this sort of barbarism: "While seated in the bungalow, waiting for the palanquin, there arose a sudden outcry from the Tatmutgars, followed by rapid drum-beats. We started up, but the moonshee, noticing our agitation, said, 'Don't be alarmed, Sahib, it's only the Gooroos with their tomtoms."

$45. NEW COMPOUND WORDS.

In addition to those words which are absolutely new, there is another class made up of old words already existing, but presented as compounds.

Two classes of compound words are here to be observed. First, those of foreign derivation. To this class belong those which are derived from Greek or Latin sources, and are used for scientific or other purposes. These, however, come into the language already compounded, and therefore belong to the new words already mentioned. The point now under discussion refers to a second class, namely, those new compounds which are made up of words already existing in the English language.

The growth of language arises chiefly from two causes: first, tropes, by which concrete terms are turned from a literal to a figurative meaning; and, secondly, composition, by which words already existing are compounded, and thus formed into a new term. All languages in their early stages have this power of composition, and a large number of words in every language are compounds.

The English language has less power of composition than any other of the Teutonic family. The Latin was very deficient in this respect, and the languages which have been derived from it show the same peculiarity. The Greek, on the other hand, had a great capability for this, which belongs in an equal degree to the modern German. The Anglo-Saxon had the same capacity; but in the Early English period it had become weakened if not lost, and the decay of this power in our language is chiefly due to the influence of the Norman French.

When we consider the newly compounded words of the present day, we find that their source is chiefly in science and invention. Leaving aside Greek and Latin compounds for reasons already mentioned, let us consider those of English origin.

1. Science and Learning.—In these departments we have such

words as "stone-period," "flint-folk," "bronze-folk," "moundbuilders," "folk-lore," "hand-book."

2. Invention.-"Steamboat," "railroad," "diving-bell," "sewing-machine," "tramway," "gun-cotton," "iron-clad," "gaspipe."

3. Discovery." India-rubber," "soapstone," "

gum-tree." 4. The movement called "Spiritualism" has given rise to many words, such as "table-tipping," "spirit-rapping," etc.

§ 46. FAULTS IN THE USE OF NEW COMPOUND WORDS. The genius of the English language is so alien to the formation of compound words that faults are not as frequent here as elsewhere. The influence of other languages in the introduction of new words has already been noticed. Greek, Latin, French, and Italian furnish a large supply; but upon the class of words now under consideration these languages have no influence. The Greek and Latin give us words already compounded, but they do not cause the English language to make new compounds out of words already in use. Another language has some influence in this respect, and that is the German. This is due to several causes.

1. The German has a power of composition not equalled by any other of the great modern languages.

2. German philosophy has a commanding position, and is illustrated by several schools, each of which has its own nomenclature made up out of German words; and English thinkers who discuss philosophical subjects are often forced to transfer German compounds to their own language.

3. These words in many cases have roots which exist in English also.

In the case of scientific writing every liberty must be allowed; and as the botanist may freely make use of Greek words, so the metaphysician may employ German. But in general literature the case is different, and English imitations of German compounds are to be condemned.

These may be illustrated by such terms as the following: "Word-building," "time-spirit," "nature-spirit," "earth-soul," "woman-nature," "world-idea," "hero-saint," "art-show," "soul-life," "wonder-smith," "life-pleasure," "youth-season." Another class of objectionable compounds may be found in

cases where a noun is turned into a verb, as "the population had fivefolded." Here the word fivefold is transformed into another part of speech. We may say "the population had doubled" or "tripled," but not "fourfolded" or "fivefolded." These last resemble such expressions as to dress-make," "to shoe-make," "to ship-build," which are sometimes used in jest, but never in earnest.

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§ 47. CONCLUDING REMARKS.

In concluding this subject, we may notice several important truths.

1. Obsolete words in certain branches of literature are allowable, and even in general prose they are not so unwelcome now as formerly, but may be used under certain restrictions.

2. New words are incessantly coming forward, and much discrimination is needed in order to decide what are and what are not offences against purity of style.

3. Compound words, though far less numerous, stand in the same position as new words.

4. In every age grammarians and rhetoricians have denounced words, which have come into use in spite of them.

5. In view of these facts, the best course to be taken by one who seeks to preserve purity of style is to maintain a judicious conservatism. This is best stated in the lines of Pope :

"In words as fashions the same rule doth hold,

Alike fantastic if too new or old;

Be not the first by whom the new is tried,
Nor yet the last to lay the old aside."

§ 48. PURITY ALSO REQUIRES CONFORMITY TO GRAMMAR AND

IDIOM.

In order to write pure English, it is further necessary that there be no departure from those forms of speech which are established by the laws of grammar or sanctioned by the best idiomatic usage. The violation of either of these is called a solecism. This word is of Greek origin, and is said to have arisen from the corruption of the Attic dialect among the Athenian colonists of Solæ, a town in Cilicia.

The solecism includes all violations of good usage, all those faults in speech commonly called "bad grammar." It is not

necessary to dwell upon the importance of grammatical correctness in style. It must be evident that pure English consists in something more than well-chosen words; and that these words, when connected together in phrases, must accord with the standard which has been established by the best authority. English grammar requires far more attention than it usually receives from the literary man. It may not be so logical or so symmetrical as that of the classical languages, and there may be not a few points about which professed grammarians differ; yet it may be affirmed that this very looseness and comparative lawlessness arises from the world-wide comprehensiveness which distinguishes it, and it should incite every writer to master whatever difficulties there may be.

The solecism is a subject that belongs to grammar, and not to rhetoric, and all violations of the rules of syntax may be found fully discussed in the works of Latham, Fowler, Angus, and others.

CHAPTER V.

PERSPICUITY IN SENTENCES.

$ 49. PERIODIC AND SIMPLE STRUCTURE.

PERSPICUITY depends not only upon the choice of words, but also upon their arrangement.

Sentences, in their various divisions of simple, complex, and compound, naturally fall into two great classes-long and short; and these produce such an effect upon the manner of composition that style itself has been classified upon this basis. Where the writing is chiefly characterized by long sentences, it has been called "style periodique," and also "style soutenu;" where short sentences abound, it has been called “style coupé.” These words, however, have not yet been naturalized in our language, and the terms "periodic structure" and "simple structure" are for various reasons preferable. Of the two, the simple structure is the more conducive to perspicuity, for where the sentences are long great care is needed that the clauses be kept in their proper order and relation; that the leading subject

be retained prominently before the mind; and that too many things be not crowded together. In short sentences the difficulties are not so great; and although they have their own faults, yet obscurity is by no means one of them.

French prose literature is considered by competent critics. as superior to all others in perspicuity, and it is a significant fact that the simple structure prevails there to a greater extent than elsewhere. The French writer aims in the first place to make his meaning clear, and seems to feel instinctively that this aim may be best secured by the short sentence. On the other hand, that of Germany is distinguished by its lack both of brilliancy and perspicuity; while at the same time it is marked by the frequent recurrence of long, clumsy, and unwieldy periods. German prose literature has produced no group of great writers like those of Rome, France, and England; and its chief fault lies in the persistent choice and careless treatment of long sentences. The genius of the language commends the periodic structure to the German writer, but this is no excuse for the awkward manipulation of words.

In English prose there are abundant examples of both styles. The long sentence characterizes the writings of Hooker, Milton, Johnson, Gibbon, and De Quincey, while the short sentence is the chief feature in Bacon's Essays, and in the works of Addison, Sterne, Lamb, and Macaulay.

This subject is well presented by De Quincey in the following passage:

"In French authors, whatever may otherwise be the differences of their minds or the differences of their themes, uniformly we find the periods short, rapid, unelaborate. Pascal or Helvetius, Condillac or Rousseau, Montesquieu or Voltaire, Buffon or Duclos-all alike are terse, perspicuous, brief. Even Mirabeau or Chateaubriand, so much modified by foreign intercourse, on this point adhere to their national models. Even Bossuet or Bourdaloue, where the diffuseness and amplitude of oratory might have been pleaded as a dispensation, are not more licentious in this respect than their com patriots. One rise in every sentence, one gentle descent—that is the law for French composition, even too monotonously so; and thus it happens that such a thing as a long, involved sentence could not be produced from French literature, though a sultan were to offer his daughter in marriage to the man who should find it.

"The character of German prose is an object of legitimate astonishment. Whatever is bad in our own ideal of prose style, whatever is most repulsive in our own practice, we see there carried to the most outrageous excess.