Basil L Gildersleeve to Donald Gay Baker, letter, 1908

Basil L Gildersleeve to Donald Gay Baker, letter, 1908 The American Journal of Philology Basil L. Gildersleeve Editor Baltimore Nov. 9 1908 Dear Professor Baker: I have never made Greek or Roman slang the subject of a special study. Not long ago in pursuing this and tropes of ancient Greek and modern American life, it occurred to me that it would be interesting to compare the tropes that underlie modern slang with the range of the figures involved in the Greek equivalent but I have not followed up the matter. The commentators have touched on this period and that —attempts have been made to get at a [catastropie raisonne / radonnee?] of comic effects — and some of my own men I hope and [Peffer?] for instance have made contributions to the study of the comic vocabulary but I cannot recall any separate thematic? on the subject - The field seems to be still open for the explorer and I am sorry that I cannot be of any help to you in the prosecuting of studies — which are much more [a/ for?] our friend [must aid? / Mustaio’s? ] him than it mine. With deep appreciation of the compliment you have paid me in asking my assistance. I am Yours sincerely B. L. Gildersleeve Writer Basil Lanneau Gildersleeve Donald Gay Baker Date written November 9, 1908 Paper x in x x in Pen Penmanship Style joined-word writing; (I have coined this myself, until an existing term is found, or another better term can be created.) While he served in the Civil War, and in theory could have learned to write in the style of telegraph operators, this is not something that I have found to be true. Collection Quaker & Special Collections, Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania MS 851 File name Basil Lanneau Gildersleeve 1831-00x-00x-00x Links Wikipedia[1], WorldCat [2]