[Ads-l] "gavel" antedatings

[Ben Zimmer]

Excellent find, Stephen. Here a link to the clip:

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116204777/the-presidents-gavel/

On Tue, Jan 10, 2023 at 7:34 PM Stephen Goranson <goranson at duke.edu> wrote:

> 1842, Nov. 23, Wed,. Baltimore Sun 4/1 [proquest]
> Washington City, Nov. 21st.
> The Board of Common Council convened this afternoon, as usual, in their
> Chamber at the City Hall, and, at four o'clock, a tap of the President's
> gavel brought them to order.
>
> sg
> ________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Ben
> Zimmer <bgzimmer at GMAIL.COM>
> Sent: Tuesday, January 10, 2023 6:18 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Subject: Re: "gavel" antedatings
>
> Thanks to Garson and Stephen for the cites from 1832 and 1837. Those cites
> would appear to fit under OED's sense 1, which relates to the use of the
> gavel in the ritual practices of the Freemasons and similar
> fraternal groups like the Odd Fellows. See e.g. this OED3 cite:
>
> 1826   W. Morgan Illustr. Masonry 13   The Master..gives a rap with the
> common gavel or mallet, which calls up both Deacons.
>
> So far the 1843 example is the earliest I've seen for "gavel"/"gavil" in a
> legislative or other extended context, which antedates OED's sense 2.
>
> --Ben
>
>
> On Tue, Jan 10, 2023 at 4:38 PM ADSGarson O'Toole <
> adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Here are two citations in the March 1837 issues of a periodical. In
> > the first citation, the gavil is struck three times to call an
> > assemblage to order.
> >
> > In the second citation, the gavil is struck three times to initiate
> > the next stage of a ceremony.
> >
> > These citations might be transitional between the ‘Masonic ritual’
> > sense and the ‘call for order’ sense.
> >
> > I cannot access SG’s citation, so I do not know if the gavil makes a
> > sound in SG’s citation. The link contains proxy.lib.duke; hence it may
> > only work for computers with Duke library access.
> >
> > Date: March 1837
> > Volume 1, Number 4
> > Periodical: The Covenant: A Quarterly Periodical Devoted to the Cause
> > of Odd-Fellowship
> > Quote Page 199
> >
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://books.google.com/books?id=NHo4AQAAIAAJ&q=*22the*gavil*22*v=snippet__;JSslIw!!OToaGQ!qAM8gQLXiUUtdrGBnuEAZ5qiqFm3nPQBVRvWZ1NGrAQPKt3v_U1MVHicumjjjCA0x9ZoWTLdrrGbreuL$
> >
> > [Begin excerpt]
> > The M.W.G. Master called the assemblage to order by three distinct
> > sounds of the gavil, and the ceremonies of the day commenced by an
> > interesting prayer offered up by the R.W. Grand Chaplain, P.G. Samuel
> > Guest--after which a most beautiful anthem composed for the occasion
> > by brother John H. Hewitt was exquisitely sung by a choir . . .
> > [End excerpt]
> >
> > Quote Page 202
> >
> > [Begin excerpt]
> > The procession will enter the Theatre covered; after they are all in
> > and seated, the Grand Master will give three raps with the gavil, as a
> > signal for them to uncover.
> > [End excerpt]
> >
> > Garson
> >
> > On Tue, Jan 10, 2023 at 2:36 PM Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > The OED3 entry for "gavel, n.3" has two senses, the first being "a type
> > of
> > > stonemason's hammer" as used in Masonic rituals, with cites from 1760.
> > > Sense 2 is "a small hammer or mallet, typically made from wood, with
> > which
> > > a judge, chairperson, (later) auctioneer, etc., hits a surface to call
> > for
> > > attention or order, or to confirm a decision," with cites from Aug.
> 1848.
> > > Here are a few antedatings for sense 2 -- note the variant spelling
> > > "gavil," not given by the OED.
> > >
> > > ---
> > >
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116154015/the-gavil-of-the-chair/__;!!OToaGQ!qAM8gQLXiUUtdrGBnuEAZ5qiqFm3nPQBVRvWZ1NGrAQPKt3v_U1MVHicumjjjCA0x9ZoWTLdrnsdIO15$
> > > Daily Madisonian (Washington, DC), Feb. 15, 1843, p. 3, col. 1
> > > Mr. Arnold was induced to say that, unless order was restored, the
> > > Committee might as well rise at once. [...] The voice and the gavil of
> > the
> > > Chair partially produced this desirable result.
> > > Same article in: Indiana State Sentinel, Feb. 28, 1843, p. 2, col. 2
> > >
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116154090/the-gavil-of-the-chair/__;!!OToaGQ!qAM8gQLXiUUtdrGBnuEAZ5qiqFm3nPQBVRvWZ1NGrAQPKt3v_U1MVHicumjjjCA0x9ZoWTLdrqGE1huh$
> > > ---
> > >
> >
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116149640/the-sound-of-the-speakers-gavil/__;!!OToaGQ!qAM8gQLXiUUtdrGBnuEAZ5qiqFm3nPQBVRvWZ1NGrAQPKt3v_U1MVHicumjjjCA0x9ZoWTLdrjNQ5bU7$
> > > New York Herald, May 13, 1846, p. 4, col. 2
> > > What else he may have said, was lost in the thunder tones of "order,"
> > > "order," and the sound of the speaker's gavil.
> > > [re: Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives]
> > > ---
> > >
> >
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116149000/the-sound-of-the-speakers-gavel/__;!!OToaGQ!qAM8gQLXiUUtdrGBnuEAZ5qiqFm3nPQBVRvWZ1NGrAQPKt3v_U1MVHicumjjjCA0x9ZoWTLdrtNkcLMG$
> > > Baltimore Sun, Mar. 1, 1847, p. 4, col. 2
> > > [T]he sentence was lost, from the sound of the Speaker's gavel, and his
> > > call to order.
> > > [re: Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates]
> > > ---
> > >
> > > This research is for my Wall Street Journal column this week -- can
> > anyone
> > > find earlier cites?
> > >
> > > --bgz
> > >
>

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