The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1892-08-20
A GAsTRONOnIC FREAK.

1t is a long time since the GRAPHIC
ran across anything quite as amusing
as the following from that we'll known
humorous periodical, the Judge:
The last issue OF the Smithyilie Genius
OF Liberty contained these newsy para
graphs:
Theodore Bamlat, the popular drum
mer for New York shoe house, is in our
midst once more"
"There Is great deal Of sickness in
our midst"
''Jacob Emmel. the well known horse
man. has bought one of the finest bred
trotting colts in the country, named
Competition. We can congratulate our
selves on such fine stock coming in our
midst."
THE popular play, Ten Nights in
Bar-room,' will be i'll our midst on Thurs
day night next"
"Mr. L. A. Dawson and Mr.. Z. L. Nor
ri5 are suffering from being poisoned by
ground Ivy. Mr.. Davis thinks he would
not have been poisoned if he had not had
II sore on his hand before. There are two
Or three other cases Of similar poisoning
in our midst"
.Mr. Ephraim Lee is building an adj
dition to his pig-pen, and Mrs. BetseY
Herrick is having new steps built to her
porch. The spirit of improvement is in
our midst"
"Four or five couples contemplate
matrlmony soon, but we darent give
their names. There is a good deal OF
love making going On in our midst"
''Charley Danks, Of Persimmonyillc.
was in our midst on Sunday. Hey,
Charley! who's the attr action?"
'The singing school at the Methodist
church is we'll attended every Saturday
night. Thereisa a good deal Of musical
talent in our midst
To students Of gastronomy the editor
of the SmithvilIe Genius of Liberty must
be an interesting freak, but it is
worthy of note just the same that there
are similar freaks scattered all over
country ynewspaperdom. There is scarce.
ly q week but What the GRAPHIC reads
in some of its many country exchanges
OF some thing that has happened sin our
midst"
Notwithstanding its ridiculous and
vicious English it seems to clipg to
many country editors with wonderful
tenacity.
Without attempting to pose as an
authority in the use Of English, the
GRAPHIC will explain that while Gin the
midst of them" is good English, Sin our
midst"is bad English. The word .smidat"
means middle, middest, midmost, the
very center. With good writers it is not
used except in application to number
ofpersons, group or a crowd. Nobody
would say of a single person, forinstance,
that he was struck Sin the midst Of him."
or "in his midst" but in the waist, the
stomach or the small Of the back. 1t Is,
then, only to a collection Of individuals
that the word "inidst" is applied at all:
and it is never spoken of as their pos
session, their property, a thing inherent
IN them, or belonging to them in any
manner except in their accidental capac-
lty OF persons collected together. They
:re separate individuals still and, with no
locus, no midst Of which one can proper
iy affirm that it is theirs. Therefore, we
lay ''in the midst of them" and not "in
their midst"
The GRAPHIC has gone little deep
into the matter and to some length be-
cause tile expression "in our midst" is so
sesy common, but for brief rule we
refer all writers to the latest and most
improved edition ofWehster's Dictionary.
.The phrases sin our midst "in their
,ai,sstR instead Of Sin tile midst OF u.s."
you or them,'' says this high authority"
are contrary to the genius of the Ian
guage as well as opposed to the practice
-four best and most accurate writers,
and should, tlier ercrc, be aLandoned.'