The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-08-16

Never do our tongues betray rs more treacher'
ously nor more hopelessiy than when they trip
over some grammatical necessity, or slip into
phrases that are temptingy expressive, but
also inelegant. You confident one whatever
you may be-a hero just from the wars, power
full Senator. a maiden blushing in her beauty,
or M excellent matron proud of her house
wifely perfection. but utter once, Il SEEM"
or " DONE" and not all your dignity can save
you from being judged by some pert school
boy or flirting society girl, who will. consciously
or unconsciously, feel your superior in dignity
1t is not always a matter of intelligence, this
accuracy of speech but it is always habit of
refinement. 1t is not often to be learned In
schools. 1t is taught children with good man.
ners at home. Bad habits in speech are broken
ur as other habts-biting the fnger-nails or
slamming doors-are broken up, by persistent
watch(ulness, remonstrance and teasing.
BE once convinced of the mistake in you
was. or sit was an awful dark night" and
forevermore the phrases will CRATE terribly on
the ear. With growth in knowledge of our
English speech comes certain fasiidiousness
that dislikes the careless use of words.
Women betray the narrowness OF their vo-
sma!ness of their libraries W en- they call
everything CUTE" from the pink toes of the
neighbours baby to the immense wheels OF
some great machine. We would not say "A
great fires" nor "A pretty dresses" yet we often
say "A great ways" as though ways" were
not plural much as "dresses" or fires"
In the same way, to say He do not is evil
IDENTIFY ridiculous, yet it is the same as saying
He don't" Don't" is a contraction for " do
not" and should never be used for does not"
There is one word we could dispense with
entirely. It is unbeautiful in sound and con-
struction. and has no real value in our speech.
That offender is faint" Its other forms,
/ "'tain't" and hain't." are equally offensive
To say :" He looks badly" means be squints
or has some defect in his eyesight that makes
his way of locking unpleasant. =" He feels
badly" means he does not feel with his fingers
well. As this is not usually the intended mean
ing, the phrases must be altered to He looks
bad" or "He feels bad" The study of the
proper use of adverbs is quite task, but the
commonest mistakes are twO-this one, and to
say lawful stormy" or wonderful pretty"
She may be pretty and wonderful or. if it be
her beauty that is wonderful, then is she won
derfully beautiful. One must qualify an ad-
jective with an adyerb, and not with another
adjective.
Some mistakes, not often noticed, are to say,
Zone of those kind" for " One of that kind"
or 'All of those kind" instead OF All Of that
kind" We must have sympathy with and pity
for. We differ from, we can't differ with.
Somehow 1T is me" never sounds so wrong
as az 1t is him or 1t is her." yet grammarians
do insist that it is If there is a knock en- the
door l ask, "Who is it?" and the answer
comes {" 1t is l." / never can tell who it is but
il / hear " 1t is me" can usually recognize the
voice This may be popularity in me rather
than in our grammar. 1t would be q difficult
question to prove
Then there are the pet phrases of certain
localities where all is hard work, reading for
pleasure is almost unknown, and I" l want to
know" 81 admire or calc'late," or "dew
tell :" expresses every emotion that life offers.
Holmes says, She who calculates is lost" and
Howells says: Nine tenths of MS use some of
these phrases, but there is no question that
they will CRATE on the ears of the tenth"
Having once learned the right use of word
it is not easily forgotten, and although one can
be useful, good, and intelligent without it. on
the other side snch knowledge will never hinder
one from travelling the narrow path of virtue.
Miss Helen Gouid's fayorite charity is
" Fresh Air Relief" for the poor children in
New York tenements. Having unlimited
wealth. she sends hundreds Of children to the
country to enjoy the Summer sunshine and
Covers
Bicycle riding, according to all accounts, is
still the most stylish fad for women. We have
been hearing of it now for several weeks and of
the wonderful costumes worn, but women
bicylers are not growing more numerous, as
far as the casual beholder can discover nor do
the amazing costumes appear.