St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-09-24
Common Mistakes in Language

"My dear nephew and nieces, you
charming inhabitants of glass houses,
don't throw any more stones"
"Why, Uncle Phil, yOu don't mean
to say that we speak incorrectly 2"
Uncle Philip showed his spectacles
to the middle of his forehead, and prOt
ceeded as follows:
ats all very well for you self-suffi-
cient graduates of colleges and semi
naries to find fault when Uncle Joshua
wants the well bucket 'h'isted,' when
Debby 'renses' the clothes, Aunt Maria
'ketches' cold, COachman John doc
tors DObbin's huff Pete feeds the
'creeters,' the cook 'biles the cramber-
ries,' Bridget asks for .jolup,' Farmer
Grey .reckons' it's 'ruther cold for plant
in but concludes to 'resk' it"
"Now, Uncle Phil, you know we
were not talking about such mistakes.
1t was when Annie Hughes asked the
clerk for these kind of gloves and
then informed us that DR.. Burton al
ways preached extern Ore,' that May
and | began to wonder how people
who pretended to be educated could be
guilty of such blunders."
"That's nothing, girls"-this from
Jack, graduate of Harvard 81 ask
ed one of the teachers at the high
school, this morning, if he ever played
base ball, and he said he used to
could Fancy that"
Uncle Phil looked severely down up
on the group of critics assembled in
front of the fire.
$50 you really think, young people,
that you are exempt from the weak
ness of misusing the English language.
What will You say if | call your atten
ton to no less than six mistakes made
by you three, in utter Inconsistencies,
since YOU entered this room this morn
ing"
"Try it, uncle, try it. We haven't
been studying rhetoric and grammar
this last four years for nothing. Re-
member, yOu are to find six mistakes
made by the three of us within three
hours"
"Ahem!"
Uncle Phil INDUCED in something
that was almost, but not quite, Il
wink, as he looked at Jack.
"Well begin with you, Jack. First,
This last four years."
"Oh that's too mean"
ais it ? Then | won't call attention
to 'the three of u.s."
"YOu mean, Uncle, that Jack should
have said these last four years and
'us three p
81 do, my dear And also have in
mind young lady who criticised her
friends way of asking for gloves, and
then, when she handed me an orange,
asked me to 'cut it in half
81 should have said Sin halves"
ayes, or Sin two One can scarcely
cut thing in one half"
"What else did | say ?"
"Well, whose dress was to be trim
med lengthways' instead of length
wise p Who discovered that it was
very cold last 'Feb'uary,' and not last
February? OF whose class ut Sun
day school did hear that every one
was to have their and not 'his' or
her reward 2"
"Stop, Uncle. That is three for me,
and of the six mistakes you have only
left one for May"
"Perhaps | haven't made any"
Uncle Phil smiled.
"Where did you go this morning,
May ?"
"To the depot"
"Ah! Do you know that depot is IA
Frencn word, ana means simply store
house, or place of deposit, and has
nothing whatever to do with struc-
ture of passengers, built at points
whore Il railroad train stops. You new
er hear the word depot used i'll any
such connection in England. Our Ian
guage supplies the word Station or
station house, and only very cult
waited (?) American, who prefers "A for
eign language he doesn't understand
to his own better supplied tongue,
would ever replace it by a French word
that is entirely misnomer."
81 wonder how many more mistakes
are current among us, Uncle Phil ?"
81 won't call your attention to any
more to-day. Think over these, and
Ill see how many more | find you
guilty of some other time."- Mary K.
Vandyne, in Good Cheer.