Delaware State journal and statesman. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1855-1870, 1867-01-01


some sleepy compositor, worn and weary
with labor through all the small hours OF
the night. The pet phrases which have been
elaborated with such infinite pains; the pc
dantic orthography, grounded upon some
rule Of analogy unknown to the compositor;
the careful placing Of the points of punctu-
. alton in accordance with the authors own
sacred theory upon that subjeot-all these
are ignored by the unconscious compositor,
and the marvel of scholarship is ratified into
shape at lightning speed, and with a con-
temptuous disregard of the writer's most
loved and sacred rules of composition, The
Latin phrase, which was to have exhibited
the erudition Of the author, is turned into
language unknown from the time of Babel
down, and his dandyisms Of style are mutt
lated into the hobbledehoy costume of some
provincial patois or boorish vulgarsm =
While we write, the stately columns of The
New York Tribune open invitingly upon a
letter Of that breezy muscular Christian,
Tox HuaHEs. line of poetry catches the
eve, and we discover the familiar quotation
"Timeo Danaos ct dona ferentes,
scarcely recognizable under the guse of
Times Dausos ct dons fereuiernl
Then we have the barbsrous vulgarisms
of mountanSous, mischievious, stupenduous,
and barbarious; there is much emigration
into the country, or immigration out of III
(whY not evolve the truth sntO a man9) and
an intelligent American public is invited to
adopt such oockneyisms as an 'undred for
hundred, and large class of the like ex-
pressions. Why not say a hindetsnite num-
Der, Just as well as an 'undred' An error
universal in this country is to write a hotel,
instead Of an hotel Gan 'ot6l.) The pronun-
citation is now so universal that it can hardly
be called an error. The usage is established.
And then the dandyism, an union. 1t is
true to the eye, an union is correct; but
language is written to be pronounced, and
gNaion is the only pronunciation possible
if the rule of analogy Is to be preserved.
The spelling, endorse, is almost universal.
The word Is derived from an, upon, and
d0rsnm, the back. With the usual English
I
facility for corruption this might lead to
endorse, but how, in the name of all that is
orderly and proper, do we get sn-dorseS
One of the most annoying errors is the
improper use Of the possesslve. In the
same letter of Tom Hughes, above referred
to- the following sentence occurs:
-"have called forth various remon.
strances from the Mrs. Grundy's of the
press, ana sre no ooaot esreinly treasured
Grundv,s for fnture nae ! '' '''H4 "
.,,, :. .,u,o,,. ..,,.,s,,s,.,
h;Io'o, % ~ y, ,sss sSs , sas;O",a.,o ~ S 'ot
A. ~ 80 80 .O.1',et ~
~ Ao NV Os.uSs,on " nn apSo.sopns ~ IAAa
VI S'D.s .,'' - = - - -, -, =,
49, a,,S.o. s /, $50 ~ So g. ~ -, y
- s,t ',,,,n go. o. =, ,s.,,o p,
" 's., e o"''", ., ~ -. .1.o's..
auu 'no -'vo'"oo% :. sS'us euou' , pyao''s
.ns ."eS, So. 20 ,',oaa,,. ~ - ~, ,,,
-. A ,,...s,4s - IsS 70 a. ~ plop''''' r., - ''
DN''O-' '''0''''V'0 v '"V ~
a tespec'aoie newspaper mas inc "or.
nous IN the plural NUMBER (the news are
90 anu soD ano.neI s~ys oniitu nas e'" II
brown ao''e Weil' Jones mas came hopinso
snouiu nave Ne"'' Ihese arc NOT away
errors OF tne compositor OF pfooi-resae'
ANA perhaps nrst-cisss litersfy pap'
shouiu DC excused ior sucn an expression
tne river mas ra'seo iorty iee'' wheh eve
Milton speaks OF .q.....t
"a multitude, like which the populous Mort
t'0areo never rom mel. tr'se1 io'ns'
But this subject is exhaustless- We il
tended but to hint at some of the mo-
Elsring and persistent errors; and here W
leave the subject with the philologists, Il
photographers, the grammarians, the proc
readers and the gentle public, praying th
we may not be held accountable for mo
y than our share of this murderous destructi'
of our noble language, and asking that
may not be made chargeable with mo
than half the errors OF like nature with q
70 above which may exhibit themselves in q
o. columns OF the Journal. They are for 4
y most part bastards, without any parenta
70 willing TO acknowledge them, and we a
a not to be held responsible for their main'
ol nance. ...tts- .a.l nrg
u Many persons would be surprised to lea
le how far the law Of custom, which establish
=. the usages Of the language, Is the work
ne the proof-reader. Most great publish
ID houses have their own rules OF orthograpf
Ut punctuation, and 50 forth; and the autt
u who passes through such an ordeal c
q, scarcely be held responsible even for
nu style Of his composition de may use
er own language, butthe disguises OF difier'
lie afandard of Orthography and punctuati