THE "JOHN BURNS" CORRESPONDENCE.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume XXII, Issue 1117, 30 April 1891, Page 3

THE "JOHN BURNS" CORRESPONDENCE.

1 TO THE EDITOR < Sir, —When I wrote givivg you our ex- j perience of the work done by the " Buckeye < Elevator " I did not intend to enter on a 1 newspaper controversy. Neither Co I now , so intend, but uafortunately I misunderstood 1 the drift of the letter signed " John Burns." Naturally, sir, when I read Mr. Burns' re- ! marks I came to the conclusion that he wished i to warn the readers of your papsr thst the 1 " Buckeye Elevator " was not all it should be. To my mind there could be no other good reason for the letter, the only other alternative being that he wished to iuform the pnblic that John Burns did not know how to work the machine—a supposition not at all tenable. However, ■ I was wrong, it seems, and must humbly apologise. The " Buckeye" is all right—it is Mr. Campbell who is to he disparaged. Had I been able to read between the lines I need not have blundered. As to the correction of my English, I must thank Mr. Burns—no doubt he j is an authority on that point—but there have beeu inventors of even history—aud also letters. Ido not know whether the wording of the last part of Mr. Burns' letter is correct or not, but if it is the sense is somewhat obscured. It is not very clear as to whether his name is to appear among the great ones of the earth, or whether John Burns resembles those great ones owing to the fact that his patronymic is. not likely to appear amongst theirs. I suppose, however, lam too obtuse to follow the intricacies of Mr. Burns' English. Perhaps he may read it for me. Now, sir, I have already written more than I I intended, and, as it is not my practice to I bandy personalities; must decline to carry j on any further correspondence the motive for which has on the other side been admittedly a personal one.—l am, etc., ' J. J. RAMSAY. Springfield, Hyde, April 25.