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AND WODONGA EXPRESS..ll -----1..... —© | Misquotations.»r _^_Somo on© has said that to quote correct-' ly is on© of th© signs which marks a gentleman. Judged by that standard, • very few of us can lay claim to th© “grand ■ old* name.” Not very long ago a popular} daily newspaper in Scotland began a j leading article with a reference to th©! “classic statement’' that- “there are no • snakes in Ireland.” Now, the writer ought to have known better. The “classic statement” refers not to Ireland, but to Iceland, and it occurs in a look by Niel j ,a ilorrebow, and forms the opening sentence t. of u chapter 011 snakes in Iceland. It isido18as follows:—“There arc 110 snakes in Iceland.” Who first misquoted is unknown. I Probably it may have been only a print-. or’s error, yet it lias come “down the ringing groove^ of change” until it lias replaced tho original.Another very common misquotation is, “To-morrow to fresh fields and pastures new.” O11© comes across it often, and never finds it correct, if the reader turns up Milton’s “Lycidas” he will find the last lino runs “To-morrow t-o fresh woods and pastures new.” VM10 has not heard of Sydney Smith and his frequently, quoted dictum regarding humor and Scotchmen Y—a stock quotation among English writers. Smith is quoted as saying that “ic requires a surgical operation to mako a Scotchman understami a joke.” Ho never said anything ol the kind. What lie did say was infinitely more witty and sharp. He said, “There is humor in a Scot skull, but tho only instrument by which it can be extracted is—a corkscrew.” “It is a wise child that knows iclt;
Newspaper Details
Albury Banner and Wodonga Express
Albury, New South Wales, AU
Fri, Mar 27, 1908
Page 11
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 08 Apr 2024
Other Publications Near Albury, New South Wales
Albury Banner Wodonga Express and Riverina Stock Journal
Albury Banner and Wodonga Express
Albury Border Morning Mail and Riverina Times
