The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-05-12
Pointers tor
Quotation Hunters.
Many More Questions and Queries Continue to Come
to the Quotation EditOr---lt Seems That Many
Contestants Have Failed to Read Over
the Rules Which Appear Every Other Day.

The interest in the contest seems to
be growing more intense as it pro
crosses. Every mail brings hundreds
of orders for THE EVENING STAR
containing the back problems.
If you failed to begin with the very
first number, o are not too late to
enter-in fact. you stand just as good
a chance to win a prize now as you
would had you started in in the begin
ming of the contest.
1t is not necessary to send in the an
swers every week or month. o car,
if you desire, hold back all your an
swers n send them all in a bunch at
the close of the contest. You know
the rules state that THE STAR will al
low six days grace, after the last pic
ture has appeared, during which time
contestants may make final revisions
and send in their sets of
Mr.. Roy Carrollton mo street or
number given), of this city, asks the
question which was answered in
THE EVENING STAR of May ..
The Quotation Editor kindly refers
Mr.. Carrollton and his friends to THE
STAR files of that date. wherein he
will find the query fully explained.
Mr.. Harry G. Belden. of Montclair,
N. J., don't exactly understand the
rules and asks for the following:
Quotation Editor, THE STAR:
You say hat correct spelling and
grammar will count; also that the
exact wording as given in the book
will count. Well, then, how about
the discrepancy where a quotation
in the book seems to be improperly
constructed, as, for example, "Of
two evils, choose the least?"
Now, every grammarian knows
that in speaking of two things, the
comparative, and not the superla-
tive degree, should be used.
If the same quotation is given in
two or three forms in the book
which one is it? AS for example:
zone swallow does not make a
summer" page so.
1.-Two swallows do not make a
4 summer" page E9.
zone swallow makes not a spring,
nor one advocate a writer"
page 81.
DO the pictures specialize literally
the wording of the quotation, or
merely suggest figuratively?
In this contest, Mr.. Belden, THE
STAR does not expect to bring in the
technical points concerning the rules of
grammar, as set forth by any of the
great grammarians. Instead, it seems
that the rules can be easily under
stood by although limited to a lesser
degree of education.
Rule 8 plainly states hat in making
the award the judges will take
into account the similarity of the an
swers to the exact wording, spelling,
punctuation and construction as select
ted by the Quotation Editor. AS is
stated in the rules, the Quotation Edi-
tor has selected the correct answers
from THE STARS book, and there
fore it matters not whether the quo
tations are recorded dramatically.
The thing for all contestants to do is to
quote the answers as they are found in
the book. THAT is THE BASIS OF
AUTHORITY.
For Mr.. Belden's benefit we may fur
Their state that the authors of old Bible
Quotations and Proverbs and even the
authors who translated these wise and
witty sayings" into the English Ian
guage lived long, long, before the rules
dlQ SluOy VI grammar NSi6 lOuiiuSus
Then again. it is a well known fact
that writer's of quotations are allowed
the privilege to invent their own styles
of construction, etc. Therefore, the
quotation: "Of two evils, choose the
least" is correct as far as the authority
on quotations is to be considered.
Mr.. Belden wants the Quotation Edi-
tor to point out the exact and correct
quotation; that is, where there are two
or three versions that vary in wording.
Now, this would surely be telling and
would bring the wrath of the gods upon
his head. and he would surely loose his
job instantly. If Mr.. Belden will read
the first part of the rules very care