The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-08-29
THE WORDS WE usE.p

Il
We do not believe ia captious criti
cism and strive to avoid it-and we d.
not mean to say that Prof. Mcbride,
lecture OH "The Words We Use," /
MT most witty. entertaining and II
many respects instructive production
for such 1t undoubtedly is. But whel
a man assumes to lead and lnstruc
those who in their turn direct tn,
minds of the children, and especial,
on such subject, he becomes fairly 8
target of criticism. If he assumes
direct us as to the swords we usen he
can surely be justly taken to task fol
his words he uses.
Under such circumstances we have
right to complain of his grievous (or
"grievious," as he says) misuse of his
mother English. When he assumes
to be authority ON the origin of the
English language, we have right to
note the fact that he started out by
mis-pronouncing Angles" and that
that was only one of many. Since he
processes to be authority on the ety.
mology of English words we feel iusti-
fled in calling attention to few slips
that can hardly be laid to mere mad
vertence. That he said, for in
stance, that basket, mop,
broom, pot and kitchen, along with
other words we do not recall, were of
Celtic origin-waxing eloquent, but ter.
ribiy reckless of gender, over the
"knight of the kitchen"-when the
fact is those words are not of Celtic
origin; that he derived biography"
from tto-life, and gra,hy-to write;
thus making the Greek responsible
for two words which it does not nearer
approach than bios and graphcin 1.-THE
words he should have given); that
he derived telephone from tclie-at
a distance, and phone-to talk; where
as it is from the Greek tcte-at a dis
lance. and phon-e-a sound. And
several others of the same kind, en-
tirely ignoring all euphonic and in
fiectional changes; that he derived
April" from apri-to open, whereas
the proper word is dperiro; "Peda-
gogue" from pcd-a foot, and agogue-
to lead; whereas it is from the Greek
p0is-a boy, and dgein-to lead; that
he derived umbrella" from two words
meaning dark shade, or to cast a
shade las some understood it,; where
as it Is simply the diminutive form of
the Latin un,bro, and means "a little
shade" Now, surely man should
be little more sure of his ground be-
fore he ventures out as an authority on
this subject before an intelligent audi
ence. "A little Latin and less Greekn
is not a sufficient foundation upop
which TO venture upon the dangerous
field of pathological criticism.
The Professors chart, or tree of lar
guagc, which he is recommending
to our teachers, is, according to our
idea of the subject, very inaccurate
and misleading. The "rootsn are dis
posed of in a very peculiar manner, to
say the least. While his plan is ingen-
ous, he seems to ignore the most OBJ
'ious, and the only logical prcsenta-
ion of the subject. Would he have
MS pupils las they must if they follow
his chart)ignore the great Indo-E Euro
bean source of our language? Would he
lave them ignorant of the fact that the
reutonic, the Latin and the Greek
rom which our language is mainly
lerived, arc only members of this
'reat Indo-European family and that
he Anglo-Saxon and the Norman
french again are Off-shoOts from these?
Ne have only space to barely suggest
hese things.
we DO not wish to make any gratu-
tous criticisms, but We do not like to
pe mischievous error, pass un-
oticed. five have got the learned
rofessor in our hair, we can't help it.
luch Of his doctrine is good, and will \
e very helpful to his fellow teachers:
ut that should not be neutralized by Il
lch fragrant and mischievous mis-. /
axes. II