1927-06-25 — Page 5

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH,

SATURDAY,

JUNE 25.

1927.

UNIQUE - TRIP.

*

SINCERE'S FRUIT SYRUP

A REFRESHING DRINK FOR SUMMER

Drink the refreshing drink of summer and taste the natural fruits. These are available in Sincere's Fruit Syrup-an extract of fruits prepared and bottled by the modern hygienic process.

Orange, Lemon, Almond, Rose, Pineapple, Banana, Strawberry, Mulberry and Apple.

Large Bottle...

Medium

"

70 cents.

45

"

25

J

Small

Phone Sincere's to send you a trial bottle to-day,

SINCERE'S TROPICAL POWDER

An antiseptic preparation for all kinds of skin disease. Specially recommended for foot troubles.

10 cents per packet.

(PERFUME

A

Ef

RADE

MANUFACTUR

MARK

ONIS HONG KONG

SOLD AT SINCERE'S STORE.

Che

Canadian National Rail- ways crosses the Rockics at the canlest gradient and low- cat altitude of ali transcont)- mental lines and in full sight of the Canadian Rockies' highest peaks. View the choicest gems of rugged mountain scenery, crag and glacier, cataract. canyon. Stop off at National Park, the Alpine paradise of Canada. See the golden wheatfields, raighty inland scas. the scenic mar- vels of the cast, among them, Niagara Falls. And, all the while, travel in ut- most comfort.

Jamper

The engine belonging to the British Section of the Kowloon- Canton Railway which, last Monday hauled a train from Kowloon The to Cunton-an event unique in the history of the line. above photo was taken at Canton and in front of the engine is seen Mr. C. D. Lambert, the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the British Section.

NOT WHAT THEY SEEM.

INTERESTING FACTS AROUT

WORDS.

Professor D. Fraser Harris writes in a Home paper:

The mistakes that have crept into English through ignorance earelessness. and laziness are more numerous than one who has not studied the subject would be dis posed to think. ..

We all write "a newt;" but it ought to be "an eft" or "an ewt," being the old English word for that familiar tailed amphibian. Here, in error, the "n" or "ap" has HHHHHHH | become attached to the word "eft." Another example of the same thing is a nickname," which ought to be "an elename," "cke" being the eld English for "additional." Al nickname is an additional name given to someone in fun or satire. This is the same word "eke" mean- ing also," which lingers on in poetry in that sense. Stil another case of "n" of "an" attached to the word following is "a niche," which ought to be "an iche," this being the original form of the word.

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Across CANADA

Via Vancouver

or

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CANADIAN NATIONAL

The Largest Railway System in America •

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AN OLD FRIEND!

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Our last example, "tawdry," may be taken from a proper name, St. Audrey, or Ethelreda, where the "" of "saint" has got placed in front of the name Audrey with the "c" dropped out

At first there was no implication, as now, that the finery at the fair of St. Audrey was mean or shabby, Exactly the opposite process has gone on in those where the initial "n" of the word itself has become detached and put on to "a", the indefinite article. "An adder" should be "a nadder,", the name of this little reptile beginning with "n" in old English.

Similarly, "an apron" should be "a naperon." This being the ori ginal form of the word which we still have in "napery"-the house wife's collection of all the linen, &c., for domestic use.

The Superfluous "S." The forms of some words are simply the perpetuation of errors and misconceptions about their meaning of derivation. Thus "lanthora," the spelling of lan- tern we find in old-fashioned books, had nothing to do with "horn," since "lantern" comes straight from the Latin "lanterna." But someone, thinking that the word Izid reference 10 the fact that Janterns in those days had Hides of horn, spelt it "ant-horn" in complete ignorance of its simple Latin ori- gin.

Another ease of a little know- ledge being a dangerous thing is the spelling of our word "island" The "a" has no business there, for the word is from the old English word "iland." But someone, knowing that the Latin for island, "Insula," has an s," wrote it "is- land" with an "s," and in that form it has ever since remained.

This sort of thing is not con- fined to illiterate persons;

both Coleridge and Macaulay wrote "I wis." under the impression that this is the past, of "I wot."

There never was a word "wis" in old English; the past of "I wot" is "I wist," na we have it in the 1611 version of the Bible.

Even Macaulay could make 4 mistake in ordinary when he wrote-

grammar,

"And in his hand he shakes

the brand

Which none but he can wield.” Now here the "but" is not the conjunction, but a preposition, menning "except," so that the meaning is "which no one can wield except him.

Misapprehensions about words can carry us far afield; the "West Indies" are the result of geogra- phical confusion arising from the desire to discover a route by the West to India. To call the abori- gines of the American continent "Indian" is to make confusion worse confounded,

Some vulgar corruptions are very familiar to us, as when the man in the street calls out, "Who'll buy, my sparrow-grass?" when he

means "asparagus"; or when the sailors called the "Bellerophon," which took Napoleon to St. Helena, the "Billy Ruffian."

"Beef-Easters."

One of the most famous in- stances of a word showing con- fusion of ideas is "Beef-cater" an applied to one of the Yeomen of "the King's bodyguard. The word is a corruption of "Buffetler," the person who stands behind the Buf fet, or sideboard, in this case in a' Royal dwelling. The "beef-eater" has nothing to do with "beef" nor with "eating."

Other examples of this sort of thing are: Fox-glove" for "folk's 'glove," that belonging to the "little folks," or fairies; and "country-dahse" from the French "contre-danse," a dance in which those taking part stand in two rows facing each other.

"Jerusalem artichoke" is one of the most curious of those confu- sions of ideas, for the name of this plant has nothing whatever to do with the capital of Palestine. The word is from the French "gira- sole," and that is from "gero a solem," the Latin for "I turn to the sun."

And, finally, we can buy in Edina burgh to-day some small sweet cakes under the extraordinary de- signation of "petticoat tails." This is a corruption of "petites. gateilea." gatelle being the dimima- tive of gateau, a cake. This is only" one of the verbul. remnants of the old association between Scotland and France which culminated in the days of the unfortunate Mary Queen of Scots-half Scottish and wholly French!

The straw hat industry of Shan- hai is making remarkable pro- gress. According to a Philippine: exporter of straw braids in Shang- hai, the value of Chinese straw hats experted annually to the Uni- ted States of America from Shang- hai has grown from 4.5. $10,000 to U.S. $100,000; England and France havé also recently placed large orders with the straw hat factories of Shanghai. The growth of the Chinese straw hat! industry is said to be seriously

of the Philippine; affecting that Islands.

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Recuperate

your health in Beautiful JAVA

Delightful Scenery, Invigorat ing Hill Resorts, Excellent Sporting Facilities.

Next Sailings from Hong Kong:-

5.5. "'Tjisondari'' 30th June to Botavia direct

3.5. "Tjimancek" 7th July to Batavia direct

5.3. "Tjikembang” 14th July to Batavia direct

Special Return Tickets Issued.

For full particulars regarding fares, hotels, motor trips, etc. Apply to-

JAVA-CHINA-JAPAN LIJN,

YORK BUILDING.

Telephone C. 1574.

ARTS & CRAFTS,

FOR

SHANGHAI.

HOUSE FURNISHERS

Carpets

Fabrics

Decorations

Bric-a-brac

Furniture

DESIGNS AND ESTIMATES SUBMITTED.

ARTS & CRAFTS, Ltd..

OPPOSITE THE RACECOURSE SHANGHAI

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