This page has been validated.
464
AMERICA'S NATIONAL GAME
"THE GREATEST LIVING WRITER.
"Our valued and vertiginous contemporary, the Chicago Tribune, has not given up to stockings and gloves what was meant for the permanent happiness of mankind. In spite of its ferocious war on Gloversville and Hosierdom it is still true to the felicities, rarities and preciosities of style. Ithuriel Ellery Sanborn was present with all his squadron of language at the 'christening' of the Chicago Base Ball season last week. We invite students of the living speech to the works of the 'master':
- "'The Cardinals were outbatted by many parasangs.
- "'Big Jeff Overall cut the cardiac region of the plate.
- "'The turnout from Bugville was surprisingly large.
- "'Zimmerman makes winning clout.
- "'One on a pass, the other on a puncture.
- "'Compiling a double.
- "'There was a gay yelp when Steinfeldt smashed.
- "'After Overall had whiffed.
- "'Overall caught him off balance, accomplishing Roger's demise.
- "'But for Brown's unfortunate decease he could have scored pulled up.
- "'Moran poked a hot one.
- "'The little fellow stabbed it.
- "'There were two dead Cubs.
- "'A couple of underground shoots.
- "'Manager Frank had not touched the pan.
- "'Arbiter Klem showed him a slewfoot print on the edge of the rubber.
- "'Opposed to the Cubs' star was Left Handed Lush.'
- "If Mr. Joseph Medill were here to exult in the glory of the 'master' and the Cubs he might need an interpreter at first, but he would instantly applaud the originality, the tang, the bite, the procession of home bagging parts of speech that belong to the Hon. Ithuriel Ellery Sanborn. May his vocabulary increase, if such a thing is possible. We take the liberty of nominating him as a member of the Hon. Henry Cabot Lodge's Academy. Is there another living writer who can produce in quantities to suit such muscular, meaty and animated English?"
The following appeared a few years ago in the editorial columns of the Memphis Appeal:
"THE GAME OF BALL.
