Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 4 · column 6 of 7 · from the scan, no model involved
ary. Right after the entry for garter snake, I found the word and its definition: “a grassy quadrangle surrounded by cloisters".
Oh dear, I thought. The countyard is not grassy; it is not a quadrangle; and it is not surrounded by cloisters. Would Trinity Church have to get rid of its garth and get something else? I tried another dictionary; “an open courtyard enclosed by a cloister”.
Well, that wasn’t much help either. How could a courtyard be both open and enclosed? But I was gaining hope and I tried still a third dictionary: "a small yard or enclosure”. It was a perfect fit.
Unfortunately, this dictionary also said that garth was archaic and I had no reason to think that there was anything archaic about Trinity Church. So I looked in my last dictionary: “a piece of enclosed ground, usually beside a building, a yard, garden or paddock.” Not only did this definition suit the situation, there was no mention of anything being archaic. The dictionary even included a citation showing that the word had been used as recently as 1809. ‘ ;
The parishioners of Triniy Church can now call their courtyard a garth without objection from rr{e. In turn, I hope they will let me vi$it both the Quiet Place and the garth now and then. They are lovely and I promise to be quiet. ’
W. MICHAEL MAHONEjY
Washington
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