The Portland daily press., 1890-02-01
SEEN AND HEARp.

JACK Flint was quietly reading the paper
the other night, and all of the rest of the
ooarders were peacefully sitting in the par
ior, when he suddenly exclaimed: "Ahal
I've got it now" When we had recovered
from our establishment sufficiently we asked
what 1t was that he had become the possess
sor of so suddenly. "Why. here" he said.
"This paper that is always picking other
papers up on points of grammar and rhetoric
Is talking about the second floor of a build
ing when it means the first" "How do you
know" asked the ,hooImistress, who al
ways wants to know the why and wherefore
OF everything. Because l saw the thing
myself and know where it happened" said
Jack. Then he read about certain row
that occurred in certain building here in
town, the account saying that one man threw
another down flight of stairs from the sec
ond floor to the first. "He didn't" said
Jack; "he threw him down from the first
floor to the ground fl 'or, and was the man
who picked him up" The School-mistress
looked Jack squarely in the eye and asked
do you mean to say that the first floor of a
building and the ground floor are not the
same thing?" 81 do" replied Jack, smiling
W. AAS NOOo WhOu ilC has SURF tUtUR as Qe
calls it. THAT is they are not necessarily
the same thing" After allowing a reason.
able length of time for this dictum to sink
into our minds he continued, 1.-THE ground
floor of building is the floor that is reached
directly from the street. The first floor is
the first floor reached by flight of stairs"
The Scho0l-mistress was silent for some
little time, she said, "Then perhaps your
room is on the third floor of this house, Mr..
Flint?" Eyes" replied Jack, still smiling
is, and yours is ON the second floor"
Your statements agree beautifully, Mr.
Flint" said tie lady. "A moment ago you
said that the first floor was the first reached
by flight of steps and now you say that it
is the second. Jack still smiled. "Do you
come into the house directly from the street."
he asked, 'or do you first climb fight of
steps," "The Schoolmistress said never a
word, but the "Other Lady" murmured all
to herself "crushed again"
do not desire to convey the idea that
the boarders are in any way In that state
commonly called swords points. But the
Schoolmistress has an unpleasant habit of
correcting us when we do not speak just as
she thinks we should and the .'Other Lady,
naturally enjoys recoil. 1t has been my
experience founded on observation that the
average man takes correction of this kind
far more kindly than the average woman
does. If you tell a man that I'VE done the
business in short order" is not just as polite
society requires it to be said, ten chances to
one be will laugh and say, "Maybe it isn't
the way Webster says it but it does first rate
for me-" If woman is told that her hat is
not in fact perfectly lovely" ten to one she
will turn red and lay the correction up
against the corrector for expiation at some
| future time
Although the general rule is as | have
stated in the preceding paragraph know of
one particularly bright exception. There
was once certain lady-she was school
teacher too-who had fallen into the habit of
saying directly little oftener than Lindley
Murrey allowed. She requested her fellow
boarders to publicly call her attention to the
slip the next time it was made in the hope
OF thus breaking herself of the habit The
request was followed literally at the dining
table by young fellow who had more pluck
1t seemed than discretion. Instead of an
Initiating him as everybody expected she
would, she seemed to take decided shine
to the young man. The event happened
several years ago but the shine has not worn
of yet. Whether the lady admired the
Young mans courage or not cannot be told.
but at any rate the fact remains.
To calm the troubled waters on that par
ticular evening 1 told the following tale
which may not be out of place here. / had
been up on the Hill looking at the ice in
the new reservoir, and was returning in a
horse car. when two ladies camv in and sat
down. After they had recovered their breath
they looked at each other for a few records.
then each plunged a hand In her pocket and
drew forth e-f1sse.-FF hen both began -
testing that 1t was her turn to pay They
carried the friendly dispute to consider
able length. until the conductor came In. BE
ended the squabble by collecting five cents
from each lady. 81 think" he said to me as
rode on the platform with him after the car
became crowded, that game is about played
OUT. Those women ride nearly every day
and they always have just that same fuss
about who is to pay for both. generally
manage to light on them before they have
decided and collect a nickle from each. OF
course can stand it as long as they can, but
all the same it looks childish now."
read an interesting account in one of the
papers the other day OF child who talked
an original language that nobody except one
sister could understand. Then followed
list of words coined by the young pnilologist
with the equivalent English, coupled with
the statement that while the child under
stood what was said to her in German or
English she could not speak either of those
languages herself. the only apparent cause
Tor this phenomenon was said to be that In
ner paoy-hood the child had been left alone
or With only her sister who was year older
Tor company. and when she began to talk it
was seen that she was using this lingo that
nobody could understand.
have cloudy recollection of attending a
lecture which think was delivered by Rev.
DIR. Hill during which he spoke of this very
thing. He said that 1t was a common thing
for children who are left in their own COM
pany when very young to construct a
language of their own. Children must talk.
1t is natural instinct and If there is no one
to teach them to call things by their proper
French or German or English names. accord
ing as the children are French or German or
English. they will invent names themselves.
In fact it is exceedingly common for babies
who are just beginning to talk, to call things
by all sorts of names generally more or less
descriptive. For instance, a certain very
young man of my acquaintance, has always
called piece of candy Sweet" 1t makes
no difference whether it is cocoanut cake.
gum-drop, taffy, needham, or a caramal:
all are sweet" to him. Corresponding in
stances probably occur to the minds of all
OF my readers who have any youthful ac-
quaintances. 1t is easy to see how child
with nobody to talk to but another child
might go on practically forever coming
words as the phrase is and building up an
elaborate system of language.
1t seems to me that this matter
opens up a fed that might be
worlel t. advantage by writers of |