Happy Birthday, Webster’s Dictionary

Here’s an entry from Noah Webster’s Dictionary of the American Language from 1828:

POL’ITICS, noun The science of government; that part of ethics which consists in the regulation and government of a nation or state, for the preservation of its safety, peace and prosperity; comprehending the defense of its existence and rights against foreign control or conquest, the augmentation of its strength and resources, and the protection of its citizens in their rights, with the preservation and improvement of their morals. politics as a science or an art, is a subject of vast extent and importance.

Here’s the corresponding entry from the current online edition:

activities that relate to influencing the actions and policies of a government or getting and keeping power in a government

You could learn a lot from reading old Noah’s dictionary. Today is the 213th anniversary of its first publication.