and even Thackeray wrote bed's foot; but such expressions are not now in good use. The tendency of the best modern usage is to employ the preposition "of" rather than to put into the possessive case a noun that represents a thing without life.

Other examples are

I.

The march of civilization is towards Mr. Bellamy's Utopia.

It is unorthodox to refuse assent to the tenets of the Creed. The cause of the catastrophe. A mad act of jealousy.

The condition of the stock market.

The narrow escape of a train. The President of Amherst College.

The ice-palace at St. Paul. The handsome lady of Watertown.

The act of admission passed by Congress consisted of a simple declaration that Vermont was a member of the Union.

II.

Civilization's march is towards
Mr. Bellamy's Utopia.

It is unorthodox to refuse as-
sent to the Creed's tenets.
The catastrophe's cause.
Jealousy's mad act.

The stock market's condition.

A train's narrow escape.
Amherst's President.

St. Paul's ice-palace.
Watertown's handsome lady.

Congress' act of admission consisted of a simple declaration that Vermont was a member of the Union.

To speak of Congress' act is to sin against idiom, clearness, and euphony, at the same time.

""a day's

Some short phrases e. g., "a week's wages,"

""the law's delay march," are so convenient that they are supported by the best modern usage. With pronouns still greater latitude is allowed. Careful writers avoid in our midst, in their midst; but no one hesitates to write "on our account," "in my absence," "to their credit," "for my sake," "in his defence."

As a general rule, the POSSESSIVE CASE should be confined to cases of possession.

Singular or Plural. Nouns that are in the singular number are sometimes treated as if they were in the plural; nouns in the plural, as if they were in the singular.

"News" as a plural noun is no longer in good use. "Tidings," now rarely heard, seems to be still plural. "Means" in the sense of instrument

e. g., "a means to an end," "this was the sole means within reach " is usually, though not always, treated as singular; but in the sense of income -e. g., "his means are ample

plural.

"—it is

Some words are always treated as plural: e. g., "assets,” "dregs," "eaves," "nuptials," "pincers," "proceeds," "riches," "scissors," "shears," "suds," "tongs," "trousers," "vitals."

Others are treated sometimes as singular, sometimes as plural: e. g., "alms," "amends," "headquarters," "measles," "odds," "ethics," "mathematics," "politics," "tactics," and other words ending in "-ics." Anthony Trollope, for example, in the first volume of "Framley Parsonage," writes: "Politics as a profession was, therefore, unknown to him;" in the second volume, "Politics make a terrible demand on a man's time." The tendency of modern Eng

lish seems to be to treat words in "-ics" (except, perhaps, "athletics") as singular.

I.

The United States agree to set apart certain lands for the Indians.

II.

The United States agrees to

set apart certain lands for the Indians.

Before the Civil War, the best authorities, including (it is said) all our Secretaries of State, treated "the United States" as a plural noun. Its use in the singular number was condemned by William C. Bryant in the famous "Index Expurgatorius," which in his day settled questions of usage for "The New York Evening Post "and its intelligent readers. Of late years, however, many persons have maintained that, the sword having decided that all the territory under the Stars and Stripes constitutes one country, the name of that country should be in the singular number, as if a. question of grammar were to be determined by political reasons. The weight of usage, at any rate, seems to be still in favor of treating "The United States as a plural

noun.

I.

Use two spoonfuls of flour. Thus I had two mothers-in-law at once.

II.

Use two spoonsful of flour. Thus I had two mother-in-laws at once.

"Spoonfuls" is correct; for "spoonful," "shovelful," and "cupful" are, like "peck" and "pint," words of meas"Mothers-in-law" is correct; for the word "mother" is the fundamental, or distinguishing, part of the compound. For a similar reason, "men-of-war" and "sail-lofts

ure.

correct.

I.

In the establishment were twenty man-clerks and ten woman-clerks.

II.

In the establishment twenty men-clerks and women-clerks.

are

were

ten

"Man-clerks " and "woman-clerks " are preferable to men-clerks and women-clerks; for "clerk" is the fundamental, or distinguishing, part of the compound. In "maidservants the same rule holds; but " men-servants

and

women-servants," which are in the King James transla tion of the Bible, are still supported by good use.

I.

This happened between the twenty-second and the twentythird year of his life.

II.

This happened between the twenty-second and the twentythird years of his life.

In this example, the singular form of the noun is preferable to the plural, because "year" is understood after “the twenty-second." The plural may, however, be used if "the" before "twenty-third" is omitted.

Be careful to put every noun in the proper number.

Nouns of Foreign Origin. - Ignorant writers misuse nouns of foreign origin.

I.

I am sorry to say that I am not an alumnus of this University. I don't care for proctors now; I'm an alumnus.

The water is full of animalcules.

On examination, I found a bacterium.

The study of English should be a part of every college curriculum.

These scanty data are all we have.

It was a dictum of the judge.

II.

I am sorry to say that I am not an alumni of this University.

I don't care for proctors now; I'm an alumnum.

The water is full of animalculæ.

On examination, I found a bacteria.

The study of English should be a part of every college curricula.

This scanty data is all we

have.

It was a dicta of the judge.

and "memorandums," "radii" and "radiuses," "syllabuses" and "syllabi," usage is divided; but it seems to favor in each pair the form first named.

Never use a NOUN OF FOREIGN ORIGIN, unless you know how to use it.

Forms in -ess. 66 Abbess," "actress," "countess," and "duchess are in good use. A few years ago the same might have been said of "authoress and " "poetess; " but since so many women have entered the field of letters there has been a disposition to call them " authors or 66 'poets." Editress has never had any vogue, and writeress as been used by no one, I believe, except by Thack

"Errors in grammar " is the proper expression.