Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1901-12-19
FUssY GRAMMARIANs.
Find Fault with Those who Use the
Common Phrase, "May the
Hest Boat Win"

a fussy person up in Albany sol.
emnly accuses LII newspapers in this
country Of having been guilty, once or
repeatedly, OF using a superlative adj
iective in a comparison between two
subjects-to wit, the Columbia and the
Shamrock. The phrase to which the
fussy person objects is: "May the best
boat win" We and the other 1,776
newspapers ought TO say, he declares:
MAY the better boat win" Misty
memories drifting over from studies
pursued away back in another century
incline ms TO a belief, or a suspicion,
or something OF the sort, that the
fussy person is either right In his con-
tention or else that he has at least
an excuse for making il. But, The
error admitted, simply out Of rever-
ence FOR the enemie, OF youth, we turn
fercely upon the Albanian critic and
rend him with the question: Can
there possibly be anything the mat
ter with a phrase used by ], III Amer
lean new papCrs?" Grammarians are
estimable people So long as they know
their place and keep O., but when they
become pretentious and forget that
whatever Is, In language, is right, they
fully deserve the suubbug they get
from everybody not fu7sy May he
best boat win" runs pl.bly from the
tongue or pen, attracts no attention
10 itself and conveys the intended
meaning quickly, forcibly and direct.
ly, while MAY the better boat win"
Is not the expire sion Of hearty. hon
est wish, but a pedant's denomination
that he knows the rules OF grammar,
so called, and never feels am emotion
of any kind strong enough TO make
him forget them for a moment, SAYS
the New York Times.
Once pretty good man wrote n
pretty good piece beginning: eve, the
people Of the United States, In order
10 form q more perfect union" do
such and such things Now. viewed
from the Albanian's standpoint "more
perfect r. q combination Of words III.
tie II any less than criminal. for of
perfection, obviously, there can be no
degrees. Yet the writer OF The phrase
who was himself a careful writer. as
Is shown by the many changes he made
in the first draft OF his pretty good
piece, saw no necessity for croseit d ont
the more" and nobody else has ever
had the audaHtv 10 doit for him.
are apt 10 emit an ill-smelling fluid.
The adder, however, has teeth fitted
with poison glands, and Is really dam
gerous. II does not use these 10 Sc
cure Its ordinary food, but only IL the
prey Is larger than usual, or in SELF
defense, as for instance, IL Il is trod-
den on. The venom Is frequently fatal
10 dogs, not seldom TO sheen. and II
has been known 70 KIN a bullock
The cause OF death in such eases Is
failure OF the heart, but II that Ia
ayerted rather severe local blood poi-
soning may ensue. Grown persons do
not often die from. the effects of
bite, though a few such cases are on
records but the poison causes consid-
cradle suffering, and recovery may
not be complete for some weeks.
With children the danger is. Of
course greater. "The bright day
brings forth the adder-that Graves
wary walking" II Is smaller than
the ringed snake, for its length sell
dom exceeds a couple Of feet, lts head
Is more spoOn-shaped, Il Is differently
marked and is more variable IN color.
different explanations have been adj
'anced 70 account for the last fact,
sex aud age may have more to do
with II thnn anNihinn else