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In addition to I.P. Hamrick and R.C. Caudill, H.M. Van Hoose also came to Hinton [West Virginia] to help in the meetings. He was not an oratorical preacher but had a fair education. He had taught school before entering the ministry. Watchful of our grammar, he sometimes reminded us of our mistakes and R.C. didn't take correction too easily.
I remember once calling his attention to the pronunciation of the word hotel, which he called ho- 'tel. I said, "It isn't ho'tel, its hotel." When he disputed this I showed it to him in the dictionary. "That doesn't mean a thing to me," he replied. "I have as much right to my opinion as Webster had to his."
Just for orneriness I set him up on another word one day. I said, "R.C., I have a word here I can’t identify. I don't know whether it is German or French. Maybe
you can help me." He indicated his willingness to bring light into my darkness.
"What is the word?" he asked. So I spelled it for him. "It is backache." His identification was instantaneous. He said, "It is a German word, pronounced bakatchee." I said, "Thank you, R.C., but back home we always called it just plain backache." He could have killed me but mercy prevailed. |
