The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1899-04-30
SOME ODD SAYINGS.
Pfthy Expressions of Unconscious
Humor and Pathos.

Humor and Pathos.
(From the London outIook.)
A French servant, who had no doubt,
had hard week. gave an excellent in
| stance of the translation of an English
| phrase. II was a case of conveying to me
that there had been a superfiuity of work,
| which, if it continued, would prevent his
taking advantage OF a general holiday.
Helm, Alright, alright. But Madame
does not know, perhaps? Monday throw
| ing indignant fingers toward mel till
twelve l have not been On re back. Tuss-
day again, and wiz siz lonche; and once
more Wednesday l 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 wonder If they are in
vented at the moment, or il they are say
ings This, in expression of the old-fa h.
| toned view of a modern servant: 1T isn't
she isn't good enough girl. She's willing
and she's strong. But fiighty, Why, she
leaves the house ten times for every once
she comes in
! The wisdom of mother or grandmother
, can be quoted with effect and prove most
disarming to criticism. There was for in
! stance, the girl servant who would meet
any attempts at correction or blame with:
There! / know. For mothers often said
! Well! of all the girls ever did see-you
are one. And this there was no deny
! ing.
Charles Dickens understood this power
of phrases made from nonsense or moth
ing, that can be so direct in its result, so
unanswerabe and conclusive. His books
are hlled with instances of the nature of
Mrs. Crupps sympathetic answer to young
| David's sorrowful unbosomings:
Don't. Mr.. Copperful-not another
word, I'm mother myself"
He would have liked the story of the
mediterranean whose services were en-
gagged by the day, and who had a habit
of emphasizing her conversation with the
| words "As sudden as / sit here" Arriv-
ing in the morning, she sat till evening
| at her work. and was rooted institution
in the house. But in her fine determine
ton to put a convincing reality to what
she said, she would speak as if she had at
that moment appeared through the cell
| ing.
OF this force of expression whether
achieved by straight or inverted methods,
slang gives many instances. And the
American phrase that questions the secur-
ity of an object or cohesion of scheme
with VIII it stay putt" is, to my mind, its
ugiiness apart, very pattern OF concern
trated meaning. Among the eottagers this
power of expression results, We have
seen, from their use OF simple language;
OF those plain words that state their case,
unhampered or weakened by any search
after extraordinary effect.
They will tell you the story of an acct
dent or of 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 day that he went out to his faith
er, to the reapers. And he said unto his
father, My head. my head. And his father
said to a lad, Carry him to his mother.
And when he had taken him ind 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. ."
The poor speak like that. Unknowingly
though il may be, they have kept true
sense of the weight and value of words.
Scottish farmer who had grown to BE-
very old put the wisdom of a lifetime into
one sentence. He had been listening tc
the story of strong young heart beside
him; and MA dearie' he said very
quietly, there's no contending''
. But this use Of the fine old simple words
OF our language can be funny as well as
grand. This was in the cottage of an oil
woman who lay very i'll, and whose uaugh-
lel-iH-idW came on Il WISH 10 nurse neT.
We'll, I'm here till next Tuesday, m m
!. but after that | must go. / don't know
who'll look after mother. I'm sure be-
yond Sarah, and she can't stay moren
: week. You see, / leave five behind me
and they're all males. My husband two
: dodgers, and m sons. And you see, beins
all males. it's not as If there was on,
, | among them as can do anything like, fol
= | themselves. So that's where it is. And
, , must get home, or I'd stay and welcome.
. Such unwilling irony, too, was in thi
l woman's view of man, and the more scath
), ing because it was so simply said.
/ have touched before in these papers OF
,, epitaphs, and the real or forced feeling the.
convey. But for beauty OF moderation thi
epitaph OF a Scottish shepherd on his dos
leads all the rest. The coolies are traine,
to fetch the sheep from the hills wher
, they have been wandering. often for days
If there are some missing. There's tire
wantin' " the man says or There's tw;
wantin' " as the case may be, and the dog
watching the wave of his masters han
n from a distance, and hardening to hi
voice, goes off again and again in searc
till the flock is found complete.
On a certain farm there was dog, abov
his kind, sagacious and true. And whe
&, he came to die, the shepherd put jus
these words over his grave, There's vi
wantin.''