The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-08-12
MISUNDERSTOOD ALLUsroNs.
[From the london Standard

TFrom the London Standard
There is story of Thackeray, shortly
after the publication of Vanity Fair
dining with a friend, and receiving an
introduction to his next door neighbour,
Captain Crawley. of the Life Guards
Thackeray looked greatly annoyed,
scarcely opened his lips to this gentle
man, and afterwards told his host in an
aggrieved tone, that che liked a joke as
we'll as any man, but there was a
time and place for all things No
joking allusion to a character of his
novel had, however been designed or
perpetrated, the fellow guest actually
was Captain Crawley, and held COM
mission in the Life Guards.
The author of His ct Ubique'' re-
lates how he once, all unwittingly,
gave similar offense. A certain Count
StrZelecki was a well-known figure in
London society some years ago, and Sir
William Fraser. who knew him slightly.
one day introduced him to Gustave Dore
by saying playfully 81 want to make
two clever men known to each other
You remember Mr.. Leo Hunters in
PRODUCTION OF M. Pickwick to Count
Smorltork." Count Strzelecl1i darted
look of violent rage at the unfortunate
speaker, who remembered too late that
the nickname Of Count Smorltork" had
sometimes been applied to Strzelecki.
and that the fact ha6 probably reached
his ears.
Imperfect knowledge of foreign
tongue often leads to mistakes, while
total ignorance of another language will
cause strange interpretations to be put
upon unfamiliar words. There is the
story of an Arab servant, who, walk
ing down a street in Edinburgh and be-
ing greatly annoyed by the persistent
attentions of a mob of small boys,
turned on his followers with the abu
sive term "Giaour." ''Dinna vex the
stranger body wi yer starin'," said a
kindly old crone, "do as he bids we cal
lants. gle over, gle over. The Scotch
Archbishop Foreman lin the sixteenth
century, was so poor a Latin scholar.
that when he was obliged to visit Rome
he found great difficulty in conforming
to some of the customs of the Pope's
table, TO which he was invited. Eli
ouette required that the Scotch bishop
should take part in uttering Latin
benediction over the repaSt; and the IL
literate guest had carefully committed
to memory what he believed to be the
orthodox form of words. He began
with his ''Benedicite,' expecting the
Cardinals to respond with ''Dominus."
but they replying Deus" Qtalian' fash
ion) so confused the good bishop that
he forgot his carefully conned phrases,
and in good broad Scotch said. ITO
the Devil I give you. all false Cardi-
mails" to which devout aspiration Pope
and Cardinals iwho only understood
their own language piously replied
Amen"
It is said that during our last cam
paign in Egypt. Tommy Atkins fire.
ouendy smilingly accepted as compli-
nents remarks uttered by native pas
sers-by, when these expressions were in
truth the reverse of fiattering. 1t is
NOT only deg flaess which NAV make us
unconscious whether a street Sutler is
calling green peas or calling us
names" Sometimes an allusion is will
fully misunderstood, as in the case of
the story of Mr.. Gilbert at an evening
rartv. TO whom an impertinent eX-
ouisite Iounged up as he was standing
in the passage and drawled: Aw-
call me a four-wheeler. will your
"Certainly." was the prompt reply, Il
would call you "a hanson IL / could
Akin to this is the tale of the stranger
clergyman arriving late to take a SER
vice where he was engaged as locum
tenens. Robing in haste in the vestry,
and finding some difficulty in DOMINIC
his surplice, he INDUCED in some inn
patient eXpressions-the incident &C.
CURED in the days of the 'tfox-hunt-
ing type of parson. Il think the devil
is in the surplice," cried the impatient
cleric as he struggled with its folds IT
think he be now, SIR quietly remarked
the scandalized old clerk, as he sue
ceeded in inducing the parson into his
official robes.
FAILURE to catch the hint conveyed
under a phrase is a frequent cause of
Misunderstanding A raw Highland
student, visiting at the house of some
Glasgow acquaintance, greatly exer-
cised his hostess by his behavior at the