Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1873-05-01
An Exercise in Orthoepy.


article, the merit of which lies in the
fact that in it are ingeniously inter-
woven many words in common use but
Of doubtful pronunciation. The design
is to have each word pronounced ac-
cording to the first pronunciation given
in Worcester's dictionary-an excel
lent method of correcting ones self in
the pronunciation of many words in
common use.
MY nephew, the lieutenant, being an
invalid, sent his clerk to aid him in
consummating a plan which he had
long contemplated.
Upon entering the room he courteous
ly made an humble obeisance.
The lieutenant offered him some
bananas which his wife, notable
housewife, had brought him. They
were the gift of a man formerly an
hostler, but now engaged in mercantile
pursuits, and evidently on the route to
fortune. Some folks considered him
destined to Dc notable financier.
The clerk humorously inquired of the
lieutenant if he had commenced the
study Of Gaelic, and if the words of
that language were accented on the
antepenult or on the penult.
My nephew responded that the study
of Gaelic would certainly be more use
full than meditation upon hours and
peris. to which the clerk had devoted
himself
After considerable more badinace.
which dissipated whatever sombre
thoughts the invalid had been indulc-
Ing, and after laughing to see mat
ronly grimalkin carrying her kitten by
the nape Of the neck, they proceeded
to business
lhe lieutenant, VINO, without yaunt-
ing his knowledge. really deserved to
be reckoned among the literati, wished
TO make some disposition of his prop
erty in the interests of education.
bringing valise from the other
room, he found to his chagrin that n
beautiful vase which it contained, and
which once belonged to monastery
OF Capuchin monks, had been broken,
while 4 finely carved chamois horn had
been sadly defaced. lie had obtained
this at an Ursuline convent, where it
received homage as gift to ST. Ursula
herself, belief as reasonable as that
1t had been presented by Guido. or
once belonged to Beatrice Cerci, or fell
from the planet Uranus.
lie had designed presenting these
interesting articles to the musenm of
the town, OF which he had long been a
patron, together with some account of
the legends connected with them,
which would have interested any one
fond Of Legendary lore.
He then took from the drawer OF a
bureau two bouquets of pressed flow.
crs, one or which he had received from
Palestine, and the other from some
Alpine village. Exhibiting them to
the clerk, he said, Were | poet,
would write an elegiac upon these
lovely flowers. How WE'LL" lie contin
ued, docs the psalmst compare man
10 the grass Of the field :" He remain
ed thoughtful a few minutes, and then
said, "If | possessed sufficient pre-
science to determine whether the nu-
scum will ever lose its prestige and be
gwen up on any preteXt, could bet
ter tell 10 what extent | would like to
be a legator.
wish that it might afford help to
Investigators in any department of
study: botany, or meteorology, or
zoology, the growth of lichen, the
nature OF giraffe, the classification of
4 conch, the principles of the lever,
the vagaries of philosophers, the rise
OF empires, the jousts and tournaments
OF ancient chivalry, the diverse relig-
ions o: the world, the disputes Of schis-
mates, the Aslatic races. the hegira Of
Mahomet, the history of homeopathy
IN It's minute details, the prologue of a
ShakSperlan drama,-indeed anything
which any aspirant after knowledge
could reasonably desire.
They occupied themselves awhile
with this business, and then the lieu
tenant invited the clerk to look at some
beautiful portraits of Michael Angelo,
Campbell, Cromwell, and other distin-
guished men, and showed him the con-
tents of \ cabinet which stood in a re-
cess or alcove. 1t contained sapphires
and diamonds which shone with incom-
parable brilliancy, and turquoise of
light azure hue.
The lieutenant had made the collec-
ton with the help of a comrade who,
conversant with all works extant rela:-
ing to mineralogy, had ample re-
sources to expend in this, his favorite
pursuit.
The clerk then prepared to depart.
The lieutenant playfully entreated him
to study orthoepy, and learn how to
pronounce managerie, desert, complex,
depot, silver, cement, bronchitis, &c.
The clerk responded that it was a gi-
gantic undertaking to acquire knowl-
edge of orthoepy, and thus they part
ed for the night