Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-11-30
Editorial Comment
Hyphenosis.
portland Press. }

A new and rare disease has appear
! ed, which is engaging the attention OF
some of the faculty. Fortunately, 81
far as known it is not highly conta
gious or Immediately fatal, but 50 far
| as diagnosed it seems to be chronic
incurabe and progressiVe-not To say
Bull Moose. Once the victim is III Its
tolls, the ease is hopeless. 1t ends on
| ly with death. From the symptoms
ii seems to be a germ, or worm, dls-
ease, OF which the seat is the brain.
Since the disease is new, but few
cases having been observed and only
one case in Maine, there has not been
time for close study of the symp-
toms, but they are SO marked as TO be
unmistakable. The most pronounced
of the signs is a tendency to run to
an excessive and inordinate use of the
punctuation mark called the hyphen
and used III literary compositions to
Join The parts OF compound words
Whence the name, "hNphenoSis. II
is said that the victim of this eX-
traordinary malady has mania for
running together long strings OF
words, mostly proper names of per-
sons and places, combined with com
mon nouns of attributes. qualities and
distractions together with names of
concrete things. He spends hours and
days i'll this pastime. and even robs
himself of sleep to think up new and
startling complications. When once
the mania has become confirmed, it
appears more engrossing than pigs in
clover. Chinese puzzles or anything of
the. kind. As already noted but
-, 81, ha- IN Iiobt in this
State, and that is located in Andro-
scoggin county near the eastern bank
Of the river of the same name, in
the city of Lewiston and the office Of
the Lewiston Journal. Too badi
One of Dickens characters is Mrs.
General in Little Dorritt," a female
professor of department and pro-
pretty. She had a recipe for fixing
the mouths and lips of her young
charges in proper and genteel form.
This consisted of the frequent reeita-
ton of ar alliterative formula, in
which the labial mute p" predomi-
mated; as Papa, potatoes. prunes.
PRISM And so the Lewiston victim
Of hyphenosis runs to the use of the
.lahial mute in his hyphenated con-
catendtons. 1t began with the eX-
preston. sPenrose party. or at least
this ALTERATION was among the first
noticed. But it progressed, and pres
emily it became the Peters enrose
party" and then "the Peters Penrose-
Pillage party" Sometimes it is Pen
ros Powers-of Pillage.' Again, when
4 particularly severe seizure comes on
and the supply of P-headed words
runs low, there is a variation and We
! fad such combinations as "Burleigh-
/ PeErese,r "BurleighL orimer- Penrose.
| Peters Burleigh system" and Pet
! ers- Burleigll- Hale-Gurtis bipartisan
rarity Of Penrose Pillage" The lavish
use Of capital letters will be observed.
| That is one of the characteristics of the
/ disease, in which the sufferer aims 10
| Tut stress and emphasis on his words
and attract attention by tricks with
| the types.
Of course in this typographical and
| rhetorical eccentricity there is neither
rhyme nor reason, nor vet humor. al
though the patient in his pitiable plight
| is evidently of the mind that his pro-
| auctions have these qualities. He
! thinks it satirical He thinks he is
| sending pointed and harbed shafts OF
| wit. which his targets cannot dodge
and which make them exceedingly IN
! comfortable. 1t is indeed a style tina;
seems odd and funny at first but that
grows stale and tiresome with repeti-
/ ton. There is no point i'm connecting
henored citizens of Maine with some
/ kind of obnoxious political practices
| said to have been in vogue in remote
parts of the country. something for
eign to Maine politics and denomi-
mated in one place "Penroseism' and
in another Lorimerism" and more
generally "bossism. These men whom
it is thus sought to lampeon and give
/ a bad name to are not bosses, re-
! dictionaries" or Tories" We have
been progressive in Maine, and the
proof of it is in the legislation on the
statute books, in the platforms, prac-
/ tees and institutions. But it is the
misfortune of the victim of hYpheno-
sis that he cannot or will not sec
! these things. 1t is his misfortune thai
| he is the prey of malice. envy and
revengefulness. and has a swollen
! bump of destructiveness and in his
reckless passion for traducing land
pulling down is given to bearing false
witness. We ought perhaps to bt
charitable and pity rather than con
denim, however much we may be vexet
by the antics of the hyphenotic.