The Glow and Gusto of H. L. Mencken's So and So's

THE HUM AND DRUM OF WORD SOUNDS is irresistible and infectious. Words team up naturally and magnificently when they are linked in tandem by the coordinate conjunction and. This may be the primary reason why and is among the ten most frequently used words in the English language. Whenever I read the essays of Henry L. Mencken, I sense that and is the most frequently seen word in his canon. Now, this is all well and good. Unstinting and even extravagant use of and is no sin: witness the Authorized Version of The Bible or The Book of Common Prayer.