The Portland daily press., 1879-03-29
Yorick's Drawer.

quotation and misstatement. The mis-
quotation was in the couplet from Hudibras,
the words "Sins they have no mind to-" ap.
pearing as "sins they have mind to-"
The misstatement was in speaking of Switch
burning" method of promoting orthodoxy
practically unknown in New England. All
that Yorick can do is to cry peccaui.
ditions of the craft and throw the blame for
the mistakes on compositor or proof-reader.
Perhaps he would, did he not know that
readers are prone to jeer at such excuses and
intimate their belief that the writer only is at
fault. 1t isn't discreet to trife with readers
nowadays; they know too much. Yorick
must confess that he read that line from
Hudibras twice, and that he read it wrong
each time. He made the same mistake the
Clerk of the House sometimes does, and read
''no" where an "aye" was recorded. Par
don the mispronunciation for the sake of the
pleasantly. So too he intended to say
"witch-hanging" instead of WITHDRAWING"
and did succeed in saying it once, but failed
on the second trial.
Thisb an experience very unpleasant but
not uncommon to one who writes, whether
ne Is a recorder, or copyist, or composer.
It not infrequently takes an aggravated
form. A writer-he may be writing for
years, few or many, or as the journalist, for
day~-composes an article which seems good
to him. He reads it in proof and revise-if
it goes within covers he may read it dozen
times-and it still seems good. But the
moment it is published and so free from
change and beyond recall, he sees hundred
expressions that might be bettered, thous-
and words that could be improved upon. If
he could only keep his article and improve it
through many readings, how much better it
would be for the article, for himself, and for
the world, he thinks. Very likely it would 60
into the waste basket should he put it aside
for month or even week; but you can't
persuade him of that. He remembers that
Balzac spent fortune in paying for proof
corrections, and is inclined to think that if
he had the fortune to spend, his fame would
be as great as that of the Frenchman. He
recalls the story of Carlyle, the despair of
printers-how compositor who had strug-
gled with the great authors manuscript quit
ted an Edinburgh Office in disgust and walked
to London and got ''sit'' there, and how
the first stake" he struck was something Of
Carlyle's. "Good Godp' exclaimed the type
setter, care you printing for that man?" and
he dropped his stick and fed bowling from
the Office. The scribbler would be only too
glad to have chance to vex compositor
that way. He sighs for the earlier time, re-
membering the polish Pope gave to his verse,
and the wicked story told, (was it by Lamb p
of Campbell and his slow way of working.
"How is Mr.. Campbell this mornings"
asked solicitous visitor. 'sHe is doing as
well as could be expected, thank you. He
has just been delivered of couplet' Per-
haps the writer would do well to listen to the
compositor rather than to old stories. He
may hear that worthy say ''The man't
wrote this makes it worse the more he fools
with it." And in nine cases out of ten the
composltor is right.
The modern writer believes he has fallen
on evil times. But his is not the only
work that is hurried. The complaint is gen.
eral. We pass silver bills in haste, and re-
pent at leisure. Webuild ships of unseas-
oned timber, and they rot on the first voyage,
sometimes before they leave the dock, tor
Congress takes good care they shall not be
launched in hurry. Everything is done in
haste. It is even difficult to find whiskey
six years old.
-Yorick took occasion last week to dis
course at considerable length upon the snr-
vival Of superstitions. Many old beliefs, if
we may credit the comparative mythologists,
linger with us and still influence us in
hundred ways-how widely only those who
have made study of the subject know. We
do homage in many observances to the high
gods,-not only to the STAIR humanities" OF
Grecian fable, but to the sombre and MONS
trous deities of the East. The bishops mitre
is the head and mouth of Dagon, relic of
the Pheuician fishcult. The madonna with
the moon under her feet is the Egyptian Isis.
The typhoon of Oriental seas is Typho, the
Japanese wind-god. The bogy, or bug-a-boo
with which we frighten children, is the Fin
nish deity Bogy. Our Devil is, chronological.
ly, the Zingaree god Devell. The Belle jar
diniere of Raphael, one of the most famous
pictures of the Virgin, is the Roman protect.
ress of agriculture, mother earth, ge-mater,
Demeter herself. The lberty-cap on our coins
was once worn, it is said, by Cybele. We
render her tribute to-day. The sea-serpent
seen, under favorable conditions, by visitors
to the Cape Elizabeth shore, is the great
snake. 120 miles long, that Saint Patrick
banished from Ireland. Pity he hadn't
freed Irish boots at the same time. Our
custom of tolling bell at funeral comes
from the older custom of ringing bells to scare
away the demons lurking about to seize up
on the passing soul and that from the legend
that the steed of Odin was frightened at the
sound of church-bell. 1t is well known
that fairies disappear when the peals ring
out from the steeples. An express
sion in common use over the water
to-day in speaking of an unlucky man.
'sthe black bull has trod on his foot" comes
of the black oxen, accursed, that were sacri-
feed to the Internal deities. 1t is indeed
misfortune when an OK Of any color, black,
white, red or piebald treads on ones foot, as
Yorick learned through brief and youthful
experience on farm. An expression heard
in this country, and used of a sullen person
ga black dog has walked over him." is a
survival Of the Roman superstition that the
sight of black dog is bad omen. We all
know that black cat is possessed of the evil
one. Our hot cross buns are the cakes
offered to the gods in Roman temples. As
they will not grow mouldy, and are a sure
cure for diarrhea they will be handy to have
In the house next summer. They are also a
protection against fire and do away with the
expense of insurance policies-a feature that
will certainly commend this Romish supersti-
tion to the shrewd Yankee. The customs of
turning to the east when repeating the creed,
OF placing the altar at the east end of the
church, of digging grave with its foot to the
east, are all survivals of sun-worship. The
bridal veil originates in the Northern belief