CdM: Question about your sig

[Martinus]

"Better that a whole generation of men, women, children should pass away by a violent death, than that one word of [The Declaration of Independence] should be violated in this country"
--John Brown, Abolitionist

The part about the generation does not make sense to me - if it is just one generation, then it wouldn't include children AND adults at the same time, since they would belong to different generations. Could you explain this to me?

[grumbler]

"Better that a whole generation of men, women, children should pass away by a violent death, than that one word of [The Declaration of Independence] should be violated in this country"
--John Brown, Abolitionist

The part about the generation does not make sense to me - if it is just one generation, then it wouldn't include children AND adults at the same time, since they would belong to different generations. Could you explain this to me?

Even if Brown were using the term scientifically, rather than generally, a generation could include both adults and children; just not the children of those adults.

"Generation" means, among other things, "a population born around the same time."  This is vague enough to include everyone alive at a given time, which is how Brown uses it (and Lincoln did much the same thing).

[Grey Fox]

20 years Marti, 20 years.

[garbon]

20 years Marti, 20 years.

Although not so much anymore.

[Valmy]

"Generation" means, among other things, "a population born around the same time."  This is vague enough to include everyone alive at a given time, which is how Brown uses it (and Lincoln did much the same thing).

Yes though it was used in that sense alot more back in the day then it is today.

[The Brain]

Who cares? He was doped out of his mind when he wrote that anyway.