Notes and Queries [pp. 439-440]

THE EDITOR'S REPOSITORY.
EAST AND NVEST AT THE NORTH POLE.-In the
Notes and Queries of the May number, 1864, of the
Repository I find the following in reference to east
and west at the north pole; namely, "Whatever be the
facing, if standing on the pole the First Reader defini tion is still applicable-namely, the right hand will be
east and the left hand west," and that to a person
standing on the south pole the right hand will be wvest
and the left hand east. In this conclusion J. B. R. is
in error; for if there be an east or west at the poles,
the truth would be just the reverse of his statement.
That is, to a person standing on the north pole the left
hand would be toward the east and the right hand
toward the west; on the south pole the right hand
would be toward the east and the left hand toward the
west. This can be pi actically demonstrated by placing
a representation of the human form on either of the
poles as represented on the ordinary terrestrial globe.
This demonstration or experiment will, however, prove
what is the truth; that is, at or from the north pole
there is, so far as relates to the cardinal points of the
compass and the surface of the earth, but one course,
and that is south; and at or from the south pole but
one course, and that is north.
Example.-Place yourself at any point on the surface of the earth and between the poles, and from
thence travel in a straight line toward either pole-your
course, if toward the north pole, will be north, and if
toward the south pole, south. Therefore, as you can
go to the north pole only by traveling north, you can
come from thence only by traveling south. Of course
the same rule applies to the south pole-you travel
south in going to it, and north in coming from it.
H. C. R.
ANOTHER ANSWER.-J. B. R.'s answer to Mary's
query as to east at thie north pole is, it seems to me,
a remarkable case of not seeing the point. Here is my
answer: If east and west, north and south are absolute
directions, then the axis of the earth, or any other line
parallel to that axis, is a north and south line; and
any line parallel to the plane of the equator and tangent to the earth at the feet of the spectator, is for
that spectator an east and west line. Now, for a spec
tator at either pole any one of the infinity of tangents
to the earth at his feet would be parallel to the plane
of the equator; hence, any and every one of the innumerable tangents to the earth at either pole would be
an east and west line; that is, every direction would
be east and west; which is equal to saying to Mary
that at the poles there is no east and west. But if we
take the popular notion and say east is toward sunrise, then also it is true that at the poles every direction-that is, no direction-is east and west; for in
every possible point in the horizon of one at the pole
does the sun rise. And if we further say south is
toward the equator on the earth's surface for one north
of it, then we might say to Mary that at the north pole
every possible direction is east, and west, and south at
the same time, since every possible direction is both
toward the equator and toward sunrise and sunset.
Let J. B. R. turn to his Second Reader. J. P. L.
AN EPICENE PERSONAL PRONOUN NEEDED.-To secure precision without violating a plain rule in grammar, or employing a tedious circumlocution, we need
an additional word in our language —a personal pronoun of the third person, singular number, and common gender, corresponding with such nouns as person,
parent, child; and also to a masculine or feminine
noun, where both are coupled by the disjunctive or;
e. g., we hear such expressions as these: "If a person
would be happy, they must be good;" or "such person
must be good." In such a case neither "he," "she,"
nor "they" is proper, for obvious reasons, and "such
person" is too tedious.
Again: "If a man or woman would be saved,...
must repent and believe the Gospel." As only one is
referred to in this sentence, it would not do to fill the
blank they, and as the one is not specified-it may be
either-neither a masculine nor feminine pronoun would
be correct, unless both were employed; as, "If a man
or woman would be saved, he or she," etc.
Might we not, in this age of improvement, by some
means supply this much-needed word? How would
the following answer? Nom. ve, poss. vis, obj. vian.
Then the above blank might be filled thus: "If a man
or woman would be saved, ve must repent," etc. A
little practice would make the use of the word facile,
and thus precision, perspicuity, and brevity would be
secured. PHILOLOGUS.
HISTORICAL QUERY.-In Harris's "Pre-Adamite
Earth," where the author is describing the geological
strata, the following eloquent passage occurs: "Quitting the living surface of the green earth and entering
on our downward path, our first step may take us below
the dust of Adam, and beyond the limits of recorded
time. From the moment we leave the mere surfacesoil, and touch even the nearest of the tertiary beds,
all traces of human remains disappear; so that let our
grave be as shallow as it may in even the latest stratifled bed, we have to make it in the dust of a departed
world. Formation now succeeds formation, composed
chiefly of sand, and clay, and lime, and presenting a
thickness of more than a thousand feet each. As we
descend through these, one of the most sublime fictions
of mythology becomes sober truth; for at our every step
an age flies past." I desire to know what fiction of
mythology is referred to in the last paragraph? I do
not now recollect any thing in classical mythology corresponding to it; but there is something like it in fairy
tale, and, I think, in the Arabian Nights' Entertainment. Will some one of the classical readers of the
Repository help me to the elucidation of this simile,
and give me the source of the fable, or the tradition
upon which it is founded? Perhaps the Northern mythology of Europe may furnish the answer to my query.
W.
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