The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-09
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.

whittierf Is II Enslish, or what
nov did the Bsfssrs 9es their name, j do nOs
refer 20 the ooney Island use Of the word as com
mon noun. but to the pAtronymic which some have
EusrAcs BARKAR RBoADxs.
Coming by the anne post tho two queries yes
sllng together In proper accord with the old adaEo
- TO there being nothing like leather. for both the
names have their origin In those stout English
workers who wrought on fens.
Whittier. In variant forms met with As Whittear
and Whityer. descends from the lawyers In general
and specifically from tho whitetawyers. Ther
functions In the leather industry were to prepare
the lighter skins, such as those of goats and Kids, 10
whitcn them and 10 make them ready for gloVers
20 use. In old records are found such names 40
John 10 lawyer and GeOnry 10 WhitetAwier. az q
period when the name OF occupation was Just be-
coming . transmitted patronymic. In the Hundred
Rolls of the fourtecnth century entry 10 made or
ono Eustace lie W~tttowere. The same document
shows the moro general name OF the occupation
in the forms Gilbert lc Tower and Thomas lie Touere,
and even a feminine form In Juliana 10 Touestrc.
The Bankers were at the other end Of the leather
industry. They were the men who supplied or pre-
pared the bark for the use Of the tanners. The old
records show such names as william lie Barcur and
Nicholas lie Barkere. or with a clerkly twist Of Latin
Robert Barcarius. In the old ballad OF tho Tanner
OF Tamworth" Is this snatch OF pert dialogue be-
tween the fellmonger and his liz eye lord. Edward ":
what craftsman art thouH" said the King:
Il pray thee tell me trowc."
Il am a Barker. sir. by my trade;
Now tell me. what art thou2"
In VIVA; year was Thanksgiving sy Instituted
and why Is the same kept every year oy proclsmA-
ton OF the President! J.i.H.
This year Is but the thirty third IN which Thanks
giving has been regularly proclaimed by the Presi-
dent OF the United States. the first proclamation
having been issued by Lincoln in 1854. a celebration
on September 8 OF tho Atlanta and other recent
victories, Since that year tho Presidents have an
nuslly issued a proclamation appointing a day OF
national thanksgiving. usually the last Thursday
in November. The credit of the establishment OF
this custom Is assigned TO Sarah Joseph Hale. editor
OF Godev's LGdfS' Book. Before that time days
had been set aside by the Governors OF many OF
the Northern States without any attempt TO CO.
ordinate the dates or 10 make the custom universal.
In the years of the Revolution Congress annually
set apart a day OF national thanksgiving. In the
colonial period such thanksgiving were frequently
proclaimed by the Governors ofthe New England coll
onies. The earliest instance wash 1921. when Brad
ford appointed a day OF Thanksgiving for the hrst
harvest of the Ply mouth colony. In the present
system the President issues a proclamation OF a
day Of national thanksgiving. operative only In the
Territories and elsewhere where federal jurtsdic-
ton Is exclusive. This Is followed by proclana-
lions OF the Governors in the several States. though
there arc a few States In which the holiday is not
provided for by statute.
Is there any warrant for the use Of, the word
leave In the following sentence IL was lHllOSSlult
70 send those papers with the others. but we will
leave them follow shortly"f J. RAABR.
This Is an error so common as TO amount to q
provincial error. A provincialism In speech may
be incl c rant because II has not been deemed worthy
Of Incorporation in educated speech. yet II remains
rood speech within the limits OF those who habltually'
use Il. But an error, even II so widespread as TO
seem provincial, remains error 20 the end. So
with this: common as It Is. II displays the lack OF
such a modicum OF education as is necessary to
examine the dictionary Leave" not only may
not be used In the place of the verb let which
tho sense demands. but in the earlier uses OF leave"
which may yet be found In the Bible English, u
has a line OF senses which dramatically contradict
the sense OF permission and convey the Idea OF
desisting or leaving of. The confusion OF leave
and "let" ENDS Its origin in such a form OF speech
as leave me be" This is good English. albeit
inelegant, and has a weight OF history behind II.
II is stronger than "let me be-" but In the course
Of time Il has come about that as the two phrases
have reached the same sense. therefore the two
words wherein they differ are regarded as synony-
nous. which they are not.
Was the square below Cooper Institute ever a
hay maTketr How far up did II rum In other
words. did II run as far as Seventh street, the scales
being at Sixth stTeeti Ut
The scales at Sixth street were custom scales
for the convenience OF those who used Tompklns
Market, which occupied the space on Third avenue
between Sixth and Seventh streets. and was founded
IN 1923. These scales remained IN use until some
time In the '7Os, The open space from Fifth TO
Seventh street was not set apart as a hay market.
but II was naturally crowded with the wagons
which came In from the country, and bulky goods
were m sold from the wagons as they
stood outside. II is recalled that at the northwest
corner OF the open space stood the wagons which
had brought in cordwood for city fires. Seventh
street was the northern limit OF the square. Tomp-
kins Market, erected In 1890. nrst housed the Seventh
Regiment and later the Sixty ninth.
OF a proper noun ending in 5 when II is desired to
form the possessive case; as for Instance, Jones
boots" or "Jones's bootsT L.. NJ.
All the modern authority OF formal grammsrians
IS on the side OF the latter form: therefore that
Is to be taken as the correct rule. But II has a
wretched sound -JOnesy's boots. Who wants
70 present the appearance. even in a whisper. of
calling ono JonesyI A careful speaker might
ind it preferable to avoid the combination by
the more formal locution -the boots of Mr.. Jones.
Mrs. Jones. Miss Jones'" according to the civil
status OF the owner OF the boots. Some one once
wrote a tale having for title The Jones's and tho
Asterisks"; II Misses like q goose on a common.
In earlier English the trailing $ In such cases was
spared for the sake OF ~euphony. and thus have
descended to us such expressions as for conscience
sake" "for old sake sake"
Whence arises the saying that the mouth Is tho
tongues dauRhterI heard II long years ago from
old country folk enuncisted with all the weight OF
great wisdom 1u, nSveL nave peen AoIe 70 make N
refer il TO your many readers who are curious in
such forgotten lOref IL. M. MARSHALL.
II is not daughter. though II sounds the same. and
So curious survival OF a word that began to become
obsolete as soon as Henry VIII. suppressed the
monastic life. The mouth 10 the tongues dorter.
or dormitory. II has been preserved to US by
Haywood in a queer little verse that is not without
. lasting moral:
The tongue is assigned Of wordes TO be sorter.
The mouth is assigned to be the tongues dorter.
The teeth arc assigned 20 be the tongues porter.
But wisdom Is signed to tye tho tongue shorter.
In a business statement coming TO me from Manila
I have been puzzled TO see the prices quoted with .
prenxed sign that seems TO consist OF a capital p
with two thin strokes through the round part of the
letter drawn horizontally, What does this signify
Is II some sign OF value used generally In the Orient
or is IL local to our Philippines Ell. McCABE.
II is a sign oricially adopted and promulgated
by the civil government OF the Philippines 10 desig-
nate the peso Of the American currency that has
been struck for the archipelago In order 10 retire
the Mexican and the soft dollars formerly In circu-
latIon. Tho sign Is a combination OF the initial Of
peso and two strokes In memory Of the dollar sign.
The peso Is commonly called a conant, a remi-
nIscence of the service rendered by the New York
financial expert who devised the Philippine none.
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