The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-01-30
QUESTIONS AND ANswERs.

detailing his services. mentions having
been on various towers Car you tell
me whether this was the accepted pro-
nunciation at that time tcirca 1890 or
was II merely illiteracy on the part Of
the old soldier. who was from an inland
county Of Virginia" W. NJ. s.
The standard Dictionary gives
tower" as an obsolete form ~ tour,
so recourse was had to its editor. Mr..
Frank n. vizetelly. who says:
The only authority Tor tower that |
can find in English is that Of Sir John
penham. who in 1891 entered Trinity
College. oxford, and was looked upon
i, as a slow. dreamy young man, given
more to cards and to dice than to- study.
His seniors and contemporaries could
never then in the least imagine that he
. would ever enrich the world in the man
ncr that he did. Wallace said of him ::
He broke out like the Irish Rebellion,
threescore thousand strong. when no.
body was aware. or In the least sus-
pectcd IT,
THE spelling IL 10 DC found in the
following lines OF Denham's 'Cooper's
iHrW:
VISITS the World. and in his nyine ,oueys
Brings home TO is. and makes both Indies
ours.
" was of this poem that Dryden said
For majesty Of style It IL. and ever
will he, the standard " good writing
or Denham. Sam johnson said: He is
deservedly considered az one Of the
fathers Of English poetry I have
aaar,hal Co.. thA vnaittau tn ITny1iah
dialect dictionar ies and although I find
1t recorded as used. cannot give you any
actual citation.
But. In regard to American dialecti-
cal use. I find that the word tour Is pro-
|nounced tower. and used to designate a
Journey in the dialect Of southeastern
Missouri. where II Is common to hear
people speak Of a recently married pair
as having gone on their weddin' tower
The word tour. pronounced as II spelled
tower, IL common also in the language
OF the oil regions which may he said TO
include Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Among oil men the word IL used to
designate a space Of twelve hours. The
morning tower lasts from midnight
until noon the afternoon tower from
moon to midnight.
According 10 rrof. ]. W. Carr the
pronunciation of northwest Arkansas for
this word is tower and the meaning is
the ordinary one"
What il the historical value OF the
memoirs OF Nine. pu Barry? Did she
write them? | have read several
biographies OF her and a great deal OF
literature Of the time of Louis Nv. but
have found no reference to these
memoirs. | refer to the four volume
edition OF which Charles Frohman's
drama-when Mrs. Leslie Carter was
playing Madame Du Bdrry-was evil
IDENTIFY an abbreviat!on. l.. \.
The Memoirs published
under her name have no real value
tNcw International Encyclopedias: Du
Barry. THE volume OF 'Le.trcs e'
Anecdotes G779) which bears he,
name was not written by her tBrI-
tannica: Du Barry. And Larousse
says sweepinsly that the letters. anec-
dotes. memoirs and other literary
relics published under the name of Nine
!" Du Barry are spurious oarocry phes).
The drama made no rrctcnsious 70
historical accuracy in details or even In
all Its characters. and it was David
Belasco's. not Mr.. Frohman's.
We constantly hear the query "Who
Is Pe,k's Bad Boy suppose | an
antiuuated. hut I feel sure that YOU or
some Of Your correspondents can eN-
plain II. q NJ. NJ
The phrase comes from the collec-
ton of short sketches by George VIII
bur Peck published in book form as
"Peck's Bad Boy and His Pa Cchi.
cago: RelforJ. Clarke X Co, 1850
Peck was the editor of Pock's Sun, Mil
waukee. The coarse humor Of his "Bad
Boy" may we'll he forgotten. lie also
wrote Adventures Of one Terrence Me-
Grant 'Peck's Irish Friend and other
sketches.
Who is the author Of
Leander toiling through the midnight arir.
Ki~ngiomless Antony. were scarce my peers.
l.. WHITE.
Your recent answer to the inquiry fol
Spoonerisms fails to give the fanot!
phrase with which Prof. %Spoon"r's fame
originated. In "A sermon to tho oNford
undergraduates he is reported I" nave
said "Brcthren, have YOU never Tell
within your hrar' "A half-warmcd hsh tc
be good" MANY other Cou'ortions
of speech are attributed To- HIM, and II
> even sad that the falling has proved
hereditary. and that his aon was hcaro
n, breakfast to say Mama, please pas
the parlor maid"
or a kindred sort is the case Of the
timid young curate. who undertaking
to give as the text of his first sermon
the words. The cock crew and Pete,
went out and wept bitterly" only sue
e. ceeded in say yin The cock wept ant
Peter went out and crew bittcrly-no
mean Peter crew and the cock wen
out and wept bitterly"
There are many other such instances
hut the generic name remains the same
though the failing originated centuries
ago. J. {.
Would YOU kindly state In which
country Gen. de Gallifct received the
serious wound which caused him &c
wear a silver plate. Nice, y
In Mexico, At the siege Of Puehla
1853. -Augustc, Mar.
-I. IL ,,.I,V., F,, .. -