The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1882-11-09
ORIGIN OF POPULAR PHRASES
St Louis Globe.Democrat.l !


"a rolling stone gathers no moss, -
This quotation appears in Gosson's
''Ephemerides Of Philao, as "a rowling |
stone gathers no moss" Thos. Tusser,
in "Good Husbandry Lessons has
1.-THE stone that is rolling can gather no
moss.
Better late than never. This pro.
verbialism originated with Thos. Tusser,
autuor Of "Five Hundred Points Of
Good Husbandry," who put it into his
IAN Habitation Enforced" Tusser's
writings are prolific ofespressions which
have long since become proverblal.
"No royal road to geometry. "-Eu
cid, who opened school of mathemat-
les at Alexandria, in the reign of the
first Ptolemy, was once asked by that
sovereign whether he could not explain
his art to him in mere compendious
way, to which Euclid made the celebra-
| ted answer that there was no royal road
to geometry.
.'The Nine Worthless. THE historic,
al personages, sThe Nine Worthless"
we're three Genties-- Hector, son OF Pri-
.am; Alexander the Great, and Julius
Cesar; three Jews, Joshna, conqueser Of
Canaan; David. King Of Israel; aud Ju.
das Maceabaus; anG three Christians,
Arthur. King Of Britain; Charlemagne,
aud Godfrey of BouilIOD.
"Ihe bed of Procrnstes, ,"-Procrns-
tes, called by Parusanias Polyp@moL,
was in mythology robber of Ancient
Greece, who placed on an iron bed the
travellers who fell into his hands, which
their stature was made to Git by cutting
Off the projecting limbs, or by stretching
them to suit its dimensions; whence the
metaphorical expression of "The bed OF
Procrustees." +"
CITY Of Magnificent Distances. "A
popular name given TO tue city of wash
iugtUn, the capital Of the United States,
from the fact Of its being laid ont on 8
very large scale. The entire site is tra,
versed by two sets of streets, from 70 tc
100 feet wide, at right angles to one an
other, the whole again intersected oh
liqnely by Is avenues from 1870 to 16(
feet wide
"Sloeveless errnud. This phrase oc
curs ir HeYwood's Proverbs, 1916. Th,
origin of the word sleeveless, in the sens
Of urprc fitable. has defed the most care
ful research at the bands Of Sharmai
and other noted philogists. II is FIRE
quently found, says the former, allied t
n other substantives. Bishop Hall speak
of the sleeveless tale of transubstIntia
tion, 0nd Milton writes of ''sleevelee
reason" Chaucer uses it in the Tests
ment Of Love.
"a 1--WE recognize Hercules from th
II size Of the foot. Pythagoras ingenious
:; y; ly calculated the great stature of Helcr
= les by comparing the length Of varior
rfn IA in
!, nominally 600 feet in length; but Hercr
9 les was said to have measured out tll
stadium at Olympia with his own fee
y while the othe.s followed STANFORD +,
az as later days. The philosopher argued thI
u by how much the Olympic course e,
v ceeded all others in length, by the SAN
proportion did the foot OF Hercules e,
ceed TINT of men of subsequent ag
aud, again by the same proportion mu
20 the stature Of Hercules have been pr
hs eminent.
y, "Prairie Schooner. An Americanis
ai for large two or four horse immigrai
wagon. covered with white canvass, sue
'h as were very commonly used by the en-
:. ~ emigrants from the Eastern aud Sout
~ ern States. The expression is said
cn have been originated by George Franc
~ Train, who SAID in one OF his ear
na stump. speeches: ''To the East lies Il
~ Atlantic Ocean. bearing upon its surfa
10 the white doves of commerce, bound I
p distant ports, laden with the products
,w the broad West, whose bosom is todd
ne dotted with thousands of Prairie schoo
y, ers, loaded with sturdy men and wome
ne who Will ere long make it's remotest qua
ne ters blossom as the rose"