Roseburg review. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 1885-1920, 1885-05-15
MIXED METAPHORS
The Ludicrous Ideas Which Follow the
UnskilIful Use or Rhetorical Figures.

The Ludlcrous ideas Which Follow the
Unskillful Use or Rhetorical Figures.
The examples of confusion OF meta
phor ascribed to the late Lord Castle
reagh are so absurd that it might have
been thought impossible to rival them.
Nevertheless, the following, though in
somewhat quieter style, seemed to me
to approach very nearly to the best of
those that were spoken by Castlereagh
or forged for him by Macintosh. A
recent Cabinet Minister described the
error of an Indian official in these
words: He remained too long under
the influence of the views which he had
imbibed from the board. - To imb.be
view seems strange. but to imbibe
anything from board seems to be very
difficult. may observe that the phrase
OF Castlereagh. which is now best
known, seems to suffer from misuuota-
ton; we usually have ian ignorant i'm
patience of taxation. but the original
form appears to have been ssan ignorant
impatience of the relaxation of taxa
tion.
The following sentence is from vol
luminous historian: THE decline OF the
material comforts of the working classes.
from the effects of the revolution, had
been incessant, and had now reached
an alarming height It is possible to
ascend to an alarming height, but it is
surely difficult to decline to an alarm
ing height. Nothing could be more
one-sided than the point of view adopted
by the speakers. It is very strange to
speak of a point as having side, and
then how can lone sidedn admit of
comparison? A thing has either one
side or it has not; there can not be de-
grees in one-sidedness. However, even
mathematicians do not always manage
the word point correctly. In modern
tended point of view, . though we know
that point does not admit of exten-
sion. This curious phrase is also to be
found in two eminent French writer's
Bailly and d'Alembert suppose that
what is meant is point which COM
mands more extended view. ..Frosc-
hammer wishes to approach the subject
from a philosophical standpoint
1t is impossible to stand and
yet to approach. Either he should
survey the subject from a standpoint
or approach it from starting point.
'sThe most scientific of our continental
theologians have returned back again
to the relations and ramifcations # the
old paths Here paths and ramifica-
tons do not correspond, nor is it obvi-
Gus what the relations or paths are
Then returned back again seems TO
involve superfiuity: either. returned or
turned back again would b I'VE been
better. A large school had lately fallen
into difficulties, owing to internal dis
sensions. In the report Of q council on
the subject it was stated that measures
had been taken to introduce more har-
mony and good feeling The word In
troduce suggests the idea that harmony
and good feeling could be laid on like
gas or water by proper mechanical adj
justment, or could be supplied like first
class furniture by London upholsterer.
An orator speaking Of the usefulness OF
dean, said that che wastes his sweet
ness on the desert air and stands like
an engine upon a siding" This is a
strange combination of metaphors. =
Macmillaa's Magazine.