The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1889-08-24
Our Olio.
Popular Errors.
From the New York Tribune.


Good old Sir Thomas Browne nearly %
years ago published book which he called
"Pseudodoxia Epidemica. 1t has been
more commonly known as Brownies Nul-
gar Errors, giaring misnomer, for the
errors of which the book treated were not
Sir Thomas at all The author, who was
a doctor Of medicine, took up, one after
another, many superstitions and mistakes
that were common in his day and explained
away each one. to his own satisfaction at
least, though it must be admitted that in
the light Of modern science some of his ex
plantations were nearly as erratic as the er-
rors themselves. HeshOWed that the phenix
was a myth and that a man had as many ribs
as woman, aud hy the setting forth Of many
more such bits Of cold fact he displayed
a large amount of interesting information
aud common sense. Ii the old doctor aim
ed simply to make delightful book Of its
kind be succeeded, but if be hoped to ban
ish error from the world his success was at
best only partial, for that lively old Spen-
serian dragon still roams about with almost
a. much freedom as it did in 1916.
Il i remarkable how many mistakes in
regard TO simple matters of fact people
carry through life with them, and how
universal some Of these apparently quite
unnecessary errors are. For example, it
would seem as il some well educated peo-
pie. familiar with English literature, ought
10 know the names OF ShakeSpeare's plays
accurately. But do they2 The other day
four college graduates We're discussing the
question whether one Of the plays was cal
led "A Winters Tale, or The Winter
Tale, and they decided by vote of three
to one that il was a Winters Tale.
Probably nine people out Of ten would say
that the name of the play usually printed
FIRST 10 editions Of Shakespeare was ''Ihe
Tempest, but it is not. Such little mae
curacies as these are to be expected per
haps, from the general run Of mankind but
one would think that, Of all the people IN
the world those employed at theatres to do
work implying knowledge of Shakespeare
ought to have that knowledge Yet on the
act drop Of one of the fashionable theatres
Of this city there is painted scene which,
according to the inscription in large letters
below it, is from Loves Labor Lost.
Leaving the names Of plays and coming
TO lines and passages from the text, more
mistakes would naturally be expected and
more will be found, the remarkable point
being the unanimity with which hundreds
of people constantly misquote the same
familiar passage. IL is common to hear
many people speak Of "the scar aud yellow
leaf; this sounds like quotation and Is
doubtless intended 60 be one from Mac
/ beth" Act V. Scene Ill, but there the
words are My May OF life is falPo into
the scar, the yellow leaf One of the
eommonest quotations on English speaking
tongues Is. aThe bourne from which no
traveller returns; yet this is wrong, OF
course, and If it were not so common 1t
would seem hardly complimentary to the
reader to say that it should be: "The un-
discovered country, from whose bourne no
/ traveller returns
A favorite line with the Americans is
Westward the star of empire takes its
way" There is little error here; the
line is from Bishop Berkeley's "Verses on
the Prospect Of Planting Arts and Learn
ing in America, and the whole stanza is;
Westward the course of empire take its way
The four first Acts already past,
A fifth shall close the drama of the day;
Times noblest offspring is the last
But perhaps the Bishop deserves to be
misouoted for using such grammar as "The
four frs. Acts" 1t may grieve many to
know: First in war, first in peace, and
FIRST in the hearts of his countrymen" is a
misauotation. The correct words, "Firs
in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts
of his fellow citizens" are from set oi
resolutions on the death of Washington
prepared by General Lee and adopted by
Congress.
One of the cOmmonest errors Is the at
tributiug of quotation to the wrong au
thor. \ learned young man was heard tt
insist the other day that the lines begin
ming Full many gem of purest ray
serene" were from Goldsmith 5 "The Trav
eler," and certain college president, som'
time ago, in public speech, credited
'Sound the loud timbrel DER Egypt's dark
SET" to Byron instead of to Moore. Ash
number of people who wrote "Wher
lovely woman stoops to folly, and at leas
half of them will say Byron, while perhap
not more than quarter of them vii
know that it was Goldsmith. Ask tn
same people who wrote "Be good, swee
maid, and let who will be clever, and ,
few will say Byron, strangely enough
many will guess Longfellow, but few in
deed win hit on the real author Charlie
Kingsley.
But the champion puzzle of all is, wher'
are the words "God tempers the wind t,
the shorn lamb, often quoted "Heavel
tempers," &c? Out of hundred people
ninety will say that this line is from th'
book of Proverbs, nine will say that it i
from the New Testament, one will admi
that he does not know. Quote the word
II ~