Word: meaningless
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Dates: during 1880-1889
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...publish to-day a communication from the executive committee of the Harvard Union. The charges recently made by the Advocate that the Union was degenerating and that meaningless speeches met with applause, and that ranting was considered brilliant, are reviewed at length. We hope that all the friends of the Union will read all the articles upon the subject which have been published, and thoughtfully make an unbiased judgment, for if the charges made by the Advocate and our correspondent are true, the training which the speakers in the Union are getting must be very harmful to their powers...
...with especial force to a portion of it. To effect this, the author must deal with sentiments common to the generality of human beings; but in addition must have in view a clearly defined artistic result. In the "machinery" of the action, there must be nothing which shall be meaningless or contrary to the current of sympathies aroused by the play as a whole. The events must be managed in such a way as not to jar even upon the social traditions of the audience. Care must be taken to have the misfortunes happen to those characters which...
...enjoyed by all. The strong part of the play, however, lay in the acting of Cushing, Hearst, and Swinscoe. These three gentlemen have an uncommon power of producing comic effect. Their superiority to the other performers was partly due to a careful avoidance, on their part, of all meaningless gesticulation. Swinscoe and Hearst immediately won the favor of the audience by their irresistible humor, and acrobatic movements. Cushing's ballet, in itself a work of art in that line, was made most ludicrous by the gigantic proportions assumed by his body in ballet costume. The low stage, and the level...
...both forcible and graceful. The many descriptions, in particular, are remarkably well done. However, one may regard the weirdness of the story, and the fancifulness of the plot, everyone will agree that as a piece of literary workmanship the book is almost perfect. There are some vague and rather meaningless sentences scattered through it, but all in all, the manner in which the story is written is beyond criticism...
...third without disqualification. The referee has also the power to disqualify for violation of the "unfair-tactics" rule; but referees were instructed to exercise "ordinary common sense,' and not make disqualification a mere means for judges to accomplish the withdrawal of a player whom they feared, not yet a meaningless term at which all would laugh and no one fear. The other changes are slight, rule 11 being filled up by pushing back 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. The ball is not put in play after a catch by two touching it; but if it touches the ground...