"THE PSYCHOLOGICAL MOMENT"

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 84, 3 January 1919, Page 6

"THE PSYCHOLOGICAL MOMENT"

: ♦ —r Probably few of the people who, in the course of the last few weeks, have made liso of this handy and expressive phrase are aware of two curious lacts connected with it (says Professor Weeklcy, authur of "The Romance of Words," in the "Daily Mail"). The first fact is that, like ■60 many current tags, it is nonsense; the- second is that we got it via French' from the Germans in. the fateful davs of December, 1870. The Latin word momentum, moment cf time, gave French le moment, which was borrowed by German as a masculine. In the scientific and .-mathematical sense of momentum, factor, influence, German adopted moment directly from Latin momentum, keeping the original neuter gender. When, after a series of crushing French reverses in the field, the bombardment of Paris was in contemplation the Germans attached great importance to das psychologische moment—i.e., tho effect of'such an experience on tho psychology, or moral (not morale) of the inhabitants. ; , Tho phrase which is wiid to have been ■first-used by the "Neue Preussiche Zeitung" of December 16, 1870, wfv? caught up by French- journalists, misunderstood as der psychologische moment, the psychologically appropriate moment of time, quoted as an example of Teutonic pedantry, and ultimately adopted as a convenient and pregnant expression. _ Its first recorded use in English is in a translation of Sarce/s "Sjege de.Paris, published in 1871,; Thus things get hack to their starting-points. The "Contemptiblcs" are back in Mons, lind the "psychological moment." of the last few months has been that which was to register the recognition by the Germans of the fact that their idol has feet of clay. .' For Chronic Chest Complaints, .■ Woods' Great Peppermint Cure.* PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES. Influenza bacilli first lodge in tho passages of tho nose and throat. As the mucous membrane of these passages is sensitive and delicate, powerful irritants like Formalin should on no account he used. NA7.01,, one of the speediest and most effective of antiseptics and germicides. is a safe inhalant. A few' drops on the handkerchief, renewed every few hours,.will enable you to carry everywhere you go a pleasant nnd convenient against infection.- Being highly volatile, NAZOL is able to penetrate the innermost nose and throat passages, and used-'constantlv is assuredly one of the most reliable safeguards against. the present epidemic. Sold everywhere, Is. 6d. a bottle.—Advt.