Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-05-01
SAYINGS OF THE POOR.

London Outlook: A French servant,
who had, no doubt, had a hard week,
gave an excellent instance of the rams
of an English phrase. It was a
case of conveying to me that there had
been a superf1uity of work, which, if it
continued. would prevent his taking ad-
Vantage of 81. general holiday. Helm!
alright. But Madame does not
know, perhaps Monday (throwing in
dignant fingers toward me) till twelve I
have not been on re back. Tuesday
again, and, wiz siz lonche; and once more
Wednesday 1 have not been on re back"
All of which was only a very good way
of putting our expression of being on
ones feet all day"
Among poor people such sentences are
legion. One must wonde if they are in
vented at the moment, or if they are say
ings. This, in expression of the old
fashioned view of a modern servant: ut
isn't she isn't a good enough girl. She's
willing and she's strong. But Eighty!
Why, she leaves the house ten times for
every once she comes in"
The wisdom of a mother or grand
mother can be quoted with effect IN
prove most disarming to criticism. There
would meet any attempts at correction
or blame with: There! I know. For
mothers often said, We'll! of all the girls
I ever did see-you are one" And this
there was no denying.
Charles Dickens understood this power
OF phrases made from nonsense or moth
ing that can be SO direct in it's result, so
unanswerable and conclusive. His books
are filled with instances of the nature of
Mrs. Crupp's sympathetic answer to
young David's sorrowful unbosomings:
Don't. Mr.. Copperful-not another
word! I'm a mother myself"
He would have like the story of the
rnn11n ,1-0V ~ n - -horo o~xyioo xyoro 1~
gagged by the day. and who had a habit
of emphasizing her conversation with the
words "As sudden as I sit here" Arriv-
ing in the morning. she sat till evening
at her work, and was a rooted institu-
ton in the house. But in her fine deter
mination to put a convincing reality to
what she said, she woul speak as II she
had at that moment appeared through
the ceiling.
OF this force of expression, whether
achieved by straight or inverted methods
slang" gives many instances. And the
American phrase that questions the Sc
curity of an object or cohesion of a
my mind, its ugliness apart, a very pat
tern of concentrated meaning. Among
the cottagers this power of expression
results, as we have seen, from their use
of simple language; of those plain words
that state their case, unhampered or
weakened by any search after extraor-
binary effect.
They will tell you the story of an acct
dent or of a sorrow in the language of
the Bible, and one is reminded, by their
almost crude simplicity Of narration, Of
the quiet strength in the description of
the death of the Summarizes son: = = "
And when the child was grown it fell on
a day that he went out to his father, to
the reapers. And he said unto his father,
My head, my head. And his father said
to a lad, Garry him to his mother. And
when he had taken him and brought him
to his mother. he sat on her knees till
noon, and then died.
"And she went up and laid him on the
bed of the man of God, and shut the door
upon him and went, out. "a =
The poor speak like that. U~nknOwingly
though it may be. they have kept a true
sense Of the weight and value of words.
A Scottish farmer who had grown to
bs very old put the wisdom of a lifetime
into one sentence. He had been listening
to the story Of a strong young heart be-
side him: and MA dearie," he said very
quietly, there's no contending."
But the use Of the fine old simple
words Of our language be funny a