Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1881-12-22


The words, AIN the midst OF life
we are in DEATH" we're first used
in the burial service of the Epis-
copal church Gin English), and The
sentiment is expressed in The ear.
ier enthusiastically Greek and
u-----sl Roman churches. The sentence
wasprobably adopted from one or
the other Of the older churches.
The origin Of the phrase, Rob
bling Peter 10 pay Paul, IL thus
given: lin the time Of Edward
vi. or England, many Of the. lands
Of St. Peter, at Wsftminster Wefe
81 seized by bic 4ihesfy ministers
I'll and courfiers, but, id-brder to re-
3 concile the people TO the robbery.
they always allowed portion'of
the lands TO be Appropriated to-
ward the repairs of st. PaulfI
Church; hence the phrase, Rob
81 bling Peter to pay Paul.
p The saying, ssHe has an axe to
grind, '1c0Enes from essays from the
desk Of Poor Robert. the Scribe.
In an article called aWho'lI turn
81 the Grindstones 7" written after
u the manner Of Ben Franklinss
Too Much for Your Whistle. 2
~ ~ The autilUr Ras G.. Miner. = The
essay was pnbliahed at Doylestown,
Pa, in 10
III lnEr00aCBB DOy VINO was IN
wa9p4 auced by q eiever fiction to turn
-N the grindstone Tor another person
to grind his axe,a and is spoken Of as
those w'ho wishtoappear generous
st-s while they are only serving their
own selfish ends He say =
"When see merchant over
polite 60 his customers, begging
3oi 9 them to taste little of his bran
dy, and throwing half his goods on
fha oosfnfae fhtuko L THAT man
has an axe to grind"
A man who appears to be think
ing is said TO be in brown study
u1 @u This should rather be "brow
lsit -Aa study" from the German Jr0une.
brow-au, in that dialect, having
the sound Of the ou in our word
"our," as Austerlitz. in English
should be OVssterlitE. , , - =
Turning the tables, must come
itN from tile game of backgammon,
formerly called "The tables" and
which were said TO be turned upon
aplayer to whom the fortune Of
the game was adverse. The loser
would often insist on changing the
dice, boxes, men and table, in the
hope Of getting better luck. Just
as we have seen whist playing
dowagers, when they have had bad
? cards or bad play, get up, turn
their chairs round, and resume
their seats with lively expecta-
ton.
- THE phrase ito die in thellast
400 ditchn was first employed, We be-
lieve, by William of Orange, do
you not see your country is lost ~
said the Duke of Buckingham,
who had been sent to negotiate at
fthA Hague, when England and France
leagued against Holland. ''There
is a sure way never to see it lost"
replied William, 'and that is-to
die in the last ditch"
But few are familiar with the
oft.quoted expression, 1.-THE sword
of Damocles" A courtier of the
elder Dionysius, tyrant Of SYRIA
cuse, having lextOlled the happi-
ness caused by the possession of
wealth and power, Dionysius gave
him a, striking illustration of the
~ real nature ofsich seeming hap
N2 - piness by placing him at q table
full of delicacies and surrounded
by all the insignia of royalty; but
in the midst Of this banquet, Da-
mocles CHANGING to look upward,
2 A8AsSBsa saw a sharp and naked sword sus-
pended over his head by single
horse hair. A sight so alarmingl
instantly changed his viewso tie
felicity of kings.-Phid Saturday
Il Night