can not get a general view because we are so engrossed with the details.

"Verbosity is cured by a large vocabulary"; that is, he that commands a large vocabulary is able to select words that will give his meaning tersely.

By indignities men come to dignities."

"Some people are too foolish to commit follies."

"He went to his imagination for his facts, and to his memory for his tropes."

He that hath no dram of folly in his composition we may be very sure hath many pounds of much worse matter."

He spent his life trying to shoot big bullets from a smallbored gun.

It is dangerous to write when one has nothing to say. There is but one thing in this world that is much lauded and applauded-reputation.

To see much, one must know much.

Epithet. Many persons use this word who are in error with regard to its meaning; they think that to “apply epithets" to a person is to vilify and insult him. Not at all. An epithet is a word that expresses a quality, good or bad; a term that expresses an attribute.

Every adjective is an epithet, but every epithet is not an adjective. Epithet is a technical term of the rhetorician; adjective, a technical term of the grammarian. In prose, the epithet is often put after the noun, as, Napoleon the Great, Washington, the Father of his Country, John the Baptist, etc. A man's style depends much on his choice of epithets; those that use them sparingly, as a rule, are the better writers.

Equally as well. A redundant form of expression, as any one will see who for a moment considers it. As well,

or equally well, expresses quite as much as equally as well.

"The Plumed Knight's letter will contain about six thousand words. Perhaps two words would have done equally as well-simply 'I accept.' The as or the equally should have

been omitted.

Equanimity of mind.

This phrase is tautological, and expresses no more than does equanimity (literally, “equalmindedness") alone; hence, of mind is superfluous, and consequently inelegant. Anxiety of mind is a scarcely less redundant form of expression. A capricious mind is in the same category.

Erratum. Plural, errata.

Esquire. An esquire was originally the shield-bearer of a knight. It is much, and, in the opinion of some, rather absurdly, used in this country. Mr. Richard Grant White says on the subject of its use: "I have yet to discover what a man means when he addresses a letter to John Dash, Esqr. He means no more nor less than when he writes Mr. (master). The use of Esq. is quite as prevalent in England as in America, and has little more meaning there than here. It simply belongs to our stock of courteous epithets.

Et cetera. "&c., &c. is very frequently read and so forth, and so forth'; and, what is worse, many people who read it properly, et cetera, regard it and use it as a more elegant equivalent of 'and so forth'; but it is no such thing. Et cetera is merely Latin for and the rest, and is properly used in schedules or statements after an account given of particular things, to include other things too unimportant and too numerous for particular mention. But the phrase and so forth has quite another meaning-i e., and as before, so after, in the same strain. It implies the

continuation of a story in accordance with the beginning."Richard Grant White.

Euphemism. A description that describes in inoffensive language that that is of itself offensive, or a figure that uses agreeable phraseology when the literal would be offensive, is called a euphemism.

Everlastingly. This adverb is misused in the South in a manner that is very apt to excite the risibility of one to whom the peculiar misuse is new. The writer once visited the upper part of New York with a distinguished Southern poet and journalist. It was the gentleman's first ride over an elevated railway. When we were fairly under way, in admiration of the rate of speed at which the cars were moving, he exclaimed, "Well, they do just everlastingly shoot along!-don't they?”

Every. This word, which means simply each or all taken separately, is of late years frequently made by slipshod speakers to do duty for perfect, entire, great, or all possible. Thus we have such expressions as every pains, every confidence, every praise, every charity, and so on. We also have such diction as, "Every one has this in common"; meaning, all of us have this in common.

Every-day Latin. A fortiori: with stronger reason. A posteriori: from the effect to the cause. A priori: from the cause to the effect. Bona fide: in good faith; in reality. Certiorari: to be made more certain. Ceteris paribus: other circumstances being equal. De facto: in fact; in reality. De jure: in right; in law. Ecce homo: behold the man. Ergo: therefore. Et cetera: and the rest; and so on. Excerpta extracts. Exempli gratia: by way of example; abbreviated, e. g. and ex. gr. Ex officio: by virtue of his office. Ex parte: on one side; an ex parte statement is a statement on one side only. Ibidem: in the

same place; abbreviated, ibid. Idem: the same. Id est: that is; abbreviated, i. e. Imprimis: in the first place. In statu quo: in the former state; just as it was. In statu quo ante bellum: in the same state as before the war. In transitu: in passing. Index expurgatorius: an expurgated index. In extremis: at the point of death. In memoriam: in memory, Ipse dixit: on his sole assertion. Item: also. Labor omnia vincit: labor overcomes every difficulty. Locus sigilli the place of the seal. Multum in parvo: much in little. Mutatis mutandis: after making the necessary changes. Ne plus ultra: nothing beyond; the utmost point. Nolens volens: willing or unwilling. Nota bene: mark well; take particular notice. Omnes: all. O tempora, O mores! O the times and the manners! Otium cum dignitate: ease with dignity. Otium sine dignitate: ease without dignity. Particeps criminis: an accomplice. Peccavi: I have sinned. Per se by itself. Prima facie: on the first view or appearance; at first sight. Pro bono publico: for the public good. Quid nunc: what now? Quid pro quo: one thing for another; an equivalent. Quondam: formerly. Rara avis: a rare bird; a prodigy. Resurgam: I shall rise again. Seriatim: in order. die without specifying any particular day; to an indefinite time. Sine qua non: an indispensable condition. Sui generis of its own kind. Vade mecum: go with me. Verbatim word by word. Versus against. Vale: farewell. Via: by the way of. Vice: in the place of. Vide: see. Vi et armis by main force. Viva voce: orally; by word of mouth. Vox populi, vox Dei: the voice of the people is the voice of God—which is very far from being

true.

Sine

Evidence-Testimony. These words, though differing widely in meaning, are often used indiscriminately by

careless speakers. Evidence is that that tends to convince; testimony is that that is intended to convince. In a judicial investigation, for example, there might be a great deal of testimony-a great deal of testifying—and very little evidence; and the evidence might be quite the reverse of the testimony. See PROOF.

Exaggeration.

"Weak minds and feeble writers and speakers delight in superlatives." See EFFORT WITHOUT EFFECT.

Except. Sometimes misused for unless, and occasionally for but.

No one need apply except [unless] he is thoroughly familiar with the business."

"The shocking discovery has been made that the wreck of the Daniel Steinmann, and the consequent loss of over a hundred lives, would probably have been prevented except [but] for government red tape.”

"The young lady is never allowed to ride or drive alone with a gentleman; neither is she allowed to walk upon [in] the street, visit any friend, nor to attend a public ball, excopt [unless] she is accompanied by some member of the family or [by] a trusted lady friend."-Corr. Inter-Ocean.

"It has no literary merit, except [unless] the total absence of all pretension may pass for one.” See UNLESS.

Excessively. That class of persons that are never content with any form of expression that falls short of the superlative, frequently use excessively when exceedingly, or even the little word very, would serve their turn better. They say, for example, that the weather is excessively hot, when they should content themselves with saying simply that the weather is very warm, or, if the word suits them better, hot.

Intemperance in the use of language is as much to be