Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-03-12
WHY "TnOn2"

The attempt TO introduce a neuter
pronOun into the language for the pur-
pose of doing away with the awkward
phrases che or she, " chin or her." and
.'hers or his" is not meeting with any
marked success. The word .'shon"
has been suggested as an escape from
prOnoun necessary? Objections made
that there is much clumsiness in such a
sentence as, ''Mr. A. and Mrs. B. hay
ing agreed 20 separate, divided their
goods, and each took his or her share
and went his or her way" We concede
the clumsiness of this construction, but
we do not concede the ACCESSIBILITY of
overcoming the perpIexity by saying,
''Mr. A. and Mrs. 3. having agreed to
separate, divided their goods, and each
took thon share and went thon wav,"
when we may write, ''Mr. A. and Mrs.
Is. having agreed to separate, divided
their goods, and went their respective
ways. p" We are told with much force
that there is great awkwardness in
writing, '.if any boy or girl will dill
gently pursue the course | have mark
ed out for him or her, he or she will
surely reach the goal of his or her am
bition." OF course there is awkward
ness in it, but why should we write it,
eff any boy or girl will diligently pur-
sue the course [ have marked out for
thon, thOn will surely reach the goal of
thon ambition" when the trouble may
be met by writing, IF boys and girls
will diligently pursue the course have
marked out for them, they will surely
reach the goal Of their ambition;" or,
eff any boy or girl will diligently pur-
sue the course [ have marked out, the
goal of ambition looked forward to by
either will surely be reached"
1t does not seem to have occurred to
those who have SO strenuously urged
the new word that the language is all
sufficient for the clear expression of ev-
cry idea. Awkward sentences are null
tiplied for the purpose Of showing the
difficulties under which we at present
labor, and as though these sentences
were capable of no other forms than
those in which they are presented The
following example is case in point:
eff the reader will take the trouble to
reflect, he or she will agree with the
decision we have reached" but if we
write, eff the reader will take the trou-
BILE to reflect, there will be no disagree
ment with the decision we have reach
ed" or, Reflection will convince the
reader that the decision we have reach
ed is correct" the difficulty vanishes.
Why manufacture q new prOnoun when
there is no necessity for repetition of
the personal pronoun complained of?
If a thought cannot be expressed grace
fully in one form, it is not difficult to
find another which is not open to SINH
lar objection. No writer is compelled
to write such q sentence as this: when
person has become tired of life, should
he Or she be forced to endure it?" The
trouble would seem to lie in the use of
the singular pronoun. Adopt the plu-
raj in such cases and the perplexitv
disappears. 1t is true that there are
circumstances in which the singular
number is imperatively demanded, as:
eff discover who threw stone
through my library window, I will
have him OF her punished;' but the SEN
tence loses nothing in clearness when
it is written, IF l discover who threw
stone through my library window,
will have the offender punished" We
do not believe there is any emergency
that seems to call for the new pro-
noun, so loudly demanded, which can
not be met. The whole difficulty lies
IN seeing only one method OF express
ing thought.-Bost0'o Gazette.