Waterbury Democrat., 1902-10-22
IN A STREET, ON, OR BY?
A New Orleans Man Inclined to Favor
 the Last.

A New Orleans Man Inclined to Favor
 the Last.
 sRy what authority have the news papers of the country yanked into the current vocabulary such an expression as in Smith Street'?' asked man who is inclined to quarrel with inno- vations. Why, the newspapers of the country seem to think the language is something for them to play with so much putty to he twisted into this form and that. according to the mood and bent of the man who happens to fix the rules for the particular publi- cation. have noticed, too, that near- ly all the newspapers of the country are inclined to fall in with these new ideas when one of them has nerve to make the break. Up to recent times in street meant at some point be- tween the curbstones. For instance, the expression thrown in the street. But now the newspapers speak of an accident as happening in such and such a street. or they will speak of a man as living in so-and-so street.
 Is in the proper word to use? Does anybody live 'in' the street? I imagine the police would not allow ! them to do it. The fact is, I think there is an ordinance aeainst it. If there isn't there should be. Let's look at the question T little more closely. n the first place. what particular part III the openings between buildings in cities may be regarded as the street? Manffestly that part which lies. be- tween the outer edges of the sidewalk. Probably in the legal sense the street area extend fo the property line. B1t custom, and even city law for that matter. has dasipnated the spaca ha- certain street? I think not. Tn order line as the sidewalk. It Is for pedes- trlans. while the street, eXcent at l crossings, is given up exclusively to I the use of vehicles. street cars. bicycles and things of that sort.
 Taking this view of the matter. can i we. even by any stretch of the irnag- ination. say that any man lives tin' a certain street I think not. Tn order to Justify the use of tho word fin we would have to assume that the street l area ran back to the alley I do not l mean to say that other words which ] are frequently used in the same con- nectton are correct. Take son,' for in- stance. It is not proper to say that a man lives 'on' Smith street, for he does ] no such thing. The street is a public highway, and any man who should at | tempt to live on a street would be promptly ordered to move by the po- lice. On is as offensive as sin,' and is open to the same objection. At may be all right when used in connec- tion with number as at 642 Smith street. but where the number is not given sat' would not do at all.
 Really, it is matter of some diff ficulty to select a word which will en- tirely hit the case Personally I like l by,' and think it comes nearer fitting l than either sin' or son.' sBy' conveys the proper idea. A man lives by a street, not son' it and not in it. Still the newspapers have their own ideas about things of this sort, and thera is l no sort of doubt about the fact that they have improved the language in
 many ways. But I must draw the line on this new thing of accusing men of living in the street for they are not guilty."-New Orleans Times Dem J Ocrat