John Adams the Anti-Agrammatist: Third Week

An interesting recent word from Johnson’s 1773 edition is “agrammatist.” Johnson defines it as: “An illiterate man.” He says the word comes from α and γράμμα (gramma). The Greek α provides the negation, just as the a in agnostic means: not. Gnostic comes from the Greek word γνῶσις (gnosis) which means: knowledge or knowing. When one adds the negation of a, the meaning becomes: not knowing. Hence, the agnostic is one who professes some thing(s) is (are) unknowable. Next is γράμμα. This Greek root means among other similar things: letters, the alphabet. An agrammatist is literally someone without letters. In a former age when there was greater illiteracy, a man who could read and write was considered a man of letters. This was a prestigious designation. Johnson’s “illiterate man” was not a man of letters.

It is of note that the ability to read and write in one’s own language is surely a blessing and sadly one that is often taken for granted among the American masses. To relate a personal story on this point may illustrate its potency. My grandfather was born in a rural part of Arkansas in 1903. The extent of his formal education was the third grade. Obviously, his ability to read and write was severely limited. How did this come about? He was reared in a time without compulsory education laws and in a region where manual labor was valued more than “book-learning.” My great-grandfather did not see the value of classroom education, so did not insist that my grandfather continue with his. This was taken to the extreme with one of my grandfather’s sisters who was not allowed any education whatever and continued in a child-like state even unto and through her adult years. Bad decisions and disvaluing education resulted in a life-long impediment for my grandfather, stifling his self-confidence and making him very prone to manipulation by those with more education. What is worse, the same sort of circumstance passed on to my father, with similar results.

I relate this information not to be melodramatic but simply to show what kind of tragedy an under-appreciation for the ability to read and write can bring. Being able to read, and not only read but comprehend what one reads, is a powerful thing that opens unimagined paths to opportunity and achievement. Sadly, too few have the attitude of John Adams, a contemporary of Johnson’s time. Reflecting in 1804 on his formative years at Harvard, Adams wrote, “I soon perceived a growing Curiosity, a Love of Books and a fondness for Study, which dissipated all my Inclination for Sports, and even for the Society of the Ladies. I read forever…” (Diary of John Adams from November 30, 1804. A link to that page has been added on the right for those who might want to browse the diary on the Massachusetts Historical Society’s website). Interestingly, the very time about which Adams was writing was when Johnson’s 1755 first edition was published. Adams attended Harvard from 1751 to 1754. John Adams was certainly the antithesis of Johnson’s “agrammatist” becoming one the America’s most well-read and well- educated men of the eighteenth century.

Until next week.

John