Re: Onward and upward
Posted by Smokey Stover on June 11, 2006
In Reply to: Re: Onward and upward posted by ESC on June 11, 2006
: : Does anyone know who coined the phrase "onward and upward" and when it first came in to use? : ONWARD AND UPWARD - "We must continue to advance, to improve." "The Dictionary of Cliches" by James Rogers (Wings Books, Originally New York: Facts on File Publications, 1985) credits "The Present Crisis" (1844) by James Russell Lowell for this phrase. : Bartleby.com: : James Russell Lowell. 1819-1891 : : 128. The Present Crisis : : .New occasions teach new duties; Time makes ancient good uncouth; : They must upward still, and onward, who would keep abreast of Truth; : Lo, before us gleam her camp-fires! we ourselves must Pilgrims be, : Launch our Mayflower, and steer boldly through the desperate winter sea, : Nor attempt the Future's portal with the Past's blood-rusted key. : The whole poem is online at http://www.bartleby.com/102/128.html Accessed June 10, 2006. As a boy growing up in New York State, I was told that the state motto, Excelsior, meant Onward and upward. It probably only means Upward, but I'm happy to think the other. ╔ SS ╗ ╚ SS ╝
- Per ardua ad astra Lewis 12/June/06
(1)
|