The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1913-11-28
FAMOUS PHRASES
Origin of Some of Worlds Most
Popular Quotations.
WORDS THAT WILL ENDURE.
"Whiis There's Life There's Hope"
Was Written by Cicero, and Cynical
Old Diogenes II Was Who Told the
World "Habit 10 Second Nature"

Old Diogenes II Was Who Told tn,
World "Habit 10 Second Nature"
1t Is recorded that an ignorant per
son. explaining her distaste for Shake
spearean performances, said that hi!
plays were too full of quotations. Ye
we, too, though we may pride ourselve.
upon our learning. probably do MOI
know the origin of half the common
| phrases we use as carelessly as verbs
In our daily conversation.
| No less a person than Cicero first
made use of the expression. "Whilt
there's life there's hope" in letter he
wrote to Atticus. I'VE are In the same
boat is not modern slang. but occurs
in a letter written by Clement l.. bish
| CD Of Rome, to the Church Of Corinth
In the first century. This letter Is ex
tant and is one Of the priced docu-
ments Of the early church.
81 never put off till tomorrow what
can do today" was Lord Chester.
fields explanation of how he managed
to do so much work. ''Whatever is
worth doing at all is worth doing welP'
he wrote later in the famous letters to
his son.
habitually may be crystallized an
epoch of history. Such is the motto of
the Order Of the Garter. "Honi soft qui
NAL pense' c'Shamed be he who
thinks evil of it''), 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 tour
nament at Windsor castle on New
Years day, 1874. After the coc.est Of
arms the guests were entertained 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
misrepresenting Edwards motives
Several years later. when Edward
founded the Order Of the Garter. he
chose a motto that seemed to chal-
lenge 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 every
day sayings. Lord Eldon, lord chan
cellor Of England during the first TWEEN
ty-six years of the nineteenth century,
continually Inexperienced the name
of Henry Brougham, afterward to be
a successor in the chancellor's office.
Brougham objected to be called Broff-
am, and In this regard EldOn was the
chief offender. Once, after BrOugham
had made an excellent speech, Eldon
by way Of apology pronounced 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 Nine. du
Cornuel. witty Frenchwoman Of the
seventeenth century. to DR.. Johnson
and Napoleon. The first record Of 1t.
however. is found in Plutarch, who
states that when Hermodotus address
ed a poem to Antigonous l., king Of
Sparta, hailing him as son of the sun
and a god, the monarch replied. "My
body servant sings me no such song"
1t was Diogenes, the cynic, who de-
clared that "habit Is second nature"
The phrase circumstances over which
he has no control" was used by the
Duke Of Wellington in letter con-
corning some affairs in which his son
was mixed up and with which he de-
clined to interfere. Dickens also used
the expression few years later when
he had Micawber write to David Cop
perfield, circumstances beyond my In
dividual CONTROL" etc.
Conspicuous by their absence has
been used on many occasions in mod
ern oratory. 1t was first used by
Tacitus in relating that in the funeral
procession Of Julia. niece of Cato. sis
ter of Brutus. wife of Cassus, many
Of the images Of the most famous
families In Rome were seen, but "Cas-
sius and Brutus shone pre-eminent be-
cause their images were not dis
played"
Nothing Is certain but death and
taxes" wrote Benjamin Franklin. stat
ing that the constitution of the United
States was in operation and to all ap-
pearances would last.
Those who live In glass houses
should not throw stones" was said by
James I. Of England when his favor
lite. the Duke of Buckingham. COM
planned that mob had broken his
glass windows. which were at that
time luxury.
mind your p's and as" Is said to
have been taken from an old French
phrase at the time OF Louis XIV. A
very low bow was I'm fashion. and the
master in instructing his pu-
pills would warn them to look out for
the position of the feet and the move
ment of the head lest their cue wigs
be disarranged. The French word for
foot Is pied. Mind your pieds and
queues soon came to be transplanted
into English and abbreviated.
Wallace Irwin once complained that
when he had been invited to be funny
at banquet his real gems of wit we're
addressed to the back of his chauffeur
on the WAY home Blft what's the diff