Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-07-15
A Confession

COME of our clients, with that eager aud
~ quixotic enthusiasm which is so pleasing
to contemplate, have asked us why 1t was
that we neglected the unparalleled oppor
tunity to send few copies of the Chathng
Dish over on the RIA to cheer up King
George at his dreary tasks and enliven the
existence of Fleet street.
OF course the thought occurred to MS. and
we are Il little embarrassed to have to con
fess just why it was that the plan fell
through. We had prepared a file of last
weeks issues of the Dish. carefully wrapped
in oiled silk with cOpious notes attached
containing such explanations as we thought
King George and Lord Stamfordham might
need to make it possible for them to enjoy
all the references contained III the Dlsh.
This little parcel. correctly addressed to our
London correspondent, was in complete
readiness to be handed to Commander Scott,
of the r "a. and, in fact, Commander Scott
hung around some time waiting for IT,
Why then. is the natural question, was
it not delivered?
The fact is Cand here begins our embar-
rassmcnt) we struck a snag in composing
the letter which was to go with the parcel;
so serious Snag that we were unable to de-
eide what to do, and although Commander
Scott most generously offered to Keep MS
shin waiting about until the Dishes were
ready for him, we felt it necessary to tell
him to go off without them.
The letter. in behalf Of American colyum-
lists in general was addressed to the editor
of Punch, and this was how it began
Dear Editor:
take this opportunity of sending YOU
my friendly greetings on this great event
in the relat ions Of our two nations Aore
than ever We shall have to be careful what
I,.,,,t oh ut
and mine. now that we are assured that
our words will be read so promptly. u
is grave thought that every time a mis-
print occurs in The Chatting Dish 1t Will be
read on Fleet street within four days. But
at that, the editors of our serious journals
have made haste to felicitate mutually;
why indeed should we be backward 10 con-
gratulate ore with another?
Space. as many of our leading writers
have not hesitated to assert, has now been
annihilated No one now thinks any more
of space than the mutiueers on Treasure
Island thought Of Ben Guml The as
founding deve eopments of the past weeks
have made both of us. you and l. marvel.
who do you think 1t is. indeed, whom
History will point 10 as the man VINO won
the war?
We got as far as that when doubts as
sailed US. 1t would be grave thing to initi-
ate a new era Cfor we were assured that we
were SO dongI with an error in syntax. We
began to ponder We didn't think any too
well of our sentence about Ben Gum. In
deed, we had had trouble with ii before. And
that sentence, The astounding developments,
ETC., hare made you and / mdrrel-was it
correct? Shouldn't it be you and me mar
reIs We turned to Mr.. Joseph Conrad said
to be the greatest living writer of English,
for counsel. On page 73 of his latest novel
we found:
The uplcGrd cast in the eyes Of Mills made
us both, Blunt and I, turn round.
We concluded, therefore, that this sentence
of ours was o. X. We went on to have
another look at the next one:
Who do you think IL is tchOm history Wiii
point to as the man tChO wOn the aCdr!
We submitted that sentence to the Quiz
editor. He said it should be Whom do you
think it il ioho history IoiV point to?
We turned to another soothsayer, who
| cried furiously that it should be Which do
| NON think il is iohO history DiH point 10 as
| the man nhOm ICON the t1GrY
| The Office boy, who has nice instinct in
these perpleSites, averred it should go thus
Whom do you think u is nhich history
| 1iH point to as the man tohat ICON the tedrS
| BY this time we We're getting grieyously
| confused. We tried 1t this way
| Whom do you think II is iohom history
| ,eiH point TO as the man tchom pon the ioari
| That did not seem right. We tried a
| paraphrase thus:
Whdm Is tae man 70 rhem history ,cal
| pa,nt al no man Nv Choir ne xqf 'eas goa !
m