Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-08-30
New Books \
e. IN Re1eMHM

pockets, made aware of its presence
by the roughened pages of the note
book. and may even come to enjoy
the Utilization Of having 1t sift down
inside collar and belt, but when 1t
finds a resting-piace In footgear
becomes really obtrusive.
The least motion of the air dis
turbs the finer dust on the surface
of the ground and with increasing
i.s OF the wind larger particles are
lifted and moved along, pelting and
abrading everything In their path.
The downward action OF rain and
streams caryes mountains and hills
into ridges and gullies. which afford
shelter from the direct action of
storms In moister regions. The wear
ing action of the horizontally moving
sand-blast results in rounded con-
tours muchs like half an egg, behind
which there is no real shelter.
When looking for a camping lace
at the close of the day, Abou Salem
would maneuver to leeward of a
small hill, seeking the spot in which
the least sand was falling, for no
place would be entirely free from it
II there was any wind motion. When
he came to q quieter place, which
might be directly against the base
OF cliff or out some distance from
1t. few moments pause would be
made, and If tho occasional eddy
which reached the place did not
carry too much grit, the baggage
would be arranged for the night. One
might begin dinner or unfold cam
era in fancied security, when q dis
concerning blast would deiuge every
thing with a shower of sand which
penetrated into the mechanism of
shutters and plate-holders of cameras
as well as into the recesses of water
proof baggage.
The experience Of only day or two
was needed to learn that the least
discomfort would be met by facing
the wind with a fold of cloth before
the face, an expedient readily used
when riding, but making difficulties
for the man afoot.
Spurious Americanisms.
The manufacture of spurious
Americanisms has never ceased TO
continue. In words assumed without
reason to be distinctive of this coun-
try. our earliest vocabularies abound
ed. Nor have they been absent from
the latest. though with the progress
of time and the advance of knowi-
edge they have been steadily becom-
ing fewer. Nevertheless, old ex-
amples are liable to turn up at any
time In unexpected quarters, and new
ones are occasionally added to the
list.
In the latest and sanest of diction-
aries of Americanisms, author in the
sense of editor" is enrolled. TT is
no doubt American and obsolete"
says the compiler. Obsolete it as
suredly is. But what authority is
there for asserting Ii to be an Ameri-
canism. 1t may be asked. The reason
given is that in this sense it is not
found in the New Historical English
Dictionary. Such an extraordinary
inference is a curiously belated sur
vival of faith in the omniscience of
photographers which once prevailed
widely. AS matter of fact, author
meaning editor" was for a long
time fully authorized word in
English. 1t is no more an American
ism than Is editor itself. The latter
In It's present most customary sense
Is of comparatively late Introduction
into the language.
Editors of periodical publications
Of all sorts are now born with us
almost every day; but 1t took more
than century to evolve the term
specifically .denoting them. One has
only to turn over the files of
oiShtochlh-SenIuTy newspapers ana
magazines to become fully aware
that the mysterious being who pre-
sided over these publications was
then regularly designated as 1.-The
author" 1t was to the author"
that communications in the news
papers were addressed. Such was the
title under which he continued to
flourish for decades.--Thomas Louns-
bury, in Harper's Magazine for Sep
tom