The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1913-09-18
FAMOUS PHRASES
Origin of Some of Worlds Most
Popular Quotations.
WORDS THAT WILL ENDURE.
while There's Life There's Hope"
Was Written by Cicero, and Cynical
Old Diosenes II Was Who Told the
World Habit Is Second Nature"

Old Diosenes II Was Who Told the
World Habit Is Second Nature"
1t is recorded that an ignorant per
son. explaining her distaste for Shake
spearean performances, said that his
plays were too full of quotations. Yet
we. too. though we may pride ourselves
upon our learning, probably do not
know the origin of half the common
| phrases we use as carelessly as verbs
in our daily conversation.
No less Il person than Cicero first
made use of the expression. "While
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 letter written by Clement l., bish-
| op of Rome. 70 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 al all is worth doing well"
he wrote later in the famous letters to
his son.
In some of the expressions we use
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 revival Of the round
table of King Arthur. holding tour
nament at Windsor castle on New
Years day. 1874 After the contest Of
arms the guests were entertained at
his expense at 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 mispronounced 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 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. mo |
man is hero to his valet has been
by scores. from Nine. du
Cornuel. a 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 Rermodotus address
ed a poem to Antigonous l., king of
Sparta. hailing him as son of the sun
and 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
be has no control" was used by the
Duke of Wellington in a letter con-
corning some affairs in which his son
was mixed up and with which he de-
cllned to interfere Dickens also used
the expression a few years later when
be had Micawber write to David Cop
pertield, circumstances beyond my In
1lvidual control" etc.
Conspicuous by their absence" has
been used on many occasions in mod
arn oratory. 1t was first used by
Tacitus in relating that in the funeral
of Julia. niece of Cato. sis
er of Brutus. wife of Cassius, many
IF the images of the most famous
families in Rome were seen. but Gas
'ius and Brutus shone pre-eminent be-
'ause their images were not dis
played"
Nothing is certain but death and
axes wrote Benjamin Franklin. stat
ng that the constitution of the United
States was in operation and to all APP
,earances would last.
Those who live in glass houses
houd not throw stones was said by
ames l. of England when his favor
te. the Duke of Buckingham, COM s
,lained that mob had broken his .
lass windows. which were at that /
ime luxury.
Mind your p's and as" is said TO
AVE been taken from an old French
'hrase at the time of Louis XIV. A
cry low bow was in fashion. and the 4
ancing master in instructing his pu- S
ills would warn them to look out for
be position of the feet and the move 3
1ent of the head lest their cue wigs d
e disarranged The French word for [
Dot Is pied. Mind your pieds and
ueues" soon came to be transplanted
ITO English and abbreviated
Wallace Irwin once complained that 2
'hen he had been invited to be funny r