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THE LANGUAGE OF THE ANGLO-SAXONS AGAIN REVISITED
It goes without saying that your Uncle Ezra has no to investigate the subject of the language that Americans speak. Yet while I lack the academic credentials, as a wordsmith from my essay writing I have an abiding interest in words. In this case, there are four words that have fallen into disuse that I…
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FURTHER THOUGHTS ON THE MATRICULATION OF SERGEANT CARR
In this mailing, there is a report on the matriculation of Sergeant Carr as he spoke to the 23 members of Class 4B at the Glenwood School in Millburn/Short Hills. When the festivities were done and I had said nearly all that I could say, I retired to write the teacher, the volunteer parent, and…
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THE MATRICULATION OF SERGEANT CARR, ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES
Those of you who read these essays carefully may recall an incident dating to January of 1936. At that time, I entered high school. The Clayton Missouri public school system offered a course in high school in preparation for those who were going on to college. When I was asked if college were in my…
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EXPIRATION BY DRIBS, DRABS AND OCCASIONAL DOLLOPS
According to a book that has been in my possession for many years, there are 47 synonyms for the death of a person. My purpose here is to add, as unpleasant as it may seem, a 48th definition for the end of life. It will go by the grand and eloquent title of “Expiration by…
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PRIDE GOETH BEFORE A FALLETH
Those of you who are familiar with the literature of the Bible will recognize the title of this essay as a corruption of a verse from Proverbs. Specifically the verse comes from Chapter 16, Verse 18. That verse in its unexpurgated form holds that pride goes before a fall. Because this essay is being dictated…
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FRANCESCO’S QUESTION
Every nine weeks I visit a podiatrist associated with the Summit Medical Group. He takes care of ingrown nails and all of the other problems that afflict the feet. Francesco is a nice fellow in his early forties who laughingly mentioned that if his children remained in parochial schools, he would have to be working…
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A MATTER OF INTROSPECTION
These lines are being dictated on a Sunday, September 11, 2011. This of course is the tenth anniversary of the destruction of the World Trade Center and the attack on the Pentagon. Further, it also marks the anniversary of American Flight 93 that was downed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania in a heroic action by the passengers. …
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SPRECHEN SIE DEUTSCH?
Under ordinary circumstances, a visit to a physician in a non-emergency situation would not qualify as a reason for writing an essay. Certainly that is true on a morning when we learned that Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan dictator, seems to have met his demise. But in this case, my visit with the learned cardiologist Andrew…
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STOCKINGS AND GARTERS
I do not know much about the subject of stockings and garters. There are those who would say my ignorance on this vital subject is appalling. On the other hand, I would say to my detractors, of whom there are many, that the absence of expertise is no reason not to write an essay on…