The Clovis news. [volume] (Clovis, N.M.) 1907-1929, 1913-09-25
PHRASES YOU HEAR
Expressions Of Noted Men That
Have Become Common.
sWhiic Thcrs'e life There's Hope"
"New Brooms Sweep Clean" and
Many Other Old Favorites
Mark Historic Epochs.

London-No less a person than
Cicero first made use of the express
sion, "While there's life there's hope,
ia a letter he wrote to Atticua we
are in the same boat" IS not modern
slang. but occurs in a letter written
by Clement j., bishop of Rome. TO the
Church of Corinth In the first century.
This letter Is eXtant aud Is one of the
priced documents OF the early church.
never put oil tim tomorrow what
J can do today was Lord Chester
fields explanation Of how he managed
to 40 so much work. Whatever is
worth doing al an Is worth doing
Wen" he wrote later IA the famous
Letters to His Son.
In some OF the expressions we use
habitually may be c~rystallized an
epoch Of history. Such is the motto
OF the Order of the Garter, "Honi soft
qui NAL y pense' (shamed be he who
thinks evil OF IT'D. which was given
by Edward III. Of England. Wishing
to draw the best soldiers in the world
to him he proposed a revival OF the
Round Table of King Arthur, holding
a tournament at Windsor Castle on
New Years day, 1914. After the con-
test OF arms. the guests we're enter
tanned at his expense at a round table.
Philip, king of France, was jealous
over the interest this aroused. and
forbade his subjects to attend, at the
same time incorporating Edwards
motives. Several years later, when
Edward founded the Order Of the Gar
ter, he chose q motto that seemed to
challenge his rival monarch to think
wrong of it if he dared.
Later English history has not been
laggard in increasing the supply Of
apt remarks that have grown into
everyday sayings. Lord Eldon. lord
chancellor of England during the first
20 years of the nineteenth century,
continually mispronounced the name
Of Henry Brougham, afterward to be
a successor to the chancellor's office.
Brougham objected to being called
Brofam, and il this regard Eldon
was the chief offender. Once, after
Brougham had made an excellent
speech Eldon, by way Of apology, pro-
nounced his name correctly and made
a proverb, New brooms sweep clean.
The same expression occurs fire.
quently to different people who could
have no knowledge that their thought
had been given utterance before. No
man is a hero to his valet has been
paraphrased by scores, from Madame
du Cornuel q witty Frenchwoman Of
the oowonfnonfh oo,4r-,- g.. M T0I-
son and Napoleon The first record
Of it, however, IS found in Plutarch,
who states that when Hermodotus adj
dressed q poem TO Antigonus J., king
Of Sparta, hailing him as son of the
ia and a god, the monarch replied.
MY body servant sings me no such
song.
1t was Diogenes, the cynic, who de-
olared that habit is second nature.
The phrase circumstances over
which he has no control was used
by the duke Of Wellington in a letter
concerning ZONE affairs in which he
declined 20 interfere. Dickens also
used the expression a few years later
when he had Micawber write to David
Copperdeld, circumstances beyond
by individual control" etc.
Conspicuous by their absence" has
been used on many occasions in mod
ern oratory. 1T was first used by
Tacitus in relating chat in the funeral
procession Of Julia, niece Of Cato. sis
ter Of Brutus. wife Of Cassius. many
OF the images Of the most famous
families in Rome were seen. but Gas.
sius and Brutus shone pre-eminent be-
cause their images were not dis
played"
Those who live in glass houses