The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-05-31

PROFESSOR JuISES AT L Al It, Olnc one
recently wrote to Professor JoYSEs. stating
that he had seen in Il report written by the
Professor the phrases "h0d better not be
begu,," "had better dcrctc," and "moro
.fuliH" and asking:
"In what mood and tense of the Engl sh
verb shall find hat be and hat DE-
uotc'? Again: Is it proper 10 compare
'tully'?'
The Professors reply appears in the Eiu-
cutional Jovndi for June. The burthcn of
it is that "our words, like onr idc,S. are
creative things. and we have to do the best
we can with such as we have" OF course
he does not answer the interrogatories. since
no one can tell the mood and tense of the
phrases quoted. The defence of Professor
JoYNEs is the sterectyped apology for all
blurdcrs which are in common use namely.
"the custom of the best writer's and speak
GERS A man comloses this sentence:
Il had write with Il gold rather than with
"a steel pen"
Or this
q had be German rather than an Eng
li>hmau.H
We ask him if lie can parse either. He
replies in the negative. We then inquire if
they would not be correct and more elegant
in the following form:
Il would write with IA gold rather than
with Il steel pen."
q would be German rather than an
EngliShman."
The answer either must be in the attirma.
tive or else the writer Of the inelcgant and
inaccurate sentences must conceal the error
by tranSposing rather" and then show
that other good writers have thus concealed
it. The result is:
II had rather write with gold than with
ii steel pen
81 had rather be German than an Eng
liShnan."
Now, we hold that these sentences are as
inaccurate in the last form 10 which they
appear as in the first, and that no number of
authorities can make them colrtcf. We know
what high authorities can be quoted in sup
port of them, but we also know that there is
not an error of this latent that is hiddcn) sort
which cannot be supported by good au-
thority. When intidels question the geology
of the Bible, theOlogians reply that the Bible
was not written to teach geology. So, when
DICKENS is quoted as authority in favor of an
error, we reply that Dickens was not n
philoogist or grammarian, but a novelist.
The Bible is good authority, yet the Bible
has many phrases in it that Professor JoYNEs
would not use. SHAKESPEARE is good auss
thority, but this fact would not justify us in
pronouncing medicinal" and "revcnue"
with the accent upon the rcnutimate, a.
SHAKESPEARE evidently did, and lis some of
the best of the older English photographers
tell us they ought to be pronounced.
Formerly the "best writers" used ian !"
before all words commencing with vowel,
as, no doubt, they were told to do by gram
marians and justified In doing by the good
usage" of their day, but students found out
that "an" ought to be used only before
words commencing with vowel sound,
and then became possible the music OF Gen
eral MoRgls's-
. A union Of hearts aud q union of hands
And the flag of the Union forever" &c
Even now, however, there are old iugies
who write ian union" and plead "good
usage" HERBERT SPENCER is one of the
greatest OF living men; yet he says, i" there has
been an extensive getting-rid of children"
1--WE quote his language substantially Is
bis name weighty enough to make getting.
III" good noun How many of our
best writers" use transpire" as being
equivalent to g happen?" (sce our own pros
pectus) Is that good English now: No.
When will it ber When the word las &C.
CURED new meaning. When will "had