The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-07-02

In En,.lIsh composition by furnishing examples |
NJ inn..urucv IL the volume compiled 10y the |
Ltr WILLIAM H. llupGsOH. under tho title OF |
Iyrlrs IN IRE Use of Ehylish. The American |
el,fiuu rl this treatise now published by the |
Arrr.'uu4 has been revised and in many ro-
sppcis mai rally improved. by Mr. Francis A. |
Tmil. Nu' seldom differs from the author
without, advancing satisfactory reasons for
lt- uuin,on The capital merits of this work
mr., that it is founded ON actual bundcrs. Vori-
fed by chapter and verse reference and that
the brcn thcs OF good use to which exception
1, taken have been committed. not by slipshod
uuoducH'ed writer's. of whom nothing better
could b" expected. but 10y persons distinguished
for moro than ordinary carefulncss in respect
OF style. We should add that the materials
Layc been judciously arranged by the Ameri-
can editor under tho four general heads of
vocabulary. accdence. syntax. and rhetoric.
and lhht the index has been so thoroughly re-
constructed that 1t now constitutes Il complete
guide 70 the contents OF the work.
Among the words improperly used in senses
not justified by their derivation tho author
dwclls at length on avocntlon." which. even
b. good writer's. is often made mere synonymc
for 4" vocation" Tho words are really as dis
tinet ctymologically, as abrogato and ar
rogatc. for while "a man can have but one vo-
cation, to wit. his normal employment, he
may have many avocations in the sense of
diversions or distractions. The words. how
ever. are used anonymously not only by such
writers as Dickens, and Mrs. Stowe. but even
by Charlotte Bronte, George Eliot. and John
Ruskin The confusion OF the two terms has
In fact. become so general in our day that Skcat
unwlllingy accepts it. defining avocation" by
pursuit. employment business" 1t is also
pointed out that Skeat sanctions the modern
use of climax in the sense OF acme"
though it is noteworthy that George
Eliot gives the word its Greek sense
OF n ladder or ascending stairs. AS to
the word "condign" we are reminded that
although our age never applies it except to
punishment" yet it still retains its Latin
sense OF well mcritcd. and cannot, therefore,
without tautology. be coupled with the word
deserved" Yet the Saturday Rerieto has said.
Practical joking does not deserve condign
punishment" and like error is necessarily
encountered in newspaper writing.
Another word which is frequently mis-
used by recent authors Is "condone." which
in Latin bears the single meaning OF for
give" and which was long used in English
in the technical sense of the forgiveness
OF a violation of tho marriage VOW There
has been of late growing tendency to use
the word as a synonyme for compensate" or
atone for" and We arc surprised to find that
NlIlldll DuCk nus DctH olIen guilty oil
this bunder. Whether decade" which in
Greek. of course denotes simply any aggregate
Of ten. can be employed to moan ten years is
doubtful Mr.. Gladstone and Mr. A. Trollope
write. "a decade of years" but J. S. Mil
De Quincy DR.. Newman. and others
omit the qualifying words. The omis-
sion seems justified by such analogucs as
centenary" and century" neither of which
words ombodies annus." word almost uni
versaliy used in sense which does not bel ong
TO it is demean." which properly signifies to
behave, The notion that 1t carries the quail
flying implication Of debasing or lowering be-
havior, arises according to Skeat. from an
absurd popular etymolosy which regarded 1t
composed of the Latin de. down." and
the English mean. base" The American
editor reminds us that there is word
much used collouuially. and differing from
this only 10y single letter. which would pre-
csely answer the purpos, viz. bemcan. to
make mean" This is as well formed rs the uni
yersaliy accepted word bclittle" and many
others OF the same composition. and II is
mo)ted by Mr.. Teal whether it would not be
better for reputable writer's boldly to adopt
this etymolOgiCally correct verb than to
avoid it by so indcfensbe perver-
sion demean" in the sense of discredilable
behavior. A verb which is continually en-
p.oyed in improper applications by careless
wrltors. is dcterorlte. to make or to grow
worse" even such scholarly persons rs Canon
Farrar and Prof. Card cOnfouujins it with de-
tract. That either when d;stributive adj
icctiNe. Away, realms the notion Of duality is
undeniablc, yet Prof. Hodsson exhibits viola
tons OF the rule by Smoett and 10y DIR. U. w.
Holiness Again. the word eliminate" which
properly n!rans 81 ~ strike Out" ia. Vf late
years been frequently employed In the sense Of
n plip nj ''nyblyp - tho ylp have
employed it in erroneous Specifications being
John Ruskin. f. ID. Maurice. and Prof. Rogers.
the author OF The Eclipse Of Faith" AS to
the word paradox" We are reminded that
1t signifies a seeming absuriity," and We
therefore cannot without tautology. couple it
with such words as seem" or appear" Tho
error however. is one into which loose writers
are necessarily failing. and examples Of it are
detected even in Fielding. j. s. Mill. Cardinal
Wisemun and Charles Kingsley.
We need not say that the Greek word "pas-
tic" can properly be used only in an active
eensc and Is Therefore Numerically opposed
to the Latin "ductle;' the two words arc
however. continually confounded in COM
mon use. The verb " to progress" Tao
centod. of course. on the last syilabe) has
been. in the judgment OF Prof. Hodgson
successfully defended by Mr. Fitzedward
Hall who also shows that even retrograde"
can boast an older pedigree than our uni
versally accepted verb degrade" AS to the
word reliable" which. according to Mr.
e. Saintsbury. the mere grammar Of style
teaches us not to use where we can say
Trustworthy" Mr.. FiUedward Hall proves
that it has the countcnance of Coleridge Glad
Stone, i. s, Mill. DIR. Newman, DIR. Manse and
Bshou WHEREFORE. of the Times. the AMemGuun
and even Of its bitter opponent the Saturday Re-
rle'0. Mr. Hall. however does not demonstrate
that in all these instances Trustworthy
would not have served the authors purpose
word whose misuse is probably be-
yond remedy is replace" which prop
erly signifies to restore to its place. as in the
sentence but how to replace the Emperor
when bee has been displaced by such an event
as Waterloo" The confusion OF the word with
displace" is not sanctioned by good authorl-
ty; hut. on the other hand. the use
Of 1t in the sense Of mi up" or supply
the place Of is almost universal. and
Ia Conditional hv Enulish Iictipn-