The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-07-05


= MERsoN has said that every age
.TG) rejects the congratulations of its
- predecessors. as men abandon
stranded ships. 1t you'd be well IL every
generation forgot the set phrases and
stalled metaphors out of which the juice
has evaporated. Here, for instance, is
little list drawn up on the inspiration
OF the moment-to use set pharse-
embodying certain verbal combinations
which might well be allowed to die:
Bitterly denounced.
Tamely submit.
For good and sufficient reasons.
A potent factor.
Far and away.
Passing we'll
At all hazards
Condign punishment
Ill-gotten gold.
Honest labor.
The Mecca.
Reign supreme.
Sit supine.
Ran like wildfire.
Ran rampant.
Ones proud of flesh.
Ones pound of flesh.
BY leaps and bounds.
On all fours with.
A modern Borgia.
speckled beauties.
Finny tribe.
The police are puzzled.
All of these were rood In their prime,
and all are past their prime. The sense
of vision and the sense of patness they
once conveyed are no longer in them.
Denunciation is apt to be bitter, at
least to the party denounced. Better say
objected" and let it go at that "Tameiy
submit is no more than yielding AFTER
all. and the adverb lacks the judicial
oualitv. For good and sufficient rea-
sons is neither so strong nor SO eio-
opsnt as "for reasons" AS we use Is "a
potent factor" Is padded and exagger-
ated; factor" is enough Easily is
stronger than "far and away Exceed
ingly' is as good as passing we'll Re
gardless' is less -nreadbare than ''at all
hazards" For '.ondign punishment
try due penalty" "Ill-gotten gold COM
monty implies an offensive exercise OF
Judgment by one without the data for
any exercise of Judgment whatever.
money. seems to cover the ground.
The only honest labor" is hard work"
why not say so? For 1.-THE Mecca read
1.-THE objective" To reign supreme" is
merely to prevail" "Sit supine" is re-
dundant; it is the usual way people sit.
Ran like wildfre is only running hast
ily." after all. If one must have his
metaphor he may give ran rampant" its
literal meaning and say, ran rearing on
its hind legs" by leaps and bounds is
a grotesque equivalent for the decorous
adverb rapidly" Ones pound of flesh
is merely ones legal rights. 1T cries
to heaven is Just sit offends' writ long
For ION all tours with" say parallel"
"a modern Borgia" is a poisoner.'
"Spcckled beauties are fish or summer
girls nothing more. If one must be orn-
ate he may call the fnny tribe the
..scaly bevy" or tenants of the watery
element THE police are at work" is
as much as to say the police are puz-
zled"
II was never true that Language was
made to conceal thought" but the func-
tion of the set pharse is to obviate the
necessity of discriminating thinking. just
a the foreign pharse book obviates the
necessity of learning French or German
Every resort to set phrases is mental
atdication. The conversation interlarded
with them has the same message as the
popular song of the music halls; you
know just what is coming next, and you
have an uneasy and protesting sense that
plagiarism Ii beinJ done In yorr very
presence. The really Individual mind
brings to its own experience point Of
view which cannot be suited by ready
made metaphors that fit 1t no better than
rcady-made garments,
One evidence of the intellectual activity
of a people is the freshness OF the Ian
uuags In common Use. Life itself IL q
series Of new combinations. or as Her