waver; instead it advanced more rapidly. [1] Translator’s note: Our emphasis. The critic alludes to paragraph 911, but, in truth, refers to the question of the same number, inserted in Part 3, Chapter XII, of The Spirits’ Book.

[2] Translator’s note: For readers of the Portuguese language these grammatical lessons of Allan Kardec will only make sense if we consider that, in French, the words person and no one are homographs (personne).