Chapter Abstemious to Accost of A by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Academics The followers of Plato were so called, because they attended his lectures in the Academy, a garden planted by Academos.

"See there the olive grove of Academus, Plato's retreat."Milton: Paradise Lost, Book iv.

Academy Divided into - Old, the philosophic teaching of Plato and his immediate followers; Middle, a modification of the Platonic system, taught by Arcesilaos; New, the half-sceptical school of Carneades.

Plato taught that matter is eternal and infinite, but without form or order; and that there is an intelligent cause, the author of everything. He maintained that we could grasp truth only so far as we had elevated our mind by thought to its divine essence.

Arcesilaos was the great antagonist of the Stoics, and wholly denied man's capacity for grasping truth.

Carneades maintained that neither our senses nor our understanding could supply us with a sure criterion of truth.

The talent of the Academy, so Plato called Aristotle (B.C. 384--322).

Academy Figures Drawings in black and white chalk, on tinted paper, from living models, used by artists. So called from the Royal Academy of Artists.

Acadia - i.e., Nova Scotia, so called by the French from the river Shubenacadie. The name was changed in 1621. In 1755 the old French inhabitants were driven into exile by order of George II.

"Thus dwelt together in love those simple Acadian farmers."Longfellow: Evangeline.

Acadine A fountain of Sicily which revealed if writings were authentic and genuine or not. The writings to be tested were thrown into the fountain, and if spurious they sank to the bottom. Oaths and promises were tried in the same way, after being written down. - Diodorus Siculus.

Acanthus The leafy ornament used in the capitals of Corinthian and composite columns. It is said that Callimachos lost his daughter, and set a basket of flowers on her grave, with a tile to keep the wind from blowing it away. The next time he went to visit the grave an acanthus had sprung up around the basket, which so struck the fancy of the architect that he introduced the design in his buildings.

Acceptance A bill or note accepted. This is done by the drawee writing on it "accepted," and signing his name. The person who accepts it is called the "acceptor."

Accessory Accessory before the fact is one who is aware that another intends to commit an offence, but is himself absent when the offence is perpetrated.

Accessory after the fact is one who screens a felon, aids him in eluding justice, or helps him in any way to profit by his crime. Thus, the receiver of stolen goods, knowing or even suspecting them to be stolen, is an accessory ex post facto.

Accident A logical accident is some property or quality which a thing possesses, but which does not essentially belong to it, as the tint of our skin, the height of our body, the redness of a brick, or the whiteness of paper. If any of these were changed, the substance would remain intact.

Accidental or Subjective Colours Those which depend on the state of our eye, and not those which the object really possesses. Thus, after looking at the bright sun, all objects appear dark; that dark colour is the accidental colour of the bright sun. When, again, we come from a dark room, all objects at first have a yellow tinge. This is especially the case if we wear blue glasses, for a minute or two after we have taken them off.

The accidental colour of red is bluish green, of orange dark blue, of violet yellow, of black white; and the converse.