I must disagree with Duane that the word's meaning has changed. I believe it has always meant, and still means, a person who is or would be—in a world run in strict accordance to God's will—a slave. (Please note that I'm not giving my personal belief of the natural order of things!) Unfortunately, our social context is not that much different from Mark Twain's. Actually there's perhaps an unwelcome parallel. Gains and optimism of the 1960s are perhaps eroding as gains and optimism of the 1860s were eroding. The word, whether I use it or not, whether I wish to give it power or not, still has power. The novel, read to 7-year-olds or to 70-year-olds, still has power, too. Thanks, Larry