Evening star., 1936-09-12

these great volumes 10 easy enough. A.
surprising fund of information is con-
tanned in them, II one will but take the
trouple to look for 1t. That the makers
have made this as difficult as possible
ought not to be held against them.
After all, what they are trying to do is
get as much as possible in a given space,
and the result is not always eye-saving
When one stops to consider that many
persons nowadays have difficulty in
reading the telephone numbers in the
directory 1t is not to be wondered at
that they shy away from the very fine
print in the great dictionaries.
1t Is remarkable fact that the
searcher may come nearer to finding
what he wants. in this respect in the
dictionaries than in the encyclopedias,
in many instances.
Although great attempts have been
made to ''popularize" the latter, often
with real loss, through the exclusion of
heavy but meaty essays to make way for
lighter treatment by popular favorites,
1t still remains that sometimes too much
is taken for granted.
This particularly applies to names
and their derivations. The writer here
will not forget how he tried to find out
how Mauch Chunk, Pa. got its name.
The first three encyclopedias consult
ed permitted the meaning of the name
to remain in darkest oblivion.
One said, from Mauch Chunk" which
explained nothing.
The fourth gave the derivation. 1t Is
from the Indian meaning bear mountain.
Now, there is some sense to that, and,
If ones mind is interested in the curious
and out-of-way, as we'll as the here-at-
home, certain satisfaction in the
knowing.
Every one has heard the old saw about
making at least one new word day
part of the personal vocabulary.
This is another of the good advices
which nobody ever takes, because its
following out is nuisance. One
doesn't have a dictionary handy, or one
forgets the word by the time book is
found, or one forgets the new word
within 10 minutes, anyway.
Hence few persons, one may believe,
indulge in this sport of learning a new
word every day, but it is much more
pleasant to find out some new name
derivation every now and then. because
names, whoever or whatever of, are
human, after all, being linked with man
in some way or other.
Hence the pleasant facts learned in
such a search are more likely to stick
with you, and remain in the memory
forever, veritable part Of the strange
fabric called the mind.
What a wonderful self-acting thing
the mind. after all.
Out Of 1t pop facts and fancies for no
reason at all, strange wisps of the
past, as vital as II seen and heard yes
terday
And the possessor knows not how or
why they have come back to him, for
what reason, or for none.
The mind holds them. and never let's
60 of them. They are there. to leap
forth in simple conversation, or merely
as backward glimpses, bringing up quite
new fragrances of time and place.
This is the strange tapestry called
mind, the possession in some degree, at
least, of most. Even the animals have
it, for sure, if only for second, now
and then. With them it is linked with
sounds and odors. mostly, and these
play a great part in human mind work,
too.
Names of people books and flowers
these three, and one has lifetime OF
happy investigation.