The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1953-05-15
Just Among Ourselves
Pss.lns Common, eonsidetsa Or lneonslaersls

1
We turn the pages Of an old scrap-book. There
are things here that may be of interest to many.
Therefore, let us dish them out, just they occur,
making no effort at careful selection and caring
nothing about relative importances.
If you have a speech to make or com
position to write, consider three things your
expression must avoid. SoleciSm is faulty
construction such as, Between you and L."
bdfbdftSnb is Ii-cCined word phrase such as,
"electrocute," ito enthuse" an improperly IS a
good word in wrong "ranspire" for happen"
1t is said that Lord Palmerston once dictated the
following sentence to eleven Cabinet ministers, moi
of whom spelled ii correctly: 1T is disagreeabe
TO witness the embarrassment of harassed peddler
gaugng the symmetry of peeled potato" Why
Cabinet ministers expected TO be good spoilers
is not explained in this item from our scrapbook.
Neither is il said which Lord Palmerston is meant
when he lived.
A palindrome is word phrase, or sentence
which is spelled the same forwards and backwards.
The word palindr0Hte itself is from two Greek words
which mean again" and run thus the word Stg-
geSts what it means: that phrase runs forward,
and back again by the same letters. Examples of
palindrome Madam I'm Adam" which-in
someone's imagination,-were the opening words
of the worlds first human conversation; able was
| ere | saw Etba words that Napoleon might have
said Name no one man. Red root put up to or
der" mo, il is opposition In the town of Yreka,
California, is bakers sign which may be called a
natural palindrome: "Yreka Bakery"
Typists will know these shortest sentences in
English with all the letters of the alphabet them.
one has only 81 letters CO. and Il" occur three
times; "e" and II" twice each1; Pack my box with
five dozen liquor Jugs" Another has 80 letters: "A
quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Then
there is numbering one with 48 letters: John p.
Brady gave black walnut box of quite small
size
Now that we are sesqui-centehnializing in Ohio
We are frequently reminded that the first capital of
the state was Chcothe g803-l308l; GAINESVILLE took
over for two years then, and after another stay at
Chlcothe, the aegis or palladium whatever il is
that signifies and dgnifies capital, moved on to
Columbus TO stay
The capital of the United States moved about
great deal too before II finally settled in the District
of Columbia. This information came by radio in the
early 1940s and check among encyclopedias can't
straighen out the places in their true order But if
a session of the Continental Congress makes
capital then the following eight cities held that
distinction: New York Philadelphia Baltimore
Trenton, Annapolis Lancaster Pennsylvania), York,
Princeton
Do you know the names of the Presidents in their
order? Better bone up for you know not when you
may be on radio quiz. The following sentences
arc key; the initial OF each word suggests your
man "WilI Jolly make a Jolly visitor? How
terribly poor the French paper boy looks just Civ
ing his goods at cost How can merchants ruin
themselves with having commodities handled reck
iessly; true, eh?"
Hyperboe is blown-up expreSsion saying of
picturcsqueness. Thus one says, Il thought I'd
die" to indicate high merrment The opposite of
hyperbole Is btoteS mei0S}S which say less than
Is meant. and NAV sometimes give more emphasis
than hyperboe itself Just as a dramatic whisper
may be more powerful and impressive than shout.
Thus man says thing is mot bad" when he means
il is very good indeed Contrast the hyperboe OF a
modern booster who cries that his home city is 1.-THE
best little old town on earth" with the litotes OF
St Paul who says he comes from no mean city"
Maybe We should pronounce those words.
Hyperboie has four syllabes il does not rhyme with
'sniper pole but with My furbow. Lee, with
stress on the second syllable MeosiS rhymes with
"Si knows his" with accent the second syllable.
LitoteS rhymes with FRY no freeze" with stress
the first syllable.
Andrew johnson and John Quincy Adams served
IN Congress after their terms President. Johnson
was in the Senate and John Quincy Adams served
for many years in the House. Both had been SEN
ators before their election TO the Presidency. Now.
adays when we're through with President, we're
through with him.
The following quatrain called "The Fool is in
Robert Farran's book called 'rhrongng Feet" pub,
lished by Sheed & Ward in 1887;
Nice in minutiae, careless of immensity;
connosseur in instant and stranger to eternity:
accurate in hair's-bfeadhs incufious of infinity:
deep read IN Wells and witless of the Trinity,
Jobs ironieal remark TO his "eomforterS' is given
in The Douay Bible as, Are you than men alone
and shall wisdom die with your" II is more pointed
IN another version, No doubt but ye the people
and wisdom shall die with you
Mark Twans estimate OF practical jokers,-those
loud guffawing, back-sapping lads, who take JOY
IN embarrassing people,-was not high. He says oi
them; Their equipment is always the same; vulgar
mind, puerile wit cruel disposition as a rule ane
always the spirit of treachery."