Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1913-12-12
IS IMPORTANT POINT
Misp|acing Of Comma May Have
Serious Results.
Notable Instances on Record to Prove
the Fact-Onae Involved Com.
mercial Houses In Most
Expensive Lawsuit.

Early in the worlds history, philoso.
piers urged upon their generation the
necessity for considering small things,
writes Rev Forbes Philips in London
Answers. The comma Is about the
smallest thing in practical life, but 1t
Is far away frora being the least i'm
portant. In a domestic difficulty.
where a husband and wife Quarreled
and sought separation, legal gentle
man was kind enough to try and patch
up peace. He recommended over.
lures from the husband, and suggest
ed that he should write to his spouse
the simple and touching message:
May Heaven cherish and keep you,
from your affeclionate husband John"
This John duly dispatched on a pic
ture postcard, but he omitted the
comma, AMI the message ran: May
Heaven cherish and keep you from
your affectionate husband John
The misplacing of comma involved
two big commercial houses In law
suit A memorandum was sent: Can
let you have the hundred pieces at
sixteen and nine thousand more at
same rate" When the message ar
rived it read: Can let you have the
hundred pieces at sixteen, and nine
thousand more at same rate A care
less clerk had transposed comma,
unconscious of the part it was des-
tined to play.
Clerics are fond OF quoting the prov
erb For one point Raynhard lost his
priory." The story goes. that IN pre-
reformation days, a good and holy
prior, Clement, ruled over his rell-
gious house with great wisdom and
lberulity. Over the entrance to the
prory he caused to be written up:
BE open evermore, o thou my door,
TO none be shut, to honest or to
poor"
This free invitation was generously
interpreted by the mendicants, ana
people came from far and wide to
honor it.
When the good Clement died, very
different man was appointed as his
successor, a priest Of the name OF
Raynard. who was as niggardly as his
predecessor had been lavish. The
sign over the entrance of<the pricry
did not interpret his sentiments or his
outlook on life His meanness could
not tolerate it, nor would 1t permit
him to go to the expense of a fresh
motto He simply changed the mean
ing by altering the position Of a COM
ma, which made the couplet read:
BE open evermore o thou my door,
To none, be shut to honest or to
poor"
At dinner in New York we'll
known man gave the toast, woman
without, her, man is a brute" A pa
per reported Mr.. A as saying,
Woman without her man is brute
Most people have heard Of the mes
sage, Don't come too late" which by
the insertion of comma, became,
Don't come, too late" Then there
was the barber who advertised on his
signboard:
What do you think
I'll shave you for nothing
And give you a drink"
Of course, there was rush Of Gus
toners at once, but the BARRIERS rem
Gering was:
What! Do you think
Ill shave you for nothing
And give you drink"
Care has to be exercised in noticing
the comma when reading. There Is
the case of the curate who had to give
out the notice, "A sailor, going to sea,
his wife desires the prayers of the
congregation" But when the nervous
curate gave out the notice, the con.
gregation was startled by being in
formed that "A sailor going to see his
wife, desires the prayers Of the con-
gregation."