Morning journal and courier., 1881-09-23
Curfosities of Reporting. From Chambers' Journal.

In the course of an introductory lecture to his students, the late Professor Hodgson on one occasion remarked that the economlc world was Ca chaos of discordant and con- ficting atoms, with only superficial and de- captive resemblance of peace" What must have been the feelings of the professor when he found next morning that one of the news papers had made him speak of the economic world as "a chaos of discordant and conflict ing demons?"
 imperfect hearing is a common source of error In 8 report of a Roman Catholic fes- tival in Dumfries some years ago, where there was good deal of noisy demonstration, a reverend father was represented as having appealed to his hearers whether they should longer be degraded by the presence of ''the
 triangle" in Rome. It was the presence of
 Victor Emanuel to which the reverend gentle-
 man objected; and the mistake can only be
 accounted for by 8 misapprehension on the
 part of the reporter, in consequence, no doubt, of the rapid articulation of the speak
 CT and the enthusiastic response of the audi
 ence.
 Ignorance and carelessness on the part of
 reporters have led to some very amusing
 blunders. s'Fratricide at Haddington' was
 the title given some time ago in an Edln-
 burgh paper to the case of man who was
 tried for the murder of his father. An Amer
 ican reporter once transformed the quotation,
 "Amicus Plato, amicus Socrates, sed major
 veritas " into tI may cuss Plato, Emay cuss
 Socrates, said Major Veritas." The next
 mornings feelings of the orator to whose
 words this extraordinary rendering was given
 may be more easily imagined than described.
 It was Welsh reporter who headed para
 graph ssSuicide of Two Persons-Statement
 of the One that Survived" This seems more
 like product of the sister isle, and if the
 writer was not of Hibernian birth or extrac-
 tion, he might at all events claim affinity in
 genius. The erroneous use of the word
 tsother" has occasioned many curious blum
 der A Scotch paper recently announced that Ga man named Alexander Buchanan,
 and two other women" were charged with
 assault.
 Reporters as rule are persevering men,
 and like to give good value for their services.
 A good story is told of Lord Palmerston's ex-
 perience of importunate reporters. A Lon-
 don scribe having heard that his lordshlp was
 to be present at an archery meeting in 8
 small country village in Hampshire, posted down to the village and attended the meet ing Lord Palmerston's task was to d1str1t bute prizes to some half dozen bIusnlng young ladies, and the whole company:pres did not number much above score. Ills lordship performed the task with his custo-
 mary grace and good humor, giving the young ladies kindly pat on the head, but making only the most commonplace observa- tions The reporter waited anxiously Tn his place until, to his horror, he saw the proceed ines brought to close without any formal speech from the premier This was more than he could stand. He rushed from his corner to the noble lord, who was passing out of the room My lord, beg your par don, but really this won't do."
 s.What do you mean ?" was the reply of the astonished statesman.
 ssWhy, you've made no speech? I've come all the way from London to report it, and must have speech of some sort" Whereupon, it is on record that the good tempered old gentleman turned back, and de-
 tained the retreating audience for twenty minutes, while he gave them genial disser-
 tation on the good qualities of English wo- men in general, and of Hampshire lasses in r,arficular