Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-04
TITLES THAT MISLEAD.
Books That Were Not What Their
Names Suggested.

From the London Clone
In the titles Of books lie at times pit
falls for the unwary. An almost classic
example was afforded by John Ruskin
when. in 1851. he wrote short pamphlet
on the text, There shall be one fold and
one shepherd" This, which treated of
the reunion OF the Protestant churches,
was published as Notes on the Con-
struction of Sheep Folds'-a title which
appealing rather to the agricultural than
to the clerical mind. insured a brisk cir
culation among farmers-those OF the
border especially-many of whom ordered
a copy in the hope that they might CLEAN
therefrom some original hints and ideas
that would be of use to them in their
calling Doubtless, on discovering their
mistake, they passed the mfsleadingly
entitled brochure over to their spiritual
advisers.
The bucolic mind, indeed. would seem
singularly predisposed to jump to hasty
conclusions. for English farmers followed
but in the wake of their Irish brethren.
or rather of their Irish brother, who. an
enthusiast on the subject OF cattle breed
ing. greeted with delight the appearance
of little volume by Maria Edgeworth
bearing the title. Essay on Irish Bulls"
Although the name of the authoress was to
him unknown, the contents would doubt
less, he considered be well worth the
few shillings he so willingly disbursed;
but, alas. although the spirited engraving
of rampant Taurus that prefaced the
essay gave delightful promise. he had
but to read a few lines to find that he
had become possessed of a treatise not
on bovine ruminants. but on that particu-
lar '.blunder which is commonly suppos-
ed to be characteristic of the Irish ma
ton" Nay. more, a little reflection
brought home to him the fact that he
himself was one of those Irishmen who,
A. ~ let ssrx-1r n
signed by Providence to make bulls"
Times of Refreshing in SPAIN" was a
title that commended itself to a house of
commons select committee engaged upon
the question of public houses in ireland,
and thinking doubtless that Spanish
views on the licensing question might be
adapted in some wise to the Irish temper
ament. they ordered several copies OF the
work. only to find that 1t was not a
pamphlet on matters spirituous, but an
evangelical treatise on matters spiritual.
An equally egregious blunder was per-
petrated by provincial committee, form
ed for the purpose of advocating temper
ance and prison reform, when one of
their number advised the purchase of
Dean Plumptre's THE Spirits in Prison"
under the impression that the work dealt
with the Illicit traffic of spirituous liquor
in her majesty's gaols. On discovering
their mistake. the committee displaye ed
an unconscious sense of humor by direct
ing their secretary to write to the rever-
end author in terms of strong expostula-
ton for employing a title that to the
majority of people could not fail to be
misleading. Most people looked askance
at 1.-The Champion of Virtue thinking
that its purchase would but introduce
them to another. and inferior. Pilgrim S
Progress" Her mistake the authoress
was not slow to perceive. and displacing
1.-The Champion of Virtue by The Old
English Baron soon secured a large cir
culation for her work