Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1895-05-29
King

Alfred in his will calls the feminires
of his establishment the spindle
side," and Egbert, when entailing his
estates on his male descendants, says,
"to the spear.side and not to the spin
dle-side."
Some words, which are identical in
spelling, are used in more than one
sense. according as they are accen-
tuated; invalid" with the accent on
the second syllable, stands for worth
less; with the emphasis on the first
syllable, means a sick person. If
we may allude to colloquial or slang
phrases, we find no little confusion in
the use of epithets; for example. the
word "take'' has to do duty in many
different ways. To "take on" is to
grieve; to take to heart" stands for
courage; to take after" to resembles;
to take down" is to humiliate; to
take off" to mimic; to take in" is to
cheat. The prefix up" although
small, is constantly serviceable. 1t is
used as equivalent to knowing" and
to person who fails in business" all
up with him.: whats up?' means
'swhat is the news?' and it is not
limited to these. A like instance is
that of the word "cut, which is used
in numerous ways; first, to imply
leaving, to cut capers, cut dash, to
abridge anything. to cut out (exceD,
and to "out ones eye-teeth, whatever
that may mean. The word "cleave"
is used to indicate the closest union,
and also to separate persons or things.
From words their combination into
phrases is an easy transition, but to
pass into the region Of fable, aphorism,
proverb Or symbolic maxims would be-
guile us into an inextricable maze.
The old folklore of early times is
often enigmatical and occult. For
instance, why did they insist upon the
goose as the symbol of stupidity and
the duck for endearment, while the
owl was the representative Of wit and
wisdom? Should not the gray goose
quill-so long the instrument of the
toilers in Instrumentation stand for
learning, and the stupid, dismal-look-
ing owl represent the unenviable dis
tinction?
Explanations and explosives are
often thoughtlessly used, but are very
strangely meaningless. Such IS the
word well" in commencing remark
or coupling together the two adverbs
of time, NOW, then" Yet another
pharse in vogue, which is quite as
absurd, "All right" in response tc
some question. Even persons who
ought to know better have custom
of misapplying the word "transpire. u
A prominent writer says he found in
leading New York newspaper that
"the Mexican war TRANSFERRED in the
year 1847." The writer might as we'll,
and considering the latitude in which
the battles were fought, might better
have said that the Mexican war "per-
spired" in the year 1847. The most
monstrous perversion of the word that
l have ever met with is in the follow
ing sentences, the first and second from
papers of the highest position and the
last from volume of which tens OF
thousands have; been sold, and which
aspires to the dinghy of history.
Before this can be finished years
may transpire," etc. 1.-THE police
drill will 'transpire' under shelter to-
day in consequence of the moist atmos-
phere prevailing" "More than a GEN.
tury was allowed to 'transpire' before
the Mississippi was revisited by civil
lied man." To any person who has in
mind the meaning Of the word the
idea of years and centuries and police
drills transporting" is ridiculous.
Our pronunciation is occasionally de-
fective, but, while we have to confess
our share in the false accent or pro.
nunciation of names and words, it will
be readily conceded that our friends
over the sea have long. by statutory
conventionalism, done the same. For
example: Worcester is called "Woos-
ter" Greenwich "Grinige," Bright
helmstone Brighton, and Cholmon-
deley "Chumley." Their historic
river Thames is "Tems,'' and it is pre-
sumed took its accent or pronunciation
from the Norman conqueror. Its root,
however, is from the Latin "Tamesis"
(broad water.)
Words sometimes are charged with
momentous importance; how much of
potency is couohed in these three
watch" work. and wait" il
Analysed; they seem to have kindred
relationship with fidelity, energy and
patience. Such words as 'home, "
Heaven, +" "life," ''love. mother, "
eternity" for instance, seem to com.
prise volumes of meaning when their
import is duly considered. Tennyson
thus refers to the inadequacy of words
to express what we mean to convey,
and this deficiency we all often feel:
az sometimes hold it half sin
To put in words the grief | feel;
For words, like nature, half reveal
And half conceal the soul within"
Sydney Smith remarks that words
are an anna zing barrier to the reception
of truth. When we come to consider
what crimes we have inflicted ON each
other from installing the meaning of