The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1890-07-11
LEBANON OREGON FRIDAY. July IL 1890
Mistakes I'm Grammar.

Mistakes I'm Grammar.
Faults are pardouable In conversa-
tions which are not pardonable in
written compositions. But we must be
careful not to take too much leeway in
this regard and not to make mistakes
in grammar or pronunciation. Some
people are guilty of grammatical
blunders through sheer carelessness.
Thus lady of nv acquaintance, says
1 writer in the Ladies' Home Journal
who understands trigonometry and can
translate Virgil. often SAYS TO me. You
was" and yet she knows perfectly we'll
that this is an if1excusable mistake.
Other people who ought to know
better say ..he don't for .'he doesn't. y
Il don't know as | do" instead of Il
don't know that ! do "Ain't'' and
''taint" are not often used now by
educated people unless in a testing
way. IL is an unwise thing, however,
TO be careless or inaccurate in ones pro-
nunciations or use of language, since
tricks of speech are easily caught and
very hard to get rid OF. Thus. when
one is talking to servants. or other un-
educated people. one is often tempted
TO adopt their phraseology. in order to
be readily understood by them. but IL
is better to withstand the temptation
even if one should be Obliged in conse-
quence to take more trouble to express
ones meaning clearly.
What shall be said of the woman who
saws: Il done it?n She has certainly
placed herself between the horns of a
dilemma Her hearers will infer,
either that her early education was
neglected. or that she associated with
uneducated people during her child
hood. And yet this is grammatical
fault. which seems hard to get rid of.
Persons who never say II seen it, or
''he has went" or them things" viii
occasionally betray themselves By let
ting slip the fatal Il done it. -
1t is quite as incorrect TO use "he'
and 'IH for '-him" and '.me or vice
versa, as it is to say Il done il" and
vet the iirst-named class of fssuts-that
of using the wrong prOnouns-is some
times committed by educated people
Indeed. l have heard the phrase. 1T
is me- justified on the ground that il
was literal translation of the French
e est moi. But our English grammar
does not, like its French namesake.
justify the employment OF certain pro-
nuncial forms. merely for the value OF
euphonv. '.He Is older than l. NAV
not sound so we'll rs ..he is older than
me-" vet the former is the correct
form. 1t is common mistake TO say:
Between you and l.. 2 and yet a mo-
ment's reflection should convince any
one who has ever studied grammar
that he should say between you and
me"
How He Saved His $4,000.
Father Malone had just put the fin
ishing touches To one of his excellent
sermons Yesterday when his house
keeper amounted thet a couple of in
dividuals were awaiting in the adjoin-
ing room TO have the nuptial knot tied.
The task is always a pleasing one TO
his reverence. So running n brush a
few times through his hair and assum-
ing his most pleasant smile he pro-
ceeded to perform the ceremony. On
reaching the waiting room, however,
there was a surprise in store for him.
/ There sat John c. McGraw and his
good wife Sophie-no one else.
1--WE come to be married. quoth
John.
Married. vou sayi Why. YOU must
be crazy, John Mctiraw. This is not
matter TO joke about"
/ Joke, your reverence? | amt no
+ funny man. and you ought to know il
/ by this time. We want TO be married,
i and no mistake about it,
Then where is the lady?"
Lady! There she is" pointing to
/ his wife.
BY this time Father Malone had con-
cluded beyond all doubt he had q
couple of lunatics on his hands. and
/ just as he was about to dispatch-a mes
senger for policeman McGraw ex-
planned.
Father. perhaps you didn't hear
about it, but Sophie has being going
back on me an all | could say to her,
+ she must have divorce. Well. vel
honor, she got it, bad luck to her, and
| it cost like the-exeuse me, father
but it made me hot, especially con.
slderin' that the court gave her $4,000
alimony-nine t-h-o-u-s-a-n-d dollars
father. think of that. Why, it would
ruin me twice over. So / says tC
Sophie. sez |. Can't this little matter
be arranged; YOU an |. Sophie dear,
have lived together for twelve years
and surely yer not goin' to desert nus
| nowP' With that she burst into tears
and so we agreed to get married az in
1t isn't the 50. 700 care about, father
but it nearly broke my heart to thinl
would have to live without her"
And here McGraw sobbed softly anC
continued to sob while the priest ex
amined the marriage license, whicl
was in due form. Nothing further re
manned but to unite the divorced
couple. BY becoming a party to th'
arrangement the lady released her So,
600 claims on her husbands estate, ant
John was proportionately happy.
The parties were married in St. Loui
some twelve years age. when Mrs. Nc
Graw was blnshing girl of IL. Sin
obtained her divorce few days ago il
district court on the ground of he
husbands extreme cruelty. - Denre
NedCS.
A College Cry for the Girls.
Now Wellesley College is going t,
have college cry. The girls are 1
good deal worked up over the matter
| and no end of proposals are made