The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-07-27
QUOT ATIONS.
A Chapter of Pleasant Gossip.

n II
A writer in the London Reuiel1 remarks that
If we try to analyze the pleasure which a Latin
2rammarquotation produces upon the multitude,
the result seems to be this--Jhe auditors are
tckled by the gentle lattery of the speaker, who
seems to imply that they are scholars to whom
he may well ADDRESS q classical alluson and
the fs ct of the quotation appearing familiar to
them confirms them in this pleasing belief
Yet, no doubt, 1t is preferable, even when we
contne ourselves to this narrow sphere of quo
tatlons, to give them correctly or not at ALL
We remember Give Newcomes distress when
the dear old colonel, in the innocence of his
heart insisted on reminding his friends, in spite
OF every rule OF accidence and concord, "In-
genuas didicisse hdeliter artes emollunt mores,"
etc. Yet, II we were disposed 10 be critical, we
might pick holes in cleverer men than Colonel
Newcome ever pretended to be, and might eX-
press our wonder at the frequent inaccuracy of
classical quotations in the more pretentlous
daily and weekly journals. Even that pure and
perfect chrysolite OF classicality, the Saturday
Reoleoo, quoting, we suppose, by memory, from
Ovid, writes the following
"FacIes non omnibus una,
Nee diversa tamen, quatiS deceit esse sororum."
The use OF q,tatis Tor quaLent after decel would
have sent a tthiorn boy down one place at
least Again, the refined Pau MaH Gazette ex-
h16lts deeper ignorance by making ScdnddLG
npQgaGtd the plural of ScdRdIllLIl n1dqndttnl as
If "maenatum" was not itself genltive plural
OF "magnates." And only last week another
paper speaks OF spTetd inil9ld, which is simply
nonsense, although, OF course, everybody can see
it is loose recollection of the Virgilan spretd
injuYlG fOrnR.
These are the dangers to which would-be
scholars expose themselves when once they
leave the fiowery paths of the Latin grammar
but we are not discouragIDg quotations from
foreign languages. Far IRON 1t. Once be sure
OF your audience ana you may win golden repu-
tations. There is not the slightest doubt that if
you were to conjugate AN irregular Greek verb
in the pulpit at the right time, it would produce
an immense effect, as a quotation from some
orthodox Father OF the Church. For instance,
what could sound nObleT than this ?-''The sim
gle-hearted saint could not entertain such pro.
position for an instant. No. he CRIED with a
gentle but decisive wave OF his hand-'kdIeshlO,
kdtedOnlGi,' adding, with sad smile, his favorite
expression, 'kdteded0kd, hdtepbdg0Il.'" That this
is simple nonsense, aud merely the four prin-
Cipal lenses OF Greek verb, is nothing. 1t is
good sounding quotation, and with an ordinary
audience would be rapturously received trom
one who was popular. Indeed we hardly like
to think how much of this heedlessness there
must be In the pleasure with which some text
of familiar sound is hailed by the unlettered
part OF a congregation, to whom it cannot con-
VeY the smallest IDEA OF anything at all.
1t may be an eXaggeration to represent an old
woman saying that she found great support in
the comfortable word "Mesopotamla," but the
spirit which animated her is really very widely
difiused to other old women, and young women
and men, too. Indeed, so very much in
quotations depends upon pleasant sound, that
we firmly believe these nonsense verses might be
recited at the freside without being at once
detected-iust for the reason that we do not
always pause to think whether we attach any
sense to what we hear. At any rate, here they
are -
'Tis sweet to roam when mornings light
Resounds across the deep;
When the crystal song OF The Woodbine bright
bushes the rocks to sleep;
When the midnight sky has sombre dye
OF pale and lnky hue,
And the wolf rings out his glittering shout
''Tu whit-Tu whlt-Tu whoo"
When the pearly wing of the wintry trees
Dashes across the glen;
When the laughing lights of the moss-grown cliffs
Haunt the ethereal ten
When at burning noon the blood-shOt moon
is laIhed In crumbllng dew,
And the wolf rings out his glttering shout,
"Tu whIt-Iu whit-Tu whoo"
Not few persons will Cry, "How pretty!'
when the words are read fast. They have the
true "Mesopotamian ring about them. 1t can
not be denied that people who make point OF
interlaTdng their conversation with quotations
are an ntOlerable nuisance.
There is a large class OF the community who
often wish 10 make quotations, but are shy OF
doing SO because they cannot remember where
the phrase comes from. To them we offer a
suggestion to facilitate the Introduction OF any
ouolatiOn whether of their own composition or
of any other distinguished author. Even if the
authors name be wholly forgotten, what pre-
vents the quotation being made with such an
easy introduction as that with which Mr.. Kings
ley in "GIaucus" gives his own yerses-slmply
pretacng them with words, whereof one
singsn and then come the verses Or sometimes
a bolder policy Will be successful, and we may
safely say, 'Of course, none Of you have Tor
gotten the poets beautiful lines" trusting tc
the conceit of ignorance, which will make YOU
audience accept what they do not know al
something they ought TO know.