New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-05-16
Even Homer Nodded--SoD Do Others
repeating, since he had never asked it before!

repeating, since he had never asked it before!
Some of tn. most egregious of these slips are
made by the most careful and cultured speakers.
Lord Bryce once spoke Of "a malignant fairy
which steps in of its own bat" Mr.. Asquth de-
scribed Parliamentary redistribution "thorny
subject which requires delicate handling, or it
will tread on some peoples toes" Mr. Balfour
spoke of IAN empty theatre Of unsympathetic su-
ditors" Lord Rosebery lamented that the key
note Of the governments policy would be wrapped
in obscurity." Mr.. Gladstone once warned an OPP
ponent in debate that it would not do for him
to shake his head in the teeth of his own words"
Sir W. Hart-Dyke said that Mr. Lowther "had
caught big fish in his net, and went to the top
Of the tree for it," Lord Curzon remarked
that Though We are not yet out of the woods, yet
we have good ship" Sir George Balfour said
that "the pale face Of tho British soldier was the
backbone Of the Indian army"
With such shining examples before us, il should
not be difficult to pardon even the most fragrant
OF schoolboy "howers" Indeed these latter are
often instinct with an ingenious intuition closely
akin 10 genius In no other light than this can
we regard the definition of q synonyme as "a
word you can use when you don't know how TO
spell the first you thought off, or that OF an
sppcndix as" "a portion Of q book which nobody hs.
vet discovered 10 be Of any use" In these sufra-
gist days prudence may not dictate approval OF
the explanation Of the martial vsor Of the Turks
on the ground that "a man with sveral wives is
more ready TO face death than II he had only
one" but not even anti-Tipperaran neutrality
should prescribe the definition Of "the immortal
William" as g, phrase applied TO the German
Emperor!
Error. Of quotation among the most nu-
mcrous Of all; and perhap. the least excusable,
They are observed friend, "ss thick as leave.
in Vallombrosa"' in which he 'mplifed hi,
remark, since Milton wrote chick autumnal
leave. that strew the brooks in Nallombross." As
matter Of fact most quotation. are misquots-
tons; whether poetry prose; whether from
Scripture or from Shakespeare; whether from
Milton or from Mr.. Dooley. The Bible does not
say ole that runs may read" but that he may
run that readeth it, though Cowper said tho
former. It does not say that Samson slew thou
sand men with the jawbone of ass, but with
the aw Of an ass 1t does not describe the tongue
as IAN unruly member" but as IAN unruly evil"
Shakespeare did not make Hamlet speak Of that
bourne from which no traveller returns" but
- that undiscovered country, from whose bourne
no traveller returns" Mscbeths life had not
fallen into "the sere and yellow leaf" but into
"the sere the yeow.leaf." Lorenzo did not de-
nounce 1.-THE man that hath no music in his soul"
but "the that hath music in himself"
Portia did not say that mercy "falleth the gem
tie dew" but "droppeth as the gentle rain
Millions "Lycidas" is usually quoted fresh
fields and pastures new" but Milton wrote fresh
woods No less authority than Byron quoted
Shakespeare as writing Of "an eagle towering in
his pride Of place" but what the Bard really
wrote "a falcon towering in her pride OF
place" Nathaniel Lee did not write when
Greek meets Greek then comes the tug Of war"
but when Greeks joined Greeks then was the
tug OF war very different thing
However, what's the use? Pope Sixtus per
sonally sppcrintended with all possible care tho
publication Of an edition Of the Vulgate which
was TO b, the standard for all succeeding time:
and, confident Of its tcxtua inerrancy, he issued
a decree Of accommodation against any one who
should presume TO make even the slightest change
in 1t. But within month it was found to contain
more than three thousand obvious and palpabls
srrorsi After that. what's the ussi