inaccurate Billy Sunday quote

[Garson O'Toole]

 Stephen Goranson wrote:
>
> FWIW, a related quote from New-York tribune., March 23, 1917:
>
> "I'd be a poor mutt of a spineless pacifist," said Billy, recounting the story [of his father in the Civil War, given above], "if I didn't show up at the front rank, now wouldn't I!"
>
> http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1917-03-23/ed-1/seq-1/;words=Billy+Sunday+regulation+Mutt?date1=1917&rows=20&searchType=advanced&proxdistance=5&state=&date2=1918&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=&andtext=billy+sunday+regulation+mutt&dateFilterType=yearRange&index=7

Great find of an interesting variant, Stephen.

JL wrote
> Roger Bruns's bio of BS, _Preacher_ (U. of Ill. P., 1992), cites only
> the NYT version - from a an "unidentified  newspaper clipping" among
> BS's papers.
>
> If that's the only version BS (or his secretary) preserved, besides
> being the earliest in print (published the day after he spoke), it
> should probably be taken as definitive for now.
>
> None of the NY papers at the Old Fulton website appear to have
> recorded the remark.

Yes, great work finding the NYT 1917 version. Whether any solid
support for the version with "dies fighting" can be located is not
clear to me. But it still might be desirable to gather evidence about
when the variant emerged.

The fultonhistory.com website has a September 17, 1923 issue of The
Niagra Falls Gazette containing a version of the quotation. It is
difficult to read and is somewhat similar to the New York Times 1917
version.

Here is a short link directly to the PDF.
http://goo.gl/ChClk

Here is a long link that will probably break:
http://fultonhistory.com/newspaper%208/Niagara%20Falls%20NY%20Gazette/Niagara%20Falls%20NY%20Gazette%201923%20Sep-Nov%20Grayscale/Niagara%20Falls%20NY%20Gazette%201923%20Sep-Nov%20Grayscale%20-%200108.pdf

Here is the approximate text. Please examine it yourself because this
text is based on my quick guesses:

Another thing, "Prepare ye a Jeru-
salem from on high." I believe a poor
church member is better than none at
all and a soldier who breaks every reg-
ulation of the military power and who
will go on the firing line is a better
man. He is more loyal??? than the God-
forsaken mutt who will ??? and will
not enlist and keeps other people from
enlisting.

Garson














>>>>> "The soldier who breaks every regulation, yet is found on the firing
>>>>> line in the hour of battle, is better than the God-forsaken mutt who
>>>>> won't enlist, and does all he can to keep others from enlisting. In
>>>>> these days all are patriots or traitors, to your country and the cause
>>>>> of Jesus Christ."
>>>>>
>>>>> A slightly different version:
>>>>>
>>>>> 1917 _The Outlook_ (Apr. 17) 687: [A] man who breaks every military
>>>>> regulation and then goes into the trenches to face shot and shell is
>>>>> better than the miserable mutt who won't enlist - and who tells others
>>>>> not to enlist. In these days a man must be a patriot or a traitor.
>>>>>
>>>>> JL
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>>>>>
>>>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>>>
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>
>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org