Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-03-15
HISTORY AND HOLLOW HORN.
A Convention of Proof Readers to- Correct
the Name Merrimac to Virginia.

(NorfOll< Landmark)
We admire the patience, persistence.
and patriotism which the Norfolk Land
mark exhibits In its endeavOr TO persuade
or bulldoze people Of that vicinity and
the world in general 10 speak of the Con-
Tolerate ram as "the Virginia." and not
as the Merrimac''; but alas! The Land-
mark might as well give up the job. II
is fighting against ALTERATION IL not
against fate.
The battle of the Monitor and Mer-
rimac" IS more euphonious an expression
than the battle OF the Monitor and Nir-
ginia." Besides. the Virginia was built
upon the wreck OF the Nerrimac. and the
Merrlmac has a substratum Of a claim
FOR recognition; besides, again, many peo-
pie are so perVerse that they would
rather be wrong than right. On this point.
witness our frutless efforts. backed by
stacks of scientists. to prove that there
IS no such COW disease as "hollow-horn.
Though we know that we are perfectly
right, and have proved II, some OF our
Oldest and most venerated subscribers are
of the opinion that we have gone daft,
and have drawn their gimlets on us.
Witness also our prolonged but in
effectual effort To extirTate the fallacy
that the old Stone House" in this city
WIS lllt ufdQflutl lcIS VI w dSull8-
ton.
Many really good people have vigorously
frowned down this attempt 70 lOcal-his-
tory right When we have attempted 10
argue with them that the house could
not have been Washington's headquarters
FOR the simple reason that Washington
was not here at the head OF his army
during the Revolution, they have an
swered that they did not care a blank
as to that-that nearly every city has
Washington headquarters. and why
shouldn't Richmond have?" Moreover.
when the editor of this paper has been
out driving with strangers. and has stop
ped at the "Old Stone House." he has haG
to sit still and listen with burning ears
and beating heart whilst the hackman
pointed out the place as "Washington's
headquarters; showed the room where
Washington slept the post where Wash
!ngtor tied his horse, etc, etc.
No; We tell the Landmark that II Is
kicking against the pricls. It's labor r.
In vain. Historically il is right. but "eu-
phonistically' 1t is all wrong. "Merrimac
and Monitor" come trippingly from the
tongue. while the average person finds |;
as difficult to say Virginia and Monitor,
rs does the average boy to gay that he
deserves a switching.
II Is quite a hopeless case. And yet we
bethink ourselves of possible remedy
against this atrocious violation OF the
truth of history, and contempt for the
Landmarks advice. and that is that the
Landmark shall call n convention OF all
the proof-readers in the United States %
meet at one of Norfolk's pleasure resorts.
and having gotten the whole gang under
the influence OF champagne punch and
LynnhaVen bay oysters, make them
swear that henceforth whenever they sec
"Mcrrimac' in type they will dart down
and delete 1t and substitute Virginia"
When the prOof-readers unite 10 "sit
down on a word-right or wrong-the
word is doomed TO obsolescence. and We
have never known any man who was the
recipient of Norfolks hospitality not TO
consent to any request made OF hlm-un-
less. indeed. he had passed the talking
stage. -RichmOnd Dispatch.
NEVER SURRENDER.
We recognize the force OF the sugges-
ton made by the Dispatch that IL IL an
almost superhuman task 10 correct the
popular error in relation 10 the Confede-
rate ram Virginia which is so commonly
called Merrimac, for no better reason
than that the ironclad was built upon the
old frigate's bottom after the Federals
deserted and burned all they could OF her
The Dispatch may give up the effort TO
disprove "hOllow-horn" In cows AMI to
dlspel the Illusion that Washington had a
headquarters IN Richmond-it may igno-
bly, abandon the field in the face OF the
enemy and say. well, have 1t so II you
WILL" but We shall never surrender. We
would rather be right than be 4 member
Of the Legislature. and while we have a
voice TO raise or a pen to WELD in righte-
Gus protest, We shall resist the wrong
| upon history. however trippingly II come
| from the tongue, which Is prone TO lie
as the sparks to ascend, and, though al
liberation and euphony combine to crush
down and out the real and only name the
| ram evec had
| IL we are driven 10 the dernier resort
we shall call the convention when our
| friend hints alive suspect that the wish
| to be a delegate 3 father 10 the thought
and "bodaciously" expursate. eradicate,
| extirpate, expunge, delete. erase, dls UP,
and throw out OF the current naval ltera-
| ture, and that TO be. the word Merrimac'
as applied TO the Monitor-V Virginia ngnt.
| The hollowhorn heresy and the headquar-
| tsrs romance are OF small concern COM
pared with this perverslon of enc or the
| most prominent and significant detaiis
| Of naval history. II Is one OF the poiuest
| and most fnexcusable OF erroFs' anu 70
made a thousand iimes worse by the
effort on the part OF school-book makers
and others to follow the ancient doctrine
OF sticking TO a lie until IL shall he ac-
| cepted as truth. OF such Is history--much
OF II. No wonder there are doubts as 10
whether Alexander or Caesar lived.
We invoke the press and the power OF
| the proof-rsadsx everywhere to twist the