Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 September 1898 — A MATTER OF PRONUNCIATION. [ARTICLE]

A MATTER OF PRONUNCIATION.

.5 A Father "Who Seeks to Enlighten His Son on a Small Point. There is a certain man who by the sweat of hie brow —In summer time—earns his bread as a Government o|B’clal with an office in the big State, War and Navy building. He also earns bread for a wife and three likely children and a servant, who manages to carry a slice of pie along home with her bread about three evenings In the week. But that is the cook's privilege always. This official has a son aged 13, who is very nearly as sharp as the father thinks himself to be, especially in those things that everybody ought to know and not one person in a dozen does know. About three tiroes a week the father comes to the office loaded with some new information which he seeks to impart to his fellow* clerks by the inductive method. £Tbat is, he induces thorn to show how 11 tie they know, then he springs it on them. His strong point is words and their pronunciation, and he thinks he is an authority. The other evening while he was entertaining three or four of his office friends at a small supper the eldest boy spoke up from the far end of the table: “Say, pop,” lie inquired, “how do you pronounce N-e-w-o-n-e?” and the youth spelled it slowly. "I presume,” replied the father, with the courage of his convictions, “that it is an Indian name, and by the rule I would pronounce it Ne-wo-ny.” “But that isn't the way,” dissented the boy. The father was never more surprised in his life. “I don't quite see how it would be euphonious any other way,” he said, with a mild air of offended intelligence. “What's the matter w*ith pronouncing it new one?” inquired the boy t with a loqd irreverent ha ha, and the blow almost killed his father.—Washington Star.