The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-25
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.

Mr.. c. T. Onions. engaged upon the
preparation of the oxford English Die
tionary. Is DESTROYS OF communicating
with a contributor to the dictionary
who is versed in English words of In
dian origin. In writing a note on
"succotash" this contributor said "In
an article which I contributed to THE
Sun two years ago on English words
OF Indian origin, and a copy of which
! sent you. | have recently noticed
an error that escaped my atten-
ton while | was correcting some
copies for distribution. Under the word
'succotash' and following tts !rd'a,
words are the words corn boiled whole.
the quotation marks SHOULD ha1e en-
braceo only the word 'whole.' There IL
nothing In the word about corn nor about
boiling. While we, In English, speak of
an ear of corn using corn by synec-
doche for all the kernels on the cob, the
Indian idiom required the use Of the plu-
raj IN referring to Indian corn. The i'm
personal verb 'mesiquat' means 1T Is
whole or entire and the plural Of this
Massachusetts and N~arragansett Iia-
lects OF the Algonkin) is '~mcsiqua,ash.'
meaning they are whole or entire
/. e., the kernels are all together In
place. have not been shelled of. This
latter word was simply the nam for a
whole or unshelled ear OF corn. Our
"o sOu iV'optN e
know. consists of corn cut from the cob.
mixed with lima or chopped string beans
and boiled In milk and water" Mr..
onions seeks the identity Of the author
or the note above. an American, Will
he address THE Sun or Mr.. Onions per-
sonally at the Old kshmolean Building,
Broad street, Oxford, England?
~ Harlem Veteran" Is IN error re-
garding the Red House. which. he says.
stood at 106th street and First avenue
forty-five years ago. First avenue in
the SOS ended somewhere below Sixty
third street. At what would he called
the foot OF Eighty-ninth street Gas
KiNer) was Conrad's Garden. which in
the early part Of the civil war was the
headquarters Of the Forty-nrst New
fork State Volunteers t"Dc Kalb Regi-
ment'D. Extending north to about IOith
street from Second avenue facing east)
was a piece OF marsh land which in
Guided three creeks running to Fourth
ana Firth avenues. also one called Glib
sons Gut. where boats were for hire
tentrance on Second avenue).
we Youngsters at flood tide used to
ave on Second avenue and fetch UNI
der the avenue through the archway.
W n particularly high tide was run
ming II was watch your head" not
watch your step
WILLIAM ID. fAEkER.
VIII YOU kindly inform me whether
the term blue stocking applies only TO
q literary pedant. or whether by usage
II applies also to blue blood or aris-
'ocra'!' READER.
Blue stocking has never meant blue
blood. or denoted an arls,ocrat. The
century Dictionary says: specifically.
wearing blue or gray worsted stockings.
as opposed TO those - black silk worn
in cour; or ceremonial dress hence, not
In full dress, in plain dress. ,a) APP
piled To the Little Parliament OF 1853.
"That Blew Stocking Parliament. Bare
bone Parliament, a companie OF fellowes
called together by Cromwell ,Sir ].
Bramston. Autobiography. edition of
1916, Page sa)." AS the Century and
other books make clear. the meaning be-
came restricted in 1850 TO men or women
'but chiefly women Of literary tastes
who inclined to pedantic displays OF
their knowledge. Thus used il MAS a
term 81 contempt and derisicn and i'm
piled n womln who neglected husband
and home for the sake OF attending lit
erary assemblies such as were held in
1850 at the homes of Mrs. Montague and
Mrs. vesey in London.
Several derivatlons have been pro-
posed. II has been asserted that as
early as 400 Venetian men and women
II literary tastes formed a society the
members Of which wore blue hose. Then
there is tho traditional appearance Of
Benjamin Stiilingheet at ono of Mrs.
Montague's gatherings weiring blue
worsted stockings in place NJ silk and
talking so lcarnedly tina; II became a
common remark. when he was absent.
I'VE can do nothing without our blue
stockings" Others say that a foreigner.
invited to one of Mrs. Vesey's recep-
tons was told that dress didn't matter
and that he might wear blue stockings
for all any one would care, The literal
minded chap afterward spoke of the
asked.
Thus tn" name blue stocking clubs
fixed itself on Mrs. M%ontague's and Mrs.
Vcsey's parties and others II the sort.
The term is now, as the Century OBJ
serves. hardly used except historically
and humorously. Time has pulled the
sting.
Charles g. Hausman seeks n poem
, called The ProdiRal Girl" which he
recently heard recited., NJ. G. Parshall
asks for the words of IAN old Irish
song" probably entitled THE Man That
cleaned Up odd Fellows Hall" Miss
Ella Ehle asks the authorship Of verses
entitled "The Mixes Strain Perhaps
/, too the scrapbooks OF readers can help
John q. Wilson to information con-
corning the origin and authorship Of n
poem called The waysidc Well" Of
which the second and ffth stanzas are
quoted to help in Identification:
lie left his carriage alone;
Nor could coachman or footman tell
Why the master stopped in the dusty road
To drink at the wayside we'll.
: He saw but a farmers boy.
As he stopped DER the brook to drink,
And ruddy and tanned was the laugh
ing face
E That met him DER the brink.
Can you give me tins name OF the ait
thor of the poem of which the following
, verses are n part? ] 'h.nH read 1t In
one OF Zola's books years ago.:
Q When a mother abaIdonc the child al