Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1898-07-23
CAPABILITIES OF ENGLISH.
II Is a Most Flexible and Mobile
Tongue.

II Is a Most Flexible and Mobile
Tongue.
As our alphabet now stands--even
after G.OOO years of perfecting--it Is n
string of singularly ambiguous signs.
and affords an unequaled opportunity
for tormentors. just rs man who cnn-
not express himself clearly can be
plagued with sophisticated questions.
The confusion Of English sound and
letters - well illustrated by spelling
coffee without one correct letter--kau.
ply, which spelling Is nearer the orlgi.
nal than the one In use, for pamph.
let was printed In oxford in 1850 on
"The Mature Of the Drink Kauphi, or
Coffee
The artistically bad orthogrnphy Of
many Of our funny writer's Is made
possible by the glaring Inconsistencies
Of our alphabet. But some instances
Of naturally funny bad spelling are per.
haps equal to any artificial ones. Here
Is note that was sent to doctor:
"Ccr-Yolc oblige me nj yolc kun nm
sc me hev Bad how'd am Hill an hev
lost my Happy Tight"
The following. received by n schoolmas.
ter. was likely to he misunderstood:
"Sur-As you are mon Of nOlege In.
tend TO inter my son In your skull"
Here Ii a bill sent to gcntleman:
aOsnfadn .................. 81 "a
atacinonimomagin ............... 81
Pndc-J. Jnxn.
The Items nre not apothecaries' arti
Giles. as might be supposed. but merely
"a horse half day and a taking OF
him home again."
Many eccentric devices Of literature
depend on the peculiar arrangement OF
letters. Some of these have fine.sOun,l.
Ing names. ana are recognized rs ia
nous recrcatiOns Of the learned. tn,
palindrOmc. which Ii n line that reads
alike backward and forward, is one OF
the most difficult Of all fcats Of letter
| Juggling. and has engaged the atten
ton Of the worlds cleverest brains.
While In exile. Napoleon was asked
by an Englishmnn II he thought he
could have sacked London. and re-
piled: cable was ere I saw Elba"-
the most skillful palindrome on rec
ord. Run the letters Of the reply back
ward II you would test II. A famOu,
Latin example is the lawyers motto
"Sl Nummi immunis." The fOllOwin,
sentence II not only palindrome. bu
extraordinary In other respects. "Satol
arepo tenet opera rOtns."
This spells the same backward ant
forward: nll the first letters of til,
words spell the first word: the secOnt
letters of the words spell the second
word. and 30 Oh through the third
fourth and fifth. The Inst letters spell
the last word; the next to the last al
each word spell the next word. ana =,
on to the beginning.
The nnngrnm has occupied n mos,
pretentiOus place In literature. Wit
and wlscacrcs Of the oldcn times look
cd Into the names and places for 81
tires and for Omcns. Several nstrOnO
mers have used anngrnms to secure tho
credit OF discoveries which they did no,
wish to reveal. Louis Nil. retained II
his service IN nnagrammntist name,
Thomas Billion, with pension Of LOO
livres.
Calvin calls himself by the anngram
matte name Of Alcuinus. In the it'll
Of his institutes" printed mt Stras
burg. Alcuinus was the great rcstor
or of learning In the time Of Charlie
mngne. and substituting u for v (th'
letters In those days being equivalent,
the name Il IN anagram for Calvinus
II was deemed prophecy Of fat
when 1t was found that the name o
Louis dc BOuherat could he transposct
to lest In bOuche du roi Us the mouth
piece OF the kings" that Of Francis il
VelOys to de fncOn suis royal (Of roy
al strain. The fascinating Marie TOu
chet procured a liberal pension for tn
writer who deduced from her nam
"Je charme tous" Il charm all.
But history doesn't mention anythln,
about Napoleon BOnaparte penslOnin
the transpOser Of his name Into "bOn
ropts lenO pone" (rascal. yield up You
stolen pOssessiOns). London Mall.