New-York tribune., 1908-01-19

IN affqte The word occurs ii that autobio
graphical essay DE Finibus." and IS worthy OF
placing near the accepted affatus from which
& derives: I'VE spalKe Of the inflated style
of some writer's. What II there is also an dftdted
style-when the writer IS like a Pythoness on
her oracle tripod. and mighty words, words
which he cannot help come blowing and bel
lowing, and whistlng. and moaning through the
speaking pipes Of his bodily 0rgan?'
Our next word really affords something in the
nature OF q surprise. showing that just sixty
years ago Titmarsh hit upon q word-we
actually see it IN the making-which was many
years afterward to become one OF the most
familiar Of slang expressions. At the beginning
OF IS47 Michael Angelo Titmarsh delivered him
self Of "a Crumble About the Christmas Books
In many pages Of "FraseT's Magazine" At the
close Of the article he gave an illustration OF
the art of every man his own reviewer, and hit
upon the meaningless but suggestive word
BaIly.
Surely. for adding that one word baIIy to the
common verbal currency of the natlon-not'
mark you, TO the orthodoxy of the dictionary
TItrnarsh has deserved well Of poster1ty; for
what would certain people with certain In
sbiIitv to express themselves with certainty
have done without It? Thousands must have
used this bally word bally without knowing that
they were quoting ThaCkeray at oil, even as
Monsieur Jourdain used prose without belng
aware of the fact. In the essay, ION Joke once
Heard from the Late Thomas Hood we are
told that the tender poet evidently under
valued his own serious power and thought that
in punning and brodd-grtnning lay his chief
strength" In "Isovel the Widower" we have
Mr Batchelor telling e polite untruth, and add
inc. "T did say so upon my word looking that
balf-bred stuck-up Mr.. Sargent gravely in the
face: and ! humbly trust If that 00UnceT has
been registered against me. the Recording Angel
viii be pleased to consider that the motive was
good though the statement was unJusuhable
In the same story have the word 0umpt0uS.
which is SO familiar that II is a surprise to ma
our seven volumed dictionary ignoring IL he
is rude; he is III bred he is Oumpttous peyonc
almost any man I ever knew Jerrold'
In The Fortnightly Review.
PROPOSED CANAL BETWEEN THE FORTH
AND CLYDE.
The idea of cutting q ship canal between the
Forth and Clyde is not new, but mas peen
brought forward on several occasions during the
Isst FORTY wears II is only lately however, that
the question has reached q national Importance
which was not dreamt Of by the early pro-
rnoters Of the scheme, Importance which JUS
titles the earnest consideration OF any serious
british government 1t is a platitude TO say
that within the last six years the storm centre
of European politics, from naval point OF view
has shifted from the Mediterranean TO the North
Sea where this country Is faced by strong
concentrated naval power whose ports or Issue
are situated directly opposite our east coast
To be prepared for war, 1t Is necessary Tor the
feet to have a repairing port as near the prob
able scene of action as possible with docks OF
sufficient size to enable the largest units to make
good damage after action and resume their
places in the line as quickly as possible
II would connect the defended waters Of the
Firth of Forth-at present the only fortihed
refuge on the east coast north of chatham
with g secure and efficient repairing port py q
waterway of about thirty miles. Il would give
a vessel damaged in action access to the Clyde
and the dangerous voyage TO Chathanl
when crippled and probably slow ship might
incur great risks.-R T., in The National tie-
view.