Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 101, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 March 1915 — News Letters From the Country [ARTICLE]

News Letters From the Country

LEE The,young people held choir practice at the home of J. H. Culp. Mrs. C. ,A. Holeman has been (juite poorly, but is better at this writing. ■ Morris Jacks and wife will begin housekeeping soon in his property at this place. ’ Mrs. Becky Jacks has been quite poorly tfiis week. Dr. Clayton was here to see her. Mr. and Mrs. Harold Lamar and little son spent Sunday at James Rush’s, near Monon. Ezra Eldridge and Gail Culp from this school took the examination for graduation at Monon last Saturday. . Tone Overton and wife of Rensselaer, spent Saturday and Sunday here with his brother, Frank, and family. The young people spent last Saturday evening at the home of Miss Geraldine Morton, in honor of her birthday anniversary. Teacher Miss Irene Gray and pupils are preparing a program for the last day pf school, which will be the first day of April. Miss Hannah Culp of Fair Oaks, has been near here for two weeks yelping care for her,brother, George, He is improving now and she returned home Wednesday. On Thursday evening of last week a shower was given at the home of C. A. Lefler in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Morris Jacks, who received many nice and useful presents.

POSSUM RUN. E. A. Merril helped Alfred McCoy butcher Thursday. Lee Kimble spent Friday with Mr. and Mrs. John Price. Charley Wiseman called on Thos. Parker Tuesday morning. Misses Orpha and Myrtle Parker spent Sunday with M>iss Nile Britt. Mrs. Thomas Parker called on Mrs. John Price Wednesday morning.' ; J. E. Alter did some surveying for Edward Ritter Monday and Tuesday. Elda Stowers and E. A. Merril helped. William Polleck haul tile Tuesday. Mrs. G. H. Comer and son called on Mrs. William Polleck Wednesday afternoon. Charley Britt and Everett Parkir called on their best girls Sunday afternoon. Mrs. G. H. Comer and son called on Mrs. Thomas Parker and daughters Tuesday afternoon. <r. and Mrs. William Polleck spent Sunday with Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Polleck and family. Mr. and Mrs. G. H. Comer and children spent Sunday with Mr. and Mrs. George Heil of near Gifford. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor Wood and two children spent Sunday with Mr. and Mrs. Ores Cunningham and family. Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Openchain and two children spent Tuesday and Wednesday with Mr. and Mrs. Sam Openchain and family.

W. T. Azbell, ex-postmaster of Edwardsport, Ind., writes: “I suffered form severe trouble with my kidneys and back. First bottle of Foley Kidney Pills gave me relief.” Thousands testify that backache, rheumatism, sore muscled, aching joints and bladder weakness vanished when Foley Kidney Pills were taken. —-A. F. Long.

MILROY. Mabel Clark spent Sunday with home friends. Edith Clark spent Tuesday night with Ged, Foulks’. Wiley Latta buzzed wood for Mr. Stranz last Monday. Martha Clark visited Mrs. Elsie Clark and family Monday night. Mrs. Elsie Clark and children spent Sunday with Clell Clark and family. G. L. Parks and Geo. Foulks were business visitors in Rensselaer on Tuesday. Mr. and Mrs. John Southard spent Monday with their daughter, Mrs. Walter Gilmore, and family. Clyde Clark, Geo. Foulks and families, Mr. and Mrs. Earl Foulks and Martha Clark took Sunday dinner with Frank May’s and attended preaching services at Black Oak in the afternoon. Our Sunday school and B. Y. P. IT. are increasing in attendance. Rev. Samsel will hold a business meeting Saturday night, and preaching services Sunday after Sunday school and in the evening. All are invited te attend each service.

THE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE. There Is No “H,” No “J” and No “W” in the Alphabet in the Czar’s Country. There is no “h” in the Russian alephabet. Therefore the Russians spell Hartlepool “Gartlepool,” and call Marshal Hindenburg “Gindenburg'. The captain of a Russian steamer which in time of peace plies between here and London greeted a friend of mine who had often sailed with him: ‘‘Ah, you are going for a goliday, yes? Where is your gusband?” The Russian alphabet also lacks our “j” and our “w.” Jones has to be spelt “Dzones.” Williams becomes “Vilyams,” and an American friend of mine named Whitten is addressed as “Mr. Veefen.” Yet, in spite of these difficulties, the Russians manage to give a very fair,

usually an exact, version of English proper and place names. I want to suggest, both out of compliment to them and In the interest of accuracy also, that we should try to turn Russian names into English more correctly than w r e do. The reading of the .war news would, in addition, be made easier to British eyes if the names of Russian places, in any case odd looking, could be pronounced at sight instead of being puzzled over and given up as a bad job. If you were in partnership with a Mr. Smith and persisted in calling him "Smiff” he might justifiably be annoyed. If his house was called “Fernhurst,” and you always spoke of it and spelt it as “Wernhurst,” bis opinion of your intelligence would not be high. That is the way We treat Russian names, and if the Russians do not protest, it is only because they are a people of infiinite toleration. They do not, believe me, think more highly of us or of our language for our slipshod lack of care in this direction. There need be no difficulty about reproducing closely in English the sound of any Russian name. Why, then, do we spell the town which used to be called Lemberg, Lwow? That suggests a pronunciation to rhyme with "now” and “cow.” The proper way to pronounce it is Lvoff. How "Lwow” ever came to be printed I cannot imagine. It is spelled with two "V’s.” Before a consonant the Russian “v” is hard, like ours. At the end of a word it is slightly softened and should be represented in English by double “f.” Whenever "w” is used in spelling a Russian name it is wrong, for there t»-no “w” in Russian. We recognize this by spelling the Polish tow’nship where there has been much hard fighting lately, Lovicz. But here, though we get the "v” right, we go wrong in the last two letters. The Russian pronunciation is Lovitch. What the Polish pronunciation is I shall not venture to say. No Pole will admit that any foreigner can ever hope to speak his tongue as it should be spoken. But at all events, to this I can testify—that the Poles do not make the name of that place rhyme with “sticks.” As nearly as may be, they say Lovitch too, and they say, Lenchitsa when they refer to the town which we spell Lenczica. Why then should not we? And spell them so too? Petrograd Cor. New York Sun. Subscribe for The Democrat, >