Words and Phrases.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20275, 9 April 1934, Page 6

Words and Phrases.

“JJUMAN CALAMITIES,” Mr Shaw’s name for young Englishmen who have been pitchforked into journalism because they are too inaccurate to be employed in business or bookkeeping, can hardly be regarded as an exaggeration, for a calamity is something that causes great distress, trouble or affliction to individuals or the community, and there is no doubt that scribblers of this kind are an extensive evil. Calamity, disaster' misfortune, mishap/ and mischance are related words, but calamity is the strongest, for it supposes a somewhat continuous state, produced not usually by the direct agency of man but by natural causes such as fire, flood, tempest, disaster and so on. Disaster denotes literally “ illstarred,” as some unforeseen and distressing event, which comes suddenly upon us as if from a hostile planet. Misfortune is often due to no specific cause and may be simply the bad fortune of an individual, a link in the chain of events, or an evil independent of his own conduct and not to be charged as a fault. Mischance and mirhap are misfortunes of a trivial nature. Calamity is either public or private, but more frequently public. A disaster is rather particular than private, and affects things rather than persons. Misfortunes are usually personal; they immediately affect the interests of the individual. TOUCHSTONE.