Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-08-21

warning:
WARE be the dog?"
AS to the supper it was a Dutch treat
Those Wavy Brown Eyes
But puns are not "howlers" and "howlers"
are not necessarily hilarious The schooboy
who wrote in an examination paper, "E
Pluribus Unum In God We Trust"
furnished only smile, while the novelist's
description of her herones "wavy brown
hair and eyes" is positively saddening. A
definition of "howlers'' will be attempted in
this place, but not at this time Just at
present we must try to content ourselves
with few examples of literary "howers''
of somewhat different kind from those
cited in previous articles. This species is
the product of misinterpretation of the titles
of books. In the titles of books lie pitfalls
for the unwary.
There's a classic example Of everything
under the sun. In 1851 Ruskin wrote a 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 Construction
OF Sheepfolds"-a title which, appealing
rather to the agricultural than to the clerical
mind, insured a brisk circulation among
farmers, those of the Scottish border espe-
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
misleading entitled brochure over to their
spiritual advisers.
Maria Edgeworths little volume called "An
Essay on Irish Bulls" fell by purchase into
the hands of many a son of Erin. who
quoted 1t with delight. Although the name
OF the author was to him unknown the con-
tents would doubtless, he considered. be well
worth the few shllings he so willingly dis
bursedi but, alas! although the spirited en-
craving Of rampant Taurus that prefaced the
essay gave delightful promise he had but to
read few lines to find that he had become
possessed Of a treatise, not on bovine rumi-
nants, but on that particular "blunder which
is commonly supposed to be characteristic
OF the Irish nation" Nay, more, a little re-
Election brought home to him the fact that
he himself was one of those Irishmen who. in
the words of the essayist, were designed by
Providence to make bulls"
Times of Refreshing
Times OF Refreshing in Spain" was title
that commended itself to a House of Com
mons 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
somewise to the Irish temperament they or
dered 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 perpetrated by provincial COM
mittee, formed for the purpose of advocating
temperance and prison reform, when one of
fhai ahar aAx H.
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 mis-
take the committee displayed an unconscious
sense of humor by directing their secretary
TO write to the reverend author in terms Of
strong expostulation for employing a title
That TO the majority of people could not fail
to be misleading. Most OF the people looked
askance at "The Champion OF Virtue"
thinking that its purchase would but intro
duce them to another and inferior "PiIgrin's
Progress" Her mistake the authoress was
not slow to perceive. and dlsplacins "rhe
Champion OF Virtue" by "The Old English
Baron" soon secured large circulation for
! her work
Many sailors and lovers Of the sea found
themselves in strange waters when. under
the impression that they were about 10 peruse
stirring sea romance OF the Clark Russell
or the Captain Marryatt type. they ordered
from their library Miss Beatrice Harraden's :
clever story, Ships That Pass in the Might q
a story into the plot or construction Of which
neither sea nor ship enters. Needless TO say
that the novelist, like the art critic ana other
writers previously mentioned was quite guilt
less OF even the most harmless attempt to
I mislead