Immagini della pagina
PDF
ePub

agreeable union of elegance with propriety. He who is desirous of bringing the brilliancy of his talents into public notice, will be cautious in not permitting any thing, that may possibly derogate from his expected celebrity, to creep into his style, and however faulty it proves, when the publication of the first specimen empowers us to examine it, we must naturally suppose its deficiencies to have arisen from defect in abilities, rather than an intentional desire of displeasing. Hence the first beneficial result of a habit of composition, is, attention to the combination of beauty with correctness, in writing down our ideas, and consequently, the gradual acquirement of a proper manner of expressing ourselves in company, whatever may chance to be the subject of conversation. A little reflection will evince the truth of this conclusion. Let any one write down a number of observations on the most common topics, in as smooth and correct a style as he possibly can,-if perchance these same topics should, a short time afterwards, become the subject of discussion, in a company at which he was present, he will, in his quota of remarks, discover a greater and more peculiar fluency of speech, than he ever before remarked in himself, and, upon recollection, will find the same method of expression he had used in writing a short time before, resorted to, in his portion of the conversation he had just been engaged in. How then is it possible for frequent writing to prevent or destroy fluency in conversation, I cannot discover, while on the contrary it appears to me evident, that nothing can have a stronger and more apparent effect in improving and increasing it.

2. In composition, it is necessary to keep constantly in the memory, a number of words, terms, and even sentences, of the same signification, for nothing more effectually conduces to injure the harmony of writing than frequent repetitions of the same mode of expression, and even supposing a person, unpossessed of this valuable requisite, to be capable of avoiding tautology, yet his style will generally be unconnected, and his periods can never be rounded, with that ease and gracefulness, which are the principal characteristics of elegant writing. In common conversation, for the most part, we are not particularly studious,

[blocks in formation]

in avoiding that species of fault; and this, chiefly on account of our not readily perceiving any injurious effects it has on our usual mode of conversing; but when reading a disquisition on some interesting question, in which we generally look for smoothness and freedom from inelegant sameness, we quickly observe and condemn, every defect that either renders it harsh and dissonant, or that detracts in any way from its expected excellence.-Here then we call one thing-inelegant-merely because its deficiencies. are more observable than those, in what may, on superficial scrutiny, be considered as possessing the opposite quality; and this distinction is between studied composition and mere casual conversation. In the first, every, the minutest defect is at all times liable to be discovered:-in the latter many things escape notice, which, if remembered and criticised, would be found extremely improper: The one is itself a standing evidence against its author, while the faults of the other depend,for discovery and exposure, upon their retention in perhaps an uncertain and deceptive memory.-But it cannot certainly be ever considered as a sufficient reason for carelessness in conversation, that grammatical and other innaccuracies are not liable to be readily perceived in a speaker, while conversing, or at least if perceived not long remembered, and therefore to conclude, that correctness is never laudable or necessary, except in elaborate composition, we are to remember that, in the writings of almost every person, there is to be found a slight tincture of the peculiarities in phraseology for which, in conversation, they were always remarkable, and that, in general, the more correct a person is in speaking the fewer will be the inaccuracies perceivable in his writings. This, independent of any other consideration, is sufficient to illustrate the propriety of attending to elegance in conversation, and if this is proved to be promoted by frequent composition, it will be another argument to evince its great utility and importance. If, as has been shown, there is an absolute necessity for being acquainted with a great variety of words, of similar significations, in order to be enabled to write with purity and correctness, and, as has also been shown, what we are in the habit of writing will by degrees be infused into our common conversation, it must be obvious, that a habit of composition will tend to im

prove our speech, by accustoming us to make use of various phrases, different in expression though alike in meaning, and by these means, avoiding the disagreeable necessity of frequent repetition. From these, and a variety of other considerations that will not fail of suggesting themselves to the reader's understanding, it would appear, that instead of diminishing our capability of extempore speaking, a habit of composition will have strong and visible effects in increasing and improving it: but having considered this improvement, hitherto, as that only of fluency in private conversation, it will be necessary to examine, whether it will be equally apparent with respect to public oratory:-and here we will discover that the beneficial consequences of frequent writing are equally important.-Whoever wishes to speak extempore will, on his first attempt, commence his reflections, by forming in his mind a plan of procedure, which his imagination may suggest as most methodical and regular, and will afterwards mentally prepare a clothing, for such of his ideas, as he intends for the most prominent and striking parts of his argument.-That this is the man ner in which young men will usually proceed, when rising, for the first time, to address a public audience, whether a religious congregation, or a court and jury, I do not think it unreasonable to presume, and as I have before shown that mere private conver'sation is considerably improved by composition, I believe I may in justice infer from the conclusion I then made, that extempore public speaking is also facilitated by the same. For what makes the distinction between public oratory and private conversation? The one is a continued argument regulated in the correctness of its style by the same rules with conversation but different in manner, being usually addressed to a particular audience, and for a particular purpose: but still the object, as to the expression of sentiments, is the same in both, and must, to be approved, be equally correct and elegant.-Hence it must be abvious that fluency in speaking, without the previous preparation and committing to memory of what we intend advancing in our discourse, is augmented, by accustoming ourselves, when young, to compose frequently, and at the same time attentively, and that the neglect of this will de attended with effects, as deleterious on the other hand as these are beneficial. Perhaps it may be urged, that as composition gives one

[ocr errors]

a taste for elegance and refinement of sentiment in writing, a fear of being deficient in these requisites, may induce him to endeavour, in every case where such a thing is possible, to commit whatever he intends saying to paper, and, by retaining it in his memory, increase his fluency by artificial means. If ever such an inclination should predominate in a young man's breast, the duties of whose profession, require frequent speaking, as those of a lawyer, it certainly may in time, become injurious, but the very few instances that occur, where young men have ever had such inclinations, tends, more than any other argument, to prove the fallacy of this objection.—If a habit of composition tends to improve and increase fluency, although some, through diffidence, may, at first, write down the first and final parts of their speech or argument, yet, as mere bashfulness is the sole cause of this, the custom will soon be relinquished, and, when confidence is acquired, that fluency, which was before remarkable in the conversation of the speaker, becomes also a characteristic of his public oratory.

The prejudicial effects that may result from too unlimited an indulgence of an inclination for writing are not however to be slighted. Although the salutary consequences that will invariably follow a taste for elegant composition are many and important, yet the extreme predilection for continual scribbling sometimes evinced by young men, is not without its bad effects. If we indulge too much a desire for writing, we in time lose all attachment to any thing else.-The Belles Lettres have generally more attractions than the labyrinths and perplexities of the law; and, as young men are usually fonder of the beauties of elegant and nolite literature, than scientific, or abstruse legal essays, the inclination to pursue the one, may possibly end in the total neglect of the other. To avoid this is evidently necessary:-but the possibility of an inclination carrying us, in its gratification, to injurious extremes, is no evidence of its pursuit being improper when judiciously regulated by salutary restrictions: a resolution, not to transgress certain bounds, to choose certain subjects, connected, in some measure with the study or profession we are engaged in, to write only so much during one month, three months, or a year, and various other things of this kind, might be easily adhered to, and would produce the most beneficial results. Upon the whole I

am of opinion that if we confine our inclination for composition, within such limits, as the good sense of our superiors in abilities may assist us in establishing, frequent writing will, invariably prove of the greatest service, as well in rendering us fluent in conversation, and public speaking, as in learning us habits of investigation and research.

Having drawn out my remarks on this subject to a greater length than I at first designed, I am afraid, my dear sir, you will find my letter of an uninteresting length; however, as the subject of this communication is capable of a much more extensive consideration, I propose in some future essay to reexamine it with greater perspicuity, and according to a more regular and consistent plan.

I have sir the honor to be

your most obedient humble servant,

FOR THE PORT F、10.

H. Y.

MR. EDITOR,

I have transiently thought of the passage in Gray's Elegy which you pronounced unintelligible, and am confirmed in the interpretation I then gave it

E'en from the tomb, the voice of Nature cries,
'E'en in our ashes lives their wonted fires."

By taking the whole verse together it is evident the poet considers the dying man as already dead; as gone from the world and lost to it. There may be some violence in this anticipation; but, this admitted, Gray means to say that even at that time, our wonted fires, that is, our usual and natural affections, passions and desires will still exist and display themselves. We take consolation from the attentions of those we love, we look for their sympathy, even when they can avail us nothing; we cherish our natural affections and propensities, and have pleasure in them, even at the moment of their dissolution. The abstract philosopher; the mere reasoning metaphysician might say, that a man can die as well on a dunghill as in his chamber: alone,

« IndietroContinua »