The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-11-15

Some illustrations OF the Importance VI
Pune. NATION.


etc. were invented for the special puf
pose OF puzziing honest people. and tha'
these points really have no serious prac-
neal meaning. The following stanza,
which may be either simple. harmless
statement OF commonplace facts, or
tissue Of the quaintest lies, according 10
the manner in which X is punctuated.
ought to lie a sufficient reputation OF 50
crude and superficial notion.
We VIII give the lying version frst:
I'VE seen the sun all on blaze o.
fire;
I've seen n house as high as the moon
and higher:
I'VE seen the sun at twelve O'CLOCK AZ
night:
I've seen the man that saw THIS WON
drous sight
This would seen TO be wonderful enough
10 satisfy the taste OF CULVER himself.
But let US make a few alterations In the
punctuation, retaining the same WORDS
in the same order. and We shall find the
facts tame enough:
i've seen the sun: all on blaze OF
fire
I've seen n house: high as the moon and
higher
I've seen the sun: at twelve ciocN "'
night 49, -
I've seen the man lldl "a" N"'~ WV
drous sight.
This stanza We have heard ascripen 10
Mr.. jefferson; but We are not aiioSe.heI
without suspicion that IL 10 o'ue' '''''''
his grandfather
Wien tho present writer was mem
her of the law class OF Prof James L.
Uolcombe OF the University OF virginia
in 1860 that accomplished lecturer gave
Us an account OF very rcmarhaole WIZ
case an England. the merits OF inc
case all turned upon the question OF the
existence Of two dashes in the VIII. a
certain nobleman had died and left
will providing that D certain leSa,ee
should inherit all the black ana "hltc
horse. owned by the tcstator. NOW II
the said lcgatee was meant 10 nave az
The black horses and all the white horses
he would inherit a handsome fortune;
ror the deceased nobleman WAS famous
horse rancier. and his stud contained
many very valuable black horses ana
many white horses also very VALUABLE
Rut. II the le-atee was intended By tho
tcstator 10 inherit only the blacN-and-
white a a the D'ed) horses then he
would get only few spotted ponies. II
may be suspected that this legatee
thought that punctuation was important.
II IL said that an impecunious man
once Walking along a street. ~ LIN
dan carly one morning. and was anN-
iou- for a drink. and almost equally anx-
Ton. for a shave. As he could raise only
'ourpence half-penny. however he was
somewhat at a loss as 70 what invest
r,ent 10 make Of his limited means. ~heh
his eyes were greeted with the welcome
| sight OF a BARRIERS sign. on which he
read as follows.
What do you think?
James McTlheney
Slaves for a penny,
And throws in a drink"
Our thirsty and hirsute traveller imme-
diately entered the shop. got himself
| comfortably shaved. took his drink. hand
! ed his fourpence half-penny to the bar
/ her and asked for his change. "Change.
| said the barber; there Is no change due
YOU. You have not paid all your bill"
| The customer protested that the sign over
tho door had infor med him that a shave
| ard a drink could both he procured there
for penny. 90" said McTlheney. You
have not read my sign correctly; come.
| look q II again" more critical ex-
| aniration was made. ard II was ascer-
tained that the sign read as follows:
What, Do you think
James Mcllheney
| SNaNcs TOT a penny
And throws In a drink
which is the same az saying, IF you
do think so. you are vastly mistaken.
Few readers of newspapers have any
4 adequate idea OF the amount OF WORK
7 the printer has 10 60 in the way OF COR
iecting the punctuation OF many OF those
writer's who pass for our best. Com
paratlvely few articles in our newspa-
| n
we're In manuscript. Some time ago
received a letter from one OF our most
distinguished preachers, and | counted
| some six or eight errors in punctuation
In the address and dating Of the letter
| In "A letter from another distinguished
orator counted some five errors in
| punctuation before the beginning of the
| first sentence.
| There is an old st0.y OF a certain
| student at college who wrote an essay
| without using any punctt alton In the
| body OF the composition. aud at the bot
| tom OF the last page he put a literal
| supply OF periods, CCmas, colons. semi.
| colons. etc. and wrote. TO be dstrib-
| uied at the Professors plea sure
! Punctuation has good deal 10 do with
emphasis m reading. and thus has a
! highly important connection with the
meaning. and with the proper expression
| OF any composition which is 10 bs read
| aloud.
The young preacher who pronounced
| "Queslmus" one Sinus Ohe thing really
| occurred) made no mistake I'm punctua-
| ton: but the plunder was not much
more ridiculous than are some OF the
| errors now and then made by public
readers who fail TO mind their stops.
| Few intelligent readers who have any
| ear for RHYTHM can fail TO note tho
magnificent opening of Cicero's second
Grafton against Castline. one Of the most
sonorous passages in Latin literature
| prose. or verse. Even the English read
er who knows not the meaning OF a sin.
1 SO word OF the Latin. will be impressed
with the grand rolling rhythm OF such
! passage as this:
Tandem aliquando. Quirites. L. Chat
ilnam. furentem andacia, scelies annie
lan;em. pestem patriae ncfarie molten
ten. vohs atque huic urhi ferrum fam
mamque minitentem. eX urbe vel ejecl
mus vel emissimus. vel ipsum egredi
-ntem veris prosecuti sumus. Abiit
excessit. evas II, erup It,"
We can scarcely conceive OF any chang,
| in the punctuation here. Indeed. tbs
passage 10 an admirable study in pune
tpsusn.
The highly ornate and rhetorical open
inc Of the Epi-te 70 the Hebrews Il an
other case In point. reader who hni
never learned "a mind his stops' vii
/ t,rdlv succeed In reading thu nrst ant
second chapters Of this ep'-tle aloud
a. tire scrinturs lesson In public worship
! without making such blurders p. vii
,erieuslv Interfere with its proper en-
tcvmert on the part Of the more cult
waited people IN the congregation. In
| reet tho reading OF such MASSAGE