Literary Blunders

The following etymological guesses are not so good, but they are worthy of registration. One boy described a blackguard as ''one who has been a shoeblack,'' while another thought he was ''a man dressed in black.'' ''Polite'' is said to be derived from ''Pole,'' owing to the affability of the Polish race. ''Heathen'' means ''covered with heath'' but this explanation is commonplace when compared with the brilliant guess--''Heathen, from Latin 'haethum,' faith, and 'en,' not.''