The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-05-17
Newspaper English.

The New York Press, ia the execu-
tion OF an ambitious and praiseworthy
purpose, has prescribed certain rules
for the guidance of its corps of editors
and reporters in choosing the English
wherewiih they undertake to enlighten
the public. It's model we suspect, is
the celebrated "index cxpurgatorius,'
which William Cullen Bryant caused
to be posted in the office of the New
York Erenimg Post
The late Rev. DR.. Moses ID. Hoge,
of Richmond: was fond of preaching
about "high ideals He argued that
all human effort falls far short of per.
lection, that unless men are actuated
by the loftiest aims they can accom-
plisE no great good. The editor Of
the Press seems to have adopted for
literary things the principle which DR..
Hogc recommended for things spirit
ual Certainly there will never be
another edition of The Press printed
if it be required that it shall be free
from the works and phrases prohibited
by the rules Of the Office. Neverthe-
less, we "glory in the spunk' Of our
contemporary in attempting to have
newspap IT in which profound respect
is shown for pure English.
The Dispatch has waged desultory
warfare of that description for many
years but has never yet been able to
produce single copy into which err
rors have not crcpt. They "slip in''
in all departments Of the paper; none
is exempt from them. How much of
this crring is due to the all-too -copious
definitions and citations Of the big
dictionaries; how much to the press
ure for time under which writer's for
the daily press labor, and how much
to the inborn frailty of the average
writer, we do not know. But we
haven't yet given up all hope; that is
to say, there are some things which
we still kick against. And it con-
soles US to know that some of the ex-
pressions which plague US also vex the
editor of The Press.
We find that he has to wrestle with
writer's who use don't" for '..doesnt"
and "every" for "all;' who split their
infnitives; who stab "parties" in "the
fracas;' who do not know the differ
cnce between "learn' and teach
who marry the man to the woman;
who say well posted" for 'well in
formed" who speak Of persons" as
parties who render song and
tender" a dinner; who are oblivious
to the difference between ''transpire"
and occur" who write sNlrs. Gen
eral' and "Mrs. Colopel;" etc.
These are but few samples out of
scores of errors in the use of English
which worry the soul of our Gothamite
contemporary.
In the MSS. which from time to time
come under our own eye we find an
astonishing number from persons who
vii! insist upon saying, for instance,
that neither of che two gentlemen
have been summoned" Others never
fail to arouse our sorrow by saying
that the "widow of the late John
Smith" is sick, or dead, or married
again. Still others who wish to be
exact state that "the will of the late
John Doe has been admitted to pro-
bate" Buried from his late resi-
dence," is another fayorite expression,
and "nee Jane Jones" is common.
Another is in the use of the far more
vivid, but less authoritative, word
"busted" for "burst.
We contend chat an address, or
"card," or advertisement appears un-
der, not over, the signature of Mr..
So and So, but we find few who oblige
us with their MSS. (or for the matter
of that few books or newspapers) that
agree with us. So, too, we prefer to
hold an inquest upon" body, rather
than cover" it.
But, alas! we dare not "hold down"
our contributors with too much Sc
verify, lest we find them calling in re-
inforcements and turning upon US and
exposing our own shortcomings. New
ertheless, we hold that it is we'll for
all papers to have high ideals, and
though none will ever attain perfec-
ton, or anything like it, all will be
the better for doing the best they can
in that direction. n.-Richmond Dis