fiat

Isabella Birdが明治１０年に日本の奥地、"Unbeaten Tracks in Japan" を旅しますが、その時に見た子供達がイギリスの子供達と違うことに気が付いています。

I am very fond of Japanese children. I have never yet heard a baby cry, and I have never seen a child troublesome or disobedient. Filial piety is the leading virtue in Japan, and unquestioning obedience is the habit of centuries. The arts and threats by which English mothers cajole or frighten children into unwilling obedience appear unknown. I admire the way in which children are taught to be independent in their amusements. Part of the home education is the learning of the rules of the different games, which are absolute, and when there is a doubt, instead of a quarrelsome suspension of the game, the fiat of a senior child decides the matter. They play by themselves, and don’t bother adults at every turn. I usually carry sweeties with me, and give them to the children, but not one has ever received them without first obtaining permission from the father or mother. When that is gained, they smile and bow profoundly, and hand the sweeties to those present before eating any themselves. They are gentle creatures, but too formal and precocious.

昔の子供は現在の日本の子供とも違いますね。
"fiat of a senior child" の "fiat" は過去に "fiat money" (8/13/2007)と "fiat lux" (4/22/2008)を取り上げていますが、ここの "fiat" は 5/25/2008に取り上げた "fiat" に近い意味ですね。

・Oxford English Dictionary: An arbitrary order.: In the United States, emergency room service works by queuing, the allocation of scarce vaccine is by bureaucratic fiat.
・Cambridge English Dictionary: the giving of orders by someone who has complete authority: The general ruled by fiat for eight years after seizing power.