The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-09-18


points out. it was used by Chaucer i'm
his immortal poem. Noah Webster.
in the earlier editions of his diction-
ary. said il was a Southern "provin-
cialism." and mainly used by the ne
groes This statement has been avoid
ed in later editions 1t was used all
through the South and as much by
the whites as by the blacks. 1t
is still used, but not SO much now. |
think. with the whites 1t is an Old
SAXON word, / think, and possibly
older I examined that superior and
useful standard work. Skeats Etymo-
logical Dictionary. but did not find
the word In the May number of
the war and literary monthly our
Living and Our Dead. Tor 1919,
which I then edited. 1 pupnsheu Il
communication from a gentleman III
Tarboro, evidently a scholar. relative
to Chaucer and the word tote. he
asked me to cite the passages from
Chaucer containing the word. coulu
not oblige him. l believe / had met
with it twice at least in Chaucer, but
/ had not then read it within twenty
years, and could not cite the passages.
/ have in 1904. an impression tnat IL
was not used in the sense OF carry
but in this | may be mistaken. MY
correSpondent-Ia am not sure OF ms
identity now, but have an impression
that it was from the eminent scholar
and writer among North CarollnlanS,
the late Rev. William Hooper. d. d.,
LIZ ID. You viii find his article on
page $40 of the magazine. He says:
II agree with you that the derivation
from 'tollo' is unsatisfactory. since
that term never appears to have been
of common or popular use; and the
idea of lifting or taking up n cause
from a higher to n lower court hard
" conveys the meaning of tote. L
think the author you quote must be
mistaken when he says that the word
'tolt has in law any meaning other
than that of taking up cause from
a lower to a higher tribunal. Our
distinguished and learned correspond
ent adds: $50 far as my memory
serves me. I have never met with
tote in Chaucer nor in any contem-
porary writer. nor indeed in any
English classic. There is an Anglo
Saxon verb "toten. meaning ito look,
to pry about. common in the Eng
lish: but | do not remember to have
met with such root having mean
ing from which we could derive our
tote" ] am sorry | cannot en-
tighten others as to this familiar
word. About 1855. was reading
Chaucer when met with 'tote" twice.
So I recall it now. and yet l may be
dreaming. I know much more recent
reading of parts of the ever famous
Canterbury Tales" failed to reveal to
my "optics keen" the old word 50
common in the South-for to carry
and vet so uncommon in the North.
Forty years ago, perhaps, | saw Il
New Jersey writer trying to give its
use in the South. His example was
like this-"Jim. tote that horse
around to the gate" If L am correct
in my guess that it was DR.. Hooper
who wrote TO mel knew who it
was then. in 1S75-his words are well
worth careful attention. He gives
the following true and weighty eX-
ampIes: "It is no argument against
the antiquity of the word that 1t has
been generally considered a provincial
vulgarism, for it is n remarkable fact,
that among the illiterate of this
country, and even more so in Eng
land, we find Saxon forms in use
which have entirely disappeared from
literature and polite language. Not
to speak of 'holD.' 'clomb' and such
nretirites, fast disappearing from our
written language, but which the vul-
gar tongue sturdily refuses to give up,
we sometimes hear country folk speak
of housen'. for houses. and 'sistren,
corresponding with brethren) for
, sisters, clear cases of the Anglo
Saxon plural in EN-"
Ny friend, Mr. Gregory, has pre-
pared. at some length, a history of
the>"Oid Shiloh Presbyterian Church
of North GranvilIe'-in which the
late distinguished and versatile Hon.
Abram W.. Venable. that eloquent and
famous Presbyterian divine, the late
Rev. DR.. Moses ID. Hoge, of Rich
mond, Va, and that admirable. gen
tie, lovable Christian gentleman, an
alumnus OF the University of North
Carolina, WhosWas graduated win
honorS in 1S49, Captain George j.
Baskerville formerly held member
ship. | suggest to Mr.. Gregory to
send it to the Sunday issue of The
Raleigh News. and Observer. which
has such n large circulation. particu-
larry in Granville. as in other sections
of the State. 1t viii interest many.
Captain Baskerville was killed in bat
tie. He was born i'm Mecklenburg
county. Va, and married Miss Lucy
daughter of the late Hon. William ..
Goode, OF that State.
My friend writes very Interestingly
and approximately of me. and opens
the way for the following: 1t is bet
ter to underrate ones intellectual ca
| pacity than to eXaggerate endowment.
| have known some who suffered i'm
mensely from an attack of constitu-
tional sWell-headednesS, when the in
side equipment did not correspond
remotely with the cranial Develop
! ment. / have had others to treat
me as my friend does, and / am
thankful, but not deceived. Ny own
deliberate opinion is that | am q
rather diminutive specimen sparsely
furnished with gray matter. leave
nothing, / regret to know, in the way
of truly successful performance that
will perpetuate my memory for six
! months when my old decayed body
/ the souls instrument for Work-shall
lie under the sod, save only among q
few who love me for myself, and not
because / ever did we'll, wrought sue
cessfully, or left solitary page that
North Carolina would not willingly
let die 1 am not depressed. I am
not repining. L realize that 81 am
declined into the vale of years.
that the sands in the hour-glass of
my life are nearly run out. But if I
make my calling and election sure
it viii BE- all we'll with me- hereafter,
for / will be among the redeemed and
saved III the blessed home of the
good, and will be forever ga son of
Cod which is fa~ higher and grand
er than earthly fame or fortune or
lineage or power. So if $50 soon for
gotten here" as Rip Van Wrinkle
complained Of his own sad fate, in