The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-01

one OF the most famous OF lightning calculatore
was Zerah Colburn OF Vermont. whose ability az
lasted only during his YOUTH has probably never
been equalled. Just after the civil war H. d.
orion gave public exhibitions and taught his
method. Some years ago q Frenchman, jacques
maud, gave public exhibitions. Not many years
ago q mathematical prodigy Of the sort was re.
ported found In q New York grammar school.
But none OF these has yet supplanted the multipli-
cation table and the table OF logarithmS.
Who was David Everett. said to be the author
OF the verses beginning:
y 70 Top .d.s sSaT e n sSSRY;sS; oS one e, Of ,%y ago.
He was a Journalist in Boston In the early years
OF the last century. He was born in Princeton.
In 1895. taught school, studied law and p~ractlsed In
Amherst from 1902 TO 1907. In Boston he was editor
OF the Boston Patriot and later OF the Pilot. In
1918 he removed 10 Marietta, Ohio. for the purpose
OF establishing q paper, but died shortly after
reaching the new settlement. His great %contribu-
ton to generations OF Friday ex ercises" was writ
ten when he was teaching school at North Ipswich.
1t Is q little thing. but 10 a host Of little boys II has
proved the FIRST step toward oratory. therefore
It Is remembered when oblivion has fallen upon his
moro pretentious work, "Darenzcl: or The Persian
Patriot: q Tragedy" The lines should not he for
gotten, aud here they are:
You'd scarce expect one OF my age
To speak In public on the stage:
And II | chance to fall below
DemoStheneS or Cicero.
Don't view me with q critics eye,
But pass my imperfections by.
Large streams from little fountaln ms flow,
Tall oaks from little acorns grow.
Whence do the English derive their characteristic
miSpronunciatlon Of the vowel @ In clerk and Derby
and words OF that sort7 L. H. EATON.
Whence, one might at once rotor IT, do the Amcri-
cans derive their characteristic INSTRUMENTATION
OF the same vowel In the same words? For clurk
Is no moro right than clark. and Durby is as far
abnormal az Darby. The divergence between
the two main stems Of English speech "a marked
by this difference In words involving the vowel
9 supported by the consonant r In words derived
from the French. Clerk Is Latin cercus through
French eerd. The sound OF the er In the French
word preserves the full quality OF the vowel to-
gether with the support OF the sonant r. But 10
the English tongue the r Is a nuisance and soon
loses all its character. In Its degradation II has
involved tho vowel, which then falls away from its
proper quality. From the point OF correct pro-
nunciation IL has fallen to one side for the English.
and for the Americans TO the other. The change Is
modern and one does not have TO be very old 10
recall survivors of q time when clerk and merchant
were spoken with the French quality. Gladstone
intoned tho words with old fashioned correctness
on one side OF the sea. as did Benjamin Brewster
Of Philadelphia
A claims that when two or more words are used
In closing a letter 1t Is proper and customary to
Respectfully Yours" 3 claims that when two or
mo5s words are used nsSi y is a rule Of English com;
letter. as Very respectfully yours" ID. b. q.
Really this is a matter OF individual taste. Still,
II will probably be found that those who, In these
days Of correspondence by deputy and machine.
remain careful OF the appearance OF their letters
prefer the form with the least number OF capitals.
The other does seem TO present rather a poster
effect which does not quite conform with canons
OF good taste. In working over some manuscript
materials OF New England history a collection
Of letters was found which well illustrates the
possibility OF hne shading in the use OF capitals.
The writer was q master mariner aaoat and a deacon
ashore; in writing Of his exploits by sea he sprinkled
his pages with the great pronoun ! as stark as the
masts OF his good ship breastlng tho storm. but
when as deacon he wrote Of things spiritual he
wrote Away an |. an orthodox admission that he
was q worm OF the dust.
What Is the meaning OF the word "siwash" In use
on the Pacinc Coast. and from what language Is II
taken2 F. L. PRINCE.
In the Pacific Northwest II is the common term
for an Indian and is adopted from the Chinook Jar
gon. once very freely spoken In the Puget Sound
country. The Chinook is q true jargon In that its
vocabulary Is made up from the most readily disable
words OF several tongues about the country and its
grammar Is most simple and direct. There are
about 200 words Of the true Chinook Indian tongue
In the jargon, other Indian sources drawn upon
being Cree. Chehalis, Klickitat and Yakima. There
arc many contributions from the English and
particularly from voyageur French, the European
contributions having undergone strange modihcA-
tons. Thus In the Instance cited sfpash is nothing
but French sdupaos. Easily recognizable as from
the same source are Ia hash, axe; 10 bleed. bride,
Ia pool, chicken. An interesting form OF speech:
It's history has been fully elaborated in the Chinook
dictionary OF George Gibbs and several later In
vestigators have examined IT carefully.
-
WHO was Prsadent Of the Board Of Aldermen
JAMES o'NRn
Charles ". Fornes was President of the board
In the last municipal administration. In the abb
sence Of the Mayor and Mr.. Fornes Little Tim
was Acting Mayor over waShlngton's Birthday in
1904. The Mayors absence lasting less than the
statutory nine days. Alderman Sullivan was not
permitted 70 initiate a municipal policy OF his own.
Kindly publish the correct way In which 10 write
the plural OF spoonful" Should 1t be two spoon.
fuls" or two spoonsful"f G. L. x.
The former, OF course. In case you use two
spoons the only way TO express that unimportant
difference would be to say two spoons full" The
problem 10 o reourrent one. but II must be taken
a. . good sign that there are problems In our COM
mon speech.
II possible let me know in your sunday paper
where sss West Presbyterian church = stood k1nnI in the
year l6fU, IL W. hhbIDEh'
The church was organized In 1890 with eighteen
members. In 1889 II completed the building OF Its
nrst edinoe In Carmine street. There II worshipped
for thirty years until the erection In 1859 OF Its Gothic
structure on Forty-second street, near Sixth avenue.
Tel me whether registered mail travels o. night.
JOHN MACK.
Both night and day and every day Of the week
from post once 10 post once without delay, De-
livery. however. is made only on regular trips of
carriers.
Kindly explain the use OF check ngures II. Is
| and 10. as used in certain computations, AS tho
casting out Of mines is used 70 prove multiplication
and division. 90 these check figures are used TO
prove certain results obtained. Can some Of your
hrthmetical readers help mel Z. G. COOK.
What is the present population of Berlin, Ger.
many ARCHIE HAhPIUs.
The latest onncial figures are those OF the census
OF December /. 1900. in which the population OF
Berlin Is given ss 1888. $50.
where was the late Charles Stewart Parnen,
leader OF the Irish Parliamentary party, born and
wheni j, p. G.
AZ AvOndsle, In the county of Wicklow. june 20
iSts.