The herald., 1898-08-19
: WAR Time EPlGRAM !,
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Outof all the epigrams polished ad un.
guem by the neat stylus of Martial and
preserved in large quantities for the de.
light of the Latinist, the general world
makes use Of few or none. Charles Lamb
lying abed of mornings and plotting the
days repartee backwaxds-as Conan Doyle
works out detective story-has added
little to the fund of living phrases thai
pass current everywhere. But our common
speech is full of epigrams and memora BILE
phrases of epigrammatic terseness that
have come spark-like from the smitter
fiints of battle.
Your dictionary of quotations-I don''
happen to own one-will embarrass you
with its riches of wartime epigram. be.
ginning far back Of the Spartan mothers
appeal to her son to return with his shield
or on 1t, including Caesars 'Waney
weedy. weakly" and ending with some in.
cisive word of Unconditional Surrender
Grants.
War-epigram has this enhancing advan
tage, that 1t has the look of spontaneous
combustion and lurid background te
throw 1t out into picturesQueness. Tn.
hero in his guarded tent, or on the bridge a.
midnight, may have perfected his epigran
against the ripe occasion in a most Lamb
like fashion. but the spoken words do no
betray him. The war-clouds hide tn,
mechanism. Then, too, a very simpi,
thought struck out under the stress of bat
tie gains an extraordinary significance; i
puts on immortality, as 1t were.
Since the Greeks, no people have had 81
keen or so persistent a sense of humor al
the Yankees. This is apt to keep our fight
ers from waxing too bombastic. Our cpl
grammatists are therefore generally with
out bathos. and they do not run to sucl
expressions as that of the French KIM
Francis, who summarized disastrous de
feat in the words, "All is lost save honor,
and proceeded at the first chance to prov
that the only reason honor was not alsc
lost was that he had none to lose.
Our -fighteSs have their serious moments
however, Mr.. Kipling to the contrary, not
withstanding. Joseph Warren died a
Bunker Hill like a hero and a scholar. quot
ing: 'Dulce ct decorum est pro patri,
mori," the brave words Of the flaceid Hor
ace, who came home from battle neithe
with nor on his shield. Our Nathan Hale
a pedagogue, improved on Horace with hi.
immortal ga(lows speech: II only regre
that have but one life to give for my coun
try"
The dying plea of the foolhardy Law
renee, Don't give up the ship" is an ex
ample Of the significance given TO simrI,
words by background Of death. They dc
not exceed in pathos Nelson's last words
kiss me. Hadry," but they are elastic
enough to serve as WatchWord for Perry
when ne gave .ne BRUSH "na' De~ey gave
the SPaniSn' but rerry iurhisheu MS OWL
epigram IN report tnat eouaieo caesar
three words IN triumph not IN oreVits
ana esou'm' we nave met the enemy ano
'hey are ours
our c'vii WAT nIeo si1aoie phrase
oooh y. ts OWL Inc messages OIL GRAM
particularly nave entered INTO history De
cause "nile urant was the 1arthest posi-
oie iIoiii peins MAKER VI NOUS his "oros
pure iruil' Anu war-tlne episram requires
oeeo pach cs II. Chiike o'her Hterars
matter the war-epigram must 90 out undei
the auspices OF an author whose PERSONA
record VIII pear scrutiny.
snort anu swift as the CONNECT WIFE
spain hao 10 "e' II mas aoouhoeo III cpl
gram VI lie" Oh the savings, II 10 MOI
RISKY 10 pfophe.y immortality !hey nave
ptctulesquehesS a'lo 'HantS anu theS are
elastic enough 10 W quo'aoie ior various
occasions.
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