"Their" = "his/her"

Herbert Stahlke hstahlke at ATT.NET
Fri Feb 15 21:19:44 UTC 2002


Hey, it's Ur-Kansas.

Herb
> Here is an item I happened upon -- from Kansas Territory, 1859: in the
> proceedings of the constitutional convention:
>
> <<Section 7 was read, as follows:
>
> "Sec. 7. The right of every man to worship God according to the dictates of
> his own conscience shall never be infringed, ...."
>
> Mr. Lamb offered the following:
>
> In the fiftieth and fifty-first line, where the word "man" occurs, let it
> be altered to read "person;" and where the word "his" occurs, let it be
> altered to read "their."
>
> Mr. Lamb. Mr. President, here is a privilege granted to men to worship God
> according to the dictates of their consciences, while women are left out of
> the question.
>
> The amendment was agreed to.>>
>
> No cavil about "their" = "his/her". And no recorded quibble about whether
> "man" covers "woman" [uh, so to speak .... (^_^)].
>
> -- Doug Wilson



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