Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1880-10-22
A Reply to Criticism.

re-stating arguments neither understood nor
fairly answered, and reiterating criticisms the
exceptions TO which are more erroneous than
the errors that provoked them.
In my last letter to the ADVOCATE criticised
the letter of Mr.. S. W. Davis in the SENTINEL
of some weeks ago. He has seen fit to criti-
else my criticism. Your readers will excuse,
hope, my seeming diffuseness, little discur-
sive talk about Lexcology, Grammar, RhetO-
ric, &c, may amuse them for a moment.l
First for the grammar. Mr.. S. W. D. attempts
to excuse his use of this language-hs (my)
article may be best described "by the superLa-
tives mad, lcild and tame" No man who had
competent knowledge of grammar would
attempt TO excuse such an expression except
by saying, that it was a slip Of the pen.
Even then it would be objectionable in a
man who was supposed to be well educated. Is
Mr.. s. W. D. ignorant Of the fact that, &C
cording to the laws and usage Of the English
language, the word "superLGtiUe," used as
substantive, can only be applied to such ad-
ectives as from their meaning admit of no
comparison and to the highest degree OF such
as may be compared ! do not comment upon
the incongruity of associating "mad, wild and
tame" together as description. 1t would be
cruel
Second FOR the rhetoric. He says meta
phor and smile are "tDin brothers, they are
not. The metaphor is POLITICALLY and historic
ally the child of the smile. Their charsc-
teristic difference does not consist in the de-
gree of boldness employed, but in the form
in which they are stated. A metaphor may
be tame and a smile bold, and yet each be-
longs to lis class and no other. The differ
ence is this: a simile employs words Of COM
parison las, like, &C., metaphor does not
give an illustration: If he said l Vas
condor, that is a metaphor, buff he said was
as Tor like) condor, that is a simile. Any
one can see the difference. concede that his
smile is bold, even to vulgarity, but that
does not make it metaphor
But more. Let us consider his natural his
tory. He refers to Button to prove that the
condor eats food it did not kill never con-
tradicted that said, "that the condor was
distinguished among vultures by its prefer
ence for fresh or even live food, attacking and
killing the largest animals" II eats carrion,
as all vultures and eagles do-even that soar
ing alpine eagle to which he compares him
self, (as ! SUPPOSED II has even been known
to carry off and eat iUe man. He speaks of
'enaLIdge." give the definition from Wor-
cesters Unabridged, as follows, ia change
of words, or a substitution of one gender,
case, person, number, tense, mood or voice
of the some word, for another" And ! ask Pun
chinello or any other mountebdnk what zen
alldge' has to do with the question at issue
Mr.. S. W. D. calls that metaphor which is
| a smile and cannot give authority
Fourth for his Geography. He knows as
well as ! do that the occurrence Of a moua-
tain in valley is rare. That the expression
''the valley of the Amazon" or ''the valley"
OF the Mississippi or Missouri is a technical
term referring to the scope of territory bound
| n1 nv DR. wi 1ina nd fbao 80
the streams tributary to these Understanding
sometimes millions of square miles. He knew
also that plateau does not occur in valley
proper, and it is obvious to any one who will
re-read his metaphor" that he was thinking
when he wrote it of ''the lowest level Of the
valley" and as he wanted big word to use
he took plateau" knowing only that il
meant something fiat. That was enough for
a fine writer. II certainly was Rdti
| Fifth, for his architecture. Our. word
''dome" comes through the Latin "domu s.
| from the Greek "domos," but differs widely
from both in meaning and application The
Greek word meant ia building" of any kind
even "a sheepfold;" also any room in q
building or any part of one as "a layer oil
bricks"-thus Greek would say "triakonta
domon plinthon"="the thirtieth layer or row
of bricks" The Latin word was used to des
/ lHudlc HOuSt as UhUluhtlOn tCOrTeSpOnulnH
10 the Greek "oikos" and thus came to have
for its general meaning "a home" (domi=
at home 1t was never used to designate
technically what we now call "dome." The
word, in the lapse Of centuries, narrowed in
meaning. Any one would laugh at mar
who now called the Patent Office, the Post
Office or Mr.. Corcoran's house in Washington
"a dome !" but every one would know wha
was meant by "the dome of the Capitol " By
good writer's OF our own English the word /.
now used only in the meaning given it b,
architects, which is, (Iquote from Worces ter
"a roof the base Of which is circle a /
and its yer ticle section curved line concav,
towards the interior; a cupola." 1t is alst
used TO designate anything shaped like such
roof, as 1.-THE dome Of a furnace - Wor Ii
old English, and sometimes now in bad poetry
it is used in its ancient sense but unfortu
nately M, S. W. D. was not writing bad
poetry-only inflated prose- The Latin WORD
"turris" meant, generally, "any high tower
or building" but its special meaning was "a
wooden structure Hpon wheels pushed up to
the wall of beseiged city to enable the sol
diers in il to mount the barrier" II wa.
therefore always machine for attack and OF
feuse and not as Mr.. S W. d, in Grass igno.
rance SAYS. used in defensive operations. Blu
tgTris like doDlus has, in course of time come
10 have different aud technical meaning
which is (see Worcester) "a small tower al
tached 10 aud forming part ofanother tower, ol
placed al the angle OF a church or other edi
flee" This is a feature Ia characteristic one
OF Gothic architecture, and in this sense it i,
now always used by those acquainted with III,
meaning of English words.
would be much obliged to Mr. S. W d
il he would give me a reference to the WORK
i'll which he found tLat remarkable speech o
Mare Antony's. He put it in full quotation
marks, so be must know it to be both genuin,
and authentic,-as such it would be treas.
ure OF classic antiquity. He should remem
Der that among scholarsa certain sort of quo
latons are called "parbIed"
am much obliged to him for informing m,
of the meaning and derivation Of the wore
"carni0dt, of which, Of course, was igno
rant. But il he had possessed oue-half tn
learning aud acuteness he gives himself credi
for he would have seen that | quoted tn
Whole expression-'a carnival of carbon
not to crticise his use OF the words (whicl
is correct even to uastiness) but to exhibi
the good taste and delicacy OF feeling that lie,
him 10 compare one, who had never attacked
him personally, TO what he supposed was tn
toulest of vultures 10 the midst of its foules
occupation.
lie begins MS chapter on Criticism y witt
the nisquotation
Drink deep or touch not the Perian stream ;
In order that he may quote it rightly mex
time, and also il he choose apply the first lin
to his own condition, give the full couplei
which is
IA lnie learning is a dangerous thing,
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring :"
and then he may set his wits to work to fin
T out why learning" is spoken of metaphor,
ally" as the "Pieridn spring. But | thin
we have all had enough of criticism and anti
criticism, "Pdce"
Anything may have 10 say about Mr..
W. is Chapter I'd reserve for another lei
ter. have adopted the practice, and sha
: continue ii, OF signing everything write wit
, my full name. Twill never, therefore, motto
any anonymous letters.