THE PERVERSE COMMA.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 81, 26 May 1911, Page 5

THE PERVERSE COMMA.

"•’ho comma in the third- petition in the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy will he done, in earth as it is in heaven”—was the subject of an interesting; reply by Mr ■TJJin?--chiil ni the British I'arliaraent. Morel Hugh Cecil asked if Ids attention had been drawn to the alteradoa made in 1894, when the comm;; was transferred from after the word ■‘earth'’ and whether there was anv authority in the ‘‘Annexed Book” of 1332 or otherwise for the punctuation ■\ow adopted by the King’s printers. .Mr Churchill’s reply was as ' follows: —“1 have .carefully consulted various urthoritios concerned in tins mattor. 1 am advised, as was the Secretary •oI State for too Homo Department in 1902, that th > ptmekuatinu. of the .‘Annexed Book’ is throughout of such ;i peculiar dqsci iptioh .that it would, if exactly reproduc' d in modern type, ■io inconvenient ard confusing; -The an actuation of < • ilfcr ;.i. editions of ithdfßitmiabonl? fflfnr va’fiiß ably. The pn.nd>iisili:ri of the Lord’s Pfayor in the,‘Annexed Book’ varies hi diffcvdht pi tees, and in deciding • which punctuation they should adopt in liih prtiLion ‘Thy will bn done in earth it is in heaven,’ .1 presume that tha-’Kiug’n .Printers and the Uui-Vet-fiity■ presses ; consider tlioy liavo ■adopted that which represents the, mtraetura-of the Creek original. Per-•t-)i*ally, 1 tin in full agreement with Hm noble Lord on this point, and 1 :>m glad that we have found a common ground to stand on though it bo >:dy the breadth of a comma ; but I nave no power to issue any instruction.-. as to the punctuation of the Prayer-Look. Tim stru.i necessary uproar to be, Id si., tho issue by the King of Letters of Business to Convocation p secondly,' a recommendation of Convocation. The prospect of this being effected within the present session apepars to me remote.”