Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1817-06-24

Smdu Cifuuxc if itS COHOCdttOu Dy
throwing the term of comparison nearer
read thus -" Whose agents were active,
and eager in the pursuit of the penalties
and regardless alike of the means, and of
the naischiefs of extorting them" A re-
markable instance of Mr.. Hays aversion
to the repetition of the same word i'm
the same sentence, a. his extreme prone
ness to diversity language, will be found
IN the following example =
Sir, several years ago, read, and very re-
Gently have agnn peruSed, little volume ON
the subject now before u.s."
Rather than repeat the word read the
word 'perused,' is introduced in its stead
which is not critically CORE; I. The
term again demandcda repetition ofthe
identical word read and would not be
satisfied with synonyme. He again pc
raSed-aithougll he had before read and
hadh before per0sed. 1t is admitted that
the terms read and perused i'm the
sense here used, are strictly synony NOUS
terms but the word again called for a
repeiiiIon of the same, and not substi-
tution of synonymous term, and cannot
be satisfied without such repetition.
The first two sentences of this speech
furnish another instance of this propen-
silly IN The preference given to the word
acknowledgement over admission af-
ter the previous use of The verb admit:
ar. Chairman,
admit, without HESITATE
or, that the object OF the Bill before YOU. is
the Subversion ct a system, which HAS existed
(under different moditications) for more than
three thousand years. Tbisacknowied cement,
am aware, leaves me exposed TO the :mputa-
ton on tenerity, for having brought that Bill
before the House"
Acknowledgment is not always confined
To d simple admission. 1t often implies
the admission of some previous error
1 ms MIR. Hay did not mean to admit !;
because he expressly disclaimed all err
ror. The term admission therefore,
ough. to have been preferred TO 'acknow-
Judgement ; because il would necessarily
have excluded all such implication.
Another instance might be added i'm
the substitution ofthe word suppression
for preyention, III the following SEN
tence:
Z" It is written with great perspicuity and
force, and undertakes to prove and does prove
that all the laws that have ever been made or
can be made, fer the suppression of what is call
cd Usuy, are not only useless, bat injurious"
Although Mr.. Hay was discussing
proposition for the prevention of Usury,
rather than repeat the term, which was
essentially characteristic, he introduces
new term, which is not even strictly sy-
nonynious; other quotations might be
made; but these are thought sufficient
to point at this particular propensity.
The dIversificatiCn CT language is gene
rally ornamental in composition andre
petition IS often monotOnous and unhar-
nonious. But the rule is subject to "a
great variety of exceptions. Repetitions
Gerry often give strength aud often harmo-
m0ny to sentences. May examples TO
TINS effect might be quoted from the most
finished pieces of composition, which The
English language affords: but as these
CRITICISMS are intended to be almost ex-
clusiveiy confined TO the speech under
examination only few striking exam
pies will be here introduced, from anoth-
er writer; especially as MIR. lila, has
limselfturnished an example of the Just
ness OF all these remarks in a single para
graph. These will be taken from Dry
dens celebrated ode, entitled Alexander's
Feast, or the Power of Music, of which
the Editors of the Encyclopedia speak in
the following ferns =" La this ode there
is wonderful suhlimiiy of thought, a
loftiEess and sweetness of expression
and most pleasing variety of numbers.''
The lovely That's by his side,
In Hover of youth and 5eauty's pride
Happy, happy, happy pair
None but the arave,
Eone but the brave,
None but the braUe deserve the fair"
again in the same odeare found the fol-
lowing repetitions
Bacchus' blessings are a treasure
Drinking is the soldiers pleasure
Rich the treasure
Sweet the pleasure;
Street tue pleasure after pain
And again:
g He sung Darius great and good,
by too severe fate
Fallen, fallen, fallen, fallen,
Fallen from his high estate
And weltering in his b.ood'
The paragraph in Mr.. Hays speech.
before referred to, is in the folio wing
words:
The opinions ofthis statesman, ou The aues.
ton before us, are expressed in the strongest
terms = will dare to speak OUT will ven
pause for moment, Mr.. Chairman, to observe
tne expression, dare speak out? Sir, that
word dare Us worthy of notice. Turgot felt
that he was treading on ground consecra.
TED by the prejudices of more tbania thousand
years, and It required an effort Of his moral
courage to speak the truth to the ears ofa pre-
Juhiced and deluded people. Sir, 1 feel the
ioi CO ot that word. know, | see, what preju-
hice Island feetihat he, who questions an opi
mon which has passed from generation TO gen
Grafton, without examination, does drre, when
he his own, even in this free and enlight-
cncd country"
Here MIR. Hay feels the peculiar force
OF this word dare so irresisfibly, that he
Is compelled TO repeat it, This he does
with great eloquence, three times; and
he would have improved this elouuence
by fourth repetition fit, in preference
TO- substituting it, with the relative
that If instead of the words-Sir. |
feel the force Of Maf word, Mr.. Hay had