that the words _American_ and _Americans_ should be written with a
small _a_. With respect to _Americanism, Gallicism_, and other similar
words, there may be some room to doubt. But I prefer a capital for these.
And, that we may have a uniform rule to go by, I would not stop here, but
would write _Americanize_ and _Americanized_ with a capital also; for it
appears that custom is in favour of thus distinguishing nearly all verbs
and participles of this kind, so long as they retain an obvious reference
to their particular origin. But when any such word ceases to be understood
as referring directly to the proper name, it may properly be written
without a capital. Thus we write _jalap_ from _Jalapa, hermetical_ from
_Hermes, hymeneal_ from _Hymen, simony_, from _Simon, philippic_ from
_Philip_; the verbs, to _hector_, to _romance_, to _japan_, to _christen_,
to _philippize_, to _galvanize_; and the adverbs _hermetically_ and
_jesuitically_, all without a capital: and perhaps _judaize, christianize_,
and their derivatives, may join this class. Dr. Webster's octavo Dictionary
mentions "the _prussic_ acid" and "_prussian_ blue," without a capital; and
so does Worcester's.

OBS. 15.--On Rule 12th, concerning _I_ and _O_, it may be observed, that
although many who occasionally write, are ignorant enough to violate this,
as well as every other rule of grammar, yet no printer ever commits
blunders of this sort. Consequently, the few erroneous examples which will
be exhibited for correction under it, will not be undesigned mistakes.
Among the errors of books, we do not find the printing of the words _I_ and
_O_ in small characters; but the confounding of _O_ with the other
interjection _oh_, is not uncommon even among grammarians. The latter has
no concern with this rule, nor is it equivalent to the former, as a sign:
_O_ is a note of wishing, earnestness, and vocative address; but _oh_ is,
properly, a sign of sorrow, pain, or surprise. In the following example,
therefore, a line from Milton is perverted:--

"_Oh_ thou! that with surpassing glory crowned!"
--_Bucke's Gram._, p. 88.

OBS. 16.--On Rule 13th, concerning _Poetry_, it may be observed, that the
principle applies only to regular versification, which is the common form,
if not the distinguishing mark, of poetical composition. And, in this, the
practice of beginning every line with a capital is almost universal; but I
have seen some books in which it was whimsi