The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-08-24
NeqeSs and Comment

falls easily INTO a groove ana the same "oLNS
are used to express certain thoughts whenever
they arise.
The result is newspaper English" so-caned.
Not that a well-edited newspaper cannot and
does not rank with the best Of the magazines
from the standpoint of clear and concise Eng
lish but careessly or hastily edited newspaper is
revealed by the frequency with which stale words
are used to express warmed-over thoughts.
Trying to collect all the stale words" and
phrases possible into the briefest space we
evolved the following exciting newspaper story"
one day this week:
1.-THE burly negro was clad in natty suit
as he met the 'dusky dansel just outside the
severed his s' Connection. Despite the fact
that old Sol had hidden his face, and
Jupiter Puvius held sway" milady was
clad, according to the dictates Of Dame
Fashion. The puffed at g. fragrant
Havana and was clad in immaculate linen, =
but was evidently in high dudgeon'. He
stood rooted to the spot the duslSy dam
sell drew nearer Then he whipped out a
knife rninion of the law saw his rash
act and whipping out his revolver fired
The 'burly negro fell with a dull sickenlng
thud' and passed to the great beyond, while
the bluecoat to the echo. The busy marts
of trade soon resumed their accustomed ap-
pearance the body was rushed to the
city hastile, where the last sad rites will
be held.
You can continue it almost ''ad infinitum'
But why, why are negroes always "burly" and
tfuds dull and sickening'?
Stale words seem to Beat themselves out Of the
keys Of a typewriter almost automatically. It
recalls the advice given by F1aubert to De Maui
PEASANT: whatever one wishes to say, there is
only one way to express 1t, only verb to give
it life, only one adjective to qualify It, Search
them till that noun, that verb that adjective are
discovered. Never be content with very near
ly".
What applies to newspaper writer's, applies in
lesser degree to every-d day conversation. Slang
has pauperized the English language as far as
Americans are concerned-sIang and profanity.
Slang is the refuge of the mentally lazy; warmed
over words for original ready-nnade thoughts
The Metropolitan Museum Of Art in New York
would seem to be the last place to look for new
ideas in warfare, but the department has
reached its hands into even this peaceful haven
and grabbed the experts in the armorers' work
shop.
Those experts are fashioning new types Of he'll
NETS shields and breastplates, using ancient
arrnor as their model.
II there are any first-class armorers lying
loose around Fargo they might get job with
the government. The armorers trade has ex-
perenc IL. something of luII during the last few
years. Etlo - morers' union scarcely can be
called an active organization in America.
But it is possible to find almost anything in
arrnorers. The Metropolitan museum has prob
ably the greatest collection Of old arrnor in the
| world. and a workshop had been established to
keep this srnor In repair and cleaned, and in
some cases to restore old armor that is added to
the collection There were but half dozen
expert armorers available when the workshop
was established and one of these was secured
to take charge Of it The government has appro-
priated his services and those Of his assistants
| nd MAJ
have long been at work trying to improve upon
the helmets, shields and breastplates adopted by
| the British French and German armies.
Meanwhile the tin hat" Of the Yanks is
ing it's purpose In saving countless lives during
| shrapnel attacks.
When gunpowder was first used in cannon at
the battle Of Crecy-and by the way, Crecy is
likely to be in the battle zone again one Of these
days-it wa sthought the days Of armor had
passed, but we have completed the circle and are
starting into battle again. steel clad.
The father Of the young woman who became
the bride Of Enrico Caruso protested stating that
he didn't want his daughter to wed "a voice, an
orator, or a millionaire, but regular man Of her
| own age.
Without quarreling with the fathers taste,
regular young men" who are unmarried a
scarce article in America these days Most Of
|
go there rapidly as possible.
Probably newspaper has less about the war
In it than Stars and Stripes the official paper of
the American EHpeditionary Forces 1t runs
strongly to humor and original verses. Recently
1t has been running burlesques Of the Y. M. C. A.
course in French. Here is Lesson No. 2:
Study the following translation Of English
into American:
English.
Why do you not write to dear, and so
let know that you steadfast in your
plighted troth2 Alas, fear lest your affec-
ton is fixed someone-nore charming
shall I say? 1t is long since a. message has
come from across the seas to console and
| comfort me. When you parted from these
4 shores you declared that not an evening
would pass without letter a note from
you to your devoted. Madeline.
American
Hey. kddo, why doncha proppa line tn
muh, huh? Aincha gonnabe monty honey
| bunch iussasaIne aZien yours? Or have yih
| thee" to Enuh? If y'aint tied a can to muh,
why dincha spill summinlz neer pos
tul huh? Before you crostha pond you spell
da lot ensed thevnin paper coodnt-cum no
more regleren billy dooZ. Cumacrost. Ill Z
stickto yuh till altha cowzin u. S. cunohm.
Getwize. I'm witcha. Madge.
Scarcely less important than the positive work
OF conveying news in wartime is the negative
service the newspapers do in sitting out the
| countless wild rurnors that pass from mouth to
| mouth, growing they progress.
What it means to be without newspapers in
wartime Is told in a Budapest paper, in an article
| describing q recent strike in Hungary when
| there were no NEWSPAPERS for five DAYS, It came