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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (June 16, 1964)
Tuesday, June 16, 1964 Summer Nebraskan Page 3 Comma Causes Crises Continued from Page 1 of order and joins the group of intense comma hat ers. The next try at coping with comma problems is to ignore tnem. mis idea fails because the indoctrination of rules has included automatically insert- l n g commas while reading. Practical, jokers, sometimes. enjoy, placing, them, in, ob viously, wrong, places, and the, result, is, an, irritating, jumble, of, awkward, pauses. Thomas Edison is said to nave lost a number of patent rights because his secretary didn't know the difference between a restrictive and non-restrictive clause. She probably would not have ap preciated the following poem & much as others. , In 1924, Amos R. Wells wrote "In Praise of Punctua tion Marks." ; Here, in one stanza, he comes to the res cue of the comma when we want to erase it from dur minds: "Dear Comma, most famil iar, close at hand, Alert, prepared, you leap at our command, Glad, eager, swift, obedient to our will. And keen, though small, our purpose to fulfill." The versatility of the com ma, which he praises so highly, is also the cause of headaches and heated argu ments. It may be "obedient to our will," but our readers are not so obedient. They can not read the meaning because we simply wish it. Cases in law may be cited where people went to court over commas because of a difference in meaning. Insur ance companies have such complex phrasing that in sureds can twist the mean ing by bickering over a phrase. The meaning has been questioned enough that BLACK'S LAW DICTIONARY and the judiciary make com mas as insignificant as possi ble. They say, "a comma is a point used to mark the small est structural divisions of a sentence, or a rhetorical punc tuation mark indicated by the slightest possible separation in ideas or construction." (BLACK'S LAW DICTION ARY, p. 356) It is a common declaration in a legal brief that commas are no part of the English language As far as lawyers are concerned, all punctua tion is subordinate to the All-State Enrolls High school students from every county in the state ar rived at the University Sun day to take part in the annual All-State High School course. John Moran, director of All-State, said registrations hit the 470 mark; a new at tendance record with 50 more students than a year ago. Students registered Sunday morning and were assigned to rooms in the women's resi SUMMER SESSION WORSHIP SUNDAY, 9:30 A.M. University Lutheran Chapel (The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod) 15th & Q A. J. Norden, Campus Pastor Ftr tM chert whs want mony, a mart cengtnial Ucatitn r tptcial assittanct In meeting a . rticular situation, contacts THE DAVIS SCHOOL SERVICE SOI Stuart Building Lincoln, Nebraska Phone: 432-4954 Our ttrvlct covers Hit tntlrt U.S. N fMt tr rhann until vu have received acceptable service text, and punctuation marks must never themselves be permitted to control the meaning of the text of a legislative enactment. Still people are willing to try to attach significant meaning to a comma if it means an in surance .company is going to pay for a new roof. It is interesting to note the role that commas can play in the courts; cages have actually been won or lost as an indirect result of a mis placed comma. Here is-an example in which a comma omission was used by the defense as part of the grounds for dismissal of the case. : ' "". . .,. the'?, unknown heirs; and devises of the dependents, if any there be, and all other persons, unknown, claiming or who might claim any right, title,.' estate or interest in, or lien ' or encumbrance upon, the real property described in the complaint, or any there of . ." (from a 1924 case in New York lower courts). The procedural error was: "failure to show a comma after the word 'estate' in the above quoted concluding phrase of the caption to the complaint and summon." While this case was not de clared a mistrial on the basis of this one comma, it definite ly added to the strength of the case. Publishers deal with commas realistically. Since, each pub lisher builds his reputation upon the way he appears in print, he must decide upon a set of punctuation rules and stick by them. To illustrate the touchiness of the comma situation, try asking a maga zine or newspaper who takes care of the punctuation and spelling for the publication. -They immediately begin look ing around to see who seems most capable of weathering a torrent of angry words from a dissatisfied reader. The hierarchy of a publish ing company provides that the editor is right unless the proof-readers and copy-edi tors have a really logical de fense for a particular proced ure. The continual usage of every-day English makes pub lishers' constantly aware of clarity, and quality publica tions are rewarded for their extra effort; they are able to set the rules of modern Eng lish simply by printing ac cording to the standards, in their "house book.'t '-- Once the basic comma rules are learned, there is nothing Record Number dence halls and Selleck Quad rangle. Classes for .all , sec tions in 'art, journalism, mu sic and speech began at 8:30 a.m. Monday. The programs continue through July 2. All-State is held annually at the University of Nebraska to give high school students the opportunity to participate in laboratory and class study which will help them evaluate their talents. r ft I r-1 7 rx : r txi OPEN FOR NIGHT SCHOOL OPEN: JUNE 16-17 TUES.-WED. EVE 7:00-9:00 P.M. C- O ) , O 1 wrong with using your own judgment. Because the com ma requires such "tender lov ing care," it can be the mark of especially careful writing. Well-managed usage promises smooth, easy-to - understand results, but if you let this little hot-house plant make Two Japanese Two Japanese teachers have traveled half way around the world to join 38 secondary school teachers in a summer workshop on economic educa tion June 14-July 3 at the Uni versity. The Japanese teachers, Umeo Takeda and Osamu Wa tanabe, asked to attend the workshop "because we have been impressed by the ef BOB'S BARBER SHOP 11315 P. St. Ph. 435-9323 (Appointments Available) and THE CLIPPER BARBER SHOP 109 No. 12 Ph. 432-3412 (Appointments Available) FOR THE FINEST IN HAIRCUTS WINNERS OF HAIRCUTT1NG TROPHIES AT THE LAST THREE STATE BARBER COVENTIONS SPECIALIZING IN FLAT TOPS IVY LEAGUES 6- RAZOR CUTTING SPECIAL DISCOUNT " TO STUDENTS FACULTY ' KAUFMAN'S Jewelers 1332 O for your better DIAMONDS WATCHES JEWELRY KEEPSAKE LONGINES BULOVA ACROSS' FROM you "hot under the collar," you can ruin your whole writ ing style as well as clarity. Once you have learned the rules, commas no longer pre sent a problem; indeed, they do accept their little half turned position and become "obedient to your will." Join Workshop forts to improve economic education in your country. We believe that we have much to learn from your long expe rience in this matter." Nebraska participants are receiving fellowships' provid ed by the Nebraska Council on Economic Education, accord ing to Dr. E. S. Wallace, Uni versity staff member and ex ecutive director of the Coun cil. SHEL DON Love supplement Staff members of Love Me morial Library have prepared a list of new books for sup plementary summer reading. The list is divided into three parts: humanities, social studies, and science. Reviews of the books will be included in each edition of the SUMMER NEBRASKAN. ; HUMANITIES. READING ROOM Long, Charles H. ALPHA; THE MYTHS OF CREATION. This title is the first publica tion in a series called "Pat terns of Myth." This parti cular book explores the vari ous theories, myths and relig-' ious beliefs concerned j -.with the genesis of the universe, the earth and man. It includes the primitive ideas of early man and his contemporary equivalent, as well as the oriental, classical and histori cal aspects of the various leg ends concerned. The fascinat ing relationships between widely divergent- cultures is illustrated in this book through the legends and re ligions dealing with a com mon factor to all that of creation. Woodall, Mary, ed. THE LETTERS OF THOMAS GAINSBOROUGH. Letters of famous men can often be most revealing of the cha- acter of the writer. The writer in this case, Thomas Gains borough, was a well known artist ot the eighteenth cen tury and his letters reflect the spirit of his times, as well JTnw I 1 Art V TECilCOWIECHHISCOPE- Tl LOUISENANCY SINATRABOB DEIWERCLAUDIA MARTINWOODYWOODBURY xr'ltlltltllMIIMittlltlllllMIIMtMf IIMIIISIIIillllllf flllltlffftf III I1IIIMIII 1 1 lift I II I M Ell 1 1 1 1 III M It I It I II J1 ! J S E m ncDRrVc n ri nil i n if 1,1 1 M.1 111 I U At 11th & Q EAT HERE or CARRY OUT- WE DELIVER AROUND CITY illllllHiiiiiiiiil llflllllllIllllltlillllttillllMjlt1limiMjllllMltIHt1tliaHlilltllltititlltllll1lttllit Illllll .. , 1 f V THOUSANDS OF USED BOOKS IN STOCK MORE ADDED EACH DAY ART GALLERY , Library Staff Prepares ary Book List as showing a most descriptive way of life in the frustration's and problems of any artist in any age. Included are let ters to relatives, usually his sister, patrons, friends and acquaintances. - The flavor of the writing is in all manner of style, , ranging from the flowery and fofmal to the frank and outspoken;; " , : Rawicz, Piotr. BLOOD FROM THE SKY, This trans lation of a French ; novel is not light, pleasurable reading,: but its. impact -jis. surely, thought-provoking and im pelling. The, story is the tale of Boris, a jew, who manages to excape from the Nazis by his wit, although not without losing much at their hands. Attention to detail and the ef fects of physical surroundings on man's emotions bring about a high degree of reader identification and make the horrors f the book even more unforgettable. SCIENCE READING ROOM Sittig, Marshall. CRYOGEN ICS; RESEARCH AND AP PLICATIONS. An excellent foundation in the really new frontier of cold engineering. It provides much technical data in the application of cold to space research, in biology, in electronics, in nuclear phys ics, in the handling of food and the fabrication of metals. Easily understood information on how cold is produced and measured, where it is studied, and how it affects the prop "Ine youngest, wildest; ever to surf up A DARREN! W DON'T FORGET r erties of materials. Many fine illustrations. Bergwin, Clyde R. ANIMAL ASTRONAUTS; THEY OP ENED THE WAY TO THE STARS. An entertaining, fact ual account of the various ani mals mice, dogs, chim panzees, bears which have paved the way for man in hitch-hiking to space. Watson, W. H. UNDER STANDING PHYSICS TO DAY. A plea for a philosophy of physics based on actual dis coveries of physicists rather than on the old classic formal ism A readable, well written book. ; - SOCIAL STUDIES READING ROOM Cole, David L. THE QUEST FOR INDUSTRIAL PEACE. Drawing on over twenty years oLexperience in mediating la bor disputes, the author dis cusses the factors involved in collective bargaining. He also suggests procedures to im prove the process of achiev ing industrial peace. Milbrath, Lester W. THE WASHINGTON LOBBYISTS. In addition to studying the lobbyist as an individual, the author also studies the role of lobbying in national poli tics. Although intended pri marily for professional poli tical scientists, the general reader who is interested In public affairs will find this work useful. The author sug gests lobby groups and lobby ists have a beneficial effect on the process of making na tional policy. : r M&ftesnest,v motion picture , & on the screen DA MCI A TlFFIN PAUL LYNDE J U Mmil 1 1 III f li 1 1 1 ISt I ( 1 1 tli tl (11111111 SIf tTIllll 1(11 1 If I 1 & CAMPUS IIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIIIIIIHIIIIIIIIIHIIw MMJIMIIJM.MIMI,M,IIM,M,MIMMM,MMM . Pizza Place j .jAl