The mirror., 1923-11-22

every DIT OF WrltlnS OF pIlntlnS, 10 avoid
ambiguity by connecting with the hyphen,
or running in," words that join to make
a new sense-unit. And since this is neces-
sary, for sake of sure intelligibility, we can
go step further and assert that it is worth
while, "good business" to endeavor to
formulate simple rules for the governance
of compounding. A scientific code, re-
duced to the utmost degree of simplicity
compatible with workability, reduces the
difficulty and greatly increases the safety
of the writer against being misunderstood.
once knew a very smart proofreader
who frothed and fumed over an Office
rule calling for disresis in words like
cooperate" He would have none of it;
nor would he tolerate APPROXIMATION, ,"co-
operate" eff the folks who read u.s." he
said, "want to read cooperate" let them.
They aren't intelligent enough to bother
with" Clever, but superficial. Revolt
of the highbrow lawless. The readers
intelligence can not properly be required
to take the place of the writer's integrity.
Just for enlightenment, suppose we look
through another recent novel, one in which
any reader, whether he had ever before
given a thought to the hyphen or not,
would be bothered, because this book is so
peppered with them that the occasional
omission becomes painfully conspicuous
Il ~ I-Iz IL
runs down. The book is "The Gonzales
cents" by Charles F. Nirdlinger. We
have not made scientific analysis of its
usage in compounding, with statistical ia
bles; life is too short. But notes jotted
down as we read the book give US these
examples:
"Marshmallow," but "thistle-down."
"Musical-comedy," but "lunar eclipse"
"Mis-step," but "misconstrue." "Income,"
but "out-go" "Graduate-nurse" on one
page, graduate nurse" on another. Gas
sort of mental exercise" and "That's
where the mental-exercise comes in"
"Hullaballoo" with hyphen) but "hum-
drum" These promise richness for the
critically disposed.
Combinations of adjective and noun,
with the hyphen: "Grand-opera," ere
serve-strength," "whipped-cream," "male-
specimen" "beaten-eggs, /" "rocking-horse,
and even "cold-consomme" and drawn
curtains" But "naked eye" medical pro-
fession," and Country banker" and might
air." The we'll known and much admired
pudding appears as Floating island" and
as "Aoating-island." And there are
"wicker urns" and "wicker-cages"
Another frequent combination where
the question "To hyphenate or not to hy-
phenate" comes up to vex the mind that
rules the hand that guides the pen is that
of two nouns. Mr.. Nirdlinger writes
"court-scandals" but "Bible Beauties"
"train-journey" but telephone messages"
Earthquake" but Oatmeal" keyboard"
but newspaper" "trade-rivalries" but
Laboratory experiments" "girls' schools"
but "fddlers LUCK" honeymoon" and
uIC-pldCC, Dut udHukCICllCI dIu uCdu-
ache" If "opera-date" needs hyphen,
why does he not give one to Steamer
date?
What is the structural difference that
makes "midnight" one word in this book,
"super-man" hyphenate? Why do we
get hyphens in "out-stretched," "forth-
right" commonplace" "mis-step," and
not in "interposed," otherwise" and "mis-
chance? Why the hyphens in "radio-
active" and "psycho- analysis" and not in
"radiograph," "radiometer" and, for that
matter, "physiologically"? Separation of
vowels at the end of one element of the
compound and the beginning of the other
might be supposed to have been an object,
except for "radiometer."
Mr.. Nirdlinger writes about "an ever
widening grin" and "widely-advertised
altruism," so that we might suppose he