OBS. 10.—­The possessive case has occasioned no less dispute than the objective.  On this vexed article of our grammar, custom has now become much more uniform than it was a century ago; and public opinion may be said to have settled most of the questions which have been agitated about it.  Some individuals, however, are still dissatisfied.  In the first place, against those who have thought otherwise, it is determined, by infinite odds of authority, that there is such a case, both of nouns and of pronouns.  Many a common reader will wonder, who can have been ignorant enough to deny it.  “The learned and sagacious Wallis, to whom every English grammarian owes a tribute of reverence, calls this modification of the noun an adjective possessive; I think, with no more propriety than he might have applied the same to the Latin genitive.”—­Dr. Johnson’s Gram., p. 5.  Brightland also, who gave to adjectives the name of qualities, included all possessives among them, calling them “Possessive Qualities, or Qualities of Possession.”—­Brightland’s Gram., p. 90.

OBS. 11.—­This exploded error, William S. Cardell, a few years ago, republished as a novelty; for which, among other pretended improvements of a like sort, he received the ephemeral praise of some of our modern literati.  William B. Fowle also teaches the same thing.  See his Common School Gram., Part II, p. 104.  In Felch’s Grammar, too, published in Boston in 1837, an attempt is made, to revive this old doctrine; but the author takes no notice of any of the above-named authorities, being probably ignorant of them all.  His reasoning upon the point, does not appear to me to be worthy of a detailed answer.[165] That the possessive case of nouns is not an adjective, is demonstrable; because it may have adjectives of various kinds, relating to it:  as, “This old man’s daughter.”—­Shak. It may also govern an other possessive; as, “Peter’s wife’s mother.”—­Bible.  Here the former possessive is governed by the latter; but, if both were adjectives, they would both relate to the noun mother, and so produce a confusion of ideas.  Again, nouns of the possessive case have a distinction of number, which adjectives have not.  In gender also, there lies a difference.  Adjectives, whenever they are varied by gender or number, agree with their nouns in these respects.  Not so with possessives; as, “In the Jews’ religion.”—­Gal., i. 13.  “The children’s bread.”—­Mark, vii, 27.  “Some men’s sins.”—­1 Tim., v, 24.  “Other men’s sins.”—­Ib., ver. 22.