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character and firmness, as inevitable destiny urges its onward career."

4. "Jostled and constrained by the crosses and inequalities of "its prescribed path, hedged in by impassable barriers which fix "limits to its movements, it yields groaning to its fate, and still "travels forward seamed with the scars of many a conflict with op"posing obstacles." An example of strength through the description of vast forces at work, rendered impressive by apt and unhackneyed metaphors. The participial construction is again happily made use of. The last words with many opposing obstacles,' add to the power of the passage, only on the supposition that the previous word 'conflict' does not suggest the multiplicity and manysidedness of the opposition that is encountered.

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5. "All this while, although wasting, it is renewed by an unseen power—it evaporates, but is not consumed." It might be hypercritical to object to the mixed metaphor, 'consumed,' seeing that the original meaning is seldom thought of in its multifarious applications; there is, however, a certain discord in joining it with the scientifically literal word 'evaporate.' In other respects, the clause is an agreeable iteration, and fills up the cadence of the

sentence.

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6. "On its surface it bears the spoils which, during the progress "of its existence, it has made its own;—often weighty burdens de"void of beauty or value,—at times precious masses, sparkling with gems or with ore." A new circumstance to heighten the interest of the description, and add to the particulars of the comparison. In the first part, some changes might be made to save the repetition of the pronoun. "On its surface are the spoils appropriated in the progress of its existence." The second part illustrates one important use of the apposition clause, namely, to give special examples of a previous generality; it being desirable to include such particulars, if possible, in the same sentence as the general.

7. "Having at length attained its greatest width and extension, "commanding admiration by its beauty and power, waste predomi"nates over supply, the vital springs begin to fail; it stoops into

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an attitude of decrepitude;—it drops the burdens, one by one, "which it had borne so proudly aloft; its dissolution is inevitable." The language is well chosen for maintaining the strength of the description. Still, there is a certain looseness that might be remedied; and the author has not escaped the snare, in grammar, of the participial construction. "At length attaining its greatest ampli

EX. I.]

FORBES ON THE GLACIER.

297

tude, commanding admiration by its power and beauty, it begins to decline; the vital springs fail; waste predominates over nourishment ['supply' is too literal]; it stoops into decrepitude,—drops, one by one, the burdens it had borne so proudly aloft,—approaches to dissolution."

8. "But as it is resolved into its elements, it takes all at once, a "new, and livelier, and disembarrassed form :—from the wreck of "its members it arises, another, yet the same,'—a noble, full"bodied, arrowy stream, which leaps rejoicing over the obstacles "which before had staid its progress, and hastens through fertile "valleys towards a freer existence, and a final union in the ocean "with the boundless and the infinite." The force of the description is here more remarkable than the suitableness of the comparison. A few minor amendments may be suggested. "In being resolved into its elements, it takes of a sudden, a new, a disembarrassed, and livelier form :—from the wreck of its members it arises, 'another, yet the same;' as a noble, full-bodied, arrowy stream, it leaps rejoicing over the obstacles that had once hemmed it in, and hastens through fertile tracts ['valleys' too literal] towards a freer existence, and a final union with the element ['ocean' literal) of the boundless and the infinite."

The laws of the paragraph are here fully complied with. The opening sentence brings forward the subject. The other sentences are arranged on the parallel construction, the requisite variety being obtained without inverting the subject and predicate. The close of each sentence is occupied with a phrase suitable to the place of emphasis. The whole paragraph moves on to a climax.

Exteaot II.—The following is part of Locke's illustration of the decay of our mental acquisitions. It exemplifies figures of Similitude profusely applied to the mind; the production of Feeling or Pathos, so as to impart human interest in scientific exposition; and various minute points in the structure of the sentence and the paragraph.

1. "The memory of some men is very tenacious, even to a "miracle [slightly hyperbolical];* (but) yet there seems to be a

* A parenthesis occurring in the quotations means that the word or words enclosed might be left out. The words in single inverted commas are words proposed to be inserted, sometimes in the room of others to be left out, and sometimes as a pure addition. The original text will be known by including the words in parenthesis, and omitting those in in

"constant decay of all our ideas, even of those (which are) struck "deepest, and in minds the most retentive; (so that) if they be not "sometimes renewed by repeated exercise of the senses or 'by' "reflection on (those kinds of objects which) 'on the objects that' "at first occasioned them, the print wears out, and at last there "remains nothing to be seen [pleonastic; omit last clause, or say "and at last nothing remains "].”

Here we have a variety of metaphors for describing the intellectual function called memory. The second half of the sentence, commencing after the semicolon, is a mere iteration of the other half, and should not be introduced by a conjunction expressing consequence ('so that') or by any conjunction whatever.

2. "Thus the ideas, as well as 'the' children of our youth, often "die before us; and our minds represent to us (those tombs to "which we are approaching) 'the tombs we are approaching,' "where though the brass (and) 'or' marble remain, (yet) the in"scriptions are effaced by time, and the imagery moulders away." An admired stroke of feeling. It fulfils all the conditions of effective pathos. The allusion is to the perennial subject of pathos; it is an original, or at least an unhackneyed comparison; and the harmony or keeping is perfect. And' might be dispensed with, both after the semicolon and before the concluding clause, on the ground of iteration.

8. "Pictures drawn in our minds are laid in fading colors, and, 66 unless sometimes refreshed, vanish and disappear [tautology]." An additional illustration; the keeping of the metaphors being still preserved. The comma after' colors' might be a semicolon; the 'and' being omitted on account of iteration.

4. The concluding long sentence passes off into a physical explanation of the fact of decay. Being a distinct theme, of great importance and difficulty, it should have been the subject of a separate paragraph. "How much the constitution of our bodies, and "the make of our animal spirits are concerned in this, and whether "the temper of the brain makes this difference, that in some it re

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tains the characters drawn on it like marble, in others like free"stone, and in others little better than sand, I shall not here inquire; though it may seem probable, that the constitution of the

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verted commas; the amended text by leaving out the words in parentheses, and reading those in commas. Brackets are used for enclosing a passing critical remark.

EX. II.]

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LOCKE ON MEMORY.

299

"body does sometimes influence the memory; since we oftentimes "find a disease quite strip the mind of all its ideas, and the flames "of a fever in a few days calcine all those images to dust and con'fusion, which seemed to be as lasting as if graved on marble." There are various defects in this sentence. It contains matter for two. "I do not here inquire how far our bodily constitution and animal spirits [tautology] are concerned in the effect, or whether the temper of the brain is so various that in one man it retains the characters drawn on it, as if on marble, and in another no better than on sand. We may, however, consider it probable that the constitution of the body to a certain extent influences memory; for we often observe that a disease will strip the mind of all its ideas, and the flames of a fever in a few days calcine to dust and confusion images apparently as lasting as if graved on marble."

Extbact III.—In the Philosophy of Rhetoric, Campbell gives a good example of the Allegory, as it may be admitted into modern composition. The passage may also be used to exemplify other important features of style.

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1. These two qualities, therefore, Peobabilitt and PLAUSIBIL"" 'ITY (if I may be indulged a little in the allegorical style),* I shall "call sister-graces, daughters of the same father, Experience, who "is the progeny of Memory, the first-born and heir of Sense." This sentence commences properly with what is the principal subject both of the sentence and of the entire paragraph. The ending is not so good; the two concluding clauses do not give the prominent feature in the predicate ('sister-graces, daughters of Experience'), but certain subordinate or explanatory facts. It might not be easy to remedy this entirely, but the following amendment goes a certain way:- -"I shall call sister-graces, daughters of the same father Experience, himself the progeny of Memory, who was the first-born and heir of Sense." As the two clauses are at present constructed, the second seems as if in apposition to the first. If it were not for the objection to multiplying parentheses, the two clauses might be cast into the parenthetic form, so as still to leave the place of emphasis to the essential part of the predicate.

2. "These daughters Experience had by different mothers." A suitable inversion to maintain the principal subject in its place; also a form of explicit reference (p. 147).

* Author's parenthesis.

3. "The elder is the offspring of Reason, the younger is the child "of Fancy." The variation from 'offspring' to 'child,' so obviously made for the sake of variety, might have been avoided; moreover, there is a defect in not stating which of the two,—Probability or Plausibility—is the elder; the reader is left to infer the author's intention from the fact that Probability is named first. We might say, "Probability, the elder, is the child of Reason; Plausibility, the younger, the child of Fancy."

4. "The elder, regular in (her) features, and majestic both in "shape and 'in' mien, is admirably fitted (for commanding) 'to "command' esteem, and even (a religious) veneration; the young"er, careless (?), blooming, sprightly, is (entirely) 'altogether' 66 formed for captivating the heart and (engaging) ' inspiring' love." The word 'careless,' as placed here, is out of harmony; it would perhaps be better as a contrast or reservation; 'the younger blooming and sprightly, but careless.' Were not the two concluding expressions tautological (although an admissible tautology), 'engaging' should be preceded by 'for.'

5. "The conversation of each is entertaining and instructive, "but in different ways." Otherwise, "Both are in conversation entertaining and instructive, but in different ways; "the principal subject is 'both,' and 'conversation' belongs to the predicate. I conceive, however, that the emphatic part of the predicate is 'entertaining and instructive,' which ought, therefore, to be placed last. (sentence, § 154.)

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6. "Sages seem to think that there is more instruction to be "(gotten) 'got' from the just observations of the elder; almost all are agreed that there is more entertainment in the lively sallies "of the younger." There is an inversion of the order, in opposition to the Second Rule of the Paragraph, evidently for the sake of variety. To make the matter worse, the place of honor at the beginning is occupied by a subordinate word. "It seems to be the opinion of sages, that the just observations of the elder contribute most to our instruction; it is agreed by almost all, that the lively sallies of the younger have more entertainment." 'Elder' and 'younger' are still in the place of prominence.

7. "The principal companion and favorite of the first is Truth, "but whether Truth or Fiction share most in the favor of the sec"ond it were often difficult to say." The 'one' and the 'other,' should be used, before having recourse to the 'first' and the 'second.' Or it might be now allowable to repeat the names, which

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