The native American. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1840, 1839-11-23
From the Weekly Hisiter.
LETTERS LEA FATHER TO HIS SONS PUR,
SUING THEIR EDUCATION.
October 49,. ls39.

~
SUING THEIR EDUCATION. !.
...... ..'::...>. L. October 49,. 1870.
My DEAR Sons In the letter | wrote YOU
some ten days ago gave you general advice.
L now wish to.direct our attention TO, some par
ticulars which hope will be OF service to You
in the literary studies in which you are engaged
Remember thatyouth is fast passing away, aud
that unless you improve its precious hours for
the acquisition Of knowledge, your most import
ant time for that purpose will be lost, and that
ties for laying deep the foundations Of know
ledge you now enjoy ..:..:: ,:... ~ ....:,.-.
The subject on WHICH wish to communicate
my thoughts at this time, is style, and the char
acter of the authors which you should study
Composition, you know, is one of the labors
which yon have TO perform, and you must study
the style Of the best writer's in the English Ian
guage, that You may be able TO perform this part
Of your school EXERCISES with credit to your
selves. You cannot compose well in any lam
guage without paying good attention TO its best
authors. ....," III. T. .,.. IT, r..
" You are aware that there are some authors
who have. written or lectnred on the properties
or qualities of a good style Cicero, Quinctilan,
and some others among the ancients; Bossnet
Fenelon and Blair among the moderns. DR..
Blair is celebrated writer in the English Ian
guage on that subject. He published extensive
lectures in relation to it. These lectures con-
tain many excellent rules of composition, many
profound remarks which may be of great use 10
a student but the perusal Of the best authors
will all him still more. DR.. Blair will tell you
that one of the first excellencies of style, All ex
cellency, indeed, indispensable, is perspiruity5
OF clearnpss. Perspicuity of style is like a
polished and complete mirror in which a person
.perceves his features and other objects held
up before it at a glance, as soon as lie looks at
it; while an obscure style, one in which the
writer's meaning is indistinctly conveyed,is like
a mirror which has many dark and rough places
on its face; spots and blemishes which prevent
or interrupt full view Of your features, or Of
any object presented before it. Among the fine
writers Of the English language, Mr.. Addison
Mr.. Pope, Dean Swift, Dr.. Middleton. author of
the life of Cicero, Dr.. Watts. the celebrated
divine, and many others who have written since
the time in which they lived, are eminently
distinguished for perspicuty. There are some
English authors O. eminence who are consider
ably deficient in this particular. Mr.. Gibbon
the historian, is Justly liable TO criticism in this
respect, as well as defective on more serious
grounds than any that arise from style;. for he
belonged to the miserable tribe of Infdels who
were SO numerous at the period in which he
wrote. | would direct you 10 certain numbers
in Lyman Cobb's Sequel to his English Readers,
which are beautiful specimens Of perspicnity,
that particular property of style TO which am
now calling your attention shall enumerate
portion of them in. my next. These numbers
l wish you frequently to peruse--they will as
sist you to form an idea of the nature of per-
spicuity, and impress your minds with sense Of
its value. %.... -. s.>.'. *ss
There is distinction between the authors Of
the age Of Charles I'd, King William and Queen
Anne, such as Dryden, Tillotson Burnet, Addi-
son, Swift, Pope, Steele, and some others, and
the style Of those who have written since about
the year 1890, which desire you to mark
The vivacity of style seemed to be augmented
by the impulse Of events which began in the
year 1850 the era of the commencement Of the
French Revolution. The authors of the pre-
ceding period have majesty, perspicuity, grace,
suavity, and elegance in the highest degree, but
less vigor The style of our best authors has
generally more animation and energy since that
epoch, while it has lost nothing of perspicuity.
Our best authors now require for perfect relish
of their beauty more Of a knowledge Of modern
languages thar. did those Of the ages Of Dryden,
Pope, Addison, OF Johnson; but classical learn
was pIoUdDly hOlt SuillSdtC SCHoldlS
then than it is now .:.s,> 4. =. J.. ....,.
l give you the following extract as specimen
of the animation and vigor as well. as perspi-
Guilty Of style in the best writer's of the present
day: The composition is partly narrative, partly
descriptive. I doubt extremely whether it be-
a true picture of the domestic arrangements Of
the French peasantry and small farmers. II
think it is considerably Exaggerated BY that
propensity to view Frenchmen in any other
than favorable light which is one Of the char
acteristics and iailings of an Englishman, The
sunny side Of the picture is seldom described by
the mass of English writer's in their portraits Of
the French. We Americans, connected by
blood and close commercial ties with the Eng
lsh by suspicious recollections with the French,
are ina better position than the former to
form a candid and enlightened judgment with
respect to the taste, domestic habits aud general
conduct of the Gallo nation. The extract
which / proceed to make is from .Blackwo God
Magazine, for September, 1888, page 325 Of the
new American edition The author is detail
lug the incidents of journey III Bretagne, a.
province of France. He has arrived within the
vicinity of Nantes, great commercial city Of
France. ..<.
!" Nantes.--Passed through productive coun-