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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (May 3, 1901)
--' ' n$? rfSi-T11 ,mrT' ' wgw3iwfa The Commoner. 10 immmmmm p i J . Most Popular Books of the Month. Tho latest roports from booksellers rind librarians in the chief cities of tho United States (sent to Tho -World's Work, April) give the following re sults: BOOK-DEALERS' REPORTS. ' 1. Allco of Old VincennesThomp son. 2. Eben Holdfen Bacholler. 3. Tho Life and Death of Richard Yea-and-Nay Hewlett. 4. Eleanor Ward. . 5. Strlngtown on tho Pike Lloyd. G. An Englishwoman's Love Letters -Anon. 7. In the Palace of tho King Craw ford. 8. Monsieur Beaucaire Tarkington. 9. Rostrand's L'Aigion Parker. 10. Undo Torry Munn. 11. Tho Cardinal's Snuff-Box Har land. 12. Napoleon, tho Last Phase Rosc bery. 13. Tho Mantle of Elijah Zangwlll. 14. Qulncy Adams Sawyer Pidgin. 15. Tho Master Christian Corelli. 1G. Elizabeth and Her German Gar den Anon. 17. The Voice of the People Glasgow. 18. More Fables in Slang Ade. 19. The Lane that Had no Turning Parker. ' 20. Tho Redemption of David Corson Goss. 21. Tho Life of Phillips Brooks Al len. 22. Tommy and Grizel Barrie. 23. That Mainwaring Affair Barbour. 24. Mrs. Clyde Gordon. 25. Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxloy Huxley. 26. Tho Stickit Minister's Wooing 27. Rostand's L'Aigion Parker. 28. Tho Relgh of Law Allen. 29. Love Lyrics Riley. 30. Tho Conscience of'Coralie Mooro. LIBRARIANS' REPORTS. 1. Eben Holden Bacholler. 2. Allco of Old Vinconnes Thomp ' ' son. 3. The Master Christian Corolli. 4. Eleanor Ward. 5. In the Palaco of tho King Craw ford. G. Tho Cardinal's Snuff-Box Har- land. 7. Strlngtown on tho Pike Lloyd. 8. Rostand's L'Aigion Parker. 9. Tho Reign of Law Allen. 10. Tho Lifo and Death of Richard Yea-and-Nay Hewlett. ' 11. Elizabeth and her German Garden Anon. 12. Napoleon, the Last Phase Rose- bery. 13. When Knighthood Was in Flower ' Major. 14. To Have and to Hold Johnston. 15. The Gentleman from Indiana Tarkington. 16. Unleavened Broad Grant. 17. Wanted, a Matchmaker Ford. 18. The Riddlo of tho Universe Haeckel. 19. Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley Huxley. 20. The Redemption of David Corson Goss. 21. The Life of Phillips Brooks Al len. 22. Tommy and Grizel Barrie. 23. David Harum Westcott. ' 24. The Hosts of the Lord Steel. 26. The Sky Pilot Cannot. 26. Richard Carvel Churchill. 27. Bob, Son of Battle Oil! vant. 28. Black Rock Connor. 29. Oliver Cromwell Roosevelt. 30. Janice Meredith Ford. Of these, "Eben Holden," "Alice of Old Vinconnes," "The Life and Death of Richard Yea-and-Nay," "Eleanor," "Strlngtown on tho Pike," "In the Palaco of the King," "L'Aigion' and "The Cardinal's. Snuff-Box" are among the first twelve of each list, and aro probably tho most widely read books of the month. All but the third, fourth, sevonth and eighth are by American -writers unless Hr. Henry Harland, who was born in St. Petersburg of Amorlcan parents, educated in Paris, Rome and at Harvard, and who has odited The Yellow Book In London for fifteen years can be put down as an American. In England the following, according to tho London correspondent of the New York Bookman (April), aro the most popular books, all of them by British writers: Life of Irene Petrie, by Mrs. Cams Wilson. The Master Christian, by Marie Corelli. Tho Master Sinner, by a well-known author. An Englishwoman's Lovo Letters. Hosts of the Lord, by F. A. Steel. With Christ at Sea, by F. T. Bullen. Queen Victoria: A Personal Sketch, by Mrs. Ollphant. Rue with a Difference, by Rosa N. Carey. Private Life of the Queen, by one of H. M. servants. Brass Bottle, by F. Anstey. Eleanor, by Mrs. Humphrey Ward. Tho Cardinal's Snuff-Box, by H. Harland. .Many Cargoes, by W. W. Jones. Literary Digest. flatly Misquotations. The well-chosen crew of the Bell man, In "The Hunting of the Shark," as readers of that classic will remem ber, were "all of them fond of quota tions." This is a weakness which they shared with the average men and wo men of today. But quotations are dan gerous things to trifle with, says Will iam H. Garrison, in the Junior Mun sey, and it is not an exaggeration to say that "misquotation" is the beset ting sin o even the educated people, who would fain use the thoughts and words of others to embellish or to aid their own .ideas. , A few illustrations' of every-day er rors will be more convincing than many pages of generalities. "Water, water, . everywhere, And not a drop to drink," passes current, but Coleridge wrote: "Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink." The usual quotation from Moore is: " 'Twas ever thus from childhood's hour." What the poet said in his sigh was: "Oh, ever thus," etc. One of the most hackneyed and stub born errors is in these lines: "The best laid plans of mice and men Gang aft agley." Tho word "plans" should bo "schemes," to reproduce exactly what Burns said. Butler made a perfectly understand able statement when he said: "He that complies against his will Is of his own opinion still," but in the usual form "A man convinced against his will Is of the same opinion still " it is nauseous. The same author wrote: "Look before you ere you leap," which is certainly better and more precise advice than the usual "Look before you leap." Shakespeare is so badly maltreated at second-hand that It Is Impossible to give more than a few examples. He said: "Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows." . And also "Dressed in a little brief authority." instead of "misery makes strange bed fellows" in the first instance, and "clothed" in the second. He also wrote: "A looker on in Vienna," and not "a looker on in Venice." This Is one of the most common blunders. In the famous soliloquy of Jacques, "the infant" is usually spoken of as in "his" nurse's arms. But the "men and womeu" were in "the' arms of their nurses, 'and therefore .the gender is not restricted to "his." Another passage is usually quoted thus: "Nothing extenuate, , Nor aught set down in malice." It should be: "Nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice." A pitfall lies in: "A babbled of green fields." Commonly quoted, it runs: "And then he babbled of green fields." The "and then" is not in the text, and the "a" is construed by some com mentators to mean "ayo" and not "he" at all. The context supports either reading. But Shakespeare did write: "Comparisons are odorous" and not "odious." It is a raalapropism that antedates that charming and dar ing excursionist into the fields of mis quotation. "Now is tho winter of our discon tent' is almost always used without regard to the context, and its meaning is thereby perverted. A glance at the passage will show that the meaning is that "the winter of our discontent" is a thing of tlie past, and "glorious sum mer" is at hand (now) brought by the "son of York." Shakespeare also wrote: "One foot in sea and one on land," not "One foot on sea," etc., as many will have it. A bone of contention lies in this line in Gray.'s Elegy: "Kept the noiseless tenor of their way." For noiseless, the practical mind, which refuses to reconcile the idea of a tenor with the absence of noise, sub stitutes "even," ' and for "kept" the word "held" is often used. Bishop Porteus wrote: " held The tenor of his way," which may account foi some of the confusion. Raleigh also, apeaking of "floods and Lauren Drake & Co. Established 1876 INVESTMENT BROKERS Stocks nnd Bonds bought and sold. Now En torprisos financod and underwritten. Rooreau izationa nnd Consolidations financod. Ofilco3, Nov York. Boston. London, Paris. 420 Walnut Streot, PHILADELPHIA. but the deep streams," wrote: "The shallow murmur, are dumb." John Pomfret said nothing about "Kissing the hand that1 "gave the blow." . , ..'.,? !,i- ., , iiuab m: uiu rviim yud, r ;,- "We bear it calmly though a ponder ous woe, "' '' ' And still adore the hand that gave the blow." And Jonathan M. Sewall said: "No pent up Utica contracts your powers." Not "No pent up Utica confines his The Little Hotef Wilmot 1406, J408 and UJO South Penn Square, Philadelphia, Penns, The Ryerson "W. Jennings Co. The one thousand readers of tho Commoner in Philadelphia aro invited to test its luncheon and GriU rooms and its thousands of readers throughout tho country can get a first rate room at one dollar per day. PURVIS & CO., BANKERS, Williamsport, Pennsylvania. TREES SUCCEED WHERE Larcest Nursery. OTHERS FAIL. !UMJ 11' tfT' STARK BROS pow ers.' Fruit Beotf Free. Result of, W years' experlenca. .. Louisiana, Mo. ; Daarmle, K.T. WRITE to C. S. Boadlo of Sault Sto. Marie, Michigan, and loarnof tho now Stool Works; tho groat Wator Powor, and all its now Indus trial enterprises. Fino opportunities for employment, business, speculation, and, per manent invostmont. Money is wan tod for fifty now businoss blocks and two thousand now homes. Two common errors are to he found in variants on Middloton's "All is not gold that glisteneth," and in "Appro hation from Sir Hubert "Stanley is praise indeed." It would seem to ho almost impos sible to go astray in the little prayer from the "New England Primer." but it is done every day. In the 1777 re print of this book, in which it first ap peared, the first lines read: "Now I lay me down to take my sleep, I pray the Lord," etc. In the 1784 edition it read: "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord," etd. In the 1814 edition it was changed so as to read: "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray Theo, Lord," etc. It will be seen, therefore, that the accuracy of the quotation depends upon the edition from which it was learned. .Pop said: "Speed the going (not the parting) guest;" and Milton's Hue is: "Fresh woods tind' pastures new," not "fields." The tongue is not an "unruly member," but an "unruly evil." You make "assurance double sure," and' not doubly sure. It is a "wet sheet and a flowing sea," as Cun ningham wrote it. and not a "flowing sail," and "mercy droppeth as the gen tle rain." It does not "fall" like tho "dew." There has ever been a question, as to tho good or bad taste displayed in the use of quotations at all, but there can bo but ono view of misquotations. They are inexcusable, and should be reformed altogether. -Baltimore Sun. TOASTS ByWger Most mon dread being called upon to respond to a toast or to mnVn nn address. What would you not givo for the ability to bo rid of this embarrass mont? No neod ,to give much when you can learn tho art from this little book. It will toll you how to do it; not only that, but by examplo it will show tho way. It is valu ablo not alono to the nov ico, but tho experienced speaker will gather from it many suggestions. Cloth Binding: 50 Cents. Sold everywhere or mailed j or me price. THE PENN PUBLISHING COMPANY 930 Arch St., Philadelphia 50 YEARS' EXPERIENCE Trade Maims . Designs Copyrights &c. Anyono Bonding a sketch and description may quickly ascertain our opinion free whether an Invention Is probably patentable. Communion ttons strictly confidential. Handbook on Patent sent f reo. Oldest agency for securing patonts. Patents taken through Munn & Co. receive tpcctal notice, without charge, in tho Scientific American. A handsomely illustrated weekly. largest cir culation of any solentlfle.lournaJ. a.'cnns,f3 it year : four months, f i Bold by all newsdealers. 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