Cant is always offensive, but especially religious cant. This offends more than the taste, for it shocks the religious sensibility and the sense of true veneration. Sometimes a preacher may be found who, instead of bringing cant into common life, introduces slang into the sacred desk: as

"Give me two live men, and I'll run this church."

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'The question of the day, my brethren, is not 'How are your poor feet?' but 'How are your poor souls ?'"

§ 273. VULGARISMS.

6. Vulgarisms of all kinds, including provincialisms and solecisms, are gross offences. Most of these need not be named; but a certain class of affectations come under this head, and deserve a brief notice. The use of pretentious words is vulgar; as, While these events were "transpiring," for "occurring" "demise," for "death;""eventuate;" "inaugurate;" "reliable," for "trustworthy;" "this section;" "endorse," for "approve."

Sometimes low and degrading expressions are used even by the best writers. Burke never shrank from saying anything. For example, he says:

"They are not repelled, through a fastidious delicacy, at the stench of their arrogance and presumption, from a medicinal attention to their mental blotches and running sores."

This might have been less disgusting and equally strong. Of the same nature is the image of Lord Chatham's administration, "pigging together in the same truckle-bed ;" and that still more famous one of Mr. Dundas, with his East India bills, 'exposed like the imperial sow of augury."

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CHAPTER III.

THE HARMONIOUS ARRANGEMENT Of words.

§ 274. HARMONY IN THE ARRANGEMENT OF WORDS REQUIRES

BOTH EUPHONY AND ELEGANCE.

We have next to consider harmony in the arrangement of words.

The words must not only be well chosen, but they must also be well arranged; otherwise the most musical collection may be inharmonious in the general effect.

Hence euphony and elegance must both be sought after. Elegance in sentences exists where the words are well chosen, and so arranged as to gratify the taste.

Euphony in sentences exists where the general arrangement of the words is such as will give pleasure to the ear, and will serve to adorn the sentiment.

In the following passage from Kinglake's Eothen the words are all euphonious, and the arrangement is full of harmony:

"The mystery of holy shrines lies deep in human nature. For however the more spiritual minds may be able to rise and soar, the common man during his mortal career is tethered to the globe that is his appointed dwelling-place; and the more his affections are pure and holy, the more they seem to blend with the outward and visible world. For men strongly moved by the Christian faith it was natural to yearn after the scenes of the Gospel narrative. In old times this feeling had strength to impel the chivalry of Europe to undertake the conquest of a barren and distant land; and although in later days the aggregate faith of the nations grew chill, and Christendom no longer claimed with the sword, still there were always many who were willing to brave toil and danger for the sake of attaining to the actual and visible Zion."

There are several topics arising out of this subject which are worthy of attention. These refer to the arrangement of words and of clauses, and will be considered in order.

§ 275. HARMONIOUS SUCCESSION OF WORDS.

1. The arrangement of words must be so made as to conduce to harmony.

Ist. The words should follow in harmonious succession. A good example of this may be found in the following passage:

"On the fifth day of the moon, which, according to the custom of my forefathers, I always keep holy, after having washed myself and offered up my morning devotions, I ascended the high hills of Bagdad, in order to pass the rest of the day in meditation and prayer.”—ADDISON.

If attention be paid to the succession of words in this sentence, it will be found that they all flow onward with smoothness and euphony, each being in its proper place, and that the pauses are so disposed as to contribute in the highest degree to the harmonious effect of the whole. The elegance of this construction will be better seen by contrasting it with another passage of a different nature, in which out of carelessness the subject is protracted through several awkward clauses:

"To behold the little band emerging from the mountain passes, moving quietly on till by numerous additions it marches forward with something of the appearance of an armed host, which again gathering fresh strength continually enlarges, and we look on a mighty army driving all its enemies before it, or watch it entering in triumph the capital of the empire, is a glorious sight."

The chief thing to be noticed here is the fault by which the sense is held in suspense throughout the whole sentence, until the close is reached. The intervening clauses are also dealt with in a careless and awkward manner.

§ 276. MODIFYING WORDS.

2d. The insertion of modifying words is sometimes made in such a way as to give offence to the cultivated taste. This will be explained by the following examples:

"The then commercial grandeur of England."-Burke.

This is a Greek idiom, not an English, and its effect is unpleasant to the ear.

Mr. Piazzi Smith writes as follows:

"The interpretation of the admittedly on all hands most ancient Great Pyramid."

And again :

"The eternity of dead matter philosophy."

Such constructions are not in accordance with the genius of the English language.

"The too great distance of the city prevented him from arriving on the same day."

Better say: The distance of the city was too great, etc.

"They have a by far larger population."

Better A larger population by far.

§ 277. IMPERSONAL CONSTRUCTIONS.

3d. Impersonal constructions are sometimes inelegant. These, when properly used, are elegant and forcible: as

"It is gone! that sensibility of principle, that chastity of honor, which felt a stain like a wound."-Burke.

But the following are very different :

"It is known to all persons, the great suffering that ensued immediately after the declaration of war."

"It made great disturbance, that action of his, among the people of the district."

§ 278. APPENDED CLAUSES.

4th. Clauses inserted as an after-thought generally interfere with the harmonious arrangement of sentences: as—

"Thus by this campaign, if by nothing else, he showed that in military genius he was the greatest of men—that is, at least, of the men of his own age."

“Under his reign England was more prosperous than at any other time in the Saxon era, and this may even be favorably compared with later periods, making allowance, of course, for the inferiority of the world generally -that is, in civilization."

In these sentences there is a natural end, after which some additional thought is appended, which serves to give the whole an air of incompleteness.

§ 279. EXPLANATORY WORDS.

5th. Too many explanatory words are a fault, such as "of course,' ," "that is," "as is natural." This gives an air of dislocation to the whole sentence, and not unfrequently destroys its effect.

§ 280. PREPOSITIONS.

6th. Prepositions are sometimes separated from the words which they govern:

"This state of things could not continue long, for the people were both disgusted with and enraged at his tyranny."

Better Were both disgusted with his tyranny and enraged at it.

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"If the boy had been less obstinate he might have escaped, for the judges were pleased with and affected by his frankness and youth." Better: Were pleased with his frankness and affected by his youth.

§ 281. THE VARIATION OF CONNECTIVES.

2. There are many ways of joining words and clauses together. Of these, the most common is the conjunction "and;" but since the frequent repetition of this word is inelegant, it becomes necessary to vary the connectives as much as possible.

Languages differ in this respect. In Greek there are numerous connectives, of which the particle dé is used to an extent not allowable in other languages, and not transferable to English. Latin, although possessing many conjunctions, does not tolerate their undue repetition. The best writers seek other modes of binding clauses and sentences together; and so admirable are their devices to this end with relatives, participles, and adverbs, that the study of them is of great benefit to the English writer. In English, as in Latin, perpetual variety in this respect is needed, and it should be the aim of every one to find out and put in practice the different ways in which this can be effected. Of these, the following are the most com

mon:

"Now," for "and:"

"The nobility and the clergy were both opposed to his claims, and created a strong opposition; and he at first pretended to favor each, so as to weaken the hostility against him, but he at length threw off the mask."

By putting a full stop after opposition, and changing the following "and" into "now," a great improvement will be made. "Nor:"

"The prospects of Protestantism in France and Belgium are certainly not flattering; and in Italy the impartial mind cannot as yet find much encouragement."

Better Nor in Italy can the impartial mind.

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