Antedating of "Socialist"

[Fred Shapiro]

socialist (OED 1827)

1793 'Impartial Observer in London' _Fact without fallacy: or,
constitutional principles contrasted with the ruinous effects of
unconstitutional practices_ 41  Man, alas! in savage or in social life, is
still the same selfish, restless, sanguinary being; in savage life, his
wants are fewer, and his power of doing mischief more contracted; in
social life his wants are insatiable, and his means of devastation
boundless.  A very slender vocabulary enables the savage to transact the
business of life.  Voluminous dictionaries enable the socialist to
misinterpret the transactions of his neighbour.

Fred Shapiro


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Fred R. Shapiro                             Editor
Associate Librarian for Collections and     YALE DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS
  Access and Lecturer in Legal Research     Yale University Press,
Yale Law School                             forthcoming
e-mail: fred.shapiro at yale.edu               http://quotationdictionary.com
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