BOSTON EVENING 



FRIDAY, 



SIARCH 27, 1885. 



now TO ACCENT "ARBUTUS:' 



To the Kditor of the Transcript: Now tliat 

 r.nr Plymouth friends aro aondlnR us the 

 Mayiiower with thoir spring greetings, let a 

 see what a few Anieriuan poets hav e sail 

 about it under its other name of arbutus. 

 No, let us hear what they say, and listen 

 with a purpose— 



'■A Tear ago, in the sweet spring weather, 

 We sought the trailing arbutus together." 



[ M. E. Sangster. 



"Whisper on, glad girls and boys; 



Sealeii tlie fr.igrant rosy wells; 

 You and spring are safe alike— 



Never the arbutus tells!" 



[H. H. 



"But fairer than all flowers, 



First-born of sun and showers, 



Is the arbutus, jewel of the spring." 



[C, H, Burleigh. 



'• The wild arbutus, flushed with haste, 

 Trails close, to make appeal." 



[Lucy Larcom. 

 I could give a dozen more examples, but 

 the sound for which we are liateniug would 

 he the same in all. 



Now let us hear some English poeta. The 

 plant that they mean is a large shrub, but it 

 is the name only that we are concerned with : 



"Over which you saw 



The irregular line of elms by the deep lane 

 Winch stopped the grounds and dammed the 



overflow 

 Of arbutus aud laurel." 



[B. B. Browning. 

 "Glowing bright, 

 lieneath, the various foliage wildly spreads 

 The arbutus, ajid rears his scarlet fruit." 



[Coivper. 



And finally, O Transcript! representative 

 of classic Boston, listen to Virgil ; 

 Mnenalcas speaks— 



"Dulce satis humor, depulsis arbutus hajdis." 

 and "ar'butus" is what he said. Now why, 

 0 Transcript! do so many Americans thus 

 Hy in the face of Rome and England and the 

 dictionaries? Webster gave arbu'tug in the 

 early editions, but by 187.'l had learned better 

 and changed to ar'lmtus. It is not all Amer- 

 icans who are thus careless of their accent; 

 there are some who would no more say 

 "arbu'tus" than they would talk of "laylocs" 

 and "plnies." May their tribo increase! 



