Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1849-01-18
A Literary Curiosity.

A PLEA FOR SHORT WoRDs.-An ngen-
ious correspondent of New York paper,
in the following artcle-written wholly in
monosyl an argument in IA
vor of the use of " short words" 1t would
be perhaps more easy to prove the proprie-
ty of the use of te,o words, and writing up
OH one side of the paper but this argument
is not without its interest
Thoughts on and an Short Words-The
speech of our sires far back in the days of
yore, like that of the First Man, who may
well be thought to have been taught of God.
was made up for the most part of those
short words which are spoke with one pulse
of the breath, aud one stroke of the tongue.
BHhe stream of time through long tract of
years, and from lands not our own, has
brought down to us vast drift of new and
strange terms, with which we may think our
speech has come rich, but it is clear that
much OF It's strength has in this way been
lost. Thus are we shown to be base sons.
who both from our limbs and our tognues.
have lost the Drawn Of our sres. They in
truth were poor in purse, but rich in speech.
Their words, like gems, were as great in
wealth, as they were small in bulk while
the mass OF ours, are US poor as they are
large and long. We must add to this,
the loss of force, and the waste of breath,
when we would speak our thoughts
and that of types and ink when we print
them. Huge tones would shrink to one
third their bulk, and time and pains would
be spent less in vain both to those who
write and print, and to those who read, if
there were due care to clip the length and
l,,- g h. 4. 4
the thought can claim. In our age the price
of time is as great as that of books is small
and the first charge we should give TO those
who would have us read what they write is,
" In all ways and and by all means be brief;
for life is short, and art is long"
Nor let us think that the good old stock
of words, so short and strong, is lost
They are not lost they lie blent with the
trash of the heap; and in bright points
shine out here and there from the map, like
the stars when IA fog dims the air, or the
face of the sky is dark with clouds. 1t will
be well worth our while to mine out these
gems, and string them on the chains of our
thoughts, which will then shine with new
| life; and though the tongue may lose in
sound it will be more fit to speak all that
]
throb by throb and it is thus that the
tongue should beat while it gives vent to its
joys and its pains.
The arts of life and the lore of the head
have need, it is true, for terms both cold
and long The heart must be kept cool
while we search for truth and truth shines
best in what some call I" dry light" But
what we have said holds in full force when
we look to all that large class of thoughts
which come from the heart, and which we
wish to go down in the souls Of those to
whom we speak. Here we need the
thoughts that breathe, and the words that
burn-those that wing their speed like a
bolt, and pierce like the barb on the shaft
Such are the terms in which it is fit to hail
the long lost friend, when we once more
grasp his hand, and hang on his neck, and
tell him 4" have seen thy face as though
had seen the face of God" Thus should
we " sing praise to the Lord with harp |;
with the harp and the voice of psalm /;
and pay our VOWS in the house of the Lord"
Hear him who cries out of the depths; and
say, what are the strains of his sad plant :
Wo to the day in which l was born. Let
that day be dark with the clouds of death,
Let no voice of Joy break on that night, and
let its stars be dark let it look for light,
but have none nor let it see the dawn of
day. My gray hairs shall GO down in grief
to the grave of my son, and there our heads
shall be at rest. o, my son my son
would God | had died for thee, my son my
son And where shall we find words with
which to wing our thoughts, which are so