The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-07-09
The Press and Banner
nv HUGH WILSON & w C.BENE1
Wednesday,, July 9. 1879.
"Sfrengthy" Talk about "Lengthy''.'
Judge Pressly and the Beaufort
Crescent.

Judge Pressly and the Beaufort
Crescent.
We find the following little piece of
criticism about good English in our
cotemporary. the Beaufort Crescent.
JUDGE PRESLEY AS AN ETYMoL-
CONSTITUTING the court last week
one attorney referred to another's
speech as being lengthy" qualifying
the expression by adding, "if such a
word is good English" Judge Press
ley remarked, at is not good English.
You had as we'll say 'breadthy' for
broadas lengthy for long.-New6er-
ry Herald.
In spite of the eminent authority on
the law, we beg to differ with the
Judge and to say that the employment
of the word is in strict compliance
with photographed sanction. 1t
seems to us to be rather gratuitous for
Judge to pass sentence upon WORDS
from the Bench in view of the grace
lessness Of al cdptiandum - (Sac)
criticism. DR.. Johnson says: Every
other author may aspire to praise the
photographer a only hope to escape
reproach, and even this negative re-
compense has been yet granted to very
few.-Bedufort Crescent.
We beg to differ from the Beaufort
Crescent and to agree with Judge
Presley as to the word lengthy 1t
is malformation and the Judge did
right to condemn it as mot good Eng
lish." 1t is not enough that the Cries.
cent should say that 1.-THE employment
of the word is in strict compliance
with Photographed sanction" We
cannot consider that argument as suf-
ficiently strengthy-a word we coin
for the especial use of the Crescent
Photographed sanction" IS not
the highest law of good English, and
the Crescent must look over and be-
yond its "Wehster's Unabridged" for
authority. There be lexicographersand
photographers, and some are wise
and some are foolish. And they that
are wise are not like Webster a law un-
to themselves, but they find in the
works of scholars, poets, and orators
the reason for the faith that is in them
as to what 8 and what is not good
English. The English language, like
the English Common Law. has no
written code, and the true lexicogra.
pher like the codifier must furnish
%precedents and authorities before he
can say what is the law. 1t is the
pure writer and not the dictionary
maker who is the best authority in
good English. A DeQuincy, a Glad
stone, or a Washington Irving, is a
better guide to good English than is a
Webster, q Walker, or ven a Rich
ardson. And we advise the Newber-
ry attorney to take Judge Pressley's
word for it that lengthy is not good
English, Photographed sanction"
and the Beaufort Crescent to the con-
trary Notwithstanding. So long as we
have the simple adjectives long, broad
and strong, we have no need of such
malformations as lengthy, 6reddthy, or
strengthy. .....
We differ also with the Crescent as
to its being "gratuitous for a judge to
pass sentence upon words from the
Bench" Ajudge is not aschool-mas-
ter to teach the Bar good English, but
it is meet and proper in him, especial
" when as in this case he Is asked Of
a word is good English, to give his
opinion as a scholar. The best judges
of law have always been judges of
good English. Blackstone is as high
an authority in English language as
he is in English law. We are glad to
see again judges on the Bench who
know what good English is. A few
years ago good English was unknown
OH the Bench in South Carolina and
some judges knew as little about the
English language as about English
law. We then. heard a republican
judge speak of some evidence as "om-
ilaious." The same judge in charging
a grand jury spoke to them of some
p ublic officers who were not "ftten for
t heir office"
Judge Presley is not the first South
Carolina judge who while sitting on
t he Bench cultivated literature and
was ready on occasion to correct the
mistakes of members Of the Bar who
had offended against the Queens En-.
glish. Judge Wardlaw, for example,
was not only a learned jurist but q
careful scholar who took as much
pains to be pure in his English as to
be accurate in his legal knowledge.
While no Judge ever listened more at
tentively and patiently to the argu-
ments of counsel, his ear was quick
to catch the manner as we'll as the
matter. A purist in English himself,
he delighted to observe tho niceties OF
style in others, and neither misuse nor
INSTRUMENTATION Of words escaped
him. One distinguished lawyer tells
us how thankful he still is that Judge
Wardlaw many years ago censured
him for using lily, which is just such
an abortion as lengthy. The lesson
has never been forgotten. Anolhe.
learned counsellor recounts with pride
and gratitude the following humor-
Gus anecdote at his w expense A
good many years ago, when the law
yer was q young man, he was counsel
for the defendant IN q murder case,
tried before Judge Wardlaw. For
many reasons, especially for personal
reasons, the young lawyer was anxious
net only 10 do justice to his client but
to acquit himself well in the eyes of
the critical Judge. During his argu-
nent for the defence, the lawyer no
ticed with delight that the Judge was
not only listening arrectis auri6us but
was frequently taking notes of his
speech. AT the close the Judge beck
oned to the lawyer, and he, self-com-
placently expecting a high compli-
ment, went up beside the Judge, when
the following colloquy took place;
Judge WardlaW-"You made a good