The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1898-01-28
Local Affairs.
A Lesson in Quotation Marks,
r S. BIHMAN REPLIES TO REv o o
WRIGHT.

L am quite willing TO acknowledge
that, like David of olo, / occasionally
sling q stone at a Goliath and, like
Daniel, am not afraid Of lions, even
when they sppe-r in official or minis-
terial garb.
Mr. Wright can prs' me in these
characters to his hearts content and, If
he so elects, line up with the other tel-
lows upon the question at issue. | am
actuated only by regsrd for the public
interests. As q taxpay'r have always
advocated liberal appropriations for
schools and only desire that the money
and the time of the children shall be
properly employed. Mr. Hine need go not
far, when in his Office at Hartford, 10
get more emphatic denunciation CT the
method of teaching reading than 1 have
used, because the parties are directly
interested.
suppose ought to i)in in sorrowing
because l know nothing of G. Stanley
Hall, Phi. D., but, according to the la
test figures at hand, there are something
over one and one half billion people on
this earth, and in the absence of accurate
statistics, figure that thtre are about
1904 .99S, ,575 persons that l know little
or nothing about. One of the lot is un-
fortunately the gentleman named.
am informed BY friend of mine that
Wright, as he is, in many respects q
good fellow, albeit he has an impression
that his brothers disposition is such
that am likely to get it in the neck"
While there are so many people that
do not know, there are something's that,
in my business l am required to know,
and one of them Is the proper use of
quotation marks. There is nothing
egotistical about this as have for years
been obliged to read proof in connection
with one of the best proof readers in the
country and could not help learning q
little, ever 4 hsa 5oep ignorant tn
start with.
In the first place the frequent and in
discriminate use of quotation marks is
undesirable. In the second place, when
| IN q 5izorS S-;or oro.at;o, r,.-t-, 80 ,,-.s
only the language of the person quoted
should be enclosed. Thirdly, it is allow
able to use ones own language 70 intro
duce quotation, provided; the mean
ing is not DISTORTED, care being taken tc
quote only actual language. Fourthly,
unless quotation is from the Bible or
some book that every one is supposed to
be familiar with, the authority quoted
should be given. Any use Of quotation
marks except in accordance with these
rul, shows 'crsss ignorance" (Ex-
Mayer Hewitt of New York; of the
proper use of these little marks. Atten-
tion should also be paid in quoting from
others to so introduce the quotation az
TO convey the idea Of the person, or so
much Of his lauguage should be quoted
as to give such idea. Ii IS unfair to
qaose just enough of the language of
another to make him appear ridiculous.
This brings me in sympathy with G.
Stsrl2y Hall, Phi. DR.. Mr. Wright ssys
his last letter was for the purpose of
Introducing a quotation from him.
assume from the Ph. D., that Mr. Hall
is an educated genllema and used the
Two inches of words quoted by Mr
Wright in connection with other words
that made sense Of the whole. 1t lie
possible that Mr. Hall dictated to a stem
ographer and Neglected to read the type
written copy and consequently was
made to appear as the author of such q
tumble of words but, in that c. Sc, it was
extremely ungentl amaply for Mr. Wright
to lug him into our controversy with
that quotation.
While l am obliged to know some
things about the use of the English
language make no claim to origina lit y
but simply follow long established rules
If Mr. Wright, after in my first lettel
that had encountered the word method
in my school teaching dsys, thought
I cor sidered it new fad he had an un
| doubted right to express himself in &C
tcordsnce with his misconception, but hi
i had no right to put quotation marks
around his words to give the impression
that he ws 8 quoting my language.
Ii have not been sufficiently clear il
this, the gentleman may inquire furthe
but in order to answer him effectively
is desirable that he should state whethe
he misquoted me purposely, carelessly
}. or because be knew no better.-IR. S
Hinmar, Stevenson, CT.
4 ~s@-
The first preaching service in tn
i. Hawleyvills chapel was held on Sunds.
afternoon, Rev o. w. Barker officiating
Notwithstanding the hsrd travelling an
threatening weather. the chapel wa
crowded., every chair being taken.
Il