Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-20
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES f. TRACEWELL.

tenth century POPULARITY as little as we
enjoy the fragrance OF a blowout
candle that Just now gave us light. or
Of the smoking room visited early In
the morning"
The writer here wishes to state. for
the benefit of all persons fussy about
words. In which group he classes him.
self. that he has never consciously used
the word "individual' In an attempt 70
| he humorous, any more than he has
failed 10 use the word gentleman or
the word lady" when he chose to tOr
any more than he hesitates to end a
sentence with a prepostion)
Sometimes we have used the perfectly
good word person so many times in
an article that we have used "individ-
ual" as a sheer synonym. Perhaps we
might have used man. or human
being" or even "decelver. "dupe OF
"blockhead" but We preferred mai
vdual" which has a good dictionary
primary meaning of amy one person.
or "a single particular being"
Words are to be used not to use the
user.
We agree with our correspondent III
feeling against the use OF retire
for ito 60 to bed" yet can see times
and places where one naturally retircs
from living room to bedroom. Re
tire" In its essential meaning, simply
implies going or withdrawing
usually for the sake Of protection OF
some sort or other. Certainly bed is
one of the most protective devices in
the world; If any writer prefers to have
his heroine retire we would not force
her to go to bed for the world. and
neither. we believe, would our interest
ing correspondent.
As for gentleman" and lady"
These words have gone through so
much that one approaches them with a
feeling Of tenderness. Surely there Is
a growing disposition today to permit
them to revert to their old status. No
two persons cor individuals definition
Of a gentleman may agree. but surely
the word means something. And If you.
the user, think it fits in any particular
case, there is no reason why you should
not use 1t. either In talking or writing.
Thank God every one knows gentle
man or two. maybe no more than two.
and every one. unless much misused by
fortune. knows at least one gentle
woman!
Prof Fowler, in his Dictionary OF
Good Usage, begins his article on the
split inf1nitive with the following sem
tence
The English-speaking world may be
divided into 10 those who neither
know nor care what split infnitive
IT, ~ those who do not know. but
care very much; 81 those who know
and condemn ~ those who know
and approve and 81 those who know
and distinguish
One NAV know the sin and founder
about In saving themselves from It.
Such indulgence is the sin Of pedan
try. It is easily understood that Prof
Fowler approves Of the third and fifth
groups as he does Of the first, as strange
as it may seem at first glance.
He realizes. as all must realize who
love the tongue, that TO say what one
wants 10 say. 10 put over the meaning
as il were, so that the reader or hearer
gets IT," is much more important than
sticking 10 the rules, everything else
being equal
Rules have their place. but they are
cold compared to the warmth OF mind
Negro dialect is case in point. How
could the most meticulous scholar do
ANYTHING with the spiriuals but ruin
them. even as the cultured musicians
have ruined them by attempting TO
give them more scholarly settings?
Done found my lost sheep" touches
the heart more than II have found my
lost sheep" This is a mere example
it Is true. with which one may quarrel
IL he feels in the mood; behind the
example and the quarrel stands firm
the unacceptable fluency OF the English
language.