The Handy Cyclopedia of Things Worth Knowing

J >> Joseph Triemens >> The Handy Cyclopedia of Things Worth Knowing

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May the lovers of the fair sex never want means to support and spirit to
defend them. May the tear of misery be dried by the hand of
commiseration.

May the voyage of life end in the haven of happiness.

Provision to the unprovided.

Peace and honest friendship with all nations; entangling alliances with
none.

Riches to the generous, and power to the merciful.

Short shoes and long corns to the enemies of freedom.

Success to the lover, and joy to the beloved.

The life we love, with whom we love.

The friend we love, and the woman we dare trust.

The union of two fond hearts.

The lovers of honor, and honorable lovers.

The unity of hearts in the union of hands.

The liberty of the press without licentiousness.

The virtuous fair, and the fair virtuous.

The road to honor through the plains of virtue.

The hero of Saratoga--may his memory animate the breast of every
American.

The American's triumvirate, love, honor and liberty.

The memory of Washington.

May the example of the new world regenerate the old.

Wit without virulence, wine without excess, and wisdom without
affectation.

What charms, arms and disarms.

Home pleasant, and our friends at home.

Woman--She needs no eulogy, she speaks for herself.

Friendship--May its lamp ever be supplied by the oil of truth and
fidelity.

The American Navy--May it ever sail on the sea of glory.

May those who are discontented with their own country leave their
country for their country's good.

Discretion in speech is more than eloquence. May we always remember
these three things: The manner, the place and the time.

Here's a sigh to those who love me,
And a smile to those who hate,
And whatever sky's above me,
Here's a heart for every fate.
Were't the last drop in the well,
As I gasped upon the brink,
Ere my fainting spirit fell,
'Tis to thee that I would drink.
--Byron.

Caddy's Toast in "Erminie"--'Ere's to the 'ealth o' your Royal 'Ighness;
hand may the skin o' ha gooseberry be big enough for han humbrella to
cover hall your enemies."

Here's to the girl I love,
And here's to the girl who loves me,
And here's to all that love her whom I love,
And all those that love her who love me.

I will drink to the woman who wrought my woe,
In the diamond morning of long ago;
To the splendor, caught from Orient skies,
That thrilled in the dark of her hazel eyes,
Her large eyes filled with the fire of the south,
And the dewy wine of her warm red mouth.
--Winter.

May those that are single get wives to their mind,
And those that are married true happiness find.

Here's a health to me and mine,
Not forgetting thee and thine;
And when thou and thine
Come to see me and mine,
May we and mine make thee and thine
As welcome as thou and thine
Have ever made me and mine.

Industry.--The right hand of fortune, the grave of care, and the cradle
of content.

Here's to the prettiest,
Here's to the wittiest,
Here's to the truest of all who are true.
Here's to the sweetest one,
Here's to them all in one--here's to you.

Our Country.--May she always be in the right--but, right or wrong, Our
Country.-- Stephen Decatur.

Here's to our sweethearts and our wives. May our sweethearts soon become
our wives and our wives ever remain our sweethearts.

Here's to the girls of the American shore;
I love but one, I love no mare.
Since she's not here to drink her part,
I drink her share with all my heart.

Here's to one and only one,
And may that one be she
Who loves but one and only one,
And may that one be me.

A glass is good and a lass is good,
And a pipe to smoke in cold weather.
The world is good and the people are good,
And we're all good fellows together.

Yesterday's yesterday while to-day's here,
To-day is to-day till to-morrow appear,
To-marrow's to-morrow until to-day's past,
And kisses are kisses as long as they last.

Our Country.--
To her we drink, for her we pray,
Our voices silent never;
For her we'll fight, come what may;
The Stars and Stripes forever.

Woman.--The fairest work of the great Author; the edition is large, and
no man should be without a copy.

Drink to me only with thine eyes,
And I will pledge thee mine;
Or leave a kiss within the cup,
And I'll not look for wine.
The thirst that from the soul doth rise
Doth ask a drink divine;
But might I of Jove's nectar sip,
I would not change from thine.
--Ben Jonson.

Drink to-day and drown all sorrow;
You shall perhaps not do't to-morrow;
Best while you have it, use your breath;
There is no drinking after death.
--Beaumont and Fletcher.

Home.--The father's kingdom; the child's paradise; the mother's world.

Here's to those I love;
Here's to those who love me;
Here's to those who love those I love,
And here's to those who love those who love those who love me.
--Ouida's Favorite Toast.

A little health, a little wealth,
A little house and freedom,
With some friends for certain ends,
But little cause to need 'em.

Here's to the lasses we've loved, my lad,
Here's to the lips we've pressed;
For of kisses and lasses,
Like liquor in glasses,
The last is always the best.

Come in the evening, come in the morning,
Come when you're looked for, come without warning.

Here's to a long life and a merry one,
A quick death and an easy one,
A pretty girl and a true one,
A cold bottle and another one.

The Man We Love.--He who thinks the most and speaks the least ill of his
neighbor.

False Friends.--May we never have friends who, like shadows, keep close
to us in the sunshine only to desert us on a cloudy day or in the night.

Here's to those who'd love us if we only cared.
Here's to those we'd love if we only dared.

Here's to one another and one other, whoever he or she may be.

The world is filled with flowers,
And flowers are filled with dew,
And dew is filled with love
And you and you and you.

Here's to you as good as you are,
And to me as bad as I am;
And as good as you are and as bad as I am,
I'm as good as you are as bad as I am.

The Law.--The only thing certain about litigation is its uncertainty.

The Lawyer--Learned gentleman, who rescues your estate from your enemies
and keeps it for himself.

A Spreadeagle Toast.--The boundaries of our country: East, by the rising
sun; north, by the north pole; west by all creation; and south, by the
day of judgment.

When going up the bill of prosperity may you never meet a friend coming
down.

May the hinges of friendship never grow rusty.

Come, come, good wine is a good familiar creature, if it be well
used.--Shakespeare.

Shall I ask the brave soldier who fights by my side in the cause of
mankind whether our creeds agree?

May all single men be married, and all married men be happy.

Our Country's Emblem:--
The lily of France may fade,
The thistle and shamrock wither,
The oak of England may decay,
But the stars shine on forever.

The Good Things of the World.--Parsons are preaching for them, lawyers
are pleading for them, physicians are prescribing for them, authors are
writing for them, soldiers are fighting for them, but true philosophers
alone are enjoying them.

My life has been like sunny skies
When they are fair to view;
But there never yet were lives or skies
Clouds might not wander through.

The Three Great American Generals.--General Peace, General Prosperity
and General Satisfaction.

America.--
Our hearts, our hopes are all with thee,
Our hearts, our hopes, our prayers, our tears,
Our faith triumphant o'er our fears,
Are all with thee, are all with thee.

Our National Birds.--The American Eagle, the Thanksgiving Turkey: may
one give us peace in all our States--and the other a piece for all our
plates.

OPPORTUNITY.

Master of human destinies am I.
Fame, Love and Fortune on my footsteps wait.
Cities and fields I walk; I penetrate
Deserts and seas remote, and, passing by
Hovel, and mart, and palace, soon or late
I knock unbidden once at every gate!
If sleeping, wake--if feasting, rise before
I turn away. It is the hour of fate,
And they who follow me reach every state
Mortals desire, and conquer every foe
Condemned to failure, penury, and woe.
Save death; but those who doubt or hesitate,
Seek me in vain and uselessly implore:
I answer not, and I return no more.
--John J. Ingalls.

A health to Our Dearest.--May their purses always be heavy and their
hearts always light.

An Irishman's Toast.--
Here's to the land of the shamrock so green,
Here's to each lad and his darling colleen,
Here's to the ones we love dearest and most.
And may God save old Ireland--that's an Irishman's toast.

Here's a health to the future,
A sigh for the past.
We can love and remember,
And hope to the last,
And for all the base lies
That the almanacs hold.
While there's love in the heart,
We can never grow old.

Some hae meat and canna' eat,
And some wad eat who want it;
But we hae meat and we can eat,
So let the Lord be thankit.
--Burns.

A little health, a little wealth,
A little house and freedom,
With some few friends for certain ends,
But little cause to need 'em.

If I were a raindrop and you a leaf,
I would burst from the cloud above you,
And lie on your breast in a rapture of rest,
And love you--love you--love you.

If I were a brown bee and you were a rose,
I would fly to you, love, nor miss you;
I would sip and sip from your nectared lip,
And kiss you--kiss you--kiss you.
--Ella Wheeler Wilcox, in Three Women.

Strange--is it not?--that of the myriads who
Before us passed the door of darkness through,
Not one returns to tell us of the road,
Which to discover, we must travel too?
--Omar.

Away with the flimsy idea that life with a past is attended.
There's now--only now--and no past. There's never a past; it has ended.
Away with the obsolete story and all of its yesterday sorrow!
There's only Today, almost gone, and in front of Today stands Tomorrow.
--Eugene Ware.

God made man
Frail as a bubble;
God made Love,
Love made trouble;
God made the vine;
Was it a sin
That man made wine
To drown trouble in?

"My character may be my own, but my reputation belongs to any old body
that enjoys gossiping more than telling the truth."

May your joy be as deep as the ocean,
Your trouble as light as its foam.

The man that has no music in himself,
Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds,
Is fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils;
The motions of his spirit are dull as night,
And his affections dark as Erebus.
Let no such man be trusted.
Mark the music.
--Shakespeare.

See the mountains kiss high heaven,
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister flower would be forgiven
If it disdained its brother;
And the sunlight clasps the earth,
And the moonbeams kiss the sea;
What are all these kissings worth,
If thou kiss not me?
--Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Jest a-wearyin' for you,
All the time a-feelin' blue;
Wishin' for you, wonderin' when
You'll be comin' home again;
Restless--don't know what to do--
Jest a-wearyin' for you.
--Frank Stanton.

Here's to Love, the worker of miracles. He strengthens the weak and
weakens the strong; he turns wise men into fools and fools into wise
men; he feeds the passions and destroys reason, and plays havoc among
young and old!
--Marguerite de Valois.

"Good Bye, God Bless You."

I like the Anglo--Saxon speech
With its direct revealings;
It takes a hold, and seems to reach
Way down into our feelings
That Some folks deem it rude, I know,
And therefore they abuse it;
But I have never found it so--
Before all else I choose it.
I don't object that men should air
The Gallic they have paid for,
With "Au revoir," "Adieu, ma chere,"
For that's what French was made for.
But when a crony takes your hand
At parting to address you,
He drops all foreign lingo and
He says, "Good--bye, God bless you."
--Eugene Field.

LANGUAGE OF PRECIOUS STONES.

The ancients attributed marvelous properties to many of the precious
stones. We give in tabular form the different months and the stones
sacred to them, as generally accepted, with their respective meanings.
It has been customary among lovers and friends to notice the
significance attached to the various stones in making birthday,
engagement and wedding presents.

January, Garnet.--Constancy and fidelity in every engagement.

February, Amethyst--Preventive against violent passions.

March, Bloodstone--Courage, wisdom and firmness in affection.

April, Sapphire--Free from enchantment; denotes repentance.

May, Emerald--Discovers false friends, and insures true love.

June, Agate--Insures long life, health and prosperity.

July, Ruby--Discovers poison; corrects evils resulting from mistaken
friendship.

August, Sardonyx--Insures conjugal felicity.

September, Chrysolite--Free from all evil passions and sadness of the
mind.

October, Opal--Denotes hope, and sharpens the sight and faith of the
possessor.

November, Topaz--Fidelity and friendship. Prevents bad dreams.

December, Turquoise--Prosperity in love.

Tiffany's list of birth stones is somewhat different from the above and
is given below:

Birth Stones. (As given by Tiffany & Co.)

January--Garnet.

February--Amethyst, hyacinth, pearl.

March--Jasper, bloodstone.

April--Diamond, sapphire.

May--Emerald, agate.

June--Cat's-eye, turquoise, agate.

July--Turquoise, onyx.

August--Sardonyx, carnelian, moonstone, topaz.

September--Chrysolite.

October--Beryl, opal.

November--Topaz, pearl.

December--Ruby, bloodstone.

GRAMMAR-SPELLING-PRONUNCIATION

Five Hundred Common Errors Corrected

Concise Rules for the Proper Use of Words in Writing or Speaking.

The most objectionable errors in speaking or writing are those in which
words are employed that are unsuitable to convey the meaning intended.
Thus, a person wishing to express his intention of going to a given
place says, "I propose going," when, in fact, he purposes going. The
following affords an amusing illustration of this class of error: A
venerable matron was speaking of her son, who, she said, was quite
stage-struck: "In fact," remarked the old lady, "he is going to a
premature performance this evening!" Considering that most amateur
performances are premature, it cannot be said that this word was
altogether misapplied, though, evidently, the maternal intention was to
convey quite another meaning.

Other errors arise from the substitution of sounds similar to the words
which should be employed; that is, spurious words instead of genuine
ones. Thus, some people say "renumerative," when they mean
"remunerative." A nurse, recommending her mistress to have a
perambulator for her child, advised her to purchase a preamputator!

Other errors are occasioned by imperfect knowledge of English grammar;
thus, many people say, "Between you and I," instead of "Between you and
me." And there are numerous other departures from the rules of grammar,
which will be pointed out hereafter.

Misuse of the Adjective--"What beautiful butter!" "What a nice
landscape!" They should say, "What a beautiful landscape!" "What nice
butter!" Again, errors are frequently occasioned by the following
causes:

Mispronunciation of Words--Many persons say pronoun-ciation instead of
pronunciation; others say pro-nun-ce-a-shun, instead of
pro-nun-she-a-shun.

Misdivision of Words and Syllables--This defect makes the words an
ambassador sound like a nambassador, or an adder like a nadder.

Imperfect Enunciation--As when a person says hebben for heaven, ebber
for ever, jocholate for chocolate.

To correct these errors by a systematic course of study would involve a
closer application than most persons could afford, but the simple and
concise rules and hints here given, founded upon usage and the authority
of scholars, will be of great assistance to inquirers.

ENGLISH GRAMMAR IN A NUTSHELL.

Who and whom are used in relation to persons, and which in relation to
things. But it was once common to say, "the man which." This should now
be avoided. It is now usual to say, "Our Father who art in heaven,"
instead of "which art in heaven."

Whose is, however, sometimes applied to things as well as to persons. We
may therefore say, "The country whose inhabitants are free."

Thou is employed in solemn discourse, and you in common language. Ye
(plural) is also used in serious addresses, and you in familiar
language.

The uses of the word it are various, and very perplexing to the
uneducated. It is not only used to imply persons, but things, and even
ideas, and therefore in speaking or writing, its assistance is
constantly required. The perplexity respecting this word arises from the
fact that in using it in the construction of a long sentence, sufficient
care is not taken to insure that when it is employed it really points
out or refers to the object intended. For instance, "It was raining when
John set out in his cart to go to market, and he was delayed so long
that it was over before he arrived." Now what is to be understood by
this sentence: Was the rain over? or the market? Either or both might be
inferred from the construction of the sentence, which, therefore, should
be written thus: "It was raining when John set out in his cart to go to
market, and he was delayed so long that the market was over before he
arrived."

Rule--After writing a sentence always look through it, and see that
wherever the word it is employed, it refers to or carries the mind back
to the object which it is intended to point out.

The general distinction between this and that may be thus defined: this
denotes an object present or near, in time or place; that something
which is absent.

These refers, in the same manner, to present objects, while those refers
to things that are remote.

Who changes, under certain conditions, into whose and whom; but that and
which always remain the same, with the exception of the possessive case,
as noted above.

That may be applied to nouns or subjects of all sorts; as, the girl that
went to school, the dog that bit me, the opinion that he entertains.

The misuse of these pronouns gives rise to more errors in speaking and
writing than any other cause.

When you wish to distinguish between two or more persons, say: "Which is
the happy man?" not who--"Which of those ladies to you admire?"

Instead of "Whom do you think him to be?" say, "Who do you think him to
be?"

Whom should I see.

To whom do you speak?

Who said so?

Who gave it to you?

Of whom did you procure them?

Who was he?

Who do men say that I am?

Self should never be added to his, their, mine or thine.

Each is used to denote every individual of a number.

Every denotes all the individuals of a number.

Either and or denote an alternative: "I will take either road, at your
pleasure;" "I will take this or that."

Neither means not either, and nor means not the other. Either is
sometimes used for each--"Two thieves were crucified, on either side
one."

"Let each esteem others as good as themselves," should be, "Let each
esteem others as good as himself."

"There are bodies each of which are so small," should be, "each of which
is so small."

Do not use double superlatives, such as most straightest, most highest,
most finest.

The term worser has gone out of use; but lesser is stilt retained.

The use of such words as chiefest, extreamest, etc., has become
obsolete, because they do not give any superior force to the meanings of
the primary words, chief, extreme, etc.

Such expressions as more impossible, more indispensable, more universal,
more uncontrollable, more unlimited, etc., are objectionable, as they
really enfeeble the meaning which it is the object of the speaker or
writer to strengthen. For instance, impossible gains no strength by
rendering it more impossible. This class of error is common with persons
who say, "A great large house," "A great big animal," "A little small
foot," "A tiny little hand."

Here, there and where, originally denoting place, may now, by common
consent, be used to denote other meanings, such as, "There I agree with
you," "Where we differ," "We find pain where we expected pleasure,"
"Here you mistake me."

Hence, whence and thence, denoting departure, etc., may be used without
the word from. The idea of from is included in the word
whence--therefore it is unnecessary to say "From whence."

Hither, thither and whither, denoting to a place, have generally been
superseded by here, there and where. But there is no good reason why
they should not be employed. If, however, they are used, it is
unnecessary to add the word to, because that is implied--"Whither are
you going?" "Where are you going?" Each of these sentences is complete.
To say, "Where are you going to?" is redundant.

Two negatives destroy each other, and produce an affirmative. "Nor did
he not observe them," conveys the idea that he did observe them.

But negative assertions are allowable. "His manners are not impolite,"
which implies that his manners are in some degree marked by politeness.

Instead of "Let you and I." say "Let you and me."

Instead of "I am not so tall as him," say "I am not so tall as he."

When asked "Who is there?" do not answer "Me," but "I,"

Instead of "For you and I," say "For you and me."

Instead of "Says I," say "I said."

Instead of "You are taller than me," say "You are taller than I."

Instead of "I ain't," or "I arn't," say "I am not."

Instead of "Whether I be present or no," say "Whether I be present or
not."

For "Not that I know on,"' say "Not that I know."

Instead of "Was I to do so," say "Were I to do so."

Instead of "I would do the same if I was him," say "I would do the same
if I were he."

Instead of "I had as lief go myself," say "I would as soon go myself,"
or "I would rather."

It is better to say "Six weeks ago" than "Six weeks back."

It is better to say "Since which time," than "Since when,"

It is better to say "I repeated it," than "I said so over again."

Instead of "He was too young to have suffered much," say "He was too
young to suffer much."

Instead of "Less friends," say "Fewer friends." Less refers to quantity.

Instead of "A quantity of people," say "A number of people."

Instead of "He and they we know," say "Him and them."

Instead of "As far as I can see," say "So far as I can see."

Instead of "A new pair of gloves," say "A pair of new gloves."

Instead of "I hope you'll think nothing on it," say "I hope you'll think
nothing of it."

Instead of "Restore it back to me," say "Restore it to me."

Instead of "I suspect the veracity of his story," say "I doubt the truth
of his story."

Instead of "I seldom or ever see him," say "I seldom see him."

Instead of "I expected to have found him," say "1 expected to find him."

Instead of "Who learns you music?" say "Who teaches you music?"

Instead of "I never sing whenever I can help it," say "I never sing when
I can help it."

Instead of "Before I do that I must first ask leave," say "Before I do
that I must ask leave."

Instead of saying "The observation of the rule," say "The observance of
the rule,"

Instead of "A man of eighty years of age," say "A man eighty years old."

Instead of "Here lays his honored head," say "Here lies his honored
head."

Instead of "He died from negligence," say "He died through neglect," or
"in consequence of neglect."

Instead of "Apples are plenty," say "Apples are plentiful."

Instead of "The latter end of the year," say "The end, or the close, of
the year."

Instead of "The then government," say "The government of that age, or
century, or year, or time."

Instead of "A couple of chairs," say "Two chairs."

Instead of "They are united together in the bonds of matrimony," say
"They are united in matrimony," or "They are married," '.

Instead of "We travel slow," say "We travel slowly."

Instead of "He plunged down into the river," say "He plunged into the
river."

Instead of "He jumped from off the scaffolding," say "He jumped off the
scaffolding."

Instead of "He came the last of all," say "He came the last."

Instead of "universal," with reference to things that have any limit,
say "general," "generally approved," instead of "universally approved,"
"generally beloved," instead of "universally beloved."

Instead of "They ruined one another," say "They ruined each other,"

Instead of "If in case I succeed," say "If I succeed."

Instead of "A large enough room," say "A room large enough."

Instead of "I am slight in comparison to you," say "I am slight in
comparison with you."

Instead of "I went for to see him," say "I went to see him."

Instead of "The cake is all eat up," say "The cake is all eaten."

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