The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-06-23

them writing want of modesty' for
want of decency," and enormously rs
cribing their authorship to Pore. To 40
him justice, he doesn't mention Pope by
name, but refers the authorship to the
reigning poet of the eighteenth century"
The Chronicler thinks II fair TO assume
that by 1.-THE reigning poet Of the eign-
teeuth century" MIR. Ford meant Pope.
AT any rate, he certainly couldn't have
meant the real author OF the lines, the
Earl of Roscommon. For the Earl of Ros-
common was never the reigning poet OF
any century, nor any sort of poet of the
eighteenth century because he had been
dead and buried eighteen years when
the eighteenth century began Mr.. Ford
had probably never read the authors own
words. That is no reproach to him. Prob
ably nobody now alive has ever read the
Earl of Roscommon's Essay in Trans
lated Verse" SO Mr.. Ford thought the
lines were Pope's. He followed the multi
tude with unquestioning faith. and be-
cause to quote another line of the Earl
of Roscommon's, The multitude Is always
in the wrong"--in regard to quotations-he
caused his little reminder that every au-
thor receives sooner or later of the wis
dom of verifying ones quotations before
letting them into print
"FamiIinr MIsquotations."
Some one with time enough for the nee
essary research could write a very en-
tertaining essay on Familiar Misquota-
tions." There are q host of them. The
Chronicler probably has a great many Of
them slowed away in this mind. ready at
the first opportunity to force themselves
Into a chronicling In the guise of quota
lions and get him into trouble. but he
knows only a very few of them for what
they are. There is the remark that III
a man were permitted TO make all the bal
lads he need not care who should make
the laws of a nation publicly misquoted
a dozen times every day in the year, and
as often enormously ascribed TO Fletcher
Of Saltoun, always, for some unknown rea-
son. called "Old" Fletcher OF Saltoun in
this connection. Then there is
THE mind is in its own place and itself
Can make a heaven of heb a hell Of
heaven"
haunting idea that these lines are Shake
speare's is a delusion and a snare, but
they are still almost invariably quoted
thus:
THE mind is its own place, and of itself
Can make he'll of heaven, heaven Of
hell"
Then there are God tempers the wind
to the shorn lamb as to which 1t is most
difficult TO rid yourself OF the impression
that II must be somewhere in the Bible"
although you know better; and on the
other hand, Evil communications corrupt
good manners" which appeals to most
persons as proverbial saying OF unknown
origin, although 1t occurs In chapter of
the Bible than which no other is more
frequently read in public. These. with
the Earl OF Roscommons lines, already re-
ferred 10, about complete the Chronicler's
list OF quotation traps from which he Is
comparatively safe AS you see the list
is short. 1t could easily be extended For
any one can procure plenty OF material
for long and entertaining essay on Pa
miliar Interpretations" by writing down.
from memory all the familiar quotatio
he can think of. and then verifying them
with the aid OF the authoritative Die
tionary OF Quotations"