The sun., 1918-07-21
Verbal Vibrations.


We must warn them against, as it disturbing
vibrations in other readers, who then write us let
tiers in violet ink Such is not the way to Win the
War. 1t is, therefore, with many misgivings that
we reproduce the following letter
Where we get this stuff to the effect that Rug
giles is funnier than Mr.. POlly' Anything is fun
nier than Kipps, which is prune, but Mr.. Polly is
another matter. If you want to claim that Bunker
Bean is funner than Mr.. Polly, that's another
thing-and Bean, by the way, dedicated to
WELLS, a pretty gesture on WILSON'S part, L
thought. Ruggles out-marktwains MARK through
the gorgeous drinking episode in Paris, but when 1t
shifts to Montana it becomes second rate machine
work. In short, Sir, your editorial dictum jars my
violet vibrations and gives me pain in my aura.
Also think you are disposed to place MARY JOHN
sToN purity high; but that is matter of dsgusti-
buses. 1 have the honor to be, Sir,
''Y'r ODD t Servt.'
For Our Readers Only.
We refrain from giving the unhappy young
man s name out of consideration for his wife and
nine children brief glossary of the more
familiar atrocities in his letter is appended:
RUGGLEs-A tale by HARRY LEON WILSON.
Mr.. PoLLy-A book by an English writer.
KPPs-A book by an English thinker.
BUNKER BEAN-A biography of NAPOLEON by a
friend of BOOTH HARRINGTON.
BEAN-Bunker Bean, see above.
WE1Ls-An English pubcist.
GESTURE Raise the right hand smartly till
the tip of the forenger touches the lower part Of
the headdress or forehead above the right eye,
thumb and fingers extended and joined palm to the
left, forearm inclined at about As degrees, hand
and wrist straight; at the same time look toward
the person saluted. (TWO) Drop the arm smartly
by the side.
On WILSON s Parton the part of California
writer
OUT-MARkTwAINs MARK-Surpasses the work Of
the late SAMUEL L. CLEMENS.
GORGEOUS Splendorferous, corlscategorically
brilliant
DRINKING EPIsoDE-It must be remembered that
a drink is no more than an episode in the lives Of
many of our fortunate fellow men.
PARIs-The place where all good Germans try
to CO.
MOSTANA-lnc nome OF Ma feltlnSlll.
SECOND RATE-Anything that would be first rate
if written by Favorite Author.
MACHINE WoRK-Typed manuscript which will
not cause three compositors to 60 violently insane
and then sell for $27 600 in the auction ROOM
SRA familiarity.
DICTUM-Anything better left unsaid
VIOLET VIBRAroNs-A physical phenomenon fire.
quently mistaken for the process of thinking.
AURA-The seat of intelligence.
MARY JoHNsToN-A Virginia genius who never
went to school, author of historical novels.
DIsGUsTIBUsEs- matter of disgustibuses''
means a matter Of tastes The word is from the
old Latin phrase, "dsgustibus desperandum,'
which means: "Be disguised if you must, but
never despair, or, as we say nowadays, 'Wotto,
Bill, cheery-o Another translation has it that the
Latin phrase means: "You must never despair
tastes' with the implication that the
other fellow s may improve.
Y'R OBD'T SERv 'T-An archaic expression some
times used in the past before it was customary to
dictate letters Its abolition was secured by the AS
ISOLATION for the determination of Apostrophes